• Home
  • News you will not see in Maryland

Google

Arlington Bike Thief Sentenced to 12 Years

by Jason Spencer, Arlington VA Patch

Police say they have made numerous arrests to combat the spike in stolen bicycles.
...

Commonwealth's Attorney Theo Stamos said in a statement. “Protecting the property of residents is of the upmost importance and thieves such as Michael Cullen will be prosecuted to the fullest.”
...

<a href="http://arlington-va.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/arlington-bike-thief-sentenced-to-12-years">http://arlington-va.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/arlington-bike-thief-sentenced-to-12-years</a>;
*************************************************************************************************************
[B' Spokes: Heavy sigh, when will we see something like this in Baltimore?]
  • Currently 0.00/5
Rating: 0.00/5 (0 votes cast)

Brookline Police Are Bagging Thieves Using a Decoy Bike Equipped with a GPS Tracker

[B' Spokes: A story you will not see around here.]
******************************************************

<a href="http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2013/07/15/brookline-police-bait-bike-program/">http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2013/07/15/brookline-police-bait-bike-program/</a>;
  • Currently 0.00/5
Rating: 0.00/5 (0 votes cast)

How to enforce 3-foot passing law to protect bicyclists

To those who say that laws requiring motorists to give bicycles a 3-foot gap when passing are unenforceable, consider what police in Austin, Texas, are doing.
...

<a href="http://www.bikingbis.com/2013/09/16/how-to-enforce-3-foot-passing-law-to-protect-bicyclists/">http://www.bikingbis.com/2013/09/16/how-to-enforce-3-foot-passing-law-to-protect-bicyclists/</a>;
  • Currently 0.00/5
Rating: 0.00/5 (0 votes cast)

2012 TXDOT PED & BIKE CRASH DATA PROMPT SAFETY CAMPAIGN

[B'Spokes: We need something like this here, beginning of the school year means more auto traffic, more cyclists and more pedestrians. People need to be aware of the change and everyone has a right-of-way and to respect that.]
**************************************************************
-&gt; According to an August 19th TxDOT release, &quot;Back-to-school means back-to-traffic, and as students return to the classroom this fall, the Texas Department of Transportation calls on drivers to 'Drive Friendly. Drive Safe' to reduce crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists.

&quot;In 2012, vehicles on Texas roads struck more than 5,000 pedestrians resulting in 2,962 serious injuries and 481 fatalities. Vehicles also struck more than 2,000 bicyclists resulting in 1,450 serious injuries and 56 fatalities. Compared with the previous year, 2012 saw a 13.2 percent increase in pedestrian fatalities and a 19.1 percent increase in bicyclist fatalities...&quot;

Source: <a href="http://bit.ly/14RhA8n">http://bit.ly/14RhA8n</a>;

from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling &amp; Walking.
  • Currently 0.00/5
Rating: 0.00/5 (0 votes cast)

What to do when the street is closed to cars

image

Via Cyclovia Tucson
[B' Spokes: With the Grand Prix creating a traffic nightmare it would be cool if affected business would do something like what they are doing in Tucson for this street closing for repaving. We need more thinking along the lines "If cars are advised to avoid, invite the bicyclists and pedestrians to come and make up the difference. :D ]
  • Currently 0.00/5
Rating: 0.00/5 (0 votes cast)

Austin police stepping up enforcement of safe-passing law

By Pam LeBlanc, FIT CITY

...
Because it’s hard to enforce safe passing on a day-to-day basis, Austin police set up special operations like this one to watch for violations. Today’s is the sixth such operation, and more are planned.

“It’s part of our initiative to make Austin streets a safer place to ride a bicycle,” says Austin Police Sgt. James Dixon, who is heading the day’s effort. “It’s really important that we educate people that we are out here and going to enforce this whenever we can for safety.”

Typically, two undercover officers head out on bikes. They ride single file up and down a short stretch of road, waiting for motorists to pass. Officers in patrol cars pull over those who get too close, issuing warnings or citations based on the severity of the violation.

Before they hit the streets, the undercover cyclists practice judging the 3-foot distance by setting up a pole and riding past it. They measure the distance from the end of the handlebar to the farthest part of vehicle — usually the mirror. GoPro video cameras mounted on the bike record everything.

“If I were riding along and could reach out and touch the mirror, those get a citation,” says Cunningham, who was a cyclist before she became a police officer. “If it’s one we feel is right on the cusp, we give a warning.”
...

<a href="http://ireader.olivesoftware.com/Olive/iReader/AustinAmericanStatesman/SharedArticle.ashx?document=AAS%5C2013%5C08%5C05&amp;article=Ar02304">http://ireader.olivesoftware.com/Olive/iReader/AustinAmericanStatesman/SharedArticle.ashx?document=AAS%5C2013%5C08%5C05&amp;article=Ar02304</a>;
  • Currently 0.00/5
Rating: 0.00/5 (0 votes cast)

Operation Safe Summer: Police Reward Kids For Wearing Helmets With Ice Cream

[B' Spokes: I love the idea of positive reinforcement, seriously why not reward people for doing behavior that you want instead of only punishing the behavior that you don't want? This goes double for bicycling! We want to see more people on bikes, less traffic, more parking, better health... So instead of trying to making stupid laws that require everyone to wear helmets, just encourage their use, like they have done here. And while we are on positive reinforcement I'' remind you of an old post &quot;The Speed Camera Lottery [video]&quot; <a href="http://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20101015230537843">http://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20101015230537843</a>; ]
*****************************************************************************************************************************
Via Huffington Post

...
Police Chief David Oliver wrote his new policy on Facebook last week:

&quot;Effective next week, my officers will have a quota for tickets....at least one per shift. We are going to be profiling, too. We will target a specific group, with the express purpose of writing as many tickets as possible. I am strongly encouraging my officers to write as many as they can, every shift, every day...it is called operation Safe Summer...&quot;

Officers are targeting kids 12 and under. If a cop spots a child wearing a bike helmet while riding, that suspect will be stopped and issued a ticket. And what is that ticket good for? One free ice cream cone from Franks Drive-in.
...

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/05/operation-safe-summer_n_3390576.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/05/operation-safe-summer_n_3390576.html</a>;
  • Currently 0.00/5
Rating: 0.00/5 (0 votes cast)

Police Scotland nabs dodgy drivers in crackdown to protect vulnerable road users

Police detect almost 3000 offences in just one week including speeding, dangerous driving, and using a mobile phone while driving

<a href="http://road.cc/content/news/88222-police-scotland-nabs-dodgy-drivers-vulnerable-road-user-crackdown">http://road.cc/content/news/88222-police-scotland-nabs-dodgy-drivers-vulnerable-road-user-crackdown</a>;

[B' Spokes: I would love to see such a crack down here.]
  • Currently 0.00/5
Rating: 0.00/5 (0 votes cast)

Risk Alert: BEWARE OF BICYCLISTS!—Pedaling Popularity Poses Perils [video]

[B' Spokes: This is way better than anything Maryland has done for commercial truck drivers and bus drivers!]

<a href="http://www.lancerinsurance.com/riskalert-truck/riskalerttruck-bike.html">http://www.lancerinsurance.com/riskalert-truck/riskalerttruck-bike.html</a>;
  • Currently 0.00/5
Rating: 0.00/5 (0 votes cast)