Archive for July, 2009
Tucson gets sharrows
Tom Thivener, Bike and Pedestrian Manager for the City of Tucson, reports that sharrows got painted in two locations today: 6th Ave and 13th Street, and 6th Street and Highland.
Sharrows, he says, are designed to “instruct drivers and bicyclists if a particular roadway is bike
facility and where to expect bikes on the road.”
The only downside [...]
More double standards at Tucson Police Department
I learned something interesting yesterday at a BAC enforcement meeting. When a motorists reports being in an accident in which the other vehicle fled the scene, if witnesses got the fleeing vehicle’s plate, TPD sends the owner of that vehicle a letter demanding to know what happened. (I’ve submitted a Public Records Act [...]
Read More..>>Firefighter who shot at cyclist released on $200,000 bond
From the Asheville Citizen-Times:
Accused Asheville firefighter posts bond
Staff Reports • July 29, 2009 12:15 AM
ASHEVILLE — A firefighter accused of shooting at a bicyclist, striking him in the helmet, was released from jail Tuesday after a judge reduced his bond.
Charles Alexander Diez, 42, fired at Alan Simons, of Asheville, after arguing with him about riding [...]
Exhibit A
The story:
Firefighter charged with shooting at bicyclist
Josh Boatwright • July 27, 2009 12:33 PM
ASHEVILLE — An Asheville firefighter charged with attempted first-degree murder after witnesses said he shot at a bicyclist, made his first appearance today in Buncombe County District Court.
Charles Alexander Diez, 42, apparently fired at the Asheville man after arguing with him about [...]
More on-line hatred that gets us nowhere
I pretty much can’t even read the comments sections on any on-line newspaper’s article about bicycles anymore. The comments are always the same. Somebody says bicyclists need to pay for their use of the road. Somebody complains that bicyclists don’t stop at stop signs. Bicyclists complain about drivers. Eventually somebody [...]
Read More..>>Thinking big tonight about scenic, dedicated, inter-city bike paths
Quebec wins the prize of course, with its over 4,000 kilometers of dedicated bike routes that traverse the entire province. The paths are wide and either paved or hardpacked dirt. Here’s what they have to say for themselves:
In 1995, the Government of Québec announced that it would collaborate with Vélo Québec on the [...]
Health care
Something that always sends a shiver up my spine is when a client tells me they rejected an ambulance ride because they feared what the cost would do to them.
I even have clients who literally fought their way off gurneys, because they were afraid of financial ruin.
And I regularly have clients who report removing their [...]
Shock
One of a bicyclist’s biggest problems after an accident is the temporary mental disorder commonly called “shock.” It causes bicyclists no end of legal, financial, and sometimes medical problems.
If you get hit by a car on your bike, I can pretty much guarantee you that you are going to start acting irrationally. A [...]
Klunkerz
A lot of people don’t know this about me, but I invented the mountain bike. I invented it in 1979 as a means of getting from my house up to Reeder Reservoir to go fishing. I was fourteen.
I started out with a three-speed modified to take a wheel with a coaster brake and a double [...]
“I feel like nothing can stop me, I’m so free and I’m loving every minute of life”
What is it about the bicycle that can make you so euphoric and free? Is it because it’s the closest thing most of us will ever get to really flying, skating above the ground so smoothly and effortlessly? Is it the quietude of it? What makes it so much more fun than [...]
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