This was about 10 years prior to Seattle having it’s time as the number one bicycle city in the US according to Bicycling Magazine.

Happy Humpday.

Worth watching. Do families need cars? Let your imagination be your transportation.

Good things are happening in Rivas, Nicaragua.

The Bicycle City. Trailer from Greg Sucharew on Vimeo.

Moving Beyond the Automobile: Biking from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

Seen via Kellen on the Facebook.

I wonder what effect this would have on citizens in the US?

Thanks Mike-

You know how it goes.  Sometimes you leave the house and you forget your pants lights.  Here’s a little tutorial, in case you get caught with your pants down.

Strategies for Getting Around Without Bike Lights (or Pants) from BICYCLE TRANSPORTATION ALLIANCE on Vimeo.

From the BTA in- you’ll never guess….. Portland.  (shirtcocking capital of the USofA) Seen via Totcycle

Bicycles for Humanity is grassroots organization who’s goal is “empowering people to improve their quality of life by transferring mobility through the use of bicycles.”

Ryan contacted me about a project he’s doing with Seattle Works to help out B4H’s efforts in Africa.  Seattle Works is looking for volunteers to help load bicycles into a cargo container that will then be Africa-bound.  They need volunteers on Saturday March 12th from 9am-12pm.  The volunteer effort is being put on by Seattle Works- and you need to be registered with them before you just show up, so GO HERE to find out more information about this opportunity.

You don’t need to be a mechanic to help out, the volunteers will be doing really straight forward tasks that are easy to learn, such as turning handlebars and removing pedals.  Volunteers then pack the container.  The bicycles are being collected during multiple bike drives conducted by several Rotary Clubs in the Seattle area.

The work will be done in Seattle.  Contact the project coordinator, Ryan Stickney for more info.

You can also check out other great community projects that Seattle Works is a part of while you’re there.

mutual |ˈmyoō ch oōəl|
adjective
1 (of a feeling or action) experienced or done by each of two or more parties toward the other or others

responsibility |riˌspänsəˈbilətē|
noun ( pl. -ties)
the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone

Things like “mutual responsibility” should go along with “equal rights” shouldn’t they?

Politics aren’t a huge topic on the Go Means Go blog.  My focus is on the good times that bicycles enable and the smiles that they put on people’s faces.  House Bill 1018 is something that will have a major effect on bicyclists, drivers and pedestrians in Washington State.  From what it looks like when I read through this- cyclists are getting the shaft.

*editors note:  Here’s where I state that I have a car.  No, not a car- a have big fucking diesel truck.  I sometimes burn bio-diesel, but not always.  I find it necessary to make that statement because many writers of newspapers, magazines and even HB1018 preface their work by stating that they are “avid cyclists.”  I figured I’d throw it in here because when I drive around in my big ass truck, or when I ride my bike for that matter, I realize that Seattle isn’t well suited for either type of transportation.  Many of the planners and people in power are building an infrastructure for Prius’s.  Or SMARTcars.  Or any other vehicle that people can drive around to “reduce their carbon footprint” and feel better about themselves.  It’s Seattle.  We use dollar bills for bandaids here- “No, they don’t work better… but it’s money.  MONEY!”

There are a few good things about HB1018 that should be written into law- not the least of which is the definition of what a “safe passing distance” is defined as (3 feet if a car is traveling <35mph or 5 feet if traveling greater than 35mph.) That’s great.  Not that it will be enforced- but at least it would be on the books.  Being someone that was sideswiped by the rear wheel of a logging truck, I do think that a safe distance should be defined.

It also discusses the rights and responsibilities of the bicyclist on the sidewalk.  Personally, I’m not a fan of cyclists riding on sidewalks.  I’ve been know to do it- and it isn’t illegal- but it is dangerous.  Pedestrians are some of the most unpredictable creatures in an urban landscape- you never know what they are going to do next.  Don’t get me wrong- I love pedestrians, I mean heck- I even walk sometimes when I have to.  One of the big reasons I don’t like to ride on the sidewalk is because I want cyclists and pedestrians to get along.  Pedestrians may be cyclist’s biggest allies- though we sure don’t act like it.  Think about it:  the cyclists and pedestrians experience their environment more than drivers do- even those drivers in convertibles.

That said- this bill states:

“Every person riding a bicycle upon a sidewalk, crosswalk, or multiuse trail must be granted all of the rights and is subject to all of the duties applicable to a pedestrian by this chapter.”

It then states that bicyclists must yield to pedestrians.  That doesn’t sound like equality to me.  It says nothing about a situation that often occurs on multi-use trails, that of pedestrians traveling 3, 4, even 5 abreast.  This is just silly to not address this all to common scenario.  If cyclists are limited to two abreast, should pedestrians be as well?

There are also revisions to the current law in this bill that I’m not wholly behind, including the section that requires cyclists to ride as far to the right as “judged reasonably safe by the cyclist.”  This addition is a little frustration, as many drivers don’t appreciate the harsh reality and all too common threat of being doored.  Leaving 3-5 feet for doors opening puts a cyclists farther into the lane.  To many drivers (especially non-cyclists) they think we are being assholes.  I can tell you from experience that being doored is the opposite of fun.

There is a real deal-breaker in this bill though and it can be found in Section 6 paragraph 3

“Except when overtaking and passing on the right is permitted, overtaken traffic shall give way to the right in favor of an overtaking vehicle on audible signal and shall not increase speed until completely passed by the overtaking vehicle.”

The way that I read that it means that when a car is passing you, or honks behind you- you have to pull over.  What the hell is that!?!  So much for equal rights, and even “mutual responsibility.”

Section 4 states:  “Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter including, but not limited to, the provisions on rights-of-way, every driver of a motor vehicle shall exercise due care to avoid colliding with any bicyclist and shall when necessary to avoid an imminent or likely collision give warning by sounding the horn or an appropriate verbal warning.”

Wow.  So now cars are encouraged to yell and honk at cyclists?  Yeah,I usually understand what people yell at me as they drive by at 30 miles an hour.

January 10th was the first reading of this bill.  Go HERE to get info about the bill.  Read it, and talk to your representative if you don’t like what you see.  I don’t think it’s that great for cyclists on the whole, and would rather not pass this than to have to amend it afterwards.  What do you think?

by John Bacone.

Thanks to Jack for the heads up.