Friday, October 29, 2010

A Cyclist Bill of Rights (US)

CYCLISTS' BILL OF RIGHTS
WHEREAS, cyclists have the right to ride the streets of our communities and this right is formally articulated in the California Vehicle Code; and
WHEREAS, cyclists are considered to be the “indicator species” of a healthy community; and
WHEREAS, cyclists are both environmental and traffic congestion solutions; and
WHEREAS, cyclists are, first and foremost, people - with all of the rights and privileges that come from being members of this great society; and
NOW, THEREFORE, WE THE CYCLING COMMUNITY, do hereby claim the following rights:
1) Cyclists have the right to travel safely and free of fear.
2) Cyclists have the right to equal access to our public streets and to sufficient and significant road space.
3) Cyclists have the right to the full support of educated law enforcement.
4) Cyclists have the right to the full support of our judicial system and the right to expect that those who endanger, injure or kill cyclists be dealt with to the full extent of the law.
5) Cyclists have the right to routine accommodations in all roadway projects and improvements.
6) Cyclists have the right to urban and roadway planning, development and design that enable and support safe cycling.
7) Cyclists have the right to traffic signals, signage and maintenance standards that enable and support safe cycling.
8) Cyclists have the right to be actively engaged as a constituent group in the organization and administration of our communities.
9) Cyclists have the right to full access for themselves and their bicycles on all mass transit with no limitations.
10) Cyclists have the right to end-of-trip amenities that include safe and secure opportunities to park their bicycles.
11) Cyclists have the right to be secure in their persons and property, and be free from unreasonable search and seizure, as guaranteed by the 4th Amendment.
12) Cyclists have the right to peaceably assemble in the public space, as guaranteed by the 1st Amendment.
And further, we claim and assert these rights by taking to the streets and riding our bicycles, all in an expression of our inalienable right to ride!

November 19th Bike Pirates Craft Night


Break out your puff paint, bedazzlers, and DIY spirit! Bike Pirates' second craft night is happening Friday, Nov 19th at 7:30 pm.

BYO Craft supplies and Beverages.
Homemade snacks! Tea!
Mini-workshop on making jewelry out of bike parts!

Crafts do not have to be bike-related.

Bike Pirates is a fully accessible space.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Are Cyclists Just Roadkill?

One has to wonder why Police are so incredibly reluctant to lay charges against drivers or why charges often just lead to minor convictions. Is is simply car driver bias or is it based on the assumption that the cyclist(s) must have done something wrong to deserve their tragic fate? Hmm.

In any case, it's a pattern I have notices across Canada year after year and it's documented in this Google
Map:

Canadian Cycling Fatalities

Unless the issue is being taken very seriously, this will continue.

It's built into the system.








Update: More of the same (Augusta, Georgia): http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/metro/2010-10-04/questions-remain-biking-accident

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

New Sharrows On Harbord

Meet Trixi!

Car Drivers Underpay Their Fair Share of Road Costs


by Todd Litman: (snip) "Vancouver is working to create a more diverse and efficient transport system. Vancouver’s efforts have been pretty successful: automobile mode share has declined, due in part to walking, cycling and public transit infrastructure improve-ments. Yet, motorists continue to oppose new bike lanes, arguing that cyclists pay an insufficient share of roadway costs. In a recent interview with Vancouver newspaper columnist Don Cayo, I pointed out that local roads are mainly funded by general taxes that residents pay regardless of how they travel, and since motorists impose higher roadway costs per kilometer of travel and tend to travel more annual kilometers than people who rely on other modes, it is motorists who underpay their infrastructure costs. This column generated an unusually large number of responses (119 at last count), many quite angry at the suggestion that motorists underpay or that the city should continue to invest in alternative modes." (photo by Rick Conroy)

http://www.planetizen.com/node/46570

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

The Day After The Election



P1010616, originally uploaded by Martinho.

Monday, October 25, 2010

The New Toronto Does Not Include Cyclists


Toronto's New Mayor.

Rich People Won't Get It


BlueBookTwoBW+1_0006, originally uploaded by Martinho.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Turn Left

Transport Futures 2010: Road Pricing & Smart Growth Forum

Transport Futures 2010: Road Pricing & Smart Growth Forum
December 2, 2010 - Metropolitan Hotel, Toronto

Transportation planning and land use planning are two sides of the same coin. That’s why at the 4th Transport Futures Forum, you’ll learn how road pricing can influence urban form, especially as it relates to development patterns, consumer real estate preferences, costs and travel destinations. Cutting-edge research, interactive presentations, panels and group discussions will explore whether comprehensive road pricing policies can help Ontario meet density targets, accelerate transit-oriented development, convert brownfields and protect green space. Don’t miss this opportunity to discuss tolls and smart growth with these leading international and national experts:

* Dr. Alex Anas, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA
* Dr. Robin Lindsey, University of British Columbia, BC, Canada
* Sue Flack, MRC McLean Hazel, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
* Dr. Richard Soberman, Trimap Communications, Toronto, ON, Canada

… and more speakers to be announced soon!

