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Chevrons in Columbia, MO
by Frank Gmeindl 29 Aug '08

29 Aug '08

Bicycle Board Members, The feds gave Columbia, MO $25M for a non-motorized pilot program. Attached is an interesting survey that shows how they're considering using chevrons. If you go through it, I'd be interested in your thoughts about it. Frank

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Teaching kids to ride their bikes
by director 28 Aug '08

28 Aug '08

Saw this on the WIRED site this morning http://blog.wired.com/geekdad/2008/08/geekdad-rates-7.html Not terribly informative since it comes from a dad who's only taught his own kids. If anyone knows a better source please pass it on. Thanks. Nick Hein -- Nick Hein Director, Positive Spin Morgantown, WV ph 304-276-0213 --

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August Minutes
by Elizabeth Shogren 27 Aug '08

27 Aug '08

Attached please find the August minutes. If you have any corrections, please email me directly. THANK YOU!!!! Betsy Shogren

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On-street bike parking video - Portland
by director 27 Aug '08

27 Aug '08

Good afternoon, This video about on-street bike corrals and bike oases came to me from another advocate.... http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/portland-bike-parking/ Nick Hein -- Nick Hein Director, Positive Spin Morgantown, WV ph 304-276-0213 --

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Interesting article - What other colleges are doing to promote bicycling.
by director 27 Aug '08

27 Aug '08

http://www.carectomy.com/index.php/Walking/Colleges-Smarten-Up-Commute -- Nick Hein Director, Positive Spin Morgantown, WV ph 304-276-0213 --

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Interview on WAJR tomorrow at 9:15
by director 26 Aug '08

26 Aug '08

Good evening, Tomorrow I'll be interviewed about Max's Challenge and cyclist/pedestrian safety and rights at 9:15 AM. I'm hoping to have Max there, I'll definitely have Christian (our German exchange student) there to talk about what every German schoolchild knows about sharing roads safely. Tune in, it should be interesting. I'm already encouraged by the positive tone that was shown Friday when they discussed it briefly. Thanks to everyone who has supported the educational effort - most especially the ones who do it by riding every day showing what biking can do for the community. I hope this is the beginning of getting bike safety and courtesy taught in the schools. Nick Hein ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: "Jim Rye" <Jim.Rye(a)mail.wvu.edu> Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:07:30 -0400 >Outstanding, Nick. Great STATS!!!!!!!!! >Oh, I understand there may be even better "country case stories" >available from Denmark and Holland. > >>>> "director" <director(a)positivespin.org> 8/23/2008 10:24 PM >>> > >A recent Dominion Post editorial declared the danger of driving on the >roads by anyone, at anytime, for any reason. Safety is dependent on >human behavior - not cars or roads or bike lanes. Educating drivers and >cyclists is what will improve safety by motivating everyone to be part >of a cooperative road-using community. Safety is our common cause and >we should be using common experience to achieve it. Common *sense* >is helpful, but not complete since our senses are fallible. Many cities >all over the world have already made this change and their experience is >available to us from numerous sources. > >The summary is this * Incidents between motor vehicles and bicyclists >traveling the same direction make up only .5% of crashes. Bike lanes >increase accident rates by causing confusion about who should operate >where and how * particularly at intersections. Streets with bike >lanes have greater crash rates than those without. When cyclists ride >on sidewalks, crash rates are 2 times as high as for those who share the >road safely. Bike lanes attempt to reduce crashes for parallel traffic, >with the effect of causing more crashes for crossing and turning >traffic. Bicyclists fare best when they act, and are treated, as >operators of vehicles. If a bicycle is moving slowly, it should be >treated like any other slow vehicle. Overtaking vehicles should wait >until it is safe to pass, or the cyclist should pull over when it is >safe to do so. > >We currently have an exchange student staying in our home from >Bergisch-Gladbach Germany, where It is nearly as hilly as here. He >tells us that German school children are required to take a full-day >bicycle safety class at age 8. They are tested and issued a license >when they pass the test, which everyone does. Liability laws dictate >that motorists are always assumed to be at fault unless flagrant >violation by the cyclist can be proven. Only the most affluent European >cities and neighborhoods have bike lanes or bike paths. In most cities >and on most routes cyclists share the road with motor vehicles. In >these places the safety and traffic flow is the best anywhere in the >world. Morgantown can be one of those places if we adopt the education, >discipline and cooperation they have. Then everyone (motorists and >cyclists alike) will be able to get where they need to go * on any >road, for any reason at any time of day or year, safely and enjoyably. > > >Nick Hein >director(a)positivespin.org > > > >Major points > >- Painting bike lanes doubles accidents in cities at intersections > >- Riding on sidewalks quadruples accident rates in cities at >intersections, driveways, merge ramps > >- Shoulders are not part of the roadway > >- Sidepaths are not described or defined > >- Delay by slow vehicles is not prescribed in any definite terms > >- Riding 2 abreast is legal > >- I cycling is unsafe it is because motorists are breaking the law > >- Drive at or below the speed limit. > >- It is illegal to ride a bicycle anywhere except in the road way (ie >NOT on sidewalks) > >- Bicyclists fare best when they act and are treated as operators of >vehicles. > >- It is the Morgantown Bicycle Board's mission statement that >"Bicyclists be able to ride anywhere, anytime for any reason safely and >enjoyably". > >- I moved to Morgantown from Seattle, a large city where they have put >bike lanes in places where they caused confusion at least and fatalities >at worst. > >- Common sense was used in the Netherlands and Denmark > >The Netherlands and Denmark, which have achieved the highest rates of >cycle usage combined with the best records for safety in the world, used >to give their segregated cycle path networks primary importance in >gaining these twin goals. However, the largest study ever undertaken >into the safety of Danish cycle facilities has found that actual safety >has decreased as a result.[25] More recently, Shared Space redesigns of >urban streets in those and other countries have achieved significant >improvements in actual safety (as well as congestion and quality of >life) by replacing segregated facilities with integrated space. > >Contrary to what was expressed on this page as "Common Sense", >segregated bike ways (bike lanes) actually increase accident rates. > >The editorial brings about an excellent opportunity to dispel some >pervasive myths about the safety of cycling on roadway with motor >vehicles. > > > > >Response to Dominion Post editorial, 19 Aug 2008 > >In a recent Dominion Post editorial the statement was made >*....driving on practically any road by anyone, at anytime for any >reason can be about the most dangerous thing most of us do on a daily >basis.* >This statement seems to give permission to motorists who flagrantly >violate laws and safety so the rest of us are terrorized into cowering >in our (90% inefficient, 80% oversized) cars or bicycling on a separated >lane or path to feel safe. If it's unsafe for anyone on the roads it's >because someone else is acting inappropriately. Safety is dependent on >human behavior, not cars or roads or paint stripes. Education and >enforcement is what will improve safety by motivating everyone to be >part of a cooperative road-using community. > >Safety is our common cause and we should be using common experience to >achieve it. Common *sense* is helpful, but not complete since our >senses are fallible. Experience is available to us in all types of >cities * size, terrain, weather, populations * from historical >sources. The summary is this * bike lanes increase accident rates by >causing confusion about who should operate where and how. Streets with >bike lanes have twice the crash rate of those without. When cyclists >ride on sidewalks, crash rates are 4 times as high as for those who >share the road safely. Incidents between motor vehicles and bicyclists >traveling the same direction make up only .5% of crashes. Bike lanes >attempt to reduce crashes for parallel traffic, with the effect of >causing more crashes for crossing and turning traffic. *Separate but >equal* isn't any better for vehicle separation than it was for racial >separation. Bicyclists fare best when they act, and are treated, as >operators of vehicles * and federal law requires it. > >Clearly there is a gap here in Morgantown when it comes to planning and >education for cycling safety and transportation efficiency. It's not >really hard to understand why. Participation in bicycling has taken >great leaps locally thanks to rising gas prices, health awareness and >new trails. Cyclists don't want to stop when the trail does. We haven't >given motorists OR cyclists the education or motivation they need to use >our roads cooperatively. Myself and another avid cyclist teach a >nationally certified course that does. Graduates of this course >typically experience an 80% decline in crashes. > >We currently have an exchange student staying in our home who tells >says that European school children are required to take a full-day >bicycle safety class at age 8. They are tested and issued a license >when they pass the test and no one is allowed to fail. Liability laws >dictate that the motorist is always assumed to be at fault unless he/she >can prove that the cyclist flagrantly broke a law. In spite of what you >may have seen, only the most affluent European cities and neighborhoods >have bike lanes or bike paths. In most cities and on most routes >cyclists share the road with motor vehicles. In these places the safety >and traffic flow is the best anywhere in the world. Morgantown can be >one of those places. When we do what it takes (and not less), everyone >(motorists and cyclists alike) will be able to get where they need to go >* on any road, for any reason at any time of day or year, safely and >enjoyably. > >Anyone interested in references for statistics used in this article may >contact Nick Hein at director(a)positivespin.org. > > > > >Major points > >- Painting bike lanes doubles accidents in cities at intersections > >- Riding on sidewalks quadruples accident rates in cities at >intersections, driveways, merge ramps > >- Shoulders are not part of the roadway > >- Sidepaths are not described or defined > >- Delay by slow vehicles is not prescribed in any definite terms > >- Riding 2 abreast is legal > >- I cycling is unsafe it is because motorists are breaking the law > >- Drive at or below the speed limit. > >- It is illegal to ride a bicycle anywhere except in the road way (ie >NOT on sidewalks) > >- Bicyclists fare best when they act and are treated as operators of >vehicles. > >- It is the Morgantown Bicycle Board's mission statement that >"Bicyclists be able to ride anywhere, anytime for any reason safely and >enjoyably". > >- I moved to Morgantown from Seattle, a large city where they have put >bike lanes in places where they caused confusion at least and fatalities >at worst. > >- Common sense was used in the Netherlands and Denmark > >The Netherlands and Denmark, which have achieved the highest rates of >cycle usage combined with the best records for safety in the world, used >to give their segregated cycle path networks primary importance in >gaining these twin goals. However, the largest study ever undertaken >into the safety of Danish cycle facilities has found that actual safety >has decreased as a result.[25] More recently, Shared Space redesigns of >urban streets in those and other countries have achieved significant >improvements in actual safety (as well as congestion and quality of >life) by replacing segregated facilities with integrated space. > >Contrary to what was expressed on this page as "Common Sense", >segregated bike ways (bike lanes) actually increase accident rates. > >The editorial brings about an excellent opportunity to dispel some >pervasive myths about the safety of cycling on roadway with motor >vehicles. > > > > > > >-- >Nick Hein >Director, Positive Spin >Morgantown, WV >ph 304-276-0213 >-- > > >_______________________________________________ >Bikeboard mailing list >Bikeboard(a)cheat.org >http://cheat.org/mailman/listinfo/bikeboard > -- Nick Hein Director, Positive Spin Morgantown, WV ph 304-276-0213 --

