What constitutes a proper stop?

Another excerpt from Bicycling & the Law by Bob Mionske

"although the law requires cyclists to stop at uncontrolled intersections, stop signs, and red lights, the UVC is silent on the definition of "stopping" as specifically applied to cyclists."

"If you want to fight an unfair "stop means dismount" argument, this is the logic to use:

- I did stop, and the stop was of sufficient duration under the circumstances that any reasonable cyclists of my level of experience could safely and courteously observe and appraise the need to yield or proceed."

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Safe Routes Coaching Action Network

Register for "Getting your Story Out"
January 29th, 2008
Daytime and Evening times are offered for your convenience. See below.

This 60 minute seminar focuses on a crucial aspect of successful outreach: getting your story to the people who matter. Presenter David Levinger, President of The Mobility Education Foundation, will provide you five key ways to increase the impact and reach of your story. He uses specific case studies to help you develop the support necessary to effect change.

Specifically, the following topics will be covered:
1. Using stories to energize your cause.
2. Getting free advertising through "earned" media coverage.
3. Building support and champions by telling stories at special sessions and hearings.

At the start of the call, Nancy Pullen-Seufert of the National Center for Safe Routes to School will provide a brief update.

This webinar is part of the Safe Routes Coaching Action Network Webinar Series, developed by America Walks and the National Center for Safe Routes to School.

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Don't Honk If You Hate Bicyclists

On Sunday, I was part of a group of bicyclists on MacArthur Boulevard when a car occupied by two older people came up behind us with its horn blaring. A woman was practically hanging out the window and yelling indignantly, "Get on the bike path!"

Anyone who has driven MacArthur on a weekend knows that bikes are commonplace on the road. The aging miscreants in this car were on a vigilante mission. Any cyclist will tell you it happens all too regularly.

The truth is that it is legal for bicyclists to use most roads in our area. But leaning on the horn and yelling out the window as you pass a cyclist is not legal. Bicyclists who abuse the laws of the road embarrass me, but there is no excuse for this kind of harassment.

Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians should make a greater effort to co-exist peacefully and obey the laws of the road.

GUNTHER STERN

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Bicyclist, 14, is hit; murder count filed

[Tucson] Police say, Glenda Rumsey, 42, was driving east on Broadway when she failed to merge and continue straight onto the shoulder of the road. Witnesses tell police she hit Rincon, then continued down Broadway for about half a mile until she stopped.

Rumsey has been charged with 2nd degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and leaving the scene of a fatal collision. They say they're investigating whether alcohol played a factor in the crash.

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Biking around the national mall

DEADLINE FOR COMMENTS IS JAN 15


The National Park Service (NPS) is seeking public comment on proposed alternatives for the National Mall. This is your choice to voice your passion for making the National Mall bike friendly. Hurry! Comments should be submitted on-line and must be received by January 15, 2008. Commenting on-line is efficient and makes comments easy to analyze.

The League of American Bicyclists supports the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) and their efforts to ensure that the National Mall is more bike and pedestrian friendly. As part of an Environmental Impact Study, the NPS has proposed three alternatives that can be combined in a variety of ways. WABA and the League feel that Alternative C, which focuses on open spaces, ecology and recreation, offers the best improvements for cyclists and pedestrians. Among the recommendations of Alternative C are:

1. Creating separated routes for cyclists and pedestrians
2. Upgrading the surfaces of the existing paths along the Mall
3. Improving wayfinding signage for bikes and peds
4. Focusing on improving connections between the Mall and Rock Creek and East Potomac Parks, as well as the southwest waterfront
5. Providing more walking and biking tours and bike rental opportunities

Many of the above recommendations were supported by WABA during the previous Mall transportation study.

In addition to the above, WABA is recommending the following additions to the plan:

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Travel to school has changed dramatically over the last 40 years


Like all trip-making, travel to school has changed dramatically over the last 40 years. The change that is most apparent is the increase in children being driven to school. In 1969, about 15 percent of school children ages 6-12 arrived at school in a private vehicle, in 2001 half of all school children were driven to school. Exhibit 1 shows the comparison of how children

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Biking for a healthier heart


Staff writer Ruth Solomon went on a mission - to lower her bad cholesterol and raise her good cholesterol. She opted to watch her food intake and ride to bike as many days as he can from her Chicago home to work at Pioneer Press in Glenview. (Jeff Krage/For Pioneer Press)
...
"I was almost 50, very out of shape, and knew my bad cholesterol level teetered on the verge of needing medicine. I have four children, ages 10 to 19, and they need their mother to be alive, I thought."
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All summer long, I rode.
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The results came back with good news: My bad cholesterol was down, my body mass index was down, my girth was below 35 inches, and, even though still overweight, my favorite line on the report stated: "METS indicates fitness to be in above average category."

I was fat, but fit. And my 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease had gone down to 2.7 percent. Four smiley faces were stamped in my Heart of a Woman booklet acknowledging my progress.

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Cycling to work an addiction

Besides the benefits to your health, commuting to work by bicycle can also make you feel guiltless about carbon emissions and allow you to fret a bit less as the price of gas creeps inexorably toward $4 a gallon.

But the most important benefit to riding your bicycle to work is far more simple -- it's fun. It's more than fun, it's addictive.

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