Category Archives: Laws

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

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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

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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

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Chicago Bike Lane Guide, a Blast from the Past

The Chicago  Bike Lane Design Guide, published by the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center of the University of North Carolina in cooperation with the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation and the City of Chicago, is available online on the NACTO site. What … Continue reading

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Daytime running, nighttime blinding

Here’s a sign I just noticed for the first time, on the Minuteman bikeway, outside Boston. Until LED lights went on steroids, who would have ever thought that this would be a problem? But then, unregulated industry is ever willing … Continue reading

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Link to my letter to Senator Scott Brown

My letter to a staffer of Senator Scott Brown about the mandatory sidepath provision in the Federal Tranportation Bill is online. Feel free to re-use it, or parts of it.

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Guest posting: Alan Forkosh on community bike systems

This guest posting is by permission of the author, Alan Forkosh, who writes: Here are some observations on how the Vélib community bike system in Paris works. My thoughts on the issue crystallized after a trip to Paris in the … Continue reading

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Examples of Sidepaths in National Parks

A commenter on the Washcycle blog where I first read of the mandatory sidepath provision in the Transportation Bill had the following to say: In most parts of the country NPS, BLM and other stewards of Federal land are the … Continue reading

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Transportation Bill Includes Draconian Mandatory Sidepath Provision

Concerning the transportation bill currently making its way through the U. S. Senate committee process, please see this analysis on the Washcycle blog. The bill has adverse effects on funding, and also it contains the most draconian mandatory sidepath provision … Continue reading

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Barrier features

The same barrier can have more than one of the characteristics listed below, and they may be different for different types of vehicles. Containment: The barrier prevents a vehicle from, for example, going over a cliff, or straying into oncoming … Continue reading

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