Archive for the 'safety' Category

New emphasis on wrong-way riders from U of A police

Posted by Erik on February 18th, 2010 filed in Our eternal quest for Platinum Status, safety

I just got out of a bicycle-related trial (we won) and while there I got a chance to chat with a U of A officer who was there on a wrong-way riding violation. I asked him about that and he said that they had recently emphasized this over stop-sign violations. He completely agreed [...]

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Brake what’s fixed

Posted by Erik on February 15th, 2010 filed in safety

Good grief, I just spent the afternoon riding around the U District and 4th Avenue and I am here to tell you: the brakeless fixed-gear phenomenon has in no way abated. I even saw some doufus inexperienced rider riding a brakeless fixed-gear mountain bike with front suspension. What’s that about?
I think the [...]

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A thought on the disproportionate costs borne by cyclists and pedestrians

Posted by Erik on February 1st, 2010 filed in Carhead, Preapocalyptic technological dystopia, safety

I meant to post about the report just released by the Alliance for Biking and Walking that discusses the disproportionate costs borne by cyclists and pedestrians for safety measures, but I notice Mike McKisson over at TucsonVelo did a much better job than I would have and broke the results down for Tucson and Phoenix [...]

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Getting from downtown to Dunbar Spring got a little bit easier recently

Posted by Erik on January 24th, 2010 filed in Our eternal quest for Platinum Status, Yay!, safety

I have had a chance to use the new bike-access or bike-crossing thing that the city installed recently at that awful intersection at Church and Toole. It used to be that if you were trying to get from downtown to, say, BICAS, you had to either ride dangerously through tunnels or on 6th Street [...]

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This doesn’t look good

Posted by Erik on January 18th, 2010 filed in safety

From the Daily Star:
Cyclist injured in crash on Tucson’s north side
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 01.18.2010
A collision involving a bicyclist at West Miracle Mile & North 14th Avenue has blocked off all lanes of westbound traffic on North Oracle Road at Miracle Mile.
There appear to be life-threatening injuries associated with the collision, spokesman for [...]

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My favorite one so far

Posted by Erik on January 8th, 2010 filed in Carhead, Don't read the comments, Preapocalyptic technological dystopia, safety

Found here.
78. Comment by Kevin T. (thehotelguru) — January 8,2010 @ 4:33PM
Ratings: Thumbs Down Thumbs Up -2 +1
A cyclist gets as much space when I pass as they allow themselves. I don’t cross into their lane and they should stay out of mine. If this works out, they need no [...]

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Five years for L.A. “road rage” doctor

Posted by Erik on January 8th, 2010 filed in Don't read the comments, Preapocalyptic technological dystopia, safety

Brentwood doctor who slammed on his brakes and seriously injured two cyclists to teach them “a lesson” gets five years.
More about the sentencing hearing here.
AZ Star article, with usual comments, here.
–EBR

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Stop sign behavior — motorists v. bicyclists

Posted by Erik on January 7th, 2010 filed in safety, theory

Video found at Bob Mionske’s Road Rights column.
Any article in the local paper about bicyclists will be sure to attract many on-line comments about scofflaw cyclists who never stop at stop signs. And it’s been debated in this website, too, with several of my readers wondering why cyclists don’t always come to a complete [...]

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Brooks, brakeless hipsters, and the tobacco industry

Posted by Erik on January 5th, 2010 filed in safety

Brooks has been aggressively marketing their $500.00 and $1,000.00 bike messenger bags lately and it is getting on my nerves. I’m sure they’re great bags and everything but the appropriation of the messenger culture to do the selling of such pricey accessories is, uh, gross.
They have a full-page ad out now in Momentum that [...]

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Study finds bad driving, not bad cycling, the cause of most cycling accidents

Posted by Erik on December 29th, 2009 filed in Carhead, Preapocalyptic technological dystopia, opportunity knocks, safety, theory

This is interesting:
A tiny proportion of accidents involving cyclists are caused by riders jumping red lights or stop signs, or failing to wear high-visibility clothing and use lights, a government-commissioned study has discovered.
. . .
The data, which was analysed by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), showed that more than a quarter of all [...]

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