Your District: Bike Safety 101
From Louisville
Friday, February 6, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Those crafty PSA slides on public access
Not sure if anyone has seen the groundbreaking "SLIDES" on the public access channel but below is a review.
Dear "",
As I sit here watching Rachel Ray (The Joker) beat meat with a skillet. From time to time I change the channel and generally land on the public access channel.
I had no idea that the city has had so many problems with cyclist here. I see that your slides address this fringe group of outlaws. Your slide while taking place in a quiet country setting does exactly what it should do send these backward apes out in the country and not into the city streets.
The other slide is to "use bike paths where available". I really like this trick considering there is only one bike path and it is 500 hundred feet. Good job send these dead beats and hippies to a dead end street. That will show them!!!!
One of my favorites is the cartoon with how to put a helmet on. It shows that these are not really people but caricatures and if we hit them with our cars they will bounce back just like the roadrunner and coyote.
Lastly, you state in another slide that cyclist should use hand signals, well I have one for you, guess which one?
I also like the fact that while along with many others who participated in the filming of the two PSAs with "city officials" have not made the public access rotation while it was a complete waste of my time and everyone else's thanks again for driving that point home. I would much rather see static slides that communicate very little and give my antidepressants a chance to work.
I have now sold my useless bike and bought a brand new hummer so maybe you and I could hang out at the next monster truck show.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Life Cycles: Bicycle lanes should be on stimulus plan for Memphis
By Anthony Siracusa, Memphis Commercial Appeal
Monday, February 2, 2009
The League of American Bicyclists has urged Congress to include bicycle lanes, designated bike paths and more shared roadways in President Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan.
"The message," the league stated, "is to urge Congress to ensure that any infrastructure investments going to the states under the recovery bill are balanced across the states geographically and across various types of transportation modes." read more here
Revenge For Bicyclists: Handlebar Key Plugs
Are you a bicyclist that's tired of being cut off and hit by cars? Well get a pair of these handlebar key plugs and you can at least deface the perpetrator's car in the process of getting run over.
These modified handlebar plugs speak to the disgruntled urban cyclist. By retro-fitting stock parts with up-cycled keys, bikers can now find satisfaction with close encounters. This concept puts a new twist on the timeless tradition of car-keying revenge. By Matt Braun and Jared Delorenzo.
They cost $5 for a set of two and fit snugly into regular handlebars and assholes. But in all honesty, if I catch you keying my car I can and will kill you. I'm serious -- if you don't like the way I drive, stay off the sidewalk.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Critical Mass Tonight
It's that time of the month!!! Come on out tonight to ride dress warm, bring a light.
Meet @ 6:30 PM SE Corner of courthouse
Ride @ 7pm
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Mayor's Walk and Ride May 2nd
Would like to get some opinions and ideas for the May 2nd Mayor's ride, we can then pass this along to the city.
1: The ride should take place from downtown, this is a central place and will be visible to all of the Public.
2: Instead of just a ride have a short short portion of the route for: walking, skateboard, strollers etc... We need to include everyone, this will help with educating and promoting this to the public.
3: Have booths setup maybe in the park or downtown square to promote all different forms of transport. We don't need to just have "clubs and organization's being the only ones representing this.
4: Tall Bikes
5: Music ..... Festival....
6: We should also help with promoting it: Flyers, Email, Press Releases, News Media ..........
7: Car Free day??? Or promote car pooling to the ride.
http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/queens-play-street/?autostart=true
http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/williamsburg-walks/?autostart=true
Put you ideas in the comments.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Bike Summit II set for Feb. 12
From the Courier Jounal
Bicycling enthusiasts of all levels are invited to attend Louisville’s Bike Summit II Feb. 12 at the Salvation Army’s Male Campus, Old Male High School, at Brook and Breckinridge streets.
The free, all-day event is designed to allow those who attend to learn what has been accomplished since Louisville’s first bicycle summit in 2005. They will hear about bicycle project plans and hear bicycling experts discuss how Louisville can become more bicycle-friendly.
Speakers will include: Andy Clarke, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists; Dan Burden, a leading authority on bicycle and pedestrian programs and design; Earl Clark, president of the Louisville Bicycle Club; and Mayor Jerry Abramson.
The mayor launched the city’s Healthy Hometown Movement in 2004 and hosts the popular Mayor’s Hike and Bike events on Memorial Day and Labor Day.
The summit will also have breakout sessions on a variety of bicycling topics.
People can register to attend the summit through Feb. 2 at the city Web site. Visit www.louisvilleky.gov and look for the Bike Louisville logo.
Bike Summit II is sponsored by Humana and the Humana Foundation and supported by the Louisville Bicycle Club and Louisville Metro’s Bike Louisville program.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Vintage Ride Sunday
This is either the new vintage ride or the new original vintage ride, either way get off your ass and ride
Sunday
2pm
HSV Middle School on Adam Street (behind California Park on California Street-- nearest major intersection is Lowe).
All bikes welcome. This is a great time to pull out your vintage or cruiser bike and go for a fun, conversationally slow and short ride around the downtown area.
Tomorrow's ride starts at HSV Middle School and goes North-- off to see the carved bear tree. Later socializing-- maybe Old Towne coffee, Star Market, Sonic or some place near by. You may head back or stay as long as you wish. (bring pocket money)
Kids are welcome too-- but need to be street safe (or in a trailer or attached bike seat). Helmets on those 17 and under.
