Sep
30
“Do you feel safe…?”
September 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment
I was just leaving my yoga class (yes, I know, yoga is for pussies, but I do the hardest variety, and it serves as a nice diversion when I get emotionally fatigued of riding my bike, which actually does happen); I was unlocking my bike, when one of my “classmates” paused and pointed at my [...]
Aug
30
Boston bike coordinator is doored
August 30, 2008 | 1 Comment
I know she’ll be quiet about this, so I thought I’d shoot my big, anonymous mouth about a situation that I heard about from my good friend, who also happens to be our fair city’s bicycle coordinator.
Apparently she was traveling alongside a row of parked cars, as is normal for a bicycle, when a passenger [...]
Aug
12
Bike vs. car: a really good article
August 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment
For anyone who didn’t see the excellent New York Times article about escalating tempers in the ongoing struggle for turf between cyclists and automobiles, DO read it. It addresses many of the issues about which I have been quietly fuming all summer.
Some interesting words:
“The bottom line, say driving behavior experts, is that the learning curve [...]
Jul
21
Join Lexington convoy – meet ME!
July 21, 2008 | 1 Comment
I’ve been asked to help co-lead one of the “Bike Friday” rides from Lexington into City Hall Plaza in Boston on Friday July 25th. This is a convoy of bikes (apparently escorted by police) following a fixed route and schedule which is part of Walk/Ride Day, a region-wide celebration of green transportation taking place on [...]
Jul
17
I’m depressed
July 17, 2008 | 1 Comment
I’ve only read 86 of the four-hundred-some comments on the Bella English article “If only drivers would share the road, bicycling would be safer” and I feel pretty darn gloomy.
As I see it, there are a few facts. (1) Cyclists are allowed on the roads. (2) In Massachusetts, cyclists are not allowed on the sidewalks. [...]
Jul
17
Article and response
July 17, 2008 | 2 Comments
One of the cyclists injured in the crash described in the following article comes into the shop where I work. He’s a delightful fellow, very engaging and kind. I was horrified to hear of this accident, and I saw the remains of the bikes he brought in to have assessed for insurance purposes. It takes [...]
Jul
10
Scooters in bike lanes: a no-no for me
July 10, 2008 | 8 Comments
I was riding my bike leisurely to Harvard Square, about to enter a zone where a series of new bike lanes trickle right into the heart of the square – where, of course, there has been annoying road construction for ages. At a red light, a motorized scooter sat in front of me on the [...]
Jun
5
If there are more people biking …
June 5, 2008 | 2 Comments
If we really are seeing a growth in the number of bicycle commuters, whether due to high gas prices or better weather – or both, or neither – then we have GOT to teach these new acolytes to practice better manners!
Commuting is NOT a race! All the other bike commuters are NOT the same as [...]
Apr
30
Racers may be superior, but…
April 30, 2008 | 2 Comments
… not everyone spends hours on Bikereg.com looking at all the bike races they can drive to.
Speaking as a fan of cycling, someone who reads all the cycling press, and who works with the Boston bike coordinator on a semi-regular basis, I DO find it odd that I didn’t hear about the Boloco Heartbreak Hill [...]
Mar
24
Choice quotes about Cupertino collision
March 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Those of you who follow the cycling news probably know that there was a dreadful collision a few weeks ago between a cop car and a group of cyclists out on the road in Northern California, resulting in the deaths of two local racers and serious injuries for a third.
Leah Shahum, executive director of the [...]
