Tomorrow night’s full moon will be the biggest and brightest of the year.
From SpaceWeather.com:
If you think tonight’s Moon looks unusually big, you’re right. It’s the biggest full Moon of 2010. Astronomers call it a “perigee Moon,” some 14% wider and 30% brighter than lesser full Moons of the year
“Perigee” is the point in the moon’s orbit when it’s closest to the Earth, about 50,000 kilometers closer, actually. So if you’re lucky enough to live in an area with clear skies tonight, take a look at that big, beautiful moon up there. Here in Oregon it’d take a miracle, but stranger things have happened.
Wouldn’t it be simply delightful to have a way to breeze above congested city streets on your bike? Inhabitat brings us this idea, from Bulgarian architect Martin Angelov:
I’m thinking, not so much. Visit the site, and click through the gallery. I admit I can’t understand most of the drawings, but maybe you engineering/sciencey types can.
Are you laughing? Arthur C. Clarke once said in regards to the idea for the ’space elevator‘ from his book The Fountains of Paradise, which is now being developed, “It’ll happen ten years after everyone stops laughing.”
I have a lot of respect for Sir Arthur, may he rest in peace. If he thinks the space elevator can work, Kolelinia could be the future of cycling.
Good news for riders in Boise. Yesterday the City Council passed new laws to protect cyclists and pedestrians, but which also hold cyclists accountable for unpredictable reckless behavior, such as swerving on and off sidewalks.
Drivers will now be expected to yield to cyclists at intersections, leave at least three feet of distance between bikes and cannot cut bicycles off when turning. Cyclists are now legally required to give a warning before passing someone on the sidewalk, dismount in crowded pedestrian areas and cannot ride recklessly swerving on and off of sidewalks
Here’s the part I like.
A third part to the change applies to drivers and pedestrians. It states that harassment and intimidation of cyclists is prohibited as well as throwing objects at bikes and attempting to disrupt their path.
I’m shocked, frankly, that there weren’t already laws on the books to cover this sort of thuggish behavior. I’ve never had anything like that happen to me as a cyclist (although I know plenty of other riders who have), but once as a pedestrian I had something thrown at me and hit me in the back.
After three cyclist fatalities last summer, John Warnell has started the Look! Save a Life movement (Web site under construction, but I’ve shown the logo above).
Everyplace, not just Boise, needs to enact the same kinds of laws to protect cyclists and pedestrians. If you haven’t been to the Transportation for America site, they have a lot of information and grim statistics on how many cyclists and pedestrians are hit and killed each year. Our streets need to be designed, not just for cars, but for every mode of transportation, whether that’s your feet, your bike, the bus, and so on. You can also see how your own state fares in comparison to the rest of the U.S. in pedestrian fatalities, how many people ride public transit, what condition the roads are in and other things.
If you live in the Portland, OR area, please consider contacing Mayor Sam Adams’ office to support the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030. The City Council hearing is set for February 4. You can either mail or e-mail a letter, or if you prefer you can simply click this link to quickly sign online, or get the addresses to mail/e-mail. To download the final draft of the bill, click here.
Even though I do not live in Portland city limits, I will be writing to support this bill in the hope that the effects will ripple out to the neighboring cities and towns.
From the City of Portland Office of Transportation Web site, the main goals of the plan are:
Attract new riders
Plan and design for people who are not yet riding by developing safe and comfortable low-stress bikeways (such as bicycle boulevards and trails) that reduce conflicts between people riding bicycles and people driving.
Strengthen bicycle policies
Adopt policy changes outlined in the Plan, including a new bicycle transportation policy of making bicycling more attractive than driving for short trips.
Form a denser bikeway network
Expand the network of bikeways in Portland to achieve a fine-grained system that offers riders an array of route choices.
Increase bicycle parking
Implement measures to satisfy the growing demand for bike parking.
Expand programs to support bicycling
Expand established programs, and develop new programs, to encourage and support bicycling.
Increase funding for bicycle facilities
Pursue multiple strategies to increase funding for bicycle facilities and other green transportation modes.
It’s a start.
In other news, Bob Mionske has an op-ed piece in the LA Times about why Christopher Thompson’s sentence does not herald a new era for cyclists’ safety. As he rightly points out, the Mandeville Canyon incident for which Thompson was ultimately held accountable should never have been allowed to happen, as it was Thompson’s third incident involving cyclists. Seems like the doctor was starting to feel a little invincible in his vigilantism against cyclists.
…the defense’s motion for probation was denied. Dr. Christopher Thompson will receive five years in jail. Thompson received two years for assault with a deadly weapon for his attack on Ron Peterson with a three year enhancement for causing great bodily injury.
BikinginLA is reporting Dr. Jekyll got FIVE YEARS. Details to follow.
So after all this time, and all the other tragic deaths and injuries of cyclists due to negligent motorists (and there have been not a few, sadly) the reason I became so obsessed with this particular case was because it was not an ‘accident’, it involved a man who really should have known better, a former ER doctor who more than anyone should have understood the damage a motor vehicle can inflict on a human body. And yet here he was, despite having sworn to do no harm, wielding that vehicle as a weapon in a fit of rage over having to slow down his car. He was sitting on his overpaid, fat ass in his cushy car, and he had to slow down. And that’s what caused him to come unglued and try to kill two cyclists.
That, to me, is what makes this case so much more egregious than any of the others. It was deliberate, and it was from a man who has held himself up as a pillar of the community, being accorded trust simply by virtue of his profession. And it wasn’t a one-off instance. This was at least his second road-rage incident towards cyclists. It was not a moment of weakness, a temporary lapse in judgment. He felt entitled. He was remorseless, telling the officers on the scene that he ‘wanted to teach them a lesson.’ That is the most mind-boggling part, because even if that were true it is so completely irresponsible this man should never be allowed behind the wheel of a car again.
Many, many thanks to BikinginLA and DJ Wheels, and especially ADA Mary Stone for all their efforts in this whole saga. Ted, you and DJ Wheels are the best.
This case is at an end, but we all know it will not be the last of its kind, unfortunately. Drive safely, ride safely.
Yesterday I received an e-mail about the ”Million Car Challenge” from Bicycles Allowed Full Use of Lane, who are launching a campaign to educate drivers on cyclists’ rights.
There have been so many cyclists killed and injured by cars, some in horrific accidents, others deliberately by aggressive, belligerent drivers, that something needs to be done.
Our Mission is simple.
Deliver one consistent message using one million cars so that millions of drivers will get the message….. “Bicycles Allowed Use of Full Lane, Change To Pass”
In most places, you have the right to the lane. However, as we all know, this doesn’t necessarily mean anyone will honor that. If you want to take part in educating other drivers and cyclists, you can join in the Million Car Challenge Campaign. The idea is to use window clings in your car as a way to advertise the message.
Laws in other locations may vary. As I live in Oregon, I went searching for Oregon laws on this topic and found this at BikePortland.org:
ORS 814.430: Improper use of lanes; exceptions; penalty.
(1) A person commits the offense of improper use of lanes by a bicycle if the person is operating a bicycle on a roadway at less than the normal speed of traffic using the roadway at that time and place under the existing conditions and the person does not
ride as close as practicable to the right curb or edge of the roadway.
(2) A person is not in violation of the offense under this section if the person is not operating a bicycle as close as practicable to the right curb or edge of the roadway under any of the following circumstances:
(a) When overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle that is proceeding in the same direction.
(b) When preparing to execute a left turn.
(c) When reasonably necessary to avoid hazardous conditions including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, parked or moving vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards or other conditions that make continued operation along the right curb or edge unsafe or to avoid unsafe operation in a lane on the roadway that is too narrow for a bicycle and vehicle to travel safely side by side. Nothing in this paragraph excuses the operator of a bicycle from the requirements under ORS 811.425 or from the penalties for failure to comply with those requirements.
