San Diego Bike Advocate Interviewed

From Voice of San Diego, 12.30.06:

"I think [our activism] is growing. We've gone from being a fringe organization, you know, 'those crazy bicyclists.' Now people are starting to realize that, when you walk down the street and meet your neighbor, they're bicyclists too. Here are some stats: 58 percent of the people in the county own bikes ... and 29 percent have ridden in the past 12 months. That's a huge number of people in San Diego who are out there riding right now. Because we're so small and inconspicuous, people don't realize how many bicyclists are out there. But they're starting to realize. (Read more.)"

Congratulations to Kathy Keehan and the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition for this media coverage. I doubt any city in North America has better climate for bike commuting than San Diego. Especially as January looms, brrrr.

The most amusing aspect of this interview for me was the lingering anxiety about the "aggressive tactic" of Critical Mass, a famed San Francisco innovation. Locally, Critical Mass has declined in political significance as the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has gained effectiveness. The ride in San Francisco this past Friday was largely a festive, well-humored holiday celebration with hardly any overt political expression.

But the fear of an enormously disruptive bicycle coincidence striking a city remains potent.

Image: Kathy Keehan, executive director of the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition
Visit: Out-of-car experiences: Biking to work in San Diego, San Diego News Network
Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips Site

Wider berth for bicyclists sought to cut road deaths

From the Sacramento Bee, 12.18.06:

A Santa Barbara assemblyman is fighting to change state law--by 36 inches.

Democrat Pedro Nava, in memory of a 21-year-old bicyclist struck and killed by a trailer truck on a narrow Santa Barbara road, is pushing for a 3-foot buffer zone for bicycles that are passed by cars or other motor vehicles.

"It's from your nose to the end of your fingertip," Nava said. "It's an easy distance to remember. And I think it's the least we can do for bicycle safety."

Violators would be subject to base fines of $250, rising to about $875 once local fees are tacked on. Motorists could be charged criminally if a bicyclist were killed or seriously injured. (Read more.)

This bill has been kicking around for at least two sessions. A crash involving a bicyclist and an overtaking vehicle is indeed the scariest and most dangerous kind of collision. Fortunately, it is the one of the least common kinds of bicyclist-vehicle crashes; collisions at intersections are far more frequent.

Will this bill improve safety for bicyclists? I doubt it, frankly. Motorists routinely violate most traffic laws. AB 60 will increase penalties for motorists who do strike bicyclists, and that is a good thing. However, most drivers are unfamiliar with or unconscious of the details of the entire traffic code. They base their driving behavior on road conditions, traffic, prevailing speeds, visibility, and time considerations--not legislative mandates.

Sadly, California bicyclists have minimal strength and lobbying resources in the state capital. I would prefer that those limited resources be deployed in pursuit of greater state funding for bicycling, which could include street enhancements (complete streets), public awareness campaigns, bicycle safety education, safe routes to school and transit, and other programs to encourage bicycling. Nothing improves safety for bicyclists like the abundant presence of bicyclists.

Punitive legislation aimed at motorists is popular among some bicyclists; however it is unnecessarily antagonistic to the auto-lobby and generally yields minimal real improvement for cyclists. Funding for bicycling is a far greater and more important challenge. I would prefer the "bike lobby" not waste scarce resources on "feel good" bills that offer scant improvement.

Should California bicyclists support AB 60? Of course. Should we make it our top legislative priority? Absolutely not. Show me the money!

Individual bicyclists can do a great deal to improve their personal safety by riding effectively, using mirrors, and traveling on less busy streets. As a group, bicyclists gain more by working as advocates for streetscape improvement to better accommodate bicycling.

Image: Sacramento Bee/Randall Benton
See: Assemblymember Pedro Nava
See: California Bicycle Coalition
Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips Site

Businesses show transportation vision

From the Burlington Free-Press, in Burlington, Vermont, 12.17.06:

Stark Mountain Woodworking in New Haven got 13 of 14 employees bike commuting with a $1,000 incentive. The results? Productivity up. Morale up. Sick days down. Pollution cut. Owner Skimmer Hellier says this "health plan" is a cash-positive investment. (Read more.)

These results sound consistent with those in Odense, Denmark, the Scandinavian city that is a national laboratory for bicycling. When U.S. employers see the light and start working proactively to promote bicycling.

Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips Site

Who needs a trunk?

