markphilips:Want to reduce your carbon foot print? Four colleagues at work from the Bay area rode a total of 1,986 miles in May as part of Bike to Work Month– keeping nearly 1 ton of toxic emissions out of the air by riding bikes instead of driving cars. Imagine the possibilities when 2400 cyclists bike to work everyday. 

REI is doing something pretty cool. They are doing a storewide competition (the store off of Convoy) to see if they can rack up as many riding miles as the Tour Day France is. If they beat the tour they get some sort of prize. So far they are inline to get that prize. Good on REI for pushing cycling. During Sales they also offer incentives to ride your bike to work. More company's should do this.

"The Return of the Bicycle" - I quote:

"An excellent study by John Pucher and Ralph Buehler at Rutgers University analyzed the reasons for these wide disparities among countries. They note that “extensive cycling rights-of-way in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany are complemented by ample bike parking, full integration with public transport, comprehensive traffic education and training of both cyclists and motorists.” These countries, they point out, “make driving expensive as well as inconvenient in central cities through a host of taxes and restrictions on car ownership, use and parking.… It is the coordinated implementation of this multi-faceted, mutually reinforcing set of policies that best explains the success of these three countries in promoting cycling.” And it is the lack of these policies, they note, that explains “the marginal status of cycling in the UK and USA.”"

"Do you have a better do-it-yourself idea? Play now and win 5,000 Euro." Advertisement by a German building supply warehouse.

ray333:"Do you have a better do-it-yourself idea? Play now and win 5,000 Euro." Advertisment by a German building supply warehouse.

I figured someone knows German to translate the ad. Thanks Ray. This video is soooo funny.

markphilips:Hans posted this video last night on FB.

Very thought provoking compilation.

Everybody driving behind the wheel must see it. Life is so precious.

You know what's TRULY DEPRESSING about those film clips?

The scenes where the drivers end up in jail are all in the UK.

In the USA?

I doubt they would serve a day of jail time. Killing people with automobiles here is almost acceptable and rarely prosecuted as a crime.

Honest officer, I didn't see them....

ray333:If you want to kill someone here and get away with it, the weapon of choice is the automobile.

This video may have been posted before, but the concept of strict liability cannot be considered often enough:

They don't want bike lanes in Sammamish, Washington, because they like bikes in the road as a traffic calming mechanism:

http://sammamishreview.com/2010/07/20/no-bike-lanes-in-sammamish-town-center

billd:They don't want bike lanes in Sammamish, Washington, because they like bikes in the road as a traffic calming mechanism:

Even better would be to get rid of the sidewalks also. Nothing slows down cars like people walking in traffic.

Deeply disturbing video. It reminds you that life can change in a fraction of a second. I keep my head on a swivel... I'm sure we've all had our share of close calls. Very disturbing.

Hans said: "Drivers don't only lose control of their cars because they spill their lattes or dodge renegade pets, they also can have a seizure, heart attack, fall asleep or just plain cramp. Their cars can have malfunctions too."

And there's that perennial favorite: stepping on the gas when you THINK you're stepping on the brake. Always good for a yuck. And honorable mention goes to trying to outrun the cops in heavy traffic.

The silver goes to texting and driving... very, very disturbing.

He's not necessarily an idiot. Like the majority of people, he is uniformed about bicycle safety. Unfortunately, in my experience, people who feel strongly enough to tell others to not ride because it's dangerous also seem to be the the types of people who will not easily give up that belief, no matter how much evidence or logic you show them.

ok, idiot may have been too strong a word.

My doctors at San Diego Sports Medicine don't have that attitude. I've never been given crap for any of my choices and that includes coming in with broken bones, surture removals from kicks to the face (horses). AND one of our doctors is the velodrome doctor. Many ride, all are active and know life is full of challenge & adventure - that's why we're here.

I think most of it has to do with how often we see the headline "Cyclist makes it to work safely after obeying all traffic laws." Maybe someday...

