Here’s the bike news that caught my eye in the past week:
– In Toronto, a thousand people turned out on bikes to protest the planned removal of a bike lane on a major street.
– Los Angeles has passed a law that makes it illegal to physically or verbally harass anyone who is riding a bike.
– Also in LA, they’re still reeling from the non-catastrophic, even pleasant, street conditions during “Carmageddon.” Meanwhile, the city’s bike lanes are often blocked by trash cans. And there have been an unusually large number of fatal crashes involving bikes.
– It looks like federal funding for bike programs may stay in the transportation bill after all.
– Copenhagen’s bike industry is worth the equivalent of about 200 million US dollars.
– A survey of what’s going on for bicycle transportation in Miami, from city-led initiatives to grassroots bike fun.
– In Norfolk, Virginia, they’re getting ready to add a bunch of bike lanes, and the mayor is stoked.
– San Francisco’s transit agency’s new head is a guy who actually uses transit — and rides a bike, too.
– The observation that people riding bicycles in a wobbly and erratic manner have a traffic calming effect, making roads safer.
– It’s like the punchline of a joke — a road rage altercation ended with the person on the bike calling an ambulance so the person driving the car could get to the hospital to give birth.
– Thinking about traveling with a folding bike? Here are some solid tips, from taking it on the plane to avoiding bruises.
– And finally, a plea in these serious times to remember that biking used to be all about fun. (Maybe the author was thinking about this bike made of sausage.)
The kid born during that road-rage situation should be named “Ryder”
WOW $300k/yr. for the SanFran transport job. That seems pretty high, esp. in a state that is having crazy budget problems.
I happened to see what I think qualifies as a response to your concern over at Portland Transport, where blogger “EngineerScotty” writes:
http://portlandtransport.com/archives/2011/07/more_on_the_eco.html#c924322
…and cruising Downtown to NW and all over for Sunday Parkways was a blast! Great people (mostly), great weather and the PoPo were exemplary!
They were. Saw a Prius turn off of the bus mall onto the route in front of a cop, and he ran after them, stopping them about 1/3 of the way down the block. Could have been bad, with riders coming up the one way street the other way. I know downtown can be confusing, but some people just amaze me.
Whatever the market will bear. That’s the price of competing across the nation or the world, for people with the best experience and skill. Is there someone that could and would do what this guy can do, for say…$150k, or $100k?
Sara Mirk’s article about using a folding bike to get around, was interesting. As it turns out, yesterday, I happened to be rolling around Sunday Parkways. Actually was quite a long ride for casual riders. A couple of people I happened upon were both riding folders. Both Dahon’s I think, one of them the curvy framed Muo, the other the more common type folding bike that more or less doesn’t look much like a bike to me, although they work fine.
Both people were clipping along just fine. Asked the guy with the Muo whether folded, it would fit under his knees while sitting on a MAX seat. Said ‘no’. Said a Brompton would be needed for that.
Thanks for posting the piece about the reaction to the Toronto City Council’s decision to remove recently installed bike lanes from three main streets.
The mayor is leading a suburban drivers’ revolt against all the cyclists who he contends are clogging up the streets.
It will cost $200,000 to remove a lane that cost $59,000 to install last year!
Before it is removed however a separated bike lane will be installed in an adjacent street in keeping with the mayor’s contention that bikes don’t belong on the streets. Does this mean that cyclists will be banned from riding on the streets which currently have bike lanes once they’re removed?
Separated bike paths take up more space than on street bike lanes and make for dangerous situations when cyclists enter the roadways to cross them or continue on their journeys when the separated lane ends.
Since this type of infrastructure is very expensive the next step will be presumably to get cyclists to pay for it…
This is all in stark contrast to what’s happening elsewhere as several of the other articles in the Monday Roundup note.
as we begin in earnest to build separated facilities here in portland, at what point do we face the need to repeal the mandatory sidepath law
Links to some more articles and documents on L.A.’s anti-harassment ordinance that strives to discourage people in motor vehicles from harassing people on bikes:
The ordinance text itself:
http://ladotbikeblog.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/r11-0069.pdf
LADOT Bike Blog article on the ordinance:
http://ladotbikeblog.wordpress.com/2011/07/07/bicyclist-anti-harassment-ordinance-ready-for-city-council/
Note that the ordinance is dated Feb 17. This is the most recent text I found so far. The LADOT Bike Blog article mentions “Language Cleared Up”, so the Feb 17 ordinance text might differ from the version finally approved.
And what happens if someone needs to go somewhere that the bike path doesn’t go to?
I’ve always maintained that – for all its virtues like health and fitness and economics and reduced environmental impact – the #1 reason I Ride Bike is that it’s fun.