My wife and I did some shopping this weekend, and of course we did not use a car. (We don't have one; Enterprise is kind enough to rent us a vehicle when we need it.) As I say on my bike commuting tips pages, with a little ingenuity and a few elastic cords, you can carry a great deal on a bike.

This was a light shopping day. I use a pair of permanently installed Wald rear folding baskets. My wife uses a pair of removable Nashbar "Townie" folding baskets. If we had needed even greater load capacity, we also own a Cycletote trailer and a BOB trailer.

We visited many crowded stores on the weekend just two weeks before Winter Solstice/Christmas holiday. We enjoyed lots of fresh air and exercise with traveling through San Francisco's festive retail districts, the Ferry Building Farmer's Market, and along the waterfront Embarcadero. And we dealt with none of the stress of all those motoring shoppers fighting parking, traffic, delays, and abundant road rage.

Image: Paul Dorn
Visit: Seven days of groceries on two wheels--Shopping by bicycle, TheExaminer.com
Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips Site

Advocacy works for bicyclists

Oklahoma cycling blogger CycleDog writes this week:

There were a couple of (bicycling articles) with the usual ‘you can’t ride ABC Street because it’s too dangerous/too fast/too narrow/too whatever’. Many cyclists think this way and too many of our alleged advocacy groups encourage them to do so. They hype the danger of riding in traffic because their agenda calls for bike lanes on every street and roadway in the nation. Never mind if this is good for the community, good for cyclists, or good for the taxpayers. It’s VERY good for the organizations involved. Thunderhead Alliance, Bikes Belong, and sadly, even the League of American Bicyclists endorse such projects.

These bike lane proponents claim to have the needs of cyclists in mind when in fact their projects are mainly beneficial to motorists. (Read more)

CycleDog is one of a shrinking number of old-paradigm bicyclists who spout such "straw man" nonsense. ("Bike lanes on every street"? Which groups call for that?) Sigh. This "paint-n-path" versus "effective cycling" argument is soooo very tiresome.

The sad reality is that bicyclists in much of auto-centric America face hostile street conditions. How should bicyclists respond to a hostile streetscape? Alternative #1: Change the streetscape to a create "complete streets" more amenable to cycling, walking, transit. Alternative #2: Cope with bad streets; teach bicyclists how to adapt to hostile streets, through bike safety education programs. Change or cope.

CycleDog condemns organizations ("they only want your dues") which favor Alternative #1. However, changing streets to better support bicycling is imperative, which is why the most effective bike advocacy organizations pursue Alternative #1. This means serious political organizing, agitating, advocating, coalition building, campaigning. And this is what has worked in San Francisco, which is the only city in the US to have seen a doubling of bicycling for transportation according to U.S. Census Bureau.

Alternative #1 (change streets) is positive, empowering, and effective. It works to increase bicycling presence, power, and participation, and nothing improves safety for cyclists more than the abundant presence of bicyclists. It is proactive, working to shape future street development and reshape existing public space. It is expansive, reaching out to improve communities through bicycling.

Alternative #2 (education to better cope with road hazards, apparently favored by CycleDog) is demoralizing, defeatist, and ineffective. It leads to even further marginalization of bicyclists on public streets, as unopposed auto interests create streetscapes even more hostile to bicyclists. It is reactive, working to adapt present "square" cyclists to "round" streets.

As a League Cycling Instructor (#1237) I support bicycle education. But it is no substitute for advocacy. Nor is it universally effective; note the "success" of motorist education--42,000 deaths a year and counting. And education is more than simply bike-handling and street safety clinics: media outreach, street signage, bike lanes, "sharrows", public service advertising campaigns--all serve to educate motorists, bicyclists, and public officials.

In reality all cyclists do both, change and cope. They cope with existing conditions as they endeavor to change them. But clearly the path to a more bicyclist-friendly U.S. is to pursue change.

Image: Tony Eason.
See: Bicyclists winning a war of lanes in San Francisco, Christian Science Monitor, 09.12.06
See: Cycling supporters on a roll in S.F., San Francisco Chronicle, 08.21.06
See: League of American Bicyclists
See: Thunderhead Alliance
Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips Site

Arcata Eye: For traffic's sake, create bicycle boulevards

From the Arcata Eye, in Arcata, California, 12.12.06:

Five million dollars per year.

That is what California appropriates for bicycle infrastructure. It might sound like a lot of money, but not when you consider that Caltrans is working up the Environmental Impact Report for a frivolous $60 million project to save motorists 60 seconds on their trip to Eureka.

