If you think that’s bad, wait until you see what car drivers are doing

Cyclists criss-crossing the city in large packs, oh my:

SCHENECTADY — The city agrees young bicyclists are posing a public safety risk by criss-crossing the city in large packs.

But lawmakers disagree on the scope of the problem and how to quash it.

Some City Council members want a law that would allow police to seize bicycles from adolescents engaged in “reckless” trick riding like popping wheelies and zig-zagging, while others called the proposal “extreme” and advocated for less severe options for dealing with the behavior.

“It sounds like it’s not even legally viable, really,” said Councilwoman Leesa Perazzo. “I just struggle with taking a kid’s bike away.”

 

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If it has Stop signs, then it is not a Bike Boulevard

Robert Prinz reports that Richmond has (what they are calling) a new bike boulevard on 16th St:

As seen in the photo, there is still a Stop sign at the minor street crossing up ahead. By my count, there are in fact 2 Stop signs and a traffic signal along this short 3-block stretch — meaning this is not a bike boulevard. Quoting from the NACTO design guideline:

At intersections with local streets and minor collectors, bicycle boulevards should have right-of-way priority and reduce or minimize delay by limiting the number of stop signs along the route. Stretches of at least a half mile or more of continuous travel without stop sign control are desirable.

This has been an on-going problem in the Bay Area, where planners paint Bike-BLVD stencils on the roadway and call it a day. As long as Stop signs remain — At. Each. And. Every. Block. — the road does not function as a proper bike-priority route. It compels cyclists to violate the CVC, and will inevitably result in police harassment of cyclists.

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The Vice President visits Iceland

When VP Pence met the mayor of Reykjavík on this 7-hour-layover in Iceland, he brought along an armada that included dozens of armored SUV’s, three CV-22B Osprey, two C-130 Hercules, a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, and even a B-2 bomber.

The mayor of Reykjavík arrived on a bike:

“I’ve never met a Mayor on a bike before,” said the chief of US security matters at Höfði, after asking U.S. embassy staff three times whether I was (really) the mayor of Reykjavík. “First time for everything,” was [my] natural response.

 

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Oh, Canada

Saskatoon City Council gives in to NIMBYs, and removes a cycletrack from downtown:

City crews are already hard at work removing bike lanes from Fourth Avenue N in Saskatoon. In April, city council voted to remove the protected bike lanes from the street after members of the public complained.

The dedicated bike lanes were added to the city’s downtown two years ago as a way to keep cyclists safe and a way to promote cycling in the downtown. Detractors were concerned about the lanes limiting parking spaces and creating an unsafe, confusing situation for drivers.

Previously, council had wanted to begin expanding the city’s bike lane network by 2021, but that plan’s timeline now seems to be up in the air.

This was a parking-protected cycletrack, so the complaints about loss of parking is bizarre. And just for giggles, here is the Saskatoon Climate Action Plan.

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Nevada democrats want mandatory bike helmet law

Because riding in 100+ degree desert heat with a helmet is so comfortable:

Assembly Bill 187, which was introduced on the Assembly Floor on Monday, would require that anyone 17 years old or younger to wear a helmet while riding a bicycle, scooter, roller skates or something similar. The bill is sponsored by Assemblywoman Ellen Spiegel, D-Henderson, and is co-sponsored by four Assembly Democrats from Las Vegas: Shannon Bilbray-Axelrod, Bea Duran, Ozzie Fumo and Connie Munk.

“One of the things that differentiates children from adults is that children don’t have the ability to make these decisions for themselves. So I want to make sure that they’re safe,” Spiegel added.

Apparently, Spiegel does not believe parents have the ability to make decisions for their kids either.

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Santa Monica bans bikeshare on bike path

The Santa Monica Beach Bike Path is a popular place for riding bikes. However, the city has now decided to prohibit bikeshare bikes from the path. To be clear: they are banning bikeshare bikes, but not regular bikes:

Perhaps this is just a typo, as there is nothing (that I can find) in the administrative record about banning human-powered bikeshare from the bike path. But it is interesting to note that there are private bike rental firms along the path which benefit enormously from this rule.

 

 

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Lunatic bus driver puts dozens of lives at risk on Mount Diablo

This video like something out of a Hollywood movie. A bus driver hauling school kids goes flying up Mount Diablo Rd like a bat out of hell, crossing the double yellow line dozens of times, going around blind corners and running cyclists off the road. Will the Park finally take seriously the safety concerns of cyclists?

The good news is that the videos grabbed the attention of state Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, and Assemblywoman Catharine Baker, R-Dublin, who have called for meetings to discuss vehicular safety on the mountain.

“These videos clearly show unsafe conditions for cyclists and bus riders,” Glazer wrote. “These are unacceptable circumstances and the parks department and highway patrol must give this matter urgent attention.”

State parks spokeswoman Gloria Sandoval admits “there is a public safety issue.” The bad news is that the person who should be leading the charge, park Superintendent Ryen Goering, generally dismisses the concerns. As he has with past safety issues, Goering drags his feet, resisting change.

The Mount Diablo Cyclists wants 40′ buses banned from the narrow park roads, and more work to improve road safety around the blind corners.

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