Author Archives: jsallen

About jsallen

John S. Allen is the author or co-author of numerous publications about bicycling including Bicycling Street Smarts, which has been adopted as the bicycle driver's manual in several US states. He has been active with the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition since 1978 and served as a member of the board of Directors of the League of American Bicyclists from 2003 through 2009.

Who is the law for?

Posted on December 14, 2016 by jsallen

An article on the Medium site has the headline “Drivers: the law was made for you, not cyclists. Worry about your driving, not their riding.” So, what is that supposed to mean? That cyclists should be able to ignore the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bicycling | 1 Comment

Saddle research saddled with problems

Posted on November 8, 2016 by jsallen

Bicycle Retailer and Industry News has published an article describing and linking to a cycling and health study which focuses on saddle comfort and potential for injury due to pressure from the saddle. During my cycling career, I have used … Continue reading →

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About the bicycle radar reflector Kickstarter campaign

Posted on October 23, 2016 by jsallen

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

Boston expert design

Posted on September 21, 2016 by jsallen

Here’s a video of the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and St. Mary Street, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, an example of the design expertise which earns Boston its place with the League of American Bicyclists as a Bicycle Friendly City. The video … Continue reading →

Posted in Bicycle facilities, Bicycling, Bike box, Bike lanes, Traffic Signals | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Montreal sidepath protects?

Posted on August 29, 2016 by jsallen

A classic right-hook collision occurred on August 26, 2015 in Montreal, where the cyclist was riding on a sidepath. Here’s a news report on the crash. As I’ve said repeatedly, sidepaths do not prevent crossing and turning collisions. The sidepath … Continue reading →

Posted in Bicycling, Cycle tracks | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Michael Colville’s Pitch

Posted on August 29, 2016 by jsallen

About the video here by Mikael Colville of copenhagenize.com: Mikael Colville’s talk in the video is introduced by a video clip of a rather sorry infrastructure situation, with a crowd of bicyclists slowly making their way forward, cramped in a … Continue reading →

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Anne Harris revealed

Posted on May 17, 2016 by jsallen

Here’s a photo of Anne Harris, lead author of the BICE study whose conclusions Paul Schimek has demolished. A reader has asked how the PowerPoint presentation with speaker notes may be viewed. They’re in the linked document — you just … Continue reading →

Posted in Bicycling | 17 Comments

Duck Boat crashes

Posted on May 14, 2016 by jsallen

We had a duck boat run into a motor scooter from behind on Saturday, May 7, 2016 in Boston, killing one of the riders. It isn’t clear from the news story why this happened, though I expect that the poor … Continue reading →

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Rear-view radar reviewed

Posted on April 25, 2016 by jsallen

Garmin is a high-end manufacturer of GPS devices for bicycles and motor vehicles. Garmin has posted an ad for a cycling “radar” (probably actually LEDdar using pulsed infrared light), which warns cyclists of overtaking traffic. There are some serious problems … Continue reading →

Posted in Bicycling | 9 Comments

The Slow Ride, redux

Posted on April 12, 2016 by jsallen

Bob Sutterfield writes: I don’t ride fast so I can participate safely in traffic. I participate in traffic so I can safely ride fast enough for my needs. If I were to ride in the gutter, on the bike path, … Continue reading →

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