The Transport Futures Road Pricing & Smart Growth Forum takes place on December 2, 2010. Seating is limited. Register by November 12th to take advantage of our Early Bird Rates. Visit www.transportfutures.ca for full program details!!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

NYC Critical Mass nets court settlement


The city agreed on Monday to pay nearly $1 million to participants in the monthly Critical Mass bicycle rides who claimed they had been wrongly detained and arrested by police officers.

The lawsuit, originally filed in 2007, represented the claims of 83 riders who had been arrested or ticketed by police during the rides from September 2004 to January 2006. The awards to the plaintiffs range from $500 for those who were cited for minor infractions, to $35,000 for a plaintiff who was arrested multiple times and was injured because of the arrests, said David B. Rankin, one of the three lawyers who represented the riders. About half the settlement will go toward legal fees.

The settlements, totaling $965,000, do not include the many lawsuits filed by riders who were arrested during the Republican National Convention in 2004.

The Critical Mass riders and the Police Department have a long, antagonistic history. Since 2004, riders have claimed that police officers harass them, take their bicycles and arrest them without reason. The police have said the cyclists violate traffic laws. The department has deployed hundreds of officers, a mobile command unit and a helicopter to monitor the rides, which wend their way through Manhattan on the last Friday of each month.

Mark Zuckerman, a lawyer for the city, said the settlement was “in the best interest of all the parties.”

Mr. Rankin said he thought the settlement was fair, and that the city’s policies toward the riders had changed. “We hope that the cyclists and the N.Y.P.D. can figure out a way to work together,” he said.

Barbara Ross, a longtime rider who was arrested in 2005 on charges of parading without a permit and disorderly conduct, will receive about $15,000 from the settlement. She said that although the police have changed tactics, Critical Mass participants were still being harassed.

“They’re still wasting taxpayers’ money to show up every month,” Ms. Ross said.

Into The Sunset On Harbord



P1010449, originally uploaded by Martinho.
In other News Bixi got it's 1000s member the same day. Good news!!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Hysop Ladies & Men's Bicycles



Hysop Ladies, originally uploaded by Hugger Industries.


Hysop Men's Model, originally uploaded by Hugger Industries.

Talent In Two Wheels

Friday, October 08, 2010


For Nigel Gough from Tino on Vimeo.
A Ghost Bike on Lakeshore Boulevard West remembers Nigel Gough who died while riding his bike on the mean streets of Toronto on Sept. 26, 2010.


Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Bike Boxes On Harbord/Hoskin/St. George


Cyclometer says: Bike Boxes for the Harbord- Hoskin and College Bicycle Lanes
Weather permitting, the installation of Toronto’s first Bike boxes (PDF) are scheduled to begin Monday October 4th. Bike boxes are a pavement marking that designates a space for cyclists to wait in front of cars at a red light, and to proceed first when the light turns green. The new design treatment will be evaluated for use in the future at other intersections across the City. Bike boxes are scheduled to be installed this year, at the following locations:

Harbord-Hoskin and St George (north, south, east and west bound)
Hoskin and Queens Park Crescent (eastbound) Harbord and Spadina (east and westbound)
College and Spadina (east and westbound)
College and St George-Beverley (north, south, east and west bound)

Note Bene: The claim that these are the 'first' is of course inaccurate.
The city removed the actual first bike boxes installed by the Urban Repair Squad 
Harbord and Bathurst (Oct. 2008)

Sunday, October 03, 2010

Ghost Bike Placed at the Bottom of Colborne Lodge and Lakeshore


A cyclist was killed Sunday night after being struck by two cars.

Police say the male cyclist in his 40s was travelling south on Colborne Lodge Dr. and was trying to cross Lake Shore Blvd. W. when he was hit.

He was struck by a car travelling east, and the force of the impact threw him into another lane, where he was hit by a second car.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Bike was placed today and will be in the island where he was lost. His friends and fellow cyclists will remember.
Photos here by Jun: http://jnyyz.wordpress.com/2010/10/03/memorial-ride/