Hope you will join us for some cycling fun. Please, spread the word & bring your friends.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Posey Peep Show
Saturday - 24th - The Posey Peep Show is WANTED!, Admission $7 (9pm)
Sunday - 25th - The Posey Peep Show is WANTED!, Admission $7 (8pm)
BANK OF DAVE AND NIKKI
Thursday, January 22, 2009
city council meeting
tonight
6pm
308 Fountain Circle
Come to the city council meeting tonight if you can. The Bike Advisory & Safety Committee will be presenting it's purpose, goals, and objectives overview, as well as an up to date progress report on the committee happnens' to the council and public.
Boston - Bicyclists rejoice
Eight years after it was first introduced, Gov. Deval Patrick signed the Bicyclist Safety Bill into law last week.
The new law, a grassroots effort spearheaded by the Mass. Bicycle Coalition (MassBike), will require police recruits to receive training on bicycle-related laws, bicyclist-related injuries and dangerous behavior by bicyclists and motorists, and allows for police to ticket motorists (and their passengers) up to $100 for opening car or truck doors into the path of bicycles and pedestrians.
Among the law’s 11 additional statutes, bicyclists will be allowed to ride two abreast when it does not impede cars from passing and explains how motorists should safely pass a bicycle, provides legal protection for cyclists who wish to ride to the right of other traffic, repeals the bicycle registration law in cities and towns where it’s required, and requires bicycle rental businesses to make helmets available to renters.
“The new law will encourage more people to ride bicycles by enhancing bicyclist safety and comfort level on state roads,” said David Watson, executive director of MassBike. “It will also make Mass. a healthier, greener, more sustainable state.”
If not a bicyclist-friendlier one, as Watson and MassBike added that now the “work really begins. We will start getting the word to bicyclists, motorists and police, so that we can begin to see the improvements that the new law makes possible.”
State representatives William Brownsberger of Cambridge and Kay Kahn of Newton helped push through the bill — S.B. 2573 — and convince Gov. Patrick to sign it. The law comes after two of its original authors have retired, and the previous administration vetoed it in 2006.
“It is rare to see a law that directly addresses so many of the most challenging issues we face today: Climate change, the health impacts of decreasing physical activity, and the rising cost of transportation,” Khan said.
For more information, visit www.massbike.org.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Good Riddance
Goodbye and fuck off, 8 years of torture, greed, stupidity and murder you are a war criminal.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Share The Road
The Cass Corridor is cold, snowy and largely deserted outside of The Hub in Midtown Detroit this time of year. That’s not the case inside the new bike shop just north of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Bicycling enthusiasts of all ages, colors and creeds rub tires inside a space littered with custom wheels and vintage bikes.
There is a constant stream of people coming and going from the shop in the dead of January, and they all got there on two wheels. Cold or no cold, these year-round commuters brave the freezing temperature, ice and snow to keep on pedaling. The destinations for these die-hards are their jobs, local businesses, friends and families.
"The winter time weeds out all of the wussies," says Jordan Bentley, the mechanic manager at The Hub.
This is the fifth year the 23-year-old has been riding year-round, and he is far from alone. The steady stream of half-a-dozen people in The Hub in the dead of January are all year-round commuters. The type of people who watch the Weather Channel to pump themselves up for another day of biking in a winter wonderland.
"I cheer myself up by looking at the weather in Barrow, Alaska," says John Orland, a 21-year-old College of Creative Studies student who lives in Woodbridge. "That’s the coldest place in the U.S."
Hot for cold rides
Most of us look out the window at the snow drifts, icicles and blowing wind and say to ourselves, "No way I’m going out in that." The people at The Hub and numerous other bike shops across Metro Detroit do the same and say, "I can't wait to go out and have fun in that!" read more here
Alert Shirt order
I will be placing an order with Alert Shirt later. I currently have a shirt, a vest, and gloves from them. They have the standard ANSI lime and orange shirts. All the reflective strips are 3M Scotchlite, which is the best reflective stuff, better than Nathan. There are also shirts more appropriate for recumbent riders. There is a mesh 4X vest for $15 that is good for wearing over a backpack/messenger bag, especially on the Arsenal; it will fit over packs that the 'one size fits all' will not. Note that for road riders on the drops there is no reflective material at the bottom like Nathan, so that may not be as good. There is also a set of traffic directing gloves with stop signs on the palms and ANSI lime reflective arrows on the other side with rectangles on the fingers. These are really nice for wearing over cycling gloves and making the turn signals more visible, especially at night. Check the clearance items too. So let me know if you want to order anything, at least before the end of this month. I'm not trying to make any money off of this, just save everyone some on shipping.
I'm not trying to push any agenda with this either. It may help avoid a wreck. It helps with being noticed by distracted drivers. The ANSI colors are designed and proven to be about the most attention grabbing colors you can get. So this is an opportunity to help motorists see you better even though they should be anyway if you don't already have similar clothing.
Gearing up for protest
Add angry cyclists to the list of people eager to hold a rally in San Francisco.
At 9a.m. Friday, organizers with the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and their supporters will be pedaling to Market and Octavia streets to protest the city's plan to remove a short segment of bike lane at the dangerous intersection. Among those scheduled to make an appearance are supervisors Bevan Dufty, Ross Mirkarimi and Chris Daly.