(d) When operating within a city as near as practicable to the left curb or edge of a roadway that is designated to allow traffic to move in only one direction along the roadway. A bicycle that is operated under this paragraph is subject to the same requirements and exceptions when operating along the left curb or edge as are applicable when a bicycle is operating along the right curb or edge of the roadway.
(e) When operating a bicycle alongside not more than one other bicycle as long as the bicycles are both being operated within a single lane and in a manner that does not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic.
(f) When operating on a bicycle lane or bicycle path.
I think the pertinent part is subsection (e) which specifies “does not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic.” However, subsection (c) states “conditions that make continued operation along the right curb or edge unsafe or to avoid unsafe operation in a lane on the roadway that is too narrow for a bicycle and vehicle to travel safely side by side.” So if you’re riding on a road where the speed limit is faster than you’re riding, it doesn’t sound to me like you can take the lane unless there are extenuating circumstances such as dodging debris, potholes that could swallow a Hummer, it’s too narrow and there is no bike lane, that sort of thing. Anyway, best to check the laws in your area.
In Oregon, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance offers legal clinics, 60-minute seminars put on by bicycle lawyer Ray Thomas (see their site to RSVP for one). Ray has also put together a guide called Pedal Power: A Legal Guide for Oregon Cyclists, which can be had for free if you attend one of the seminars, or by ordering it ($10) from the BTA here.
Also, Ray Thomas has more information on bicycle law application here. (thanks for the link to that, Gary)
Erasing a bike lane will not stop nubiles from pedaling down Bedford Ave. and offending our pious Hasidic brethren.
…
“The Grand St. bike lane provides critical protection for the nearly 1,000 bicyclists who use it daily and also for motorists and pedestrians along the corridor,” a DOT spokesman proudly declared. Many of those same bicyclists commute from Brooklyn over the Williamsburg Bridge, but apparently their safety becomes less boast-worthy once they continue onto Bedford Ave.
The erasure is all the more disturbing because DOT knows better. The department saved numerous lives by installing some 200 miles of bicycle lanes over the past three years, doubling to a total of more than 400 miles, on the way to a planned 1,800 miles by 2030.
I don’t know why a religious group gets to dictate to the rest of the city who can and cannot use the streets in their neighborhood. I’d be very surprised if the ACLU doesn’t get involved in this at some point.
It’s unfathomable, really. 400 people are killed in America every single month, just crossing the street, walking from A to B, or riding their bike through town.
That’s like two school-buses filled with kids disappearing every single week.
The worst part is that many of these deaths are preventable. We need to start building roads in a way that works for everyone who uses them – motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, and those with limited mobility.
With the help of activists like you over the last month, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is now making pedestrian safety a priority, but if legislators on Capitol Hill don’t join the effort, we won’t see the change we need to save lives.
There’s a proposal in Congress that would make safer streets the standard – it’s called the Complete Streets Act – but it won’t go anywhere until more representatives and senators signal their support.
Too many in Congress have yet to take a stand on this life-or-death issue – it’s time to demand safer streets from our leaders in Washington.
One-third of Americans either can’t drive or choose not to. Yet, most communities around the country are laced with roads that are inhospitable, at best, to people traveling by foot. Children, older Americans, and minorities are especially at risk.
The desperate need for safe, “complete streets” in our communities is abundantly clear. Please don’t miss this opportunity to help stop these preventable deaths. Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Ilana Preuss
National Outreach Director
Transportation for America
BikingInLA reports that sentencing has been pushed out from December 3 to January 8, 2010:
Update: After checking in with Mary Stone, DJ Wheels reports that the continuance was due to a recent lockdown of the North County Correctional Facility, where Dr. Thompson is being held until sentencing. According to a motion filed by the defense, the entire unit was quarantined due to the suspected presence of the H1N1 virus, which prevented the defense team from preparing a necessary psychological evaluation in time for the scheduled sentencing date.