Compare that with $5 million for bicycle infrastructure spread over the most populous state, a state that has plenty of dangerous places to bike, and you can see the imbalance in our transportation policy. (Read more)

The $5 million dollars referred to here is the Bicycle Transportation Account (BTA), administered by the California Department of Transportation, affectionately known as Caltrans. This beloved agency has done more to uglify California than any other entity since the Gold Rush mining era, having only two aesthetic principles: 1) horizontal slabs of concrete, and 2) vertical slabs of concrete.

Some might suggest that Caltrans has changed in recent years, allegedly becoming more responsive to community demands for alternatives to driving. Others, such as this author from Arcata, continue to believe that Caltrans gives non-motorists only a healthy dose of lip service. Like noted atheist Richard Dawkins says, we are waiting for evidence.

The shameful pittance allocated to the BTA--$5 million is a rounding error on most highway construction contracts--is indeed a disgrace, as this writer suggests. More disgraceful is that the BTA was once a few crumbs bigger at $7.2 million. The legislation creating the BTA had a sunset provision which reduced the fund by $2.2 million, unless the sunset was lifted by new legislation.

To its credit, the California Bicycle Coalition did get legislation to continue the status quo $7.2 million BTA funding--no increase to meet unfunded demand, merely stay-level in non-inflation adjusted dollars--through to Governor Arnold Schwarzeneggar's desk in 2005. The Governator vetoed the bill, SB523. Yes, Mr. Fitness and Health Arnold killed the bill. And clearly he was advised to do so by Caltrans. And this was mere prelude to the massive highway pork of Proposition 1B, passed this November at Arnold's urging and lacking any funds for bicyclists or pedestrians.

Happily, the BTA is not the only source of government funding for bicycle facilities. Many local organizations, notably the Marin County Bicycle Coalition, have been effective at finding creative ways to squeeze money out of reluctant government agencies.

Image: Web capture. A bike boulevard in Berkeley, California.
Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips Site

Amtrak Capitol Corridor celebrates 15 years

Amtrak California's great Capitol Corridor service between San Jose and Sacramento--with connections to San Francisco, Chico, Reno, and other cities--is marking its 15th anniversary this week:

Fifteen years ago, Amtrak and Caltrans began a new passenger train service connecting the Bay Area and Sacramento with three round-trip trains a day. The Capitol Corridor trains quickly drew standing-room crowds on some trains and prompted some predictions of a rail renaissance.

Today, the rail service runs 16 round-trip trains between Oakland and Sacramento, including seven of those that go as far as San Jose and one that goes to and from Auburn. A total of 1.3 million passengers rode the Capitols in the past 12 months compared with 273,000 in the first year of operations.

What has been missing from all the deserved celebratory coverage of the Capitol Corridor is bicycles.

The train serves the bike friendly communities of Sacramento (bronze level Bicycle-Friendly Community Award), Davis (the most bike-friendly community in North America), Berkeley (home of cycling university students, bike boulevards, and the Bicycle Friendly Berkeley Coaliton), and San Francisco (gold-level Bicycle-Friendly Community Award.)

As the image above of the train station in Davis suggests, hundreds of intermodal bike commuters use the Capitol Corridor every day. Each passenger car of the Capitol Corridor has space for three bikes, or usually a 12-bike capacity per four-car train. Many cyclists leave their bikes locked at their departure station.

More can be done to encourage these intermodal cyclists. In Sacramento, for example, there is little secure bike parking. Just outdoor racks. A secure, staffed bike station similar to those at the Berkeley and Embarcadero BART stations or the Palo Alto and San Francisco Caltrain stations, would attract dozens of additional bicycling rail passengers.

Charging more for vehicle parking--most Capitol Corridor lots are free--would encourage passengers to shift from cars to bikes. Adding more secure bike parking facilities, such as the Bike Tree or bike lockers, would also attract additional cyclists.

The success of passenger rail in car-crazy California--two of the three most successful Amtrak routes are the state's Capitol Corridor and Pacific Surfliner--should encourage every alternative transportation activist in the U.S. And bicycling passengers are a significant factor in that success.