Their beef is a plan by the city's traffic engineer and his bosses at the Municipal Transportation Agency who want to force bikers and drivers to share a lane in the hopes of reducing the chance of collisions between two-wheelers and cars and trucks. Since the freeway ramps opened in 2005, there have been at least 16 collisions in which bikers were hit by vehicles making illegal right turns onto the Central Freeway from eastbound Market Street. more here
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Co-Exist
From Fort Collins Co-Exist Campaign more here
San Francisco has one too
These would look great at the DMV, City Buildings, Bike Shops, Coffee Shops etc....
Bicycle accidents and contributory negligence
Is this "personal responsibility" ? Why is it that 48 other states do not have this law.
Alabama is one of only two states in the union that continues to allow defendants to escape any liability pursuant to the doctrine of contributory negligence. In essence what this doctrine states is that if you are the least bit negligent and if your negligence proximately causes the resulting injury, then you are barred from any recovery whatsoever. This can have a devastating effect on an injured party. Accordingly, as a cyclist (and for that matter, as a motorist as well) you should do everything you can to protect yourself from having this doctrine prevent (or lower) your recovery if you have been injured because of someone else’s negligence. Understand that this doctrine prevents your recovery even when the other party is indisputably negligent, and even if the other party’s negligence is 99% the reason for the injury and your negligence is but 1% the cause. What got me thinking about this is the following note sent by a cyclist in Huntsville. Here it is:
Give the rash of motorist v. cyclist incidents lately (or what seems to be a rash of incidents) it seems to me that cyclists need to be absolutely sure that they are following the letter of the law in regards to their safety equipment, specifically their rear reflectors. read more here
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Do Helmets Save Lives????
Key facts about cycling safety
It takes over 3,000 years of average cycling to suffer a serious head injury. [1]
Road cyclists account for less than 1% of serious head injuries seen by hospitals in the UK. [2]
Only 1 in 350 emergency admissions to hospital are due to any kind of cycling injury.
Around 1 in 1,000 are due to head injury. [3]
The most effective way to reduce the likelihood of injury when cycling is to increase the number of people who cycle. When cycle use doubles, the risk of injury per cyclist falls by 35% to 40%. [4]
Read More Here
THE PROBLEM WITH HELMETS
Myths about helmets are another absurdity that has taken hold in countries where bicycling is not commonplace. Fear mongering rhetoric has escalated to the point where those not familiar with bicycling believe that if you so much as swing your leg over a bicycle you will smash your head open. Helmet rhetoric that sets bicycling out as far more dangerous than it is, has done immeasurable harm to efforts for increasing bicycling. Be sure to take this fun Quiz to adjust your perspective on the dangers of bicycling: http://www.bicyclinglife.com/SafetySkills/SafetyQuiz.htm
Mandatory helmet laws often follow the spread of these myths, adding the weight of the law to the idea that bicycling is more dangerous than any other form of transportation. In fact, as you will have found in the above Quiz, if these laws took a realistic approach to their attempt to prevent head injuries, all pedestrians and car drivers would be required to wear helmets as well. And, it seems, wearing a helmet inside the house should also become mandatory.
Please understand that we support people who want to wear helmets and even encouraging the use of helmets. We simply expect the reasoning behind wearing helmets to be factual so that people who choose to wear a helmet understand the limit of safety that helmet will provide them. Combining this understanding with the facts about how safe bicycling truly is will do wonders for efforts to increase bicycling. See this web page for a good overview of reasons to question overzealous helmet propaganda: http://www.cyclehelmets.org/mf.html?1012 . You will also find important papers linked from that site. Here are some more we recommend :
Read More Here
From These Websites
http://www.onestreet.org/bike_driver_education.html
http://www.cyclehelmets.org/index.html
Dirt-Cheap Gas in 2009: Be Careful What You Wish For
From Alternet
Oil costs a third of what it did in July, and prices keep dropping. That may seem like a godsend now, but we'll pay through the nose later.
Only yesterday, it seems, we were bemoaning the high price of oil. Under the headline "Oil's Rapid Rise Stirs Talk of $200 a Barrel This Year," the July 7 issue of the Wall Street Journal warned that prices that high would put "extreme strains on large sectors of the US economy." Today, oil, at over $40 a barrel, costs less than one-third what it did in July, and some economists have predicted that it could fall as low as $25 a barrel in 2009.
Prices that low -- and their equivalents at the gas pump -- will no doubt be viewed as a godsend by many hard-hit American consumers, even if they ensure severe economic hardship in oil-producing countries like Nigeria, Russia, Iran, Kuwait and Venezuela that depend on energy exports for a large share of their national income. Here, however, is a simple but crucial reality to keep in mind: no matter how much it costs, whether it's rising or falling, oil has a profound impact on the world we inhabit -- and this will be no less true in 2009 than in 2008. read more here
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Men on Bicycles
From the New York Times
A well-worn landscape like Long Island’s yields few surprises to the driver’s gaze. Shops cluster by size and species: pizza with bagels and nail salons, Home Depot with Old Navy. But one roadside incongruity that always unnerves me is the sight of a person outside the shell of a car on purpose — like a man pedaling slowly beside a highway on a bicycle.
