Tag Archives: law

The “Dutch Reach”

I have sent the following message to Dr. Michael Charney, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, promoter of the “Dutch Reach”. The “Dutch Reach” is motorists’ opening the driver’s side door with the opposite hand, so they must look back for bicyclists riding … Continue reading

Posted in Bicycling, Bike lanes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

About the bicycle radar reflector Kickstarter campaign

This article has been translated into Portuguese. This is commentary about a Kickstarter campaign for a radar retroreflector integrated into a bicycle taillight assembly. An image from the Web site:     One nice thing I can say about the … Continue reading

Posted in Bicycling, Equipment, lighting | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Lane Control on Lexington Street

Here’s a video showing a bicycle ride on a constant mile-long upslope, at speeds of 10 to 12 miles per hour (16 to 20 km/h), on a suburban 4-lane speedway with narrow lanes and no shoulders, the most challenging street … Continue reading

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Ogden, Utah skateboarder stop

There’s plenty of confusion to go around here. http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=35631391 Deputy: “I don’t care, you’re right in the middle of the road.” No, the boarder was on the shoulder, at least in the part of the video the TV station broadcast. … Continue reading

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Translation of complete paper on German bikeways 1897-1940

I’ve prepared a full translation of the important paper by Dr. Volker Briese of the University of Paderborn in Germany about the history of German bikeways from 1897 through the start of World War II. This has previously been available … Continue reading

Posted in Bicycle facilities, Bike lanes, Crashes, Cycle tracks | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fixie or track bicycle?

From Bicycling Magazine, June 2014, page 28: “A fixie (or fixed gear) is a singlespeed without brakes and without the mechanism that allows the bike to coast when you’re not pedaling.” That is a description of a track racing bicycle, … Continue reading

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Is the NACTO Guide a Design Manual?

In cities around the USA, politicians, under pressure from populist bicycling advocates, have pointed to the NACTO (National Association of City Transportation Officials) Urban Street Design Guide and directed their engineering staff to install treatments which it describes. I’ll say … Continue reading

Posted in Bicycle facilities, Bicycling, Bike box | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Bike Box at Charlesgate East

This post is about the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue eastbound and Charlesgate East in Boston, Massachusetts, an intersection with a “bike box” — a waiting area for bicyclists downstream of where motorists stop for traffic signals. More generally, this post … Continue reading

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Sloppy cycling meets sloppy journalism

Washington, DC TV station WJLA, channel 7, has run a story about new bicycle laws passed by the DC City Council and signed by the mayor. The new section reads as follows: A new section 9d (D.C. Official Code § … Continue reading

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Boston Globe: Reality Check Time

The caption with the picture below in the Starts and Stops column of the Metro section of the June 17, 2012 Boston Globe reads: Cyclists stopped for a red light in the “bike box” on Commonwealth Avenue in the Back … Continue reading

Posted in Bicycle facilities, Bicycling, Bike box, Bike lanes, Traffic Signals | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments