Thursday, July 26, 2012

118. Slap

As of July 1st, drivers in the state of Washing face higher penalties (but no criminal charge) when committing a traffic infraction--such as texting or speeding--that results in the serious injury or death of a vulnerable roader user (cyclists, pedestrians, moped'ers, etc.).  The new law sets a fine of $5000 and 90-day suspension of driving privileges that may be waived for 100 hrs of community service, completion of a safety course and a $250 fine.

"Ghost bicycle" at site of fatal accident
$5000 fine for recklessly killing someone?  Well, consider the previous penalty:


Writing 100 times on a blackboard: "I will never again maim or kill a cyclist or pedestrian."


Sometimes progress is measured in very small steps


Saturday, July 21, 2012

117. Déjà Vu

Arrive home (from an overnight shift) wet and cold.  Again (see post 113). Temp about 60 with hard rain and me in a t-shirt (at least long sleeves).  At the end of JULY !!!

Thursday, July 19, 2012

116. 4.6%? I Don't Think So

Here's a great map courtesy Kym: hover over a state to see how its commuting breaks down.  Oregon commuting cyclers are #1 at almost five percent (compare 40-50% in Denmark and the Netherlands), followed by California, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, then Washington coming in at 2%.

Portland Cyclers
But really?  For every 20 cars pouring into Portland, Bend, and Ontario, there's one bicycle?  Eugene, sure, but for the entire state?  Who comes up with these numbers?

During my admittedly early morning downtown cycling, I see maybe 10-20 other cyclists, then I get on the bus and see hundreds if not thousands of cars coming into the city from the south--according to the city's DOT, over 56,000 cars travel the northbound I-5 route over 24 hours.

Friday, July 13, 2012

115. Double Up

So if I can't convince the powers that be to take away a car parking space for another bike rack ("you're kidding, right?), do you think they'll go for a rack that I saw at this new LEED certified building in Chapel Hill?