Bicyclists and suburbs are an uneasy fit. I don’t mean the racing bikers who swarm like neon-colored beetles, hogging the middle of the road. I’m talking about the guys without helmets, on beat-up mountain bikes: restaurant workers wearing windbreakers over white dress shirts and ties; men in sweatshirts and baseball caps riding home from the store, plastic shopping bags hanging awkwardly off the handlebars.
Such sights are evidence of a valiant adaptation to a hostile environment. For immigrant workers, as with so many of us in the suburbs, life boils down to the job, the bed and the travel between. But when you live in a landscape designed for cars, and you are poor, and it is too far to walk to work, and there’s no bus to take you there, the only option is two wheels. This is what is cheap and effective. It can also be deadly.
On Christmas Day, a car going at least 80 miles per hour on Route 111 in Central Islip hit a bicyclist, Hector Rapalo. The driver sped off. Mr. Rapalo, a 39-year-old Honduran immigrant who worked at a pizza shop, died. Police said that the collision may or may not have been an accident, but that the driver surely knew that he or she had struck someone.
Immigrants ask for little more than the opportunity to work so they can send money home. Their lives are quiet but precarious, in a place that accepts their labor but offers little warmth or welcome. An inveterate hostility sometimes sinks into brutality, as in the fatal stabbing in Patchogue last November of Marcelo Lucero, an Ecuadorean immigrant set upon by a gang of teenagers.
The accidents they suffer go unnoticed, except when carnage briefly makes the news: Santos Javier Ramos, 21, a bicyclist killed by a car in Selden; Enrique Aguilar-Gamez, 26, fatally struck by a minivan while bicycling in Copiague; Adolfo Reyes, 42, a day laborer badly injured by a hit-and-run driver while on foot in Holtsville. The police in that case suspected a hate crime, because there were no skid marks or evidence that the driver slowed down after Mr. Reyes flew into his windshield, fracturing his skull, collarbone and arm.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Long Road North
I know I have already shared this video with many of you but, for those of you who have not seen it watch this trailer. I have already put in my request to be able to purchase this film and hopefully we can have a screening of it for anyone who is interested in seeing the film.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Thursday City Council Meeting for Jim Spagnola
If you did not already know, Jim Spagnola was hit on Christmas Eve. He is ok but the person who hit him has no insurance and told Jim he should not be on the road etc. etc...It is not our responsibility to teach the public that bikes have a legal right to the road. It is the Mayor and the cities responsibility. There is also an attitude that it is ok to hit, maim or kill a cyclist. This needs to change also. We need to push the Mayor to speak and educate the public. NOW!!!! PSA's have been made and produced by the public, you can view them here http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=6ykhTWOo1lc&e along with Printed materials etc... We need the city to act and work on educating the public. These are things that can be put in place immediately by the city, if we the public lobby them to do it.
Items that need to be addressed:
PSA's need to be run on all major media outlets
PSA's need to be on the city website ( a "high tech town" should have an up to date website along with rules of the road)
PSA's have been produced and are airing on WLRH and submitted to WJAB. The city could pressure some of the other radio stations to run.
Printed material created and paid for by the city. (Tri Folds to be handed out at the license bureau and DMV)
Alabama is at the bottom in Education (45th) and obesity(3rd) a way to address this would be the Mayor's day out with the public" A bike ride with the Mayor in the spring.
We are less than two months away from March so the time to get started is now.
If you want to speak please sign in at the desk and put your name on the list. What we are trying to accomplish is to get the city to move quickly to educate the public so try to focus on that if you can.
Please bring a friend we need a big turnout!!!
Hope to see you there Thursday Jan 8 2009 @ 6pm
Telephone:(256) 427-5011
Fax: (256) 427-5024
Address:
308 Fountain Circle
Huntsville, Alabama 35801
--
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Is Lance giving cycling a bad name?
No helmet, smiling and enjoying himself....... this could be the collapse of cycling.
Atheist bus campaign goes nationwide
Richard Dawkins to launch national advertising campaign today
A £140,000 advertising campaign aimed at persuading more people to "come out" as atheists was launched today with a plan to broadcast a message doubting God's existence on the sides of buses, the tube and on screens in central London.
Its slogan – "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life" – can already be seen on buses in central London. A total of 200 bendy buses in London and 600 buses across England, Scotland and Wales will carry the slogan from today and tomorrow following a fundraising drive which raised more than £140,000. read more here and burn in hell
Monday, January 5, 2009
More Groups Than Thought Monitored in Police Spying
From the Washington Post
Lisa Rein and Josh White
Sunday, January 4, 2009;
The Maryland State Police surveillance of advocacy groups was far more extensive than previously acknowledged, with records showing that troopers monitored -- and labeled as terrorists -- activists devoted to such wide-ranging causes as promoting human rights and establishing bike lanes. read more here
Friday, January 2, 2009
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
Vintage ride Sunday
Vintage ride this Sunday-December 28th 2:00 leaving from Huntsville Middle School. See all of you that can make it. Thanks so much.
Jim Spag hit on Christmas Eve
from Ashley:
We went to the ER to make sure nothing was broken, and all is okay. He's really sore, but it's a far better situation than what could have happened. Seeing as how he's the sixth documented cyclist hit in 2 months (2 of which are dead, right?), I'm livid at the state of things, but could not possibly be more grateful for his well-being.
The guy who hit him wasn't paying attention, slammed on his brakes and was skidding to a stop when he rear-ended Jim on Oakwood near Church St. He went over the handle bars, and his catlike reflexes saved him... although it has really taken a toll on his knees.
