Cyclists get rights in North America!

Pretty interesting story of progress in L.A. A very progressive city council. It is common sense that cyclists and especially pedestrians are more vulnerable and that cars need to have diminished rights in the public sphere.

I believe there are progressive laws giving priority to the more vulnerable in some european countries including an assumption of fault to the more powerful party and income based traffic tickets so the rich can't break traffic laws with impunity.

Until now I've seen nothing remotely like that in North America. The closest being Idaho's rolling stop laws which really are a different issue. We famously have had cyclists run down and killed by prominent lawmaker in Toronto and getting way with it because of demonizing cyclists in the press.

I think we are still a long way from acknowledging the insanity --- that space right in front of your front door that is paved and death is considered an acceptable consequence (not murder catagory) of not yielding to belligerent motorists. And that cars kill the most of us compared to any cause except natural age and disease. This is an important step in the right direction and has been a long time coming.




Here is an article on it from the VACC list: (I don't agree with the part about getting out of the way for cars... why!?)

L.A. is backing its cyclists
A recently approved ordinance gives bikers a new way to strike back at aggressive drivers. So motorists, think twice about attacking pedal pushers.

July 22, 2011
L.A. City Councilman Bill Rosendahl says he was inspired to introduce a groundbreaking anti-harassment ordinance for bicyclists after attending a meeting at a local bike shop, where he met a young man whose face had been mangled when he was struck by a hit-and-run driver. "It's about time cyclists had rights; about time they had laws to protect them," Rosendahl says in a YouTube video made to promote his plan.

Cyclists already have traffic laws to protect them, butRosendahl's ordinance, which was approved Wednesday by the City Council, gives them a new way to strike back at drivers who physically assault or threaten to assault them, force them off the road, throw objects at them or otherwise cause injury simply because of their status as cyclists. In a civil suit, bikers can win treble the actual damages in such cases or $1,000, whichever is more, in addition to punitive damages and attorney fees. It's a smart law that might make aggressive drivers think twice about attacking pedal pushers.

The all-too-common road rage that divides bikers and drivers in L.A. is, of course, a two-way street. Sometimes, shouting matches are sparked by bicyclists who intentionally block traffic and refuse to allow motorists to pass. But in a confrontation between a cyclist and a driver, the driver has a built-in advantage, encased as he or she is inside a metal carapace weighing tons. That's why bikers deserve special protection.

Cycling reduces traffic, cuts pollution and improves the health of those who do it; in fact, it's beneficial in so many ways that cities, especially those such as Los Angeles that are beset by automotive-related problems, should go to great lengths to encourage it. We're pleased to note that city leaders are doing precisely that, with the council approving a bicycle master planthis year that aims to create 1,680 miles of official bikeways, more than quadruple the current mileage. But that still doesn't mean the city is a safe place to ride. Just this week, a 62-year-old bike rider was struck and killed by a motorist downtown.

Rosendahl's ordinance isn't a free pass for obnoxious cyclists; if they're violating traffic laws, which call for them to allow faster-moving vehicles to pass unless it's unsafe, they can still be cited by police. But the proper response for drivers is patience (a delay of a few seconds won't hurt anybody) or perhaps a gentle tap on the horn, not an attempt to run them off the road or hit them with a soda bottle.

Ride a mile in my vehicle

I liked this article so much I've copied it here for posterity.

By Brad Kilburn, Richmond News June 22, 2011

“You’re not a cyclist, you’re a — motorist.”

My friend at work was right. The bottom bracket on my bike had given out, so while it was being repaired, I drove my car to work.

I couldn’t help but laugh at not only the intended irony of the assertion, but also at the way people instinctively categorize each other, and favor those who fall into their own category.

In the late 1960’s, British psychologists, working out of the University of Bristol, divided a group of schoolboys, who all knew each other, into two groups. They asked the boys to give money to each other anonymously, save for their group affiliation.

It turned out that the boys consistently gave more money to their own groups even though these groups that had just been formed, held no meaning. This was an example of “social categorization” and how penalties can be inflicted on a perceived “outside” group.

I believe people who ride bikes hear all kinds of complaints directed towards them simply because of their minority position. Conversely, drivers benefit from a blind eye being applied to them for similar infractions by the simple association of being part of the larger group.

One way in which cyclists are very much different from motorists however, and this may explain some of the empathy gap that exists between them, is that most cyclists are drivers, but relatively few drivers are cyclists. The vast majority of drivers essentially don’t understand what cyclists face on a daily basis; they only understand their own point of view.

Perhaps the best way to improve motorist/cyclist relations is to simply get more people to ride bikes. This is what happens in places like the Netherlands where just about everybody rides a bike. They all understand what it’s like to be in a car and on a bike, so they cooperate with each other. As a result, they have the safest road record in the world.

Riding a bike next to cars once in a while would help a motorist gain some perspective and understanding of a cyclists experience is like just as a cyclists experience driving cars does.

We’re all in the same boat using the same roads; we should be working together instead of driving wedges between ourselves. Being both a cyclist and a motorist is a good thing, if what we want are safer roads.
© Copyright (c) Richmond News

Read more: http://www.richmond-news.com/business/Ride+mile+vehicle/4988415/story.html#ixzz1QDoyMCFX

Traffic Safety: Conversation with an Engineer

Welcome to Fall

Equinox has passed. The summer is over. That means its getting darker in the evenings quickly. Soon we'll lose our Daylight Savings time extra hour and it will be really dark while commuting.

The most dangerous time for cars not seeing other road users is at twilight when the light is fading but people haven't adapted to the dark night yet. The worst season for blind killer cars is the fall, when we are all unaccustomed to the shorter days.

Check out this silly video by The B:C:Clettes, and the VACC. You may recognise the lead singer/hotty as Amy from Momentum Magazine, and probably others too. Where did they get those luminescent hot pants!? I want!



Lot's of cozy winter cycling ahead. So light yourself up. Ride together. Ride Strong. Take care and take the lane.