I have been to the emergency a few dozen times for bike crashes. As a racer and mountain biker who pushes the edge more often than the average rider I went to the doctor a lot in rough shape. I've even gone so far as to get a helicopter ride to a hospital after a crash.

From my experience with doctors (especially ER doctors) is that they live in a bubble. A bubble where they only see injured people. When I go to the ER it's the same thing every time. Each doctor and nurse that walks into my cubicle says "oh, so you crashed your bike" but they say it in a condescending way. The very next thing they all ask was "were you wearing a helmet" but again they say it a way that sounds like they want to say "haha you deserved it then". Of course I always have worn a helmet. It's the helmet that prevented me from dying 3 different times now.

Anyway, they see LOTS of injuries from cyclists. What they don't realize is most bike injuries are from cyclists that don't know what they are doing as much as they think they do. The others come from racers who are pushing the edge and when they crash it's really ugly. They don't crash much but when they do they make it count. It's the middle group of cyclists that are experienced but not pushing the dangerous speeds and actions that are the safest. For instance I have NEVER crashed on pavement even though I was a road racer or a few years and did most of my training miles for mountain biking on road bikes. Some day I may crash a road bike but I've done really good so far considering I did 300 to 400 miles a week for at least 15 years. It's the mountain bike that gave me all my injuries but again that's because I was a down hill racer while also a cross country racer.

Njord Noatun:

ray333:If you want to kill someone here and get away with it, the weapon of choice is the automobile.

This video may have been posted before, but the concept of strict liability cannot be considered often enough:

At the end of the Strict Liability YouTube Video Ipayroadtax.com showed up.

Then I clicked on this article about a cyclist and driver "road rage."

Having a helmet cam does help in reporting about road rage. Brian if you're reading this how much is that helmet cam? where can I get it?

markphilips:

Njord Noatun:

ray333:If you want to kill someone here and get away with it, the weapon of choice is the automobile.

This video may have been posted before, but the concept of strict liability cannot be considered often enough:

At the end of the Strict Liability YouTube Video Ipayroadtax.com showed up.

Then I clicked on this article about a cyclist and driver "road rage."

Having a helmet cam does help in reporting about road rage. Brian if you're reading this how much is that helmet cam? where can I get it?

Bloody Saxons. Now I know where the American drivers get it. It's genetic to be openly hostile to a minority perceived as weaker. It seems to be just America and the U.K. where this crap happens. I wonder if the Aussies and Kiwis report similar Neanderthal road behavior.

ray333:I wonder if the Aussies and Kiwis report similar Neanderthal road behavior.

There have definitely been some violent car vs. bike incidents in Australia. A few years ago there was a driver who intentionally plowed through a group of bicyclists who were training for a race on a road in Sydney. I think one of them was supposed to be an olympian.

Ultimately, our greatest enemy is ignorance. It's the core cause of hostility towards bicyclists. We need to figure out ways to increase the spread of bicycle safety education as well as information about bicyclists rights.

Last night I was riding west on University around 11pm, going up the hill just before Park where I was going to make a left. The light was red. The lane was narrow so I was in the middle and some idiot just kept honking. Apparently he was pissed that I was delaying him on his way to the red light only 75 feet away. He stopped honking after I found an opening and moved into the left turn lane (I even signaled). I'm sure he still thinks I'm an idiot.

You can't not see me from behind at night. I always have at least my RadBot and two Superflashes going.

Same rights, same rules, same road

New law protects cyclists in Illinois effective July 5, 2010

One way of destroying the coast line environment and its communities is by expanding I-5. VOTE FOR "NO BUILD ALTERNATIVE"

BELOW IS HOW THEY PRESENTED THE CAR-CENTRIC PROJECT

I-5 North Coast Corridor
HOV/Managed Lanes Project

Project Purpose

Quality Travel
Mobility -------------------------------------->>Is traffic any better along the I-5 in Orange county (and other parts in LA) with the multi-lane highways?
-Provide competitive options
-Reduce / maintain travel times
-Accommodate regional growth

Livability -------------------------------------->> bigger highways separates communities from the waterfront (e.g. downtown Toronto and Boston)
Enhance Communities
-Improve pedestrian/bicycle access
-reduce noise levels ------------------------------------------------>>they will build taller sound walls to achieve this
-support community character ------------------------------------>>this expansion will actually destroy the natural environment and its communities.