Top Image: Web capture. Train station in Davis, California, built in 1913 by Southern Pacific.
See: Capitol Corridor riding high, San Francisco Chronicle, 12.13.06
See: Capitol Corridor rail service chugs into 16th year, Contra Costa Times, 12.08.06
Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips Site

Ain't no jaywalking happening here

To amplify a point I made in an earlier post about stop signs, I offer this fascinating video from 1906. It's a trolley ride down Market Street in San Francisco, just days before the devastating earthquake and fire. This video is shown at San Francisco's Market Street Railway transit museum, where it is explained that the frame skips are unavoidable. And the motor cars you see were hired by the filmmakers to circle around, giving the impression that San Francisco--which had only 200 cars in the city at the time, sigh--was "modern."

Despite the far greater numbers of bicycles then in use in the city, there are actually few bicyclists shown in this footage, which may be understandable considering the cobbled pavement of this street. Other streets were more bike-friendly dirt.

What is relevant to observe here is how freely pedestrians, carriages, and trolley passengers move about. Without the potential high speeds and threats of automobiles, traffic regulation is nonexistent. No stop signs, no red lights, all travelers respectful of each other, a smooth flow, vibrant life everywhere. It's the heyday of the "naked streets" concept that many would like to reintroduce. There is no concept of "jaywalking," since pedestrians are free to exercise their fundamental right to mobility.

Sadly, within a few years of this video the vibrant pedestrian life was pushed out of the streets, replaced by the deadening traffic of automotive monopoly. The privilege granted to motorists superseded the mobility right of pedestrians, bicyclists, and kids at play.

We should be mindful of this historic inequity when motorists condemn stop sign running by bicyclists. Motorist use of the road is a privilege; they have duty of care for the risk they introduce into the public realm. Encouraged by government policy, media images, and automotive marketing to feel a sense of entitlement to exclusive use of streets, motorists generally forget this.

Bicyclists likewise have a responsibility to operate safely. However, the risk bicyclists create is minimal. As vulnerable riders lacking the protection of two tons of steel, the possible harm we might cause would impact us as seriously if not more seriously than others in the streetscape.

Again, when someone gripes that "bicyclists don't respect traffic laws," retort that "motorists don't obey traffic laws." And then hope that a broader discourse might occur that would illuminate the dangerous spaces our streets have become.


Visit: San Francisco Market Street 1941, YouTube.com
Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips Site

The "bikes at stop signs" thing, again...

From the Charlotte Observer, 12.10.06:
DR. TRAFFIC: Bicyclists have rights--and responsibilities

"Q. I often hear complaints from drivers about bicyclists not following traffic rules, not stopping at signs, etc. How big a problem is that and what can be done about it?"

"The percentage of cyclists who do that, I believe, is relatively low. But it only takes a few to raise the ire of the motorists. And when I talk to motorists -- which of course is all the time -- that's the most frequent complaint, that the bicyclists aren't conforming to the rules of the road, so why should they deserve the respect of the drivers? And I think the drivers are absolutely correct, and it's an embarrassment.

This is the most tiresome complaint motorists routinely toss at bicyclists. That we don't "stop" at stop signs. Groan. My response is usually: "Neither do motorists."

It's instructive to spend a few minutes watching traffic at a 4-way intersection regulated by stop signs. I often do this at an intersection near my home, as I walk my aging dog. My admittedly non-empirical observation at this intersection and others suggests that the majority of motorists do not come to a complete stop, but rather do the infamous "California stop." They slow to 5 MPH or so, before proceeding through the intersection. Most stop signs are simply treated as yield signs. And generally motorists aren't enthusiastic about yielding to a pedestrian with a slow-moving 14-year-old dog.

So why are bicyclists held to a higher standard? My experience suggests that many persistently motoring Americans--encouraged to feel entitled by decades of automotive marketing and government policy--don't really want bicyclists competing for space on city streets. They refuse to accept bicyclists as co-equals, and don't recognize the benefits of bicycling travelers for all community members, including drivers. ("One less car--competing for parking space!") They also refuse to acknowledge the greater danger their 3,000 pound or heavier vehicle poses to the community than the biker's mode. Indeed, the stop sign and much other traffic regulation didn't exist until automobiles--and the threat they pose--became a pervasive menace.

Many motorists are hostile to bicyclists, period. These unrepetant slaves to internal combustion won't feel more kindly toward bicyclists even if there were absolute universal compliance to traffic regulations. Nobody obtains equitable treatment on streets or elsewhere by "playing good." Rights (and privileges like driving) to use public space aren't contingent on group behavior, granted only when every member of the group complies. One wonders why American motorists--who kill and injure more people than almost anyone--are "deserving of respect."

