Hope you are all having a happy day off (or day on). Here’s the news that caught our eye this week:
– A group of business leaders and investors (worth about $13 trillion) has thrown its weight into the climate change fight, urging world governments to act quickly.
– More cars—about four million—were scrapped than sold in the US in 2009
– New Seattle mayor Mike McGinn has been spotted riding his bike to press conferences — on topics unrelated to bikes.
– By the numbers, Vancouver, BC is squarely the greenest city in the Pacific Northwest. The second-greenest city? You might be surprised to find it isn’t Portland.
– Oprah profiled distracted driving on her show today, along with her guest, transpo sec’y Ray LaHood and relatives of people who were killed by others who were driving while texting or talking on the phone.
– New federal funding rules will light a bigger fire under the boom in streetcar development in cities nationwide.
– Is the sentencing of the Road Rage Doctor really a victory for bicycling rights? Bob Mionkse says not yet.
– More on gender and bicycling — in the racing world. An interview with a top ‘cross racer gives a glimpse of differing pay scales between men and women (sometimes 10:1). And check out the end of this interviewand then the comments for further complexities.
– A man who was arrested during Critical Mass in Minneapolis is in the way of receiving a $70,000 settlement from the city.
– One of Portland’s top chefs describes how he got fit and lost 100 pounds — in part through trading his car for a bike.
– On the little-explored dangers of walking while talking on the phone.
– What happens when you can’t talk on your phone while driving anymore? You pull over into the bike lane to chat, of course.
– Some history on the rise of the “devil cart” in Bangor, Maine.
– Hate riding in traffic? Maybe it’s time to invest in high-wire bike lanes above gridlocked streets. And dirigibles.
– Video of the week — a slideshow of family cycling from Totcycle:
Thanks for reading.
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Anyone seen that new TV ad from KIA, showing a little boy ‘growing up and trading his bicycle for something better’?
@Pete
Yeah, I’ve seen that one… Disappointing isn’t it.
K’Tesh #2 – Say glad I caught you. Are you certain about that emergency-only affirmative-defense you mention about parking in bicycle-lanes, in the forums? See, I thought I had seen affirmative-defense provisions for picking up/dropping off passengers, making deliveries, operating a taxicab, and so on. Upon trying to find this in statute, I find that other than for police (Official Duty – Is the actual language.) there’s no provision. Pretty much just like you say.
I can’t do much about ordinary people in bike-lanes, but I do find tons, and tons, of commercial vehicles parking in them for short-ish periods of time. I can’t help but think complaining to these companies would yield excellent results. Especially after appearing on my blog for a while, with some nice juicy pics of the violators.
We can bring social-pressure to bear upon this issue. Not the only, or best, policy, but you do what you can, right? And I just wanted to do extra work making sure I’m in the right should I find myself scolding any one.
Oh, and pics in comments – neato guys! That’s my [popular search engine] pic. I can tell ’cause I’m sporting the winter look in the rest of my marketing. Hehe. Hmm. Forthcoming profiles, or just jazzing-up?
Guess you’re right Vance…
ORS 811.440 provides as follows:
A person may operate a motor vehicle upon a bicycle lane when:
(a) Making a turn;
(b) Entering or leaving an alley, private road or driveway; or
(c) Required in the course of official duty.
An implement of husbandry may momentarily cross into a bicycle lane to permit other vehicles to overtake and pass the implement of husbandry.
That said, I highly doubt that motorists stopped due to a accident would be cited for failure to obey.
oops… I went to operating, not parking
ORS 811.550¹
Places where stopping, standing and parking prohibited
This section establishes places where stopping, standing and parking a vehicle are prohibited for purposes of the penalties under ORS 811.555 (Illegal stopping, standing or parking). Except as provided under an exemption in ORS 811.560 (Exemptions from prohibitions on stopping, standing and parking), a person is in violation of ORS 811.555 (Illegal stopping, standing or parking) if a person parks, stops or leaves standing a vehicle in any of the following places:
(4) On a sidewalk. Exemptions under ORS 811.560 (Exemptions from prohibitions on stopping, standing and parking) (4) to (7) are applicable to this subsection.
(23) On a bicycle lane. Exemptions under ORS 811.560 (Exemptions from prohibitions on stopping, standing and parking) are applicable to this subsection.
(24) On a bicycle path. Exemptions under ORS 811.560 (Exemptions from prohibitions on stopping, standing and parking) are applicable to this subsection. [1983 c.338 §669; 1985 c.21 §1; 1985 c.334 §1; 1989 c.433 §2; 1997 c.249 §234; 2001 c.522 §9]
I seem to remember uploading this pic to something a long time ago…
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K’Tesh, what does ORS 811.560 say?
Vance, #5: I like your idea of “social pressure”… 🙂 Seems like it would be a workable idea.