A year of pursuit leads to arrest in hit and run
While this article has the ring of good news–the perpetrator has been found & arrested–it is still anything but. Continue reading
Thousand Oaks Goin' Green
Model High School PE Program
LA CycloCross
Blood, Sweat & Gears
Lemond for UCI President?
Category Archives: Advocacy
Traffic, safety, and advocating for fair treatment.
Riding on Sidewalks: A Bad Idea
Bicycle Sidepaths: Crash Risks and Liability Exposure.
Sometimes, bicyclists think they’re safer riding on sidewalks. They don’t have to put up with big heavy cars and trucks passing by them only inches away, they travel much slower, and don’t block other traffic. Continue reading
Riding Single File
This entry is part of a series: Cyclists & the Law»
I had a recent discussion with a fellow cyclist. In it, he repeated a common misconception about some legal requirements for cyclists. He thought that cyclists are required to ride single file. Nothing could be further from the truth. And the fact that I have also been told this by two different police officers (one city police & the other a CHP) over the past year makes this misconception even sadder. Continue reading
Entries in this series:
- Riding Single File
Riding Rules in CA Explained
Gary Kavanagh has an excellent article explaining the rules and responsibilities of cyclists and motorists. While coming from a Santa Monica specific locale, the article is applicable to all of California with many points made for riding & driving anywhere.
Check it out here: Road Rules: Addressing Traffic Safety in Santa Monica
Thank You for That Wake-Up Call
Dear Black Mercedes-Benz Driver,
I just want to thank you for your wonderful help this morning. I have to admit, pushing the pedals on my bicycle along at such a rate that I was maintaining 23mph and an elevated heart rate, I’m sure I was in danger of falling asleep. If you hadn’t passed me so close that your side mirror came within three inches of my handlebar and woken me up with a sudden shot of adrenalin, I don’t know what I would have done. I’m sure I would have fallen asleep and fallen off my bicycle. It’s people like you as you look out for your fellow man who make me glad to be alive. Our world is such a wonderful place because of you.
Oh sure, there are poor examples of humanity out there, people who only look out for themselves and their perceived rights. But I am sure you are not one of them, Ms. Black Mercedes-Benz Driver. I am sure you were only looking out for my safety and didn’t want me nodding off. And as you sat at the very next red light as I passed you, you didn’t even seek acknowledgement from me. What character!
It is grand of you to push aside the laws of this fine state so that you could alert me to the danger I was in. Thank you. So California law allows cyclists to leave the “far right as practicable” in order to go around obstructions. So California statute allows bicyclists to “take the lane” when the lane is not wide enough to safely accommodate the bicycle and a passing vehicle. You didn’t let those silly little laws slow you down from doing your civic duty. I thank you, Ms. Black Mercedes-Benz Driver.
My apologies, Ms. Black Mercedes-Benz Driver, for possibly slowing you down, and causing you to go out of your way to alert me to my situation. I don’t know whatever I can do to make it up to you. I am sure you must have missed your very important appointment this morning, all due to me riding around that parked bus.
Again, thank you for you consideration for my well-being.
– The C-Blog