Archive for May, 2010

Drake Okusaku ghost bike up on one-year anniversary of his death

Posted by Erik on May 29th, 2010 filed in fatality, ghostbikes

I just got this today from my friend S:
Hi Erik,
Just wondered if you could post info on the ghost bike I just got up for Drake
Okusako. Here’s a blip if you want to put it on the blog. Thanks – S
Yet another ghost bike is up to remind people to drive safely and [...]

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Jose Rincon $40M award reduced to $12M; City rejected settlement offer of $950,000.00

Posted by Erik on May 28th, 2010 filed in fatality

The AZ Daily Star reports today that the judge in the Jose Rincon wrongful-death lawsuit has reduced the award the Rincon family received from $40 million to $12 million.
But what is really interesting to me is that the Rincon family extended an offer before trial of 950,000 dollars, which the city rejected. Who made [...]

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A (Bittersweet) Historic Moment in Arizona’s Three-Foot Rule?

Posted by Erik on May 25th, 2010 filed in Our eternal quest for Platinum Status, TPD shortcomings, Yay!, safety

Check out this email I got from P.M., a rider in the Phoenix area yesterday:
Thought I’d pass on some news of a good experience with the Scottsdale police.
I ride to work frequently from my house in Tempe to my office in Phoenix, roughly 15 miles each way. A good portion of my route goes though [...]

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Congress and Church, any day now

Tom Thivener sent this around the other day, but I only just now figured out how to embed it. Biketopia!
–EBR

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Very late notice on today’s Ride of Silence

Posted by Erik on May 19th, 2010 filed in memorial, upcoming bicycle related events

From www.rideofsilence.org:
Tucson
Contact: Jean Gorman

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Bikejoy

Posted by Erik on May 18th, 2010 filed in Joie de vivre, imminent death of car-based culture

Last night I was riding my bike home in the dark and as I was pressing slowly up a hill with a fully-loaded Xtracycle I heard the familiar sound of a bike bell, being rung quite vigorously. I looked to my side and could just make out a young child bent over the handlebars [...]

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BICAS given five-year lease in Citizen’s Warehouse

Posted by Erik on May 18th, 2010 filed in Yay!

My readers know how much I adore and admire BICAS, Tucson’s Bicycle Inter-City Arts and Salvage cooperative. BICAS, in its 20th year now in Tucson, provides low-cost bike repair classes, recycled bike parts, and offers public, do-it-yourself, low-cost shop rental with experienced mechanics on hand to help you.
BICAS also has an art program that [...]

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A word of warning about Rural Metro Ambulance Corporation

Posted by Erik on May 13th, 2010 filed in Advice

I have finally had it with Rural Metro. I have had enough complaints from my clients about them that I am beginning to wonder if this is even a legitimate company.
Like most states, Arizona has a statute that allows ambulance services to charge for their services even if the person they treat was not [...]

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Bicycling poised to destroy American civilization, says National Association of Manufacturers

Posted by Erik on May 11th, 2010 filed in imminent death of car-based culture

I missed this response to Ray LaHood’s new bike-friendly transportation focus the first time it came around, back in March:
“Treating bicycles and other non-motorized transportation as equal to motorized transportation would cause an economic catastrophe,” Carter Wood, a senior adviser at the National Association of Manufacturers, told The New York Times. “If put it into [...]

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