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Cycling safety statistics and considerations
by director 24 Aug '08

24 Aug '08

Good morning, Just one more thing to pass on and then I'll quit bugging everybody. I was recently reminded of this link to Ken Kifer's website which discusses statistics on bicycling and pedestrian accident/fatality rates. http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/health/risks.htm It's a good reminder about where to focus our attention when developing non-motorized amenities that allow all users to share the public roadways safely. Cyclist education is clearly the most effective form of accident prevention. For those who don't know, Ken was killed a few years ago by a drunk driver. This is also a reminder that drunk, inattentive and beligerent drivers - although a very small minority - are beyond the reach of cycling education but should be addressed better in driver education and enforcment. In the meantime be careful out there. Nick

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Article from Chicago Times: On-stree bike education
by director 22 Aug '08

22 Aug '08

This article actually came from an environmental website I read, not a cycling site. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-bike-laws-crackdown-webaug22,0… Seems like we could save everybody a lot of time and confusion if we had this education in 3rd grade as (our German exchange student tells us) they do in Germany. -- Nick Hein Director, Positive Spin Morgantown, WV ph 304-276-0213 --

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WSJ Article of interest
by director 22 Aug '08

22 Aug '08

Good afternoon, I received this message on another list I read. Thought it might be of interest. The situation is similar to one here in Morgantown - non-cyclist claiming to know more about what cyclists need than qualified individuals. http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB121919354756955249-lMyQjAxMDI4MTI5MTE… Nick Hein -- Nick Hein Director, Positive Spin Morgantown, WV ph 304-276-0213 --

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Pittsburgh bike coordinator announced
by director 17 Aug '08

17 Aug '08

Good morning, A friend sent this news from Pittsburgh http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08225/903577-53.stm Nick -- Nick Hein Director, Positive Spin Morgantown, WV ph 304-276-0213 --

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