It's unfortunate the bicycling advocate interviewed in this article doesn't challenge the assertion that bicyclist behavior is abnormal. Bicyclist behavior is entirely consistent with traffic behavior in general. Excessively "abnormal" behavior is most punitive to the bicyclist; the rider most endangers him- or herself by reckless or unsafe cycling. It's the bicyclist who assumes the primary risk; unlike the motorist who creates a danger for others. Treating stop signs as yields allows bicyclists to maintain momentum, and done with caution is much less dangerous than rolling stops by impatient SUV-driving motorists. I'm not suggesting rampant law-breaking. However I do trust bicyclists to use their judgement to assess their risk and act accordingly.

The advocate interviewed in this story does call attention to the auto-domination of American society. In other nations where motorists feel less entitlement there are experiments with "naked streets," which have no regulation at intersections. It appears to work in those cultures that treat all modes as co-equals. Which makes me doubt it would work in our inequitable car-dominated society, where decades of government policy has privileged driving and encouraged anti-social behavior by motorists.

As Dr. Traffic asks, what can we do about bicyclists not stopping? The same thing we did about "white only" water faucets and other inequitable laws: Change the law to better reflect the actual threats posed by respective travel modes.

"I don't always obey the traffic law, but I always obey the law of traffic."

Visit: Why cyclists should be able to roll through stop signs and ride through red lights, Vox.com
Visit: Survey finds bicyclists and motorists ignore traffic laws at similar rates, PRI.org
Visit: Risky cycling rarely to blame for bike accidents, study finds, The Guardian
Visit: Stop signs don't work for bicyclists, Sustainable Life
Visit: Wreckless Riding, SF Streetblog
Visit: Moralism vs. Utopianism–of Red Lights, Helmets, Bike Lanes and…, SFStreetsblog.org
Visit: The naked streets, BBC News
Visit: The Myth of the Scoflaw Cyclist, TheWashCycle
Visit: Stop, Limited Warren T (outstanding video.)
Visit: Stop signs with marketing pizazz, Bike Commuting Tips Blog
Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips

How bike friendly will Austin become?

From the Austin American-Statesman, 12.11.06:

How bike friendly will Austin become?
"Portland pointed the way, but it will take action on planned projects, leadership and money to make cycling a priority here"

"Austin ought to be one of the best bicycling cities in the country. We've got rolling hills to train on, a climate that invites year-round cycling and a population that puts stock in keeping fit. The world's greatest cyclist even calls Austin home. But we've got a long way to pedal before we can coast."

This report also includes a related video featuring an interview with Annick Beaudet, project manager of the City of Austin's Bicycle Program. Most salient quote: "Biking--it's not a problem, it's a solution," (Mia) Birk (of Alta Planning + Design) says. "Obesity, congestion, air quality, cost of gas, economy--they all point to cycling."

Centerpiece of Austin's planned improvements for bicycling is the six-mile Lance Armstrong Bikeway through downtown, which will form the spine of an enhanced bikeway network of paths, lanes, and routes. The city is looking to famously bike-friendly Portland, Oregon--approximately the same size as Austin--as a model. "In Portland, bike ridership doubled after the city put in about 165 miles of bike lanes, mostly on arterial streets. Austin, by contrast, has about 70 miles of on-street painted bike lanes."

Helmets off to the Austin American-Statesman for providing such substantial coverage to bicycling. And congrats also to the efforts of the Texas Bicycle Coalition, which I suspect has helped push these bicycling enhancements in the Texas state capital.

Image: Jay Janner, Austin American-Statesman. Man, I hope that dude is planning a left turn soon.
Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips Site

Governing Magazine: Pedal Pushers

From the November 2006 issue of Governing:

Pedal Pushers: Fair- and foul-weather cities alike are gearing up to make it safer and easier for commuters to bicycle to work.
Chicago can be stiflingly hot during the summer and rain-chilled in the spring, and its wind-whipped winters are the stuff of legend. So when the subject is “bicycle commuting,” Chicago is not the first city that springs to mind. But it’s becoming a hot bike-to-work town. In the next decade, it plans to expand its network of bike trails to 500 miles, and has set a goal of putting a bike path of some sort within half a mile of every city resident.

This article offers much to be encouraged about. However, it fails to discuss what I think is the biggest challenge to increased bicycle use for transportation: Sprawl.