Sustainability --------------------------------->>More lanes = more cars = more pollution, highway noise...
Provide a healthy environment
-improve water quality -------------------------------------------->>HUH!?
-reduce greenhouse gases ------------------------------------------>>last time I check the smog in Orange county and LA has gotten worse over the years
-enhance/maintain natural resources----------->> I heard that Orange County was beautiful several decades ago until they built the multi-lane highway. Concrete jungle anyone?

Support a prosperous economy
-improve tourism ----------------------------------->>and make way to another Disneyland?
-support goods movement

I've been getting a lot of comments lately about how brave I am for riding daily. About being fearless since I ride every where. I find that intriguing, because I think driving is very brave - hurtling through space at 60+ mph, expecting everyone to not crash into you, knowing that you'll have money every.single.month. to pay all auto-related bills, trusting that all auto related problems will be fixed by someone other than oneself - that takes a lot of faith and courage. Except when I think about saying something like that...it seems like I would sound like a complete a**hole.

billd:Ultimately, our greatest enemy is ignorance. It's the core cause of hostility towards bicyclists. We need to figure out ways to increase the spread of bicycle safety education as well as information about bicyclists rights.

Last night I was riding west on University around 11pm, going up the hill just before Park where I was going to make a left. The light was red. The lane was narrow so I was in the middle and some idiot just kept honking. Apparently he was pissed that I was delaying him on his way to the red light only 75 feet away. He stopped honking after I found an opening and moved into the left turn lane (I even signaled). I'm sure he still thinks I'm an idiot.

You can't not see me from behind at night. I always have at least my RadBot and two Superflashes going.

I believe in avoiding taking antibiotics as much as possible, including avoiding taking them orally when a topical application will do the job.

Trying to address the problem of bicycling safety ignorance in general is taking the antibiotics orally, and is going to require a tremendous amount of effort to make any kind of progress at all, primarily because there is so little interest for the subject even among bicyclists, let alone among the public at large. It's practically impossible to teach the disinterested.

On the other hand, the topical application approach is to teach one driver at a time, ideally right when they need it and you have their attention... moments before they get annoyed. As I've said before, I'm convinced a primary factor when motorists are annoyed by bicyclists is the perception that the bicyclist is oblivious about the effect he is having on others, most notably the motorist about to be annoyed. I don't know how to reliably identify that moment without a mirror, but with a mirror you can get pretty good at it, and learn to acknowledge them at just the right moment. I cannot over emphasize how effective it is to turn your head and smile or nod simply to acknowledge the driver behind you who is being slowed by your presence, at just the right moment, in terms of quickly defusing a potentially uncomfortable situation. Doing so seems to humanize the situation, or something.

Motorists are people too, and mostly they just need acknowledgement.

awesome work LA!

Kathy:awesome work LA!

If it actually has any effect. I wish them luck, but they're going up against one hell of a big block of bureaucracy. The courts, the DA's office and LAPD are all uncaring about bicyclists at best and actively hostile towards bicyclists at worst.

ray333:I figured as much. The majority of Australians are descended from Englishmen who were sent there as a punishment for crimes and to keep them from easily returning to British society. Similar to Iceland, where Eric the Red was banished because he was too bad to live among Vikings on the mainland.

I haven't been able to find a reference to the incident I mentioned, but I did find this recent article about driver hostility towards bicyclists in Sydney:

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/cyclists-up-against-shockjock-ravings-20100728-10vy4.html