Boston
[I want to note that our Mayor and a lot of her staff as well as members of the Mayor
[I want to note that our Mayor and a lot of her staff as well as members of the Mayor
Low powered motor bikes and the law
There are a lot of legal similarities between motor bikes equipped with a 50cc or less engine (moped or scooter) and a bicycle. Similarities:
When traveling the speed limit or keeping up with the flow of traffic you are allowed full use of the roadway, typically the safe riding position is center of the lane. (See slow moving vehicle note)
If traveling slower then the above and if:
The road surface continues to include a shoulder or bike lane then we are required to ride there unless an exception applies (making a left turn, hazard, etc.) (See Bike lane note.)
When a lane is too narrow for car and bike to share safely side by side (less then 14 feet wide) the typical safe riding position is in the right hand tire track in the right most through lane.
Otherwise stick to the right most portion of the roadway with a typical safe riding position approximately 2 feet from the curb.
Both are prohibited from using roadways of a speed limit greater then 50mph but can travel the shoulder unless prohibited.
Dissimilarities:
A scooter cannot ride on trails (motor vehicles prohibited) and side paths (wide sidewalks designated for multi-use.)
You cannot take a scooter on mass transit.
Don't be a victim...think like a bike thief!
Among the tips offered by the WABA, Arlington County, and DC Dept. of TransportationBicycling & the Law: Your Rights as a Cyclist (a book)
by Bob Mionske, JDMany of America
HERALD POLL: Choices vs. Laws on helmets
(Good arguments on both sides)ABOUT THIS PACKAGE: The Daily Herald published an editorial on Wednesday applauding the Utah County Commission for enacting measures to protect public safety on the Provo Parkway Trail but criticizing its decision to require helmets for anybody on wheels -- such as longboarders and bicyclists. The Commission hosts a public meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 29, at 5:30 p.m. at the County building on east Center Street, Provo, to discuss the question.
Executive editor Randy Wright received a letter from the county Health Department critical of the newspaper. Following is the e-mail exchange with Wright, edited for clarity.
After you read, let your voice be heard. Should helmets be required? Vote at <a href="http://www.heraldextra.com">www.heraldextra.com</a>;.
Dear Editor --
We are sorry to read in your column (August 15, "Helmet Law Goes Too Far") that you care so little for the health and safety of Utah County citizens, and especially children.
A properly fitted helmet reduces the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent and the risk of brain injury by as much as 88 percent. Bicyclists injuries involving head trauma are 20 times more likely to result in death. In addition to bicycling, skateboarding and longboarding have become very popular sports in Utah. These activities involve speeds reaching between 35-50 mph while traveling downhill (such as in the Canyon). In the Utah County area there have been three fatalities and 31 hospital admissions in the last 18 months as a result of individuals not wearing helmets while longboarding and skateboarding (statistics collected from the UVRMC Emergency Room). In the U.S., boarding injuries account for nearly 50,000 visits to emergency rooms.
There is also the very real cost to individuals and society as a whole in the direct and indirect medical cost, time away from work to care for loved ones, long term care, and pain and suffering of those injured and their families that we should also care about. Helmets are designed to help protect individuals from traumatic brain injuries. When something as simple as a helmet can prevent brain damage that leads to learning and behavioral disorders, paralysis, or death, we feel it important to speak out.
Sincerely,
Lance Madigan and Andrea Miller
Utah County Health Department
Editor responds
Thanks for your letter on the subject of safety helmets -- though you misrepresent the Herald's view. We never said that protective equipment isn't a good idea; the question is one of government mandates when it comes to matters of personal choice.
I am very interested in learning more about the risks. Perhaps you will indulge me in a few observations.
A colleague of mine many years ago at a newspaper in San Diego took a very hard line on bicycle helmets -- a line similar to yours. When I challenged some of his conclusions, he had to admit that the problem really isn't very large. When you attempt to analyze the countless millions of people toodling around on bicycles (children included), you need to include at least the following subsets:
-- total hours spent on bicycles or skateboards
-- riders who injure themselves in any fashion during those hours
-- of those injured, how many receive head injuries
-- of the head injuries, how many are traumatic brain injuries
Your figure of 31 hospital "admissions" in 18 months is less than 2 per month -- not exactly an epidemic. If I take "Utah County area" as a pool of 500,000 people, the rate would [be] roughly 6 per 100,000.
By comparison, the risk of death by taking aspirin or riding in a passenger vehicle is about 11 per 100,000 nationally. That's considerably higher than your figure for longboards and skateboards. And it's deaths, not just hospital admissions.
You also claim that hospital admissions are "a result of individuals not wearing helmets while longboarding and skateboarding." I would appreciate it if you could give me the scientific basis for this claim. I do not believe you can show that John Smith would have avoided a hospital admission had he been wearing a helmet.
Clearly, if one is going to bash his head he would prefer to be wearing a helmet. But gross numbers like "50,000 visits to emergency rooms" across an entire nation of 300 million people doesn't produce a high rate. It's 17 per 100,000 "visits" compared to 11 "deaths" in the case of aspirin and automobiles. Throwing out a number like 50,000 nationally is simply not helpful in understanding the problem.
I am willing to learn. Perhaps you would be willing to present your figures as a frequency per 100,000 population or some other basis that lends itself to comparison to other activities? Compared to many other sources of injury, I believe you will find that serious skateboard and bicycle injuries are infrequent.
I believe something like six bicyclists are killed each year in a collision with an automobile in Utah. That's not a good thing, but it's not necessarily a worrisome statistic given the enormous number of auto/bike encounters. By comparison, about 275 people will die as a result of auto accidents in Utah this year. How many auto accident victims survive with traumatic brain injury I can only imagine. I'm sure you have figures on this. Perhaps automobile drivers should wear helmets.
Randy Wright
Daily Herald
Stephany Rawlings-Blake
I am so pleased that so many Baltimoreans are committed to the same brighter, stronger, and safer future as I am for our City. Our shared commitment to continued open space, safer streets, and vibrant neighborhoods will make Baltimore a more attractive place for pedestrians and cyclists. Thank you for your advocacy towards that goal. You have a partner in me at City Hall! - Stephanie Rawlings-Blake - City Council President
Police order cyclist to DISOBEY a traffic control device
There is something seriously wrong with a system that goes as long as someone can make a case that a cyclist could/should be riding somewhere else they are riding illegally. This kind of attitude results in no matter how a cyclist is riding they are riding illegally. Follow the link in "read more" to follow the story of a cyclists from Wilmington, DE
Free Wheelin' Annapolis
Take the scenic route...bike Annapolis for free!The "Smart Bike" has arived in Annapolis.
Hey, Free Wheelers, rode too far out? Tired?
All Free Wheelin' customers are given a pass to ride any Annapolis Transit bus for free. All buses are equipped with bike racks.
Ciclovia = Quality of Life!
Ciclovia is a community event that brings new life and fun into the streets! During Ciclovia, miles of partially closed roads give way to a festival atmosphere where thousands of families, cyclists, casual and serious strollers, dog walkers, skateboarders, skaters, joggers and runners of all ages and races have a great time together!Ciclovia (meaning bike-way in Spanish) originated in Bogot