The driver has insurance, and they will be hearing from an irate wifey on Monday morning.
City council will certainly be getting an earful at their next meeting, from me and Jim and whoever else would like to show up and contribute.
Thank you all for your concern!
His mentality was stereotypical, though... "you shouldn't be on the road...etc etc..." But Jim also says that he was apologetic and sincere. He's defending the guy that could have taken his life... certainly not the point of view I'd have in his crippled shoes, and sure as hell not the POV I currently have...
/he left the scene of the accident (technically referred to as a hit-and-run)
//when Jim called to ask him to come back, the guy said he "couldn't"
///the cop had a hearty laugh at that one-back in less than 5min
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Bikes Point the Way to a Sustainable Future
From Alternet
Bicycling subcultures signal a sensibility that stands against oil wars, environmental devastation, urban decay and monocultural sprawl.
[In] this bike subculture there's no person who is the best, who is winning, or getting the most money. It's a pretty equal community in that everyone can excel, but not have to be the top dog -- Robin Havens
A funny thing happened during the last decade of the 20th century. Paralleling events that transpired a century earlier, a social movement emerged based on the bicycle. This "movement" is far from a unified force, and unlike the late 19th century bicyclists, this generation does not have to rally around the demand for "good roads." Instead, "chopper" bike clubs, nonprofit do-it-yourself repair shops, monthly Critical Mass rides, organized recreational and quasi-political rides and events, and an explosion of small zines covering every imaginable angle of bicycling and its surrounding culture, have proliferated in most metropolitan areas. Month-long "Bikesummer" festivals have occurred in cities around North America since 1999, galvanizing bicyclists across the spectrum into action and cooperation.
This curious, multifaceted phenomenon constitutes an important arena of autonomous politics. The bicycle has become a cultural signifier that begins to unite people across economic and racial strata. It signals a sensibility that stands against oil wars and the environmental devastation wrought by the oil and chemical industries, the urban decay imposed by cars and highways, the endless monocultural sprawl spreading outward across exurban zones. This new bicycling subculture stands for localism, a more human pace, more face-to-face interaction, hands- on technological self-sufficiency, reuse and recycling, and a healthy urban environment that is friendly to self-propulsion, pleasant smells and sights, and human conviviality. read more here
ErockIT
If I could buy myself anything for Christmas this would be it.
More Motorcycle Videos at 5min.com
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Signs promote bike safety
Saturday, December 20, 2008
By JOHN PECK
Times Staff Writer john.peck@htimes.com
City approves $5,000 for rider awareness project
Huntsville leaders are shifting into gear to make city roads more bicycle friendly.
The $227 million budget approved by the City Council Thursday night earmarks $5,000 in the city's $40,000 sign budget for bike safety signs.
Councilman Bill Kling pushed the earmark on behalf of the recently formed Huntsville Bike Advisory and Safety Committee. The committee was formed in the wake of a bike-car collision on Technology Drive that killed 20-year-old UAH student Sarah Chapman in September while bicycling from campus.
City Transportation Director Richard Kramer told the council $5,000 should cover the installation of about 107 signs.
"We will be working on bike signs and try to get them out as quickly as possible," Mayor Tommy Battle said. Bicycling advocates said they'll make sure city leaders follow through on that commitment.
"We're going to keep reminding you," said Jamie Miernik, bicycle activist and bike safety committee member, noting city promises in October to erect the signs within 90 days.
Sasha Riffle recently got rid of her car and uses a bike as her main transportation. Riffle told the council the signs should improve driver and bicyclist safety awareness and promote Huntsville as a more health and environmentally conscious city.
Kling said the $5,000 earmark will infuse a lot of money toward bike awareness efforts.
"Instead of doing just a small number one year and a small number another," Kling said, "This $5,000 commitment will put out enough signs to have visibility and impact throughout the city and hopefully that will increase awareness to car drivers and bikes and avoid fatalities."
It was not immediately clear what kind of signs will be erected. Kling initially talked of posting the popular "Share the Road" signs but loosely worded the earmark to let traffic engineers decide. City officials and cycling advocates also have talked of using painted markings in traffic lanes.
Chapman's death spurred much of the recent concern about making Huntsville more bicycle friendly but the city's plans were in place long before but slow to materialize.
City planning department employee James Moore recently finalized a map of the city's 158 miles of bicycle paths and greenways and will work with the bike safety committee and traffic engineers to make designated routes safer.
The police department, which has 16 bicycle patrol officers, also has been charged with enforcing bicycle and traffic laws and developing measures like public service ads to keep the public safe. Road planners also will try to include wider shoulders in new road designs.
On a related bike note, the City Council approved a measure Thursday night that will extend the Indian Creek Greenway in west Huntsville. A development agreement between the city of Huntsville and Streetside Communities calls for the engineering, design and construction of extending Explorer Boulevard in Cummings Research Park along with extending the greenway north along Indian Creek.
The 2,000-foot road extension will connect the existing terminus of Explorer Boulevard north of Farrow Road to Pegasus Drive in Research Park to help service the Midtowne in the Park residential development being built by Enfinger-Steele Development.
Developers will pay for the engineering and design and grant city easements. The development agreement lists the cost of the greenway at $662,283.
