-
Recent Posts
Archives
Categories
Meta
Author Archives: jsallen
Massachusetts traffic law, the nation’s most disorganized and confusing
A major revision of Massachusetts traffic law has been overdue for decades. It is the most disorganized and unreadable body of traffic law of any state and the only one not based on the Uniform Vehicle Code. In preparing comments … Continue reading
Posted in Laws
Tagged bicycle, Bicycling, law, Massachusetts, motor vehicle, pedestrian, traffic signal
7 Comments
Autonomous bicycles
The dream of an autonomous bicycle is that it would control itself, relieving the rider of the need to know how to control it or ride safely. It would also have an electric motor so it could deliver itself to … Continue reading
Posted in Bicycling
Leave a comment
Traffic-signal actuators — some documentation
As described in another post on this blog, metal detectors embedded in the street to trigger traffic signals first appeared around 1970, when transistorized electronics made them practical. By 1986 they were in fairly widespread use, and the definitive report … Continue reading
Posted in Bicycling
5 Comments
Parklet: win-win or win-lose?
Near the right side of the photo below is a “parklet,” a seating area which replaces a couple of parking spaces on Somerville Avenue in Somerville, Massachusetts, USA. A parklet may also contain a planting, as this one does. A … Continue reading
Posted in Bicycle facilities, Bike lanes
Tagged bicycle, Bicycling, bike lane, Boston, Forge Baking Company, Massachusetts, park.et, pedestrian, safety, Somerville
4 Comments
Bruce Epperson’s examination of bike-share legalities
Bruce Epperson is a lawyer and bicycle historian in Florida, USA. Bruce’s comment on a previous post drew my attention. Several years back (2014 or 2015) I wrote a detailed analysis of the legal status of bike-share operations in Florida. … Continue reading
Mighk Wilson’s report on Orlando bicycle crashes
Mighk Wilson, who works for the Orlando, Florida metropolitan planning organization, has prepared a very interesting study of bicycle crashes in the Orlando area based on a database of 5,000 crashes, 2011-2017. The study is important in that it distinguishes … Continue reading
Posted in Bicycle facilities, Bicycling, Bike lanes, Crashes, Cycle tracks, Sidepaths
Tagged bicycle, Bicycling, bike lane, bike path, bikeway, collision, crash, cycle track, cycle tracks, Florida, Metroplan Orlando, Mighk Wilson, motor vehicle, Orlando, research, safety, sidepath, sidewalk, traffic
Leave a comment
Simultaneous greens: bicycle roundabout?
An article on the UKrant.nl Web site describes an intersection in the Netherlands with simultaneous green lights in all directions for bicyclists. The headline, “How to Survive Simultaneous Greens” misrepresents the installation (not all greens actually are simultaneous) and tends … Continue reading
Posted in Bicycling
2 Comments
Some comments on electric scooters
At various dates in 2018, companies Bird, Lime, Skip and Spin have released dockless electrically-powered scooters into a number of US cities — sometimes with approval from the city government, sometimes without. These scooters represent more or less a third … Continue reading
New York Bike Lane Promotional Video
This video is long on promotion and unbalanced, weak on anything which approaches a description of a comprehensive bicycle program. Parking? Enforcement? Education? Other infrastructure? 0:00 Leads with fear and hyperbole. “Let’s be honest. For many people, the thought of … Continue reading
Posted in Bicycling
3 Comments
