Okay, after some sage advice, I’ve decided to my absolute best to post the Bike News Roundup every Thursday. When you get to work Monday, you will have a couple days to get through Elly Blue’s awesome Monday Roundup at Bike Portland. Then I’ll give you a refill to get you through the weekend. It could be the start of the Pacific Northwest Bicycle News Industrial Complex…
This photo of a guardian angel on a bike was taken by @origamigirl at 36th and Stone Way. Meanwhile, Josh at the Bicycle Story posted a photo of a busty bike lane figure with flowing hair. Looks like we have a serial bike lane modifier on our hands… and I dig it.
Publicola has more info on what we would get if Seattle were to pass an $80 vehicle license fee. Spoiler: It’s lots of good, needed transportation work.
I hope you have already accomplished everything you wanted to do today, because clicking this link will derail your life for hours. (Dear Cascade Twitterer who sent out that link: I will never get those hours back and its your fault.)
Ballard Greenways is on Facebook!
How “cycling as a revolutionary act” looks to a place where cycling is the norm.
This crack New York reporter is worried about terrorists using a proposed city bike lane. Because, you know, terrorists don’t use cars… (?)
A visualization of the proposed cuts to King County Metro. It’s awful. Save the buses!
Transportation Choices Coalition has hired Bus Chick Carla Saulter as their new membership manager. An excellent match!
VeloBusDriver makes the case for the folding bike/transit combo even stronger. I’ll admit it: I totally want a folding bike now, and I don’t even take transit very often. They just seem handy.
Rep. John Mica wants to strip bike/ped funding from the federal transportation bill.
Bike sharing systems are safer than owning your own bicycle. In fact, in the first year of London’s bike share system, no one was killed or seriously injured out of 4.5 million trips. Wow. That’s yet another compelling argument for starting a system in King County (and relaxing our unusual all-ages mandatory helmet law so any system started here doesn’t flop like the system in Melbourne. Imagine the irony of a helmet law making it so we can’t create a safe transportation system).
Look at all the bikes for Bike to School Day! Looks like we need more bike racks at our schools.
A couple of teens in a car attacked a man riding his bike on a road northwest of Mount Rainier.
More evidence that car exhaust is detrimental to the health of people riding bicycles. Interesting note: It is safer to stay at least 15 feet from tailpipes when possible. Sounds like a good argument for parking-separated cycle tracks and neighborhood greenways.
OMG CARS ARE EXPENSIVE!!!!!!!!!
The wealth manager who claimed that the “new car smell” from his Mercedes made him hit a bicycling doctor near Vail, Colorado, and leave the scene of the crime only to call Mercedes for service to his damaged vehicle a few miles later will get 90 days in jail and no felony counts on his record.
Tyler Farrar gives the SunBreak tips on city biking. No, “Ride really really really really really fast” is not one of them.
Seattle Weekly checks out the food at Ballard’s Dutch Bike Co. Sounds like I need to try the cookies.
Why buying car insurance should be more like buying pizza by the slice (no, really, it makes sense).
Black women are sometimes alienated from the mainstream bike movement, and some women in DC and Portland have formed their own groups. Bike Portland takes a look at “the complex intersection of race, gentrification, and bike infrastructure.”
Wal-Mart is now selling a Dutch-style cruiser under the brand “Hollandia.” And yes, it is still being sold under the “Toys” heading…
The state may consider tolling the I-5 express lanes. That’s a good start, but I say we stop motor vehicle traffic and open the lanes to biking and walking instead. Do you have any idea how fast you could ride from 65th and Ravenna to City Hall? Forget about traffic congestion. With a bicycle route that direct, everyone would just ride instead.
The man who killed a Portland woman while driving far too fast while intoxicated has received a sentence that many in the Bike Portland comments actually deem fair. Angela Burke was walking her bicycle in a crosswalk when he struck and killed her. He pleaded guilty to Criminally Negligent Homicide, Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants, and three counts of Recklessly Endangering Another Person. His sentence: 60 months in prison, five years probation, license suspended for eight years, must attend drug and alcohol treatment and participate in a victim’s panel. He also paid for the victim’s family to fly into Portland and stay in a hotel to watch him be sentenced.
The Spanish city of Murcia will trade you a lifetime pass on the city’s trolleys for your car.
And, because I can never choose which videos to include, you get two! First: Detroit Bike City.
Detroit Bike City from Alex Gallegos on Vimeo.
Then, Mia Birk tells her story as bicycle coordinator in Portland in just a couple minutes:
This is an open thread. What news out there have I missed (either locally or globally)? Any bike events going on this weekend?
Comments
4 responses to “Bike News Roundup: Your bike lane guardian angel”
Responding to my own off-topic post in yesterday’s post about the revamped BGT crossing, I got a clarification from SDOT via Twitter that they will in fact install a solid center line in the crossing area. This is good, though I still think it’s disappointing that signage won’t be part of the new orientation. A sign warning of sharp turns, assuming it’s reasonably placed, shouldn’t be considered an “obstacle” any more than the existing RR Xing or Slippery When Wet signs are; they’re basic and essential warnings to help cyclists negotiate an awkward crossing. It’s generally just disappointing that rather than err on the side of safety, SDOT would rather wait and see if people actually get into accidents before taking action. It’s precisely that sort of attitude that led to so many people crashing at this crossing in the first place.
Dutch Bike is a good lil’ shop, I just bought a pair of 9spd Dura Ace shifters from them a few weeks ago. The mechanic Travis has excellent customer service.
The coffee shop addition is a good idea, but I think their prices are high, so I try and snag the day old pastries along with my Americano when I stop in.
As to the 80 dollar fee, its a good idea for now, but if transit advocates had our dreams come true, then cars become less and less. So how is a public agency supposed to count on fewer vehicles adding to the equation of paying for more? That doesn’t make sense to me.
I advocate folding bikes now as well. They used to be cheap and toy-like, not anymore. Its amazing at how well some are made.
@ Andreas, I completely agree with your last sentence. You said very, very well. SDOT could care less about the average biker, it takes someone with clout and crashes big time to get crap done, that part is clear enough.
RE: “As to the 80 dollar fee, its a good idea for now, but if transit advocates had our dreams come true, then cars become less and less. So how is a public agency supposed to count on fewer vehicles adding to the equation of paying for more?”
More people on transit theoretically means more fare revenue, so that might help balance that equation. Plus, motor vehicles cost the city more than they contribute (far far far far more, even after the proposed $80 goes into effect), so cars off the road is transportation money saved, whether they pay transit fares or decide to ride a bicycle.
The VLF is one small step toward creating a more equitable transportation funding field. My biggest problem with the VLF is that it is flat-rate no matter how much you drive. Unfortunately, the most sensible way to fund our transportation future — gas taxes — is not an option.
I was going to tease that it’ll be hard for you to find a folding bike older than yourself…but I just peeked on eBay and there are oodles of vintage folders.