The other day I was driving my truck north on Bumby, waiting for a light to change,  when I was surprised to see a cyclist split the lane, then ride through the red light me and about 20 other cars were waiting for.

I looked around and saw my fellow motorists grumble to themselves. But then I watched the cyclist closer and saw that he didn’t gain anything. At the next block, the light was red and a truck was in the intersection so he had to stop and by the time he could go, we had caught up to him.

Bottom line is he didn’t gain anything by violating at least a dozen laws. But do you think he will get that message? Not a chance!

Hopworks Beer Bike from Metrofeits

Maybe this the the way to promote bike buses.

S-Cargo needs one of these. Probably can’t get one by Sunday, but we’re gonna have fun anyway! Don’t miss the cargo ride to the Maitland Farmers Market.

From Undrive.org. Helmet tip to Transition Orlando

I suspect more than a few of our regular readers are undrivers. I was thinking it might be fun hear stories of how you became and undriver: what made you decide, how did you get started, were there challenges to overcome or was it just super easy? How has it enhanced your life? Please share in comments (don’t worry about being longwinded, we love to read stories!).

For those of you in the Orlando area, I’m contemplating doing a short video or maybe a mini-series to tell such stories as a way to raise awareness and promote active transportation in this area. If you’d like to be a part of that project, please let me know. In addition to people with stories to tell, I could use someone with expertise in video production. Perhaps even a student who wants to make it a school project. Contact me.

Some interesting ideas here. What do you think?

Debbie Hunt, FDOT, Chair
Jena Brooks, Department of Environmental Protection
Karen Brunelle, Federal Highway Administration
Ken Bryan, Rails to Trails Conservancy
Jesus Gomez, Florida Public Transportation Association
Sue Hann, Florida League of Cities
Thomas Hawkins, Florida League of Cities
Charlie Hood, Department of Education
Joey Hoover, Florida Association of Counties
Richard Hopkins, Department of Health
Julie L. Jones, Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
Laurie Koburger, Department of Elder Affairs
Mike Lasche, Florida Bicycle Association
Zoe Mansfield, Florida League of Cities
Malisa McCreedy, Pedestrian Representative
Patricia Northey, Florida Association of Counties
Jo Penrose, Department of Community Affairs
Bob Rackleff, Metropolitan Planning Organization Advisory Council
Max Rothman, Transportation Disadvantaged Representative
Cyndi Stevenson, Florida Association of Counties

…all you really need is one person to show you the epiphany of your own power and you’re off. If you can hand somebody the key to their own power… the human spirit is so receptive… if you can do that and open a door for someone at a crucial moment… you are ‘educating’ them in the best sense. You’re teaching them to open doors for themselves.

Come. Dance with me.

Learn more about Aimee Mullins.

San Francisco's newest "separated bike lane"

$2.4 million settlement reached in wrongful death suit over fatal bike accident on Menlo Park’s Sand Hill Road

From MercuryNews.com

Seven months after agreeing to a $2.4 million settlement in his wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Menlo Park, the husband of a woman killed while riding her bicycle on Sand Hill Road is speaking out to prevent a similar accident from happening to another cyclist.

Deborah Johnson, 54, was riding her bike with a friend on Sand Hill Road on a Sunday afternoon in July 2007 when she fell and struck her head. She was taken to Stanford University Medical Center, and pronounced dead two days later.

Her husband, John Gerrity, told The Daily News this week that Johnson’s friend saw her fall from her bike after hitting an object in the bike lane — the flat black octagonal rubber base of a “candlestick” delineator that had become separated from its plastic orange pole.

The lane divider should never have been there in the first place, he said.

Gerrity said the Menlo Park Public Works Department had finished its repaving of Sand Hill Road on Friday, July 20, two days before the accident. It put up the dividers to mark the bike lane of the heavily trafficked road and removed them shortly after the accident, Gerrity said.

According to the federal Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices, used by road managers nationwide, “posts or raised pavement markers should not be used to separate bicycle lanes from adjacent travel lanes.” The same notation is made in the state’s adaptation of the manual.

According to Section 9C.04 of the federal manual, using raised devices “creates a collision potential for bicyclists.”

-more-

A Bronx cyclist was killed in a freak accident yesterday when the driver of a parked car opened his door and knocked her into the path of a city bus, authorities said.

