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 product is … 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

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

Reflective Clothing as Panacea — again.

This photo in a New York Times article (also archived, slower but no paywall) shows a bicyclist riding with a reflectorized shirt, which shows up well in a photo taken with flash on the camera, but the bicyclist has NO … Continue reading

Posted in Bicycling | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

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

Posted in Bicycle facilities, Bicycling, Bike lanes | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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

Europeans ride like this?

Check out this promotion video for Kickstarter funding, shot in Germany, or maybe Austria or Switzerland. The streets look German, and part of the narration is in German with English subtitles: Edit: unavailable as of September 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNs0ZQ_wzAc The video … Continue reading

Posted in Bicycling | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

PeopleforBikes promotes a new study

There hasn’t been time yet for a thorough review of the new study of barrier-separated bikeways on streets touted by the bicycling-industry lobbying organization PeopleforBikes [dead link now, not archived], though claims of lack of traffic conflicts on these bikeways … Continue reading

Posted in Bicycling | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

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

Posted in Bicycling | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments