Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: All Hail Kerr, Andy Kerr, Bicycle Colorado, bicycling, bike, bike law, BikeDenver, bikers, Colorado, Idaho stop, law and order
http://www.denverpost.com/2017/01/26/senate-bill-bicyclists-stop-signs/
Idaho Stop is something I’ve been promoting for many years—in Denver, a place where most riders already practice the technique, it makes even more sense than it does in Idaho—but to say my pleas fell on deaf ears is a bit of an understatement. The advocacy orgs like Bicycle Colorado and BikeDenver were big on the law-and-order stuff.
To hear the local advocacy groups now getting behind Kerr’s bill is extremely heartening. Extremely surprising and somewhat weird. But I’ll take it.
Idaho Stop. There is no fact-based opposition to it. It is proven to work, with decades of data. It makes life better for bicyclists, and so makes life better for all. But that doesn’t mean this will become law. Most people are still idiots about bikes, and even a substantial portion of cyclists are reflexively opposed to the idea, although that portion is clearly getting smaller and smaller all the time. If you’re still in that portion, get on out of it and into the other one.
ALL HAIL ANDY KERR! ALL HAIL ANDY KERR! VIVA LA KERR! AN-DY! AN-DY! AN-DY!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: anti-bike bias, bicycling, bike, camaro, cycling, cycling fatality, Gothamist, hit and run, Matthew Von Ohlen, NYC, NYPD, pamphlet, urban cycling
http://gothamist.com/2016/07/04/cops_believe_driver_intentionally_f.php
RIP Matt Von Ohlen
Police are currently looking for the driver of the black Camaro who knocked Von Ohlen off his bike then ran over him, then sped away. If they find him/her, may give him/her a bike safety pamphlet.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bicycle helmet, bicycle safety, bicycling, biking, CPSC, cycling, family biking, helmet, helmet standards, JAMA, Thompson Rivara Thompson, youth helmets
Thompson, Rivara and Thompson M.D.s, “Effectiveness of Bicycle Safety Helmets in Preventing Head Injuries,” JAMA, 1996.
This is probably the most cited of all helmet studies. It appeared at a time when the CPSC was considering the possibility of making new standards for little kids’ helmets. On one side of the discussion, engineers and advocates who thought child and toddler helmets should be made softer to protects kids from the type of head injuries they are most likely to suffer while bicycling. On the other side, helmet company reps who argued that kids didn’t need new standards or softer helmets.
Thompson, Rivara and Thompson’s “Effectiveness of Bicycle Safety Helmets in Preventing Head Injuries” came along just in time to lend the industry some apparent scientific legitimacy to their argument.
The study concludes like this: “Based on our study, changes in helmet certification standards or the design of helmets particularly for younger age groups are less likely to result in major benefit.” The mention of kids’ helmet standards–“particularly for younger age groups…”–comes out of the blue at the end of the paper.
This is quite strange because, earlier in the document, the authors revealed that the study, which included over 3,000 crashed cyclists, included only one helmeted brain-injured subject under 6 years of age. Because of this almost total lack of data, the authors admit that their study cannot estimate any protective effect of helmets for this age group.
Hmm. But in the conclusion, which is the only part of the privately held document that journalists or 99% of the public will ever read, the authors do just that. They claim that helmets give the same protective benefit “to cyclists of all ages…” And then they go out of their way to say that bit about little kids not needing better helmet standards.
I don’t know about you, but I think it’s very interesting that the particular age group that receives the most attention in the conclusion, is the one that received the least attention when collecting data. This seems to be a really smarmy piece of work.
See industrializedcyclist.com and Family Biking: The Parent’s Guide to Safe Cycling for more on kids’ helmet standards.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: accidents, bicycling, Chicago, collisions, crashes, traffic safety, urban cycling
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bicycling, cycling, Heathrow, indignant cyclists
Things you need to know if you hire a car in the UK according to Heathrow Airport web page.
Information you should know about driving hire vehicles in the UK.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bicycle accidents, bicycling, bike safety, biking, collisions, crash data, cycling, injuries, transportation
The following list of papers and links to papers or abstracts is from the Industrialized Cyclist Bicycling Research Page. Go to http//:www.industrializedcyclist.com/lies.html to click the links. The Research Page also has similar lists for international accident statistics, patterns of use, docs related to facilities and planning, cycling-related laws, helmets and more.
EVERY BICYCLIST COUNTS 2014 report from the League of American Bicyclists found 40% of cyclist fatalities the result of a hit-from-behind.
KAPLAN’S SURVEY OF L.A.W. MEMBERS Viet-Nam War-era cycling survey, 1974. Note: this is on the website of John Allen. Or download pdf.
ADULT BICYCLISTS IN THE UNITED STATES – CHARACTERISTICS AND RIDING EXPERIENCE IN 1996 (pdf) William Moritz’ survey of LAB members. An update of Kaplan with similar numbers. Are they good or bad? Depends on your perspective.
MORITZ’ INTERNET SURVEY OF BICYCLE COMMUTERS Another relatively robust survey from William Moritz, and very similar results.
THE CROSS STUDY This study of 384 accidents that occurred in Santa Barbara in the early 1970s has been cited in support of all kinds of claims. Should it be? Note: only on the website of John Forester.
CROSS-FISHER ’77 (pdf) Volume One of the landmark study prepared for the US Department of Transportation by Kenneth Cross and Gary Fisher. “A Study of Bicycle/Motor-Vehicle Accidents: Identification of Problem Types and Countermeasure Approaches,” vol. 1, September 1977.
BICYCLE ACCIDENTS AND USAGE AMONG YOUNG ADULTS This 1976 survey showed relatively alarming accident numbers for young riders. Note: on the website of John Forester.
CRASH TYPE MANUAL FOR CYCLISTS From the Federal Highway Administration, by Carol Tan, 1996.
NORTH CAROLINA BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN CRASH DATA TOOL. A database of all reported collisions in N.C. for ten years, includes age of victim, crash type, etc.
FHWA’S BIKE-PED PUBLICATION PAGE Facilities, education and more.
KEN KIFER’S 2001 BICYCLE SAFETY SURVEY A small survey of touring cyclists that seems to corroborate larger surveys of experienced riders, but finds strikingly bad news in the relative danger of cycling versus driving.
FLORIDA BICYCLIST AND PEDESTRIAN CRASH EXPOSURE (pdf) Based on 2002 phone survey.
IDAHO TRAFFIC CRASHES 2012 (pdf) Includes rudimentary information about bicycle crashes in the “Idaho Stop” state.
ON-ROAD BICYCLE FACILITIES AND BICYCLE CRASHES IN IOWA, 2007-2010 Abstract, July 2013, Accident Analysis and Prevention.
BICYCLE ACCIDENTS IN WASHINGTON STATE, 1988-1993 (pdf) A survey of police records by Ralph Wessels.
CALIFORNIA STATEWIDE SAFETY STUDY OF BICYCLES AND PEDESTRIANS ON FREEWAYS, EXPRESSWAYS, TOLL BRIDGES, AND TUNNELS 2001 report by Ferrara, San Jose State University.
MANNER AND FAULT IN BICYCLIST FATALITIES : ARIZONA 2009 (pdf) Small sample size.
BICYCLIST FATALITIES AND SERIOUS INJURIES IN NEW YORK CITY 1996-2005 (pdf) Collaboration of local government agencies.
“ONLY GOOD CYCLIST” (pdf) Study of NYC police reports by Right of Way group concludes motorists are more often at fault in car-bike collisions. See also “KILLED BY AUTOMOBILE,” (pdf) 1999 report from Right of Way organization on pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities in NYC 1994-1997.
“ON ‘DOORINGS’ OF BICYCLISTS …” Article by Al Baker on New York Times’ City Room blog, October 28, 2010, includes some figures on numbers of doorings in New York state, and information on applicable laws.
BOSTON EMS BIKE CRASH DATA MAP Shows EMS responses to bike accidents in city of Boston, one year, October 31, 2009 to October 31, 2010.
OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES AMONG BOSTON MESSENGERS Harvard researcher J. Dennerlein presents a non-robust 2002 survey that focuses on the danger of messenger work, but with data that (inadvertently, and unknown to prof. Dennerlein) confirms veteran messengers carry accident rates better than those found in the major surveys of club cyclists.
BICYCLE-MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS IN METROPOLITAN BOSTON 1979-80 On John Allen’s site. This old study by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council is based on a sampling of reported collisions, and confirms a profound correlation of age with accident type.
CITY OF BOISE CYCLING SAFETY TASK FORCE FINAL REPORT (pdf) 2009 report contains crash statistics for previous five years, recommends continuing ‘Idaho Stop’ law.
SAFE STREETS BOULDER 2012 (pdf) A study of motor vehicle accidents involving bicycles and pedestrians, study period 2008-2011. From the City of Boulder. See Robert Hurst’s thoughts on this study here: BOULDER STREETS SAFE?
BICYCLE ACCIDENTS IN FORT COLLINS, COLORADO 2000-2009 (pdf) Survey of reported accidents appears to show accident and injury rates on the rise.
CITY OF MADISON, WISCONSIN 2010 CRASH REPORT (pdf).
MESA ARIZONA BIKE-CAR WRECK STUDY (pdf) Study of police reports from all reported accidents in Mesa, Arizona in 2005.
THE OHSU PORTLAND, OREGON BICYCLIST INJURY SURVEY (pdf) Published in Trauma, November, 2010. Introduces a rather expansive definition of “traumatic event.”
SEATTLE INTERACTIVE BICYCLE ACCIDENT MAP 2011 From the Seattle Times.
SAN FRANCISCO BIKE ACCIDENT DATABASE 2010 The Bay Citizen.
FATALITY ANALYSIS REPORTING SYSTEM (FARS) Seductive numbers of dubious utility. People want to draw conclusions from the annual fatality numbers, but the conclusions don’t necessarily follow. See also: FARS PEDALCYCLIST PAGE. See also this article by Robert Hurst commenting on the different fatality numbers provided by the FARS and WISQARS databases.
ROAD FATALITIES USA Map of US road deaths for all users, from FARS database, 2001-2009. Zoom-in-outable.
BICYCLIST DEATHS AND FATALITY RISK PATTERNS Abstract, Gregory Rodgers, Accident Analysis and Prevention, April 1995.
INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY’S BICYCLE FATALITY ANALYSIS PAGE Meta-analysis of FARS data.
THE NEISS HOME PAGE CPSC’S National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), the best injury data available. See also THE NEISS CODING MANUAL (pdf).
WISQARS (WEB-BASED INJURY STATISTICS QUERY AND REPORTING SYSTEM) Uses NEISS data. See also this article by Robert Hurst commenting on the different fatality numbers provided by the FARS and WISQARS databases.
CYCLISTS INJURED WHILE SHARING THE ROAD WITH MOTOR VEHICLES Abstract of 2007 article by Haileyesus, et al in Injury Prevention. Analysis of NEISS data shows car-bike crashes are involved in only about 15% of all cyclist ER visits.
RISK FACTORS FOR BICYCLE-MOTOR VEHICLE COLLISIONS AT INTERSECTIONS By Alan Wachtel and Diana Lewiston. A look at reported collisions from the late 1980s in Palo Alto, California, crossed with exposure data provided by the city. On Bicyclinglife.
INJURY SEVERITY IN BICYCLE-MOTOR VEHICLE CRASHES Abstract of 2006 article using police-reported data from North Carolina.
BICYCLE-RELATED INJURIES 2001 article by Thompson and Rivara in American Family Physician.
PEDIATRIC HOSPITALIZATIONS FOR BICYCLE-RELATED INJURIES Abstract of 2007 article from Injury Prevention.
THE OHIO BICYCLE INJURY STUDY Abstract of 1995 paper examining 52 hospital admissions of child cyclists in Ohio.
CPSC’S BICYCLE USE AND HAZARD PATTERNS IN THE UNITED STATES (pdf) One of the most … questionable documents on the list. See also Dr. Gregory Rodgers’ informative DEFENSE OF THE CPSC STUDY against John Allen.
2010 NHTSA BICYCLISTS AND OTHER CYCLISTS FACT SHEET (pdf) / 2008 NHTSA BICYCLISTS AND OTHER CYCLISTS FACT SHEET (pdf) / 2007 NHTSA PEDALCYCLIST FACT SHEET (UPDATED) (pdf) / 2007 NHTSA PEDALCYCLIST FACT SHEET (pdf) / 2004 NHTSA PEDALCYCLIST FACT SHEET (pdf) / 2001 NHTSA PEDALCYCLIST FACT SHEET (pdf) / 1998 NHTSA PEDALCYCLIST FACT SHEET (pdf) / 1993 NHTSA PEDALCYCLIST FACT SHEET (pdf) Beware of ‘Fact Sheets,’ especially when they contradict other ‘Fact Sheets’ produced by the same agency.
2005 MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC CRASH FATALITY COUNTS AND INJURY ESTIMATES (pdf) NHTSA estimates show marked increase in injuries to non-occupants in 2005.
INCIDENCE OF PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLIST CRASHES BY HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLES (pdf) 2009 NCSA report.
INJURY TO PEDESTRIANS AND BICYCLISTS (pdf) FHWA analysis based on data from a handful of emergency rooms. Data collected ’95-’96.
NHTSA PEDESTRIAN CRASH REPORT (pdf) Updated through 2006, report released 2008. See also PEDESTRIAN ROADWAY FATALITIES (pdf) 2003 NHTSA report. Neither report mentions bike-ped collisions.
SAFETY IN NUMBERS: MORE WALKERS AND BICYCLISTS, SAFER WALKING AND BICYCLING Abstract of 2003 paper by Jacobsen. This paper merits a special chapter in THE CYCLIST’S MANIFESTO.
THE CONTINUING DEBATE ABOUT SAFETY IN NUMBERS (pdf) 2006 paper from the UC Berkeley Traffic Safety Center examines the theory with respect to pedestrian data from Oakland, finds a relationship.
THE IMPACT OF TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE ON BICYCLING INJURIES AND CRASHES: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 2009 meta-analysis of 23 papers, in Environmental Health. See also FACILITIES AND PLANNING below.
USE OF ALCOHOL AS A RISK FACTOR FOR BICYCLING INJURY 2001 article on the JAMA site.
ALCOHOL, BICYCLING AND HEAD AND BRAIN INJURY: A STUDY OF IMPAIRED CYCLISTS’ RIDING PATTERNS (Abstract) Analysis of 200 patients processed through a regional trauma center in Austin, Texas.
ACCIDENT ANALYSIS AND PREVENTION Free abstracts and tables of contents for this important journal.
A GUIDE FOR REDUCING COLLISIONS INVOLVING BICYCLES 2008 report by Transportation Research Board from analysis of several data sets. View pdf via TRB website.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Art of Cycling, bicycling, bike lanes, city planning, cycletracks, cycling infrastructure, protected bike lanes, urban cycling
Full report here (pdf): http://ppms.otrec.us/media/project_files/NITC-RR-583_ProtectedLanes_FinalReportb.pdf
Very low rates of near-misses at signalized intersections…but the study does fall apart a bit when you put it under the microscope.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bicycling, biking, car-bike collisions, looked-but-failed-to-see errors, motorist cognition, traffic safety, urban cycling
That’s us cyclists.
It’s called a ‘looked-but-failed-to-see-error’ and it’s the biggest danger to adult cyclists, by far. Anticipating ‘looked-but-failed-to-see errors’ is the best thing you can do for your own safety while riding a bike, by far.
Up to 93% of motorists say it is sometimes hard to see cyclists while driving, according to a survey of nearly 18,000 drivers.
More than half (55%) are often “surprised when a cyclist appears from nowhere”, the AA/Populus survey said.
Drivers in London were the most likely to look out for pedal cyclists, while drivers in Wales and Northern Ireland were least likely to do so.
The survey coincides with a national AA bike awareness campaign.
Initially, about one million free stickers will be distributed to drivers as a reminder to do a “double take” in their mirrors for cycles and motorcycles in their blind spots.
via BBC News – Motorists find cyclists hard to spot, AA survey shows.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: active commuting, bicycling, bicycling and the law, biking, child cycling, Colorado, cycling infrastructure, Safe Routes to School, urban biking
House Bill 14-1301 will direct $3 million to keep the statewide child health and safety program alive following the end of dedicated federal funding.
The program has proven to improve safety for children around schools and to increase their daily exercise through biking and walking to school.
A broad coalition of groups is endorsing this bill along with Bicycle Colorado: LiveWell Colorado, Colorado Health Foundation, American Heart Association, Children’s Hospital Colorado.
via Mitsch Bush introduces Colorado Safe Routes to School Act | Bicycle Colorado.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bicycle helmet laws, bicycle helmets, bicycling, Chris Boardman, cycling, helmet, London, mandatory helmet laws, UK, urban cycling
British Cycling policy advisor Chris Boardman says it’s time for the cycling community to put the debate about mandatory cycle helmets to bed and get across the message that helmet use is one of the least important cycling safety measures.
Even talking about making helmets mandatory “massively puts people off” cycling, Boardman said, and likened the culture of helmet use among keen cyclists to people wearing body armour because they have got used to being shot at.
Talking to road.cc at the London Bike Show, Boardman said, “I think the helmet issue is a massive red herring. It’s not even in the top 10 of things you need to do to keep cycling safe or more widely, save the most lives.”
via Chris Boardman: "Helmets not even in top 10 of things that keep cycling safe" | road.cc.
More Boardman goodness:
We could use some straight talk like this in the US.
Filed under: maps | Tags: bicycle mode share, bicycling, bike counters, bike counts, ridership, Seattle, share, urban cycling
click to enlarge
You no longer have to bike all the way to Fremont to get counted. The city — with support from the Rails to Trails Conservancy and the Mark and Susan Torrance Foundation — has installed seven new real-time bike counters around the city. This brings the city’s total to nine.
via Real-time bike counters now installed in 9 locations around the city | Seattle Bike Blog.
Filed under: maps, Uncategorized | Tags: bicycling, cycling, GPS tracks, Strava
click to enlarge
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bicycling, bike counts, biking, cycling, san francisco. ridership, urban cycling
According to latest report:
http://sfmta.com/sites/default/files/SFMTA%202013%20Bicycle%20Count%20Report.pdf
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bicycling, bike lanes, biking, Complete Streets, cycling infrastructure, NACTO, transportation, urban cycling
Urban Street Design Guide | NACTO.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bicycling, East Bay, EBBC, Oakland, sharrows, urban cycling
Not exactly what I had in mind when I coined the term some years ago, but pretty cool. These look essentially like a green stripe bike lane painted right down the middle of the travel lane. via East BAy Bicycle Coalition:
EBBC compromised with the city of Oakland to allow supersharrows on 40th St. in return for real bike lanes on West MacArthur Boulevard, which are being studied. The compromise was made necessary by neighborhood concerns about narrowing newly planted medians to make room for bike lanes and AC Transit concerns about bus service impacts if a traffic lane was removed for bikes. EBBC prefers bike lanes over supersharrows for any street with significant traffic or higher speeds, but we first want to hear what you think. Thanks for providing feedback.
via 40th St Supersharrows: What do you think? | East Bay Bicycle Coalition.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bicycling, bike routes, Boulder, Coal Creek Trail, cycling, Erie, Lafayette, Rock Creek Trail
Really fun hardpack paths.