The writer offers many examples of U.S. cities working successfully to encourage cycling, such as New York, Portland, and even San Francisco. However, it also mentions the failure of cities like Houston and Atlanta to realize their dreams of bike-friendliness.

A key to making a community more amenable to bicycling is keeping it compact, keeping destinations close to one another. If the workplace, school, or supermarket is less than a mile away, then bicycling is an attractive option. If these destinations are spread out over a sprawling community like, say, Phoenix, then a car becomes the more likely option.

You can have miles and miles of bike lanes on expansive streets in sprawling communities with almost no bicyclists. There aren't any destinations in close proximity.

Image: Web capture. Beautiful bike lane in sprawling community, but no shade, no close destinations, and no bicyclists.
Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips Site

Bike Parking: the missing factor

OK, admittedly this is an extreme situation. The cyclists who left these bikes all know each other--we can only hope--but this image illustrates an important point.

On the street pictured here we see many cars, taking up approximately 200 square feet (10 feet by 20 feet) of space each. (And certainly many more cubic feet.) You could transform one--just one--vehicle space into a bike parking area that could accommodate this entire stack. And clear the sidewalk so cyclists aren't unnecessarily antagonizing pedestrians.

Many casual, recreational or competitive cyclists would consider biking to work, but are understandably anxious about where to leave their often pricey bikes. As I write on my bike commuting tips site:

Many employers show no hesitation about creating enormous parking lots, at a cost of $15-25,000 per space, for their workers' cars. It's amazing--and sad--that these same employers vigorously resist creating bike parking areas. One automobile space could be converted to create parking for 10-12 bicycles.

It will be a better day for everyone when safe, secure bike parking is as ubiquitous as vehicle parking throughout our communities.

Image: Web capture
Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips Site

Starlet plays bike messenger, badly

This is an image of Jessica Simpson, on location for her new film, Blonde Ambition. Apparently, she plays a young woman climbing the corporate ladder, beginning as a bike messenger. I mean, obviously. What could be a lower career rung than bike messenger, right? You can see more images on her blog. Yes, it's abundant with self-indulgent hype.

Judging by this photo, I have to wonder: What universe allows a messenger to bring a bicycle into an office building? Where are the beefy security officers with the aggressive tackle? Especially in this paranoid post-9/11 era. Or maybe the officers are looking at something else (a little T&A anyone?) and ignore the bike. Perhaps it's explained in the plot; or maybe it's just an unrealistic fantasy universe.

While I'm always hopeful that Hollywood might produce more films featuring bicycling characters--and there by encourage more bicycling--this Blonde Ambition project doesn't look promising. For one thing, they cast Jessica Simpson. And these pics suggest that this could be the silliest and most unrealistic bike messenger feature since the unintentionally hilarious Kevin Bacon vehicle, Quicksilver (1986). It's also a shame that Trek or Specialized wasn't involved with product placement--I have no idea what brand of bike that could be.

Full disclosure: I've never seen a film featuring Jessica Simpson. Perhaps I'm wrong and she's the new Meryl Streep. I suspect not.

Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips Site

Another fun lighting product

On Sunday, my wife and I attended the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition's annual Winterfest, perhaps Northern California's greatest bicycle party. After perusing the various booths and auction items, we acquired a Light Planet Bike BRT Strap. This is a smart LED leg/arm band, which is a great thing to have for dark winter night cycling. It has a flashing and steady mode, and is reflective when the lights are off. The package says it will run for 200 hours. It also adjusts up to 18 inches, meaning it can also work as a dog collar.

In general, I find much to admire with Planet Bike's product line, and I appreciate the company's support for bicycle advocacy. I also found a similar product, the L.E.D. Marker Band, marketed by Night Ize.

As I've written before, if you ride at night, get lights! With advances in LED technology, there is an abundance of affordable and bright bicycle illumination options.

Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips Site

Some commuters dump the car

Associated Press article posted by Asbury Park Press on 12.04.06:

Six years ago, Bruce Wilbur did what most Americans wouldn't dream of: he got rid of his car. And his minivan, too. He started taking the bus to work — not a common sight in Rochester, N.Y. — and loved the switch. More recently, he's been biking to work.

Can you imagine?!? A commuter in America who doesn't drive! How exotic. Sigh.

