A friend introduced me yesterday to rambunctious bicycling advocate Fred Oswald via a recent article out of Cleveland’s press. Much debate swirls around his not-so-uncommon opinions. Mr. Oswald’s argument can be boiled down to two points: supporting a critical need for much more bicycling education on sharing public roadways with other vehicles, and fighting an industry-borne fallacy that breaking up streets with allocated spaces, such as bike lanes, is good for the biking community. The former is, of course, not contestable. We all agree that safety and training are absolutely critical to developing a strong and healthy bicycling community.
Bicycle Safety
Paris Authorizes Cyclists To Run Red Lights
In most cases, traffic signals are used to stop vehicles succumbing to Newton's law of motion, but a new decree in Paris will change that. Eighteen intersections are now subject to newly relaxed rules that allow cyclists to continue at red lights.
The Telegraph
Female Cyclists the Minority in New York City
Male cyclists outnumber females cyclists in New York City three to one. New York City lags behind Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Portland, Oregon, in female ridership.
The New York Times
Injured Cyclists Team Up to Fund Fix for Heavy Accident Area
An accident-prone section of bike path in Seattle has prompted dozens of lawsuits and resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments to injured cyclists. Now the cyclists themselves are trying to fix the infrastructural problem.
The Seattle Times
Beyond Safety in Numbers: Why Bike Friendly Cities are Safer
Studies often show that bicyclists find "safety in numbers." Norman Garrick and Wes Marshall explain that the street design strategies that attract bike riders are the same ones that improve road safety for all road users.
Bike-Sharing Is Safer Than Riding Your Own Bike
In city after city, cyclists are hit, injured, and killed less often when using bike-sharing than when riding their personal bicycles.
Streetsblog
Road Safety Bill Aimed at Cars and Bikes
A new road safety bill up for consideration in Washington would increase rules and regulations for motorists and cyclists.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Solution for Helmet Hair
Two industrial design students at Lund University noticed that despite a new law requiring bike helmets in Sweden, many people refused to wear them. They've invented a stylish cowl that inflates on impact just like an airbag.
Core77
Increased Ridership Often Means Increased Safety for Cyclists
While bicycle ridership has been boosted by improvements to infrastructure, what is keeping cyclists safest may simply be more of their own kind on the road.
Grist
Anti-Bike Rage Boiling Over in Charlotte
After publishing two articles calling for Charlotte-area drivers to be more considerate of bicyclists, the comments on the online version were so numerous and hateful that the paper closed them down.
The Charlotte Observer
Can Color Make Bike Lanes Safer?
A Portland study shows that bicyclists feel 50% safer when biking in a solid blue bike lane rather than just the classic dotted line. Could color make that much of a difference?
Treehugger
Cycling and Road Rage in Los Angeles
This report from NPR's All Things Considered examines some of the dangers of cycling in Los Angeles, with special attention given to the case of the doctor who nearly killed two cyclists.
All Things Considered
Goodbye, Bike Lane
Calling it redundant, NYC's DOT has chosen to sandblast 14 blocks of a Bedford Avenue bike lane away.
Streetsblog New York City
London Mayor Versus Aggressive Cyclists
London Mayor Boris Johnson, an avid cyclist himself, is calling on local law enforcement to crack down on the city's aggressive cyclists who he says are making it less safe to bike.
Bike Radar
Cycling Safety for All
The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition and Kaiser Permanente are teaming up to offer safety training, bike helmets, and lights to day laborers.
Daily News Los Angeles
Vetoed State Bike Safety Law Passes in Austin
The Austin City Council has approved a bill that requires motorists to keep a three-foot distance from bicyclists on the road. The same bill was vetoed by Texas Governor Rick Perry four months ago.
The Houston Chronicle
London's Naked Street Experiment
London is attempting to make streets safer for cyclists and motorists by turning off traffic lights in one part of the city for a short amount of time.
The New York Times
Eliminate Child Safety Program to Cut Budget?
House Republicans sent President Obama a $375 billion budget-cutting plan, which slices $1 billion from bicycle and pedestrian programs.
STREETSBLOG.ORG
Bike-Riding On Long Island
This editorial looks at the hostile environment of bicycling on much of Long Island, and ties it to the precarious life of many immigrant laborers, who already suffer from apparent hate crimes. Sadly, riding a bike only increases their vulnerability
The New York Times
More Bikes = More Safety
A new study confirms what Critical Mass riders have known all along- the more bicyclists on the road, the less likely it is that cyclists will get hit by a vehicle.
University of South Wales
Planetizen picks
Contribute
- The Benefits of Creating Hybrid Zoning Codes
- The Appeal of In-Town Big Box
- The Growing Appeal of Drinking From the Toilet
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- Could Good Design Have Prevented the Housing Crisis?
- NY Times Defends the Port Authority
- Expanding the Hong Kong Subway, One Blast at a Time
- Can An Electric Bike Replace A Car?
- The Growing Popularity of Women-Only Mass Transit
- Putting the Bloom Back on the Rose Bowl
Information Sources in Planning: Principles -- Michael Dudley
Optimal Transport Policy For An Uncertain Future -- Todd Litman
Faculty Using Web 2.0 to Show Images -- Ann Forsyth
Information Sources in Planning: Introduction -- Michael Dudley
Liveblog: ULI Rose Center Kansas City Study Visit -- Jess Zimbabwe
Volunteerism Plays Critical Role in Reaching World’s Millennium Development Goals
Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, Cleveland State University
Feb 10, 2012
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