City planners want to eventually connect the greenway to the greenway segment behind the Village of Providence. Officials say that won't happen until the U.S. 72 West Bridge over Indian Creek is replaced so the greenway can run under it.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Critical Mass Posters
To the douche bag tearing down the posters at Star Market we know who you are. Try playing with yourself instead of tearing down peoples work. You amoeba!
Want to know why you are fat?
Knoxville, TN -- There's evidence of a link between obesity and the way people get to work and get around in general.
The research illustrates the health benefits of regular biking, walking or taking public transportation to work, school or shopping.
The study authors say the least amount of obesity shows up in countries with the highest levels of active transportation use.
In the U.S. where only 12 percent use active transportation, 25 to 33 percent of people are obese.
By comparison, 67 percent of commuters in Latvia, 62 percent in Sweden and 52 percent in the Netherlands either walk, bike or use mass transit. Latvia's obesity rate is 14 percent, the Netherlands' is 11 percent and Sweden's is 9 percent.
YOUR TAKE: Are you willing to bike to work? If it's too far, would you take the bus?
The Top 3 Most Obese States are:
Mississippi
West Virginia
Alabama
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Thursday City Council
City Council will vote on $5000.00 budget for 75 Share the Road signs Thursday night @ 6pm. While this is a nice step I hope this is not a cheap band aid for a much bigger problem. @ People have died in the last 6 months. That works out to 2500 per person. So putting 75 signs up and not educating an incredibly undereducated public is somewhat troubling to me. Think about it this way when you see the pedestrian sign around public housing, schools etc... Do you slow down?
Education Education Education!!!!
REAL LIFE MARIO KART
French prankster Remi Galliard is at it again. This time he brings Mario Kart to the real world with some pretty hilarious results.
Previously from Galliard:
Crosswalk Characters
Astronaut Lands on the Green
via Laughing Squid
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Olde Towne Chocolate Stout
Olde Towne brewery's chocolate stout debut is tomorrow, Monday the 15th at the Nook. I think it starts at 5, and no ending time was announced. Some of us will be riding from Trailhead at 6:30ish as long as we judge the rain/wind/etc to not make riding too dangerous. Or meet us there. If you haven't been before, it's on the south side of Bob Wallace between Triana and 10th.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Vintage Ride Tonight
The original & true (un-affiliated with SCCC) vintage & cruiser bike club is having their 2nd annual Vintage Bike Ride during the Twickenham luminary tour tomorrow night (sat) including stops at each home on the tour. Tickets for the home tour are available at the door (among other places). Not sure the cost but my guess is $15 range. (for whole tour).
Bikes need good safety lights. Decorations & decorative, festive lights highly recommended. Remember that cars will not be using their normal lights, only their fog lights-- so lights are especially important!
Bring out your sparkliest, prettiest, winter solstice-celebrating decor (also known as Christmas decorations for members of the christian persuasion or Hanukkah or... I think, most every culture and religion has some form of winter solstice celebration). However, there will be no condoned preying or praying. And hopefully will be jerk-free. Cynics ok, though.
Last year was fun. Coat recommended-- suitable for riding & waiting in ticket or entry line.
This event may be too low key (i.e. boring) for some.
RSVP for further details.
Ride does not connote anything other than an announcement, so no need to read anything else into it.
(Irene) Nolen Clark
The Original and True Vintage Bike Tourer
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
Ride the Christmas Parade
Please come to the Christmas parade on Saturday, 6 December, in downtown Huntsville. We'll meet about 11:30 AM in parking lot K, across from the Post Office on Clinton Avenue, and the parade begins at noon. Parking is a zoo that day so park remotely and ride to Clinton. The route is not exactly aerobic at less than 3 miles, but its a great opportunity to remind the crowd to share the road, and that we are out there, and its fun. I plan to wear a black armband to memorialize Sarah Chapman, I hope
others will to.
You can decorate your bike & body, and wear a helmet too. I usually get a three dollar Santa hat from Big Lots and zip tie it to my helmet, and wear red or green. Others go all out with costumes and red gloves. Last year I taped an eight inch diameter foam "Rudolph Nose" to my fairing, along with electrical tape for eyes & lashes, and zip tied some stuffed doggy toys to the bike. The poodles (my dogs at home) got to enjoy the toys after the parade. Hope to see you there. Any questions call me
mobile at 256.348.5181.--george
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Stearns Coffee fire
Stearns caught on fire but didn't burn down around 5am yesterday. Daniel says he plans to re-open in 2 weeks. That will be a busy 2 weeks. read more
picture
In other news, how did the bike committee meeting(tomorrow) go if you're on it? What is the plan for Thursday?
Monday, December 1, 2008
Hands Free Headsets are just as
DANGEROUS!!!
Here is a an article I found that concluded that drivers on cellphones are just as dangerous as drivers impaired by Alcohol
Check It
Friday, November 28, 2008
Vintage Ride Sunday
Sunday, November 30 at 2:00 leaving from the Child's Advocacy Center this month.
Be there or be round.
Critical Mass Tonight
Looks to be a loveley night for a ride.