Last month, the last major segment of the Coal Creek/Rock Creek Regional Trail was completed, bringing together a 27-mile trail network that now extends from Erie to Eldorado Springs, south of Boulder.
via 20-plus-year dream of a Boulder County prairie-to-mountain trail realized – Boulder Daily Camera.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bicycle crash, bicycling, Coors Classic, cycling, Dale Stetina, Left Hand Canyon, Red Zinger
…
According to multiple sources — including Boulder newspaper Daily Camera, local Colorado cycling website 303Cycling, and veteran American racer Steve Tilford — Stetina, 57, sustained life-threatening injuries when he fell from his bike while trying to avoid colliding with a car in Lefthand Canyon, a well-traveled road for riding among the Boulder cycling community.
According to the Daily Camera report, troopers who responded to the scene said that a 1999 Jeep SUV was headed westbound on Lefthand Canyon when the driver, identified as an adult male, pulled across the centerline and onto a shoulder on the opposite side of the road.
The driver then attempted to pull back into the westbound lane just as a group of cyclists headed eastbound on the roadway came around a slight bend. All of the cyclists were able to avoid the vehicle, but one rider lost control in the process of maneuvering, causing him to fall from his bike, a Colorado State Patrol spokesperson told Daily Camera.
Though Stetina was wearing a helmet, Tilford posted to his website Saturday night that he’d received an email from a friend of Stetina’s, describing his injuries as “very serious.”
“Dale did not hit the car, but hit the pavement, landing face first, suffering significant facial and ocular damage, and loss of responsiveness,” the email message read. “EMTs were on the scene rapidly, he received good care. He was flown to Boulder Community Hospital in a Flight for Life helicopter. He is there now in ICU. The CatScan diagnosis revealed brain stem injuries. The neurosurgeon describes the injuries as very serious. Dale is in tough shape. The future of Dale’s recovery is not known at this time, the doctors have offered no predictions. His vital signs are stable given the trauma he encountered. We are all hopeful.”
via Former national champion Dale Stetina in critical condition after Colorado accident – VeloNews.com.
Brain stem injury — not from hitting the road but from getting his neck twisted violently.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bicycling, Copenhagen, cryogenics, Denmark, sperm, transportation
via 22 Words | Danish sperm bank transports samples by sperm-shaped bike..
by way of Copenhagenize.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: art of urban cycling, bicycle chains, bicycling, bike maintenance, chain cleaning, cycling, Falcon, Robert Hurst
My non-standard views on chains and cleaning chains, posted recently on the Falcon.com blog:
Rousseau said: Men are born free but everywhere are in chains. A profound observation which foretold the bicycle craze. Then Aretha came along and said: Chain-chain-chain, chain of fools. Which sums it all up quite a bit better in my opinion.
The invention of the chain drive in the 1880s (almost exactly halfway between Rousseau and Aretha) enabled bicyclists to escape the purgatory of the highwheeler era, during which their pedals were shackled directly to those comically large front wheels. Along with Dunlop’s pneumatic tire, Starley’s addition of a chain and gears to the bicycle was certainly one of the most important waypoints in the entire history of personal transportation. The chain drive was a revolution in personal freedom and human dignity.
Not long after the miraculous chain drive took over, however, inventors were thinking of ways to put it out of business. Chains were hardly perfect, after all. They were greasy and needed frequent lubrication, and occasionally tried to take your finger off, realities that diminished the marketing glow of the new form of transportation.
…
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Beyonce, Beyonce Knowles, bicycling, Brooklyn Bridge, NYC, urban cycling
“…It’s amazing how I’m able to ride around on a bike. People kind of see it’s me but since I’m on a bike, they think, ‘No, it’s not her.’ And by the time they realize it’s me, I’m already gone.”
via Gets It: Beyoncé Bikes to Barclays | Streetsblog New York City.
Industrialized Cyclist Notepad 