The 57-year-old woman, identified as Megan Charlop, from The Bronx, was riding on Crotona Avenue in East Tremont at about 8:30 a.m. when the driver of a parked Toyota opened his door into her path, police and witnesses said.

The cyclist hit the door and was bumped into the path of a BX17 bus, glancing off its front passenger side and falling beneath its rear wheels, witnesses said.

Read more:

The Alameda County coroner’s bureau has identified a 35-year-old man who was struck and killed by an Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District bus after being knocked from his bike into traffic in Oakland Wednesday afternoon.

Erik Fitzpatrick was riding his bike on MacArthur Boulevard near Patterson Avenue when a 42-year-old Manteca woman opened her car door, knocking him into traffic. Fitzpatrick was then struck by a Line NX bus and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

"bicycle priority lane'' on Longwood Avenue

Details from the Boston Globe owned website.

(My Belated Report)

Oh, where to begin…

We left the Cady Way trailhead with 9 cyclists and a dog, 5 trailers, and bikes with assorted baskets and panniers. Keri led the ride, choosing a nice route, and setting an easy pace. If you have watched videos of Keri cycling confidently and competently through the streets of Orlando, you only need to envision her doing that while towing a trailer with a life size inflatable emperor penguin standing in the prow.

Earlier at the ride meet-up, we had met Vincent, who dropped by briefly with his adorable little daughter, and we got to check out their Burley child trailer. Rodney had to work, but sent his trailer and his neighbor, John, as his proxy. We hitched up a converted child-to -cargo trailer to John’s bike. Andrew was riding his bike with folding Wald baskets, and we hitched up a flatbed trailer to Brad’s ride. Biker Rick got to pull Rodney’s trailer with the heavy ice chest. Rick’s lovely wife and daughters quickly took over looking after my Red dog while we loaded up, giving him bits of their breakfast sandwiches winning his heart with all their attention. And we were off!

I was towing Red in a DoggyRide trailer, and every time I glanced back at him in my handlebar mirror, he was grinning. Red was my reason for getting a bike trailer, since at  14 years old he’s slowing down, but still eager to be included in activities.  At one point, Keri asked me to check my mirror to see if everyone in the group was keeping up all right. What? Oh! Duh. I had been using my rear view mirror solely as a “Red view” mirror, and looking back at the other riders somehow hadn’t occurred to me. Everyone was doing fine.

We had no problems at all with motorists. We got waves and smiles, and I saw a couple of parents pointing us out to their kids. What a pleasant ride!

As we pedaled along Virginia Drive, I was thinking about ChipSeal, and wondering how our cargo ride would be greeted if we were bicycling through Ennis,Texas. How would the inflatable penguin affect our situation? Would Red give the cops a piece of his mind? Would the Ennis Police decide that, by comparison, perhaps ChipSeal was not so much of a problem after all?

We “rode large” through the downtown, and pulled into the Farmer’s Market under the shade of some big oak trees. Mighk (Mr. Bicycle) and Carol arrived on their tandem, so that we could check out their BOB trailer. We broke out some bubbly to drink a toast to our inaugural ride. Prizes were awarded, and Mighk was recognized as the possible future deity of a Cargo Cult, or at least a Cargo Bicycle Cult. Mighk and Carol said that they had to leave, since they were on their way home from the store with half gallon of ice cream in the BOB bag, which would soon melt. Well! We had a solution for that! We scrounged up some plastic spoons, found some cups, and dug into Mighk’s chocolate chip ice cream, which was just perfect for the hot day. Hmm… arriving on a strange conveyance on a hot day with a “gift” of ice cream… while we don’t actually worship Mighk yet (although we think the world of him) that ice cream delivery moved him a good step closer to his goal.

We shopped the farmer’s market, visited in the shade, and availed ourselves of the beer garden. Red enjoyed a short walk and a lot of attention. The beer garden contingent came up with a name and a logo and a cargo bike “movement” at some point while I was shopping.  We had to leave before they were able to solve all the world’s problems.

We loaded everything up and had an easy ride back to the trailhead. I think we all had fun, and Red had a wonderful day. There were many comments of “Let’s do it again.” Oh, we will. We will.

As long as I don't have to wear cargo pants!