Meet @ 6:30 pm ride at 7pm
SE Corner of Courthouse
Thursday, November 27, 2008
another cyclist killed
Another Huntsville cyclist was killed yesterday afternoon. The officer said the cyclist was flying down the hill on Pulaski. Really? The speed limit is 40 I think. He probably wasn't even doing 40. And even if he was going over 40, it's the van driver's responsibility to not pull out in front of the cyclists just like not pulling out in front of a car going 50. Only it matters more with a cyclist. What has the city been doing to help? Has enforcement or education increased much? I haven't noticed it. Signs have been added to Cecil Ashburn. How many drivers pay attention to that. As far as I know, no charges have yet been filled against the drivers who killed the last 2 cyclists in Huntsville. Would the motorists pay attention to that? Does the city care?
link
Monday, November 24, 2008
GO, GO, GO DANCER
Call him the flesh pedaler.
Biker Andrew Katzander is taking pole dancing to the streets - on the back of his pimped-out pedicab.
The 44-year-old, a landscaper by day, pedals his racy rickshaw while a sexy dancer shimmies up and down a shiny 8-foot metal pole on a neon-lit platform attached to the back of the bike.
The PoleRider, as he calls it, is already stopping traffic. In one case, he said, cops briefly pulled him over in Times Square.
"It's all legal. The cops can't really stop us - I'm riding my bike and she's exercising," he said of flash dancer Marlo Fisken, 25, a pole-dancing teacher.
"I'm not a stripper. Because you have high heels and you're on a pole, it doesn't mean you're doing anything raunchy," she said. "It's fun, and it's a little bit exhibitionist." read more here
Friday, November 21, 2008
Critical Mass Buy Nothing Day and a Free Bus Ride
Critical Mass Next Friday, Buy Nothing Day and Free Bus rides, how can you make any other plans come on out and work off those calories from "misgiving" oh sorry "thanksgiving"
From the Huntsville Times
Free Ride Day
The City of Huntsville shuttle buses will run Nov. 28, the day after Thanksgiving, with the exception of one red and blue core loop. The routes will run once an hour. It will also be Free Ride Day, so park your car and ride the bus at no charge. The Friday night downtown Circulator will not run. Handi Ride services will run their normal schedule and staff will be available to take appointments. more to cum!!!
Recycle-A-Bicycle Raises Money Selling Bike Jewelry
Founder Creates Pieces Made From Bike Parts
By Sarah Tobol
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
LONG ISLAND CITY — When faced with the coming winter, with people riding their bicycles less and not buying any new ones, how does Recycle-A-Bicycle generate funds? By selling jewelry made out of bicycle parts, of course!
Last Tuesday, Karen Overton, the founder of Recycle-A-Bicycle, had a table at “Crafted at the Creek,” an event at The Creek restaurant in Long Island City where local artisans gathered to sell their goods. Overton sold her bicycle jewelry, the profits of which were donated to Recycle-A-Bicycle. read more here
Thursday, November 20, 2008
IRAQ WAR VETERANS RAID GAS STATION
A group of Iraq war veterans do a little bit of culture jamming at a gas station late one night.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Bicycle Friendly Community Presentation
John Burke, CEO of Trek Bicycles, and Andy Clarke from the League of American Bicyclists visited Omaha yesterday and gave a series of presentations to highlight the benefits of and encourage efforts towards building Omaha as a Bicycle Friendly Community. read more here
Monday, November 17, 2008
Finding the Best, Local Food Near You Just Got Easier
Before you go to Hardees this morning and order up that Pork Chop and Gravy Biscuit:
From Alternet
The Eat Well Guide is the best new online tool for foodies, farmers and anyone who cares about sustainable eating.
Food is making big headlines, and it's about time.
In a year marked by rising food prices and riots throughout the world, we've seen what happens when the reality of our energy, climate and water crises collides with trying to feed a planet.
As Vandana Shiva writes in her newest book, Soil Not Oil, "The era of cheap food and cheap oil is over." Add to this changing precipitation patterns, melting glaciers and increasing drought from climate change, and we have a recipe for disaster.
Michael Pollan has warned the next incoming U.S president, "What this means is that you, like so many other leaders through history, will find yourself confronting the fact -- so easy to overlook these past few years -- that the health of a nation's food system is a critical issue of national security. Food is about to demand your attention." more here
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Nation's Oldest Existing Bike Maker Keeps On Rolling
The legendary names in U.S. bicycle manufacturing have all but disappeared. But at a factory in a residential part of Queens, N.Y., there's a bike maker that's been around for more than a century. You've probably never heard of them, but Worksman Cycles is the oldest existing bicycle manufacturer in the country.
The next time you're in New York or some other big city and you buy a hotdog from a street vendor or see a pizza delivery guy riding by, check out their wheels. Chances are they're peddling or pushing a Worksman, though the name may be tough to read. Some of these battered specialty bikes are 20, 30 or even 40 years old. read more here
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Not only are they socialist but they are great designers too!!
Get used to it, friends. Because this baby, designed by Ian Mahaffy and Maarten De Greeve (Bettlelab) from Copenhagen, Denmark, is going to be as ubiquitous as, well, all the old bike racks around town have been. It was picked from a competition that attracted over 200 entrants from around the world. Ten prototypes were installed and tested at Astor Place starting on September 30. Good, bad or indifferent, these will be everywhere.
· And the Winners Are... [nycityracks.com]
· ‘Hoop’ Wins Bike-Rack Design Contest [CityRoom]
Friday, November 14, 2008
Alabama First State to Adopt Bible Textbook for High Schools
45th in education..... I wonder why.