This wire-service article has been around for a while, seemingly initiated by author Chris Balish's book, How to Live Well Without Owning a Car, which was published earlier this year. But it's interesting to see the story continues to find print. The main topical hook is increasing gas prices, which dipped a bit prior to the election and are now rising again. (I'm not suggesting a conspiracy by the oilmen in the White House, but...)

Full Disclosure: Yes, I'm among the cyclists quoted in Balish's book.

Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips Site

This can’t be true progress

From the Albany Democrat Herald in New York 12.04.06:

People in China are repeating one of the mistakes that human beings keep making in the modern age. They are getting rid of a simple transportation device that costs little and are replacing it with one that is more comfortable but also costs much more and has to be replaced more often.

The capital, Beijing, is spreading out to accommodate millions upon millions of new residents. Because of longer commutes, and because they want to be modern, residents are buying cars as fast as they can and abandoning their bicycles. The result, already evident, is impenetrable gridlock, a vast accumulation of air pollution and a huge rise in traffic deaths. About a thousand Beijing bicyclists reportedly died in collisions with cars in 2004.

The American media are typically enthusiastic about calling attention to the misguided policies of other nations, especially when the critiqued nation is emerging as the primary rival to U.S. global hegemony. A little Sinophobia anyone?

One wonders if the Albany Democrat Herald will be as inspired when local bicyclists demand removal of parking spaces in Albany to create a bike lane. Still, the rapid erosion of bicycling in China is disappointing, and this article does provide a heartfelt case for "thoughtful progress." When will human beings of all nationalities smell the petrol fumes and wake up to the possibilities of life beyond vehicles?

Image: Web capture.
Visit: Bikes, China's icon, thrive despite car invasion, Associated Press
Visit: Bicycle Kingdom (slideshow), MSNBC
Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips Site

Sickening situation in Illinois

Woman is sentenced for bicyclist's death:

[Matthew Wilhelm]...a University of Illinois mechanical engineering graduate working for Caterpillar in Peoria, died on Sept. 8 from head injuries he received Sept. 2 when Jennifer Stark hit him with her car because she was downloading ring tones to her cell phone instead of paying attention to driving (emphasis added).

Mr. Wilhelm was bicycling north on Illinois 130 east of Urbana when he was struck from behind about 7:15 p.m. Stark was so far off the road that she hit Mr. Wilhelm from behind with the driver's side of her car. He was wearing a helmet.

Murder a bicyclist or pedestrian, get a slap on the wrist. "Six months of conditional discharge, a form of probation...a $1,000 fine and traffic safety school." Disgusting. This is a real failure of law enforcement in Illinois. The 19-year-old offender, Jennifer Stark, had three prior convictions for traffic violations, including a speeding conviction just five weeks before she killed Wilhelm.

Did the police blow the investigation, missing something that damaged the prosecution's case? Hey, it was only a bicyclist, not anyone who matters. Did the State's Attorney, Julia Rietz, opt for an easy plea bargain rather than a difficult case? Fortunately, Wilhelm's parents aren't sitting back, and are campaigning for stricter laws against driving while using a cellphone.:

The Wilhelms hope lawmakers plug the hole next spring, passing a new "Matt's Law," creating a charge for distracted drivers that would fall between the petty offense and reckless homicide.

I called States Attorney Julia Reitz, who indicated that she pursued her case in full compliance with what the law allowed. There was no plea bargain. "The Illinois State Police did an investigation and concluded improper lane usage, which is a petty offense." She added that the State Police conducted a sobriety check on Stark, and that she admitted her cell phone distraction at the scene.

Reitz explained that her office reviewed the case and pursued the prosecution that obtained the maximum possible penalty. Reitz added that she is presently working with Illinois State Representative Bill Black on legislation to fill a gap in existing law. In contrast to the "Matt's Law" proposed by Wilhelm's family, which only deals with cell phone use, Reitz' proposal would expand the legal definition of recklessness, to sustain reckless homicide or reckless driving. Representative Black is convening a "distracted driving task force."

And the perpetrator, Jennifer Stark, how is she coping after negligently causing the death of a promising young college student? My colleague, Jym Dyer, wrote on the SFBike listserve: "The driver/killer is so upset and persecuted-feeling that she can barely find the time to squeal about her dating life on MySpace. But hey, Jesus is on her side."

I encourage Illinois bicyclists and friends to contact their legislators. The danger posed to all road users--bicyclists, pedestrians, and motorists, by "distracted drivers" is only going to grow worse.

Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips Site