Virginia - Accident insurance for cyclists.
New York City - P.J. O'Rourke, you know I can't stay angry at you. "The bicycle is a parody of a wheeled vehicle—a donkey cart without the cart, where you do the work of the donkey." Meanwhile, Senator Schumer tries to stay out of the bike lane debate that his wife is a major player in, while the city government is not backing down on its support for cycling. "When protected bike lanes are installed, injury crashes for all road users typically drop by more than 40 percent." And the crackdown continues, but this time the unexpected happened. After ticketing cyclists for speeding based on the belief the speed limit was 15mph, they went to the homes of the ticketed and personally apologized after they found out that it was actually 25. One guy kept his ticket because he, like Sammy Hagar, can't bike 25.
Pennsylvania - The Allegheny Trail Alliance is asking Amtrak to allow roll-on/roll-off service.
Kansas - Kansas is joining (if the Governor signs the bill) Virginia in allowing cyclists to run red lights that don't detect them. I really think this opens the door to the Idaho stop, but maybe I'm too optimistic.
Los Angeles - An interesting article about the history of bicycling in L.A. includes this depressing line "The Olympic Velodrome, demolished in 2003 to make way for the Home Depot Center..." I think the 1984 Olympics was the first time I ever watched a bicycle race. I remember being fascinated by the track standing.
Alaska - For those who think it gets too cold to bike, look at what Alaska is doing. "the bill establishes a grant program for municipalities to purchase, maintain and offer facilities for people who want to commute by bicycle...Seaton says innovations like studded tires, fenders and trailers to carry groceries and work supplies have made bicycle commuting a viable option even during Alaska's icy winters"
United States - The LAB has a map of bike commuting by state. The postal service is issuing a "ride a bike" stamp (How does that feel O'Rourke?), which is advice they've been taking "Some mail carriers in Arizona and Florida use bicycles to make deliveries" And later "Could you imagine if federal workers ever had to use battery-powered bikes to travel on official business?" Yes I can. A new book is out about the women's rights movement and bicycles - there are some great photos at this link.
Guadalajara, Mexico - Activists painted their own bike lanes.
I was under the impression that it was part of the Uniform Traffic Code (the DOT publication that most states have adopted, in whole or in part, as their traffic law) that an inoperative signal is to be treated as a stop sign. A light that will not turn green for me is, ipso facto, inoperative. (This is the same language that applies when power failures disable traffic lights: All users are to treat the intersection as an all-way stop.)
Posted by: Joe D | April 03, 2011 at 07:51 PM