Alabama has become the first state to approve a Bible textbook for statewide adoption, makers of ”The Bible and Its Influence” announced Monday.
The Bible Literacy Project, an interfaith group that released the book in September 2005, said the decision by the Alabama State Board of Education last Wednesday also makes ”The Bible and Its Influence” the first textbook for academic study of the Bible to be adopted statewide. read more now or get someone from Vermont to explain it to you
More info here too
http://www.aclualabama.org/News/PressReleases/Highlights/102808.html
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Anyone can be a bicycle planner
What's surprising about that bit of optimism is Peithman lives in Portland, one of the country's most bike-friendly cities, a place where about 5,000 commuters pedal across the Hawthorne St. bridge every day.
In Portland, commuters don't ride in isolation. They ride in packs.
To be fair, Peithman has a bit of a vested interest in Milwaukee's cycling stature, since her company,Alta Planning + Design, has been hired by the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin to assist in updating the Milwaukee Bicycle Master Plan.
Her co-workers will be in Milwaukee Thursday, to share and gather information at a planning open house in the Washington Park Senior Center, 4420 W. Vliet St.
Anyone with ideas on how to make bicycling better in Milwaukee is encouraged to share them during the session, from 4:30 to 8 p.m. read more here
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
For South, a Waning Hold on National Politics
VERNON, Ala. — Fear of the politician with the unusual name and look did not end with last Tuesday’s vote in this rural red swatch where buck heads and rifles hang on the wall. This corner of the Deep South still resonates with negative feelings about the race of President-elect Barack Obama.
What may have ended on Election Day, though, is the centrality of the South to national politics. By voting so emphatically for Senator John McCain over Mr. Obama — supporting him in some areas in even greater numbers than they did President Bush — voters from Texas to South Carolina and Kentucky may have marginalized their region for some time to come, political experts say.
The region’s absence from Mr. Obama’s winning formula means it “is becoming distinctly less important,” said Wayne Parent, a political scientist at Louisiana State University. “The South has moved from being the center of the political universe to being an outside player in presidential politics.” read more here
Monday, November 10, 2008
European Support for Bicycles Promotes Sharing of the Wheels
BARCELONA, Spain — In increasingly green-conscious Europe, there are said to be only two kinds of mayors: those who have a bicycle-sharing program and those who want one.
Over the last several years, the programs have sprung up and taken off in dozens of cities, on a scale no one had thought possible and in places where bicycling had never been popular.read more here
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Today Is the day .... go vote
Saw this on my way back from voting in one of my neighbor yard. Sorry took this with cell phone at the bottom it says "the republicans stole my sign but they won't steal another election"..
Monday, November 3, 2008
As an Obama Victory Seems Increasingly Likely,
Conservatives Are Getting Panicky and Unhinge
I can feel it here!
5 Ways to Protect Your Vote
If there's one thing we see every election, it's that Republicans will try to manipulate the rules any way they can to prevent some people from voting. Don't be discouraged--be prepared. If we're armed with the right information, we can beat most of these dirty tricks.
- Be Prepared, and Conquer the Lines.
We can't let long lines stop anyone from voting. There are several ways you can reduce lines and make sure they don't prevent you or anyone else from voting:
- Vote early if you can. You can find early voting times and locations at govote.org.
- Double-check your polling location before you go to vote. You can look it up at govote.org.
- Have a Plan & Have Fun. Have a plan in case there are lines. Bring some food, drinks, friends, books, games, a chair -- anything that will prevent you and other voters from walking away. Have fun while you wait and encourage your friends and neighbors to stay in line so their vote is counted.
- Don't give up--don't walk away without voting.
- Vote early if you can. You can find early voting times and locations at govote.org.
- Two numbers you should have in your phone.
Put these numbers in your phone so you're prepared to report problems and help other voters find their polling place:
- 866-OUR-VOTE is a hotline that's been set up to collect information about problems on election day--lawyers and election protection advocates are ready to respond. It's the best way to make sure someone addresses any problems you see.
- The number for your local election board--in case you need to tell someone where they can vote. Enter you zip code at govote.org, then look for "Contact [your county] election officials" on the right.
- 866-OUR-VOTE is a hotline that's been set up to collect information about problems on election day--lawyers and election protection advocates are ready to respond. It's the best way to make sure someone addresses any problems you see.
- Beware of lies, misinformation and dirty tricks; spread the truth.
Republican operatives are spreading plain lies to frighten new voters. In Philadelphia, anonymous flyers in Black neighborhoods have falsely claimed that voters with unpaid traffic tickets or outstanding warrants will be arrested at the polls. If you hear a scary rumor, it's probably a lie. Call your local election officials to check it out--and make sure your friends and neighbors know the truth. - Leave the Obama gear at home.
In some places, you won't be allowed into the polling place if you're wearing clothes and pins that support a given candidate. This isn't true everywhere, but it's best to play it safe. You can contact your local board of elections to find out if it's a problem in your area. If it is, bring some extra plain T-shirts or sweaters to loan neighbors who show up unaware of the rule. - Read the ballot carefully, and ask questions!
Some ballots can be confusing even for smart and informed voters. Read instructions on the ballot carefully, and if you're not sure you understand something, ask a poll worker to explain. Remember what happened in 2000 in Florida--a confusing ballot caused thousands of people to mistakenly vote for the wrong Presidential candidate. Don't let that happen to you!
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