Carless Columbus

Ride of Silence - May 16, 6:45 Pm

2012-05-15T10:56:00.002-04:00

The 2012 Ride of Silence is tomorrow night.

I've talked about this one before, and I still think it's the most important ride of the year, no matter if you ride a commuter special like me, a carbon fiber speed demon, a DIY fixie, or a Huffy with a banana seat. Come out and join us!

This year we have a special speaker, Steve Magas from Cincinnati. Magas is well known in Ohio as the "Bike Lawyer" and as the defending attorney who successfully protected cyclists rights in Trotwood vs. Selz. Looking forward to that one!

If you're not in Columbus, find a ride near you!

People, not speed.

Dispatch Features Bike Commuting Tips Article

2012-05-15T08:15:00.000-04:00

Today's Columbus Dispatch features an article by Joe Blundo with tips from veteran bike commuters giving their best tips for new bike riders for Bike to Work Month.

Please be sure to read it wearing your special safety goggles - a couple of the pictures aren't fit for publication. ;)

In all seriousness, thanks to Joe for his attention to this issue and I'd like to commend all the respondents for their great tips!

Some interesting takeaways from this:

All the respondents mentioned riding slowly. Definitely better for safety if you're riding slowly and in control.
Everyone also eschewed "bike clothing" as much as possible. That surprised me, pleasantly.
Blundo did a good job of addressing some of the key points that people come up with about why they can't bike commute with the tips he picked.
Loved Alec's off-the-cuff comments about the two-mile rule. Great point, Alec.
Also loved Jessica's comment about "it's not a one-year phase." Nope. This has gotten bigger every year since I started paying attention, and it's all good. There are fads and there are cultural shifts - this is most definitely the latter!

People, not speed.

Back on the Saddle Musings

2012-05-03T18:03:00.002-04:00

It's only appropriate, with this being National Bike Month, that I got back into the saddle for the first time in a while. I did so with a number of feelings of trepidation given what I've been observing in the world of bike commuting since stopping my full time cycling: lots more cyclists, but also lots more lawless riding and dangerous behavior.

I'm not proud to say that I've been one of those cyclists who has given scofflaws a piece of my mind while riding before for not stopping at signs/lights, sidewalk riding, etc. And I was sort of steeling myself for the need to do more of this as I pumped up my tires, oiled my chain, and ran through my ABC Quick Check this morning.

And I was VERY pleasantly surprised.

Not once did I feel the need to say a word. My 7:15 to 7:45 ride down High Street from Clintonville to German Village and the afternoon return trips were both met with only a couple minor scofflaws among the numerous riders I encountered.

OSU was the site of most of the flaws, mostly sidewalk riders - but it was all stuff that Bike OSU has well in hand. They've done a wonderful job at keeping bike riders there aware of the law and safety issues, so many kudos to them.

And the positive behavior I saw was great. Cyclists taking the lane, signaling, and proper lane changes were everywhere.

Another thing I noticed was that cars were giving a much wider berth to cyclists. They're getting used to us out there and are learning to do deal with the reintroduction of the pedaling set into the flow of traffic. It was pretty cool. The safety-in-numbers gig was in full force, for sure.

So kudos to Yay Bikes!, Consider Biking, and all the passionate folks who have done a great job of being positive forces for cycling in Columbus. It's a real change from my regular cycling days of a couple years ago.

People, Not Speed

Columbus Pondering Bike Rental Program Downtown

2012-03-21T10:52:00.001-04:00

Just a quick note since I wrote an article on this for Examiner today and wanted to share it with everyone. I think this idea has a lot of merit, but the entire picture of how cycling happens in the downtown area needs to be addressed - including enforcement and education.

People, not speed.

Save Money with Eversave and CarlessColumbus!

2012-03-07T16:04:00.001-05:00

The folks over at Eversave have put together a pretty sweet infographic on ways to save money in Columbus, and a number of Columbus bloggers were asked to throw in a few tips (including yours truly)!

Eversave is a "daily deal" type website where they'll send you chances to save up to 90% on offerings from local businesses and they'd like to invite everyone to check them out! (Clicking on the image will get you the full-sized infographic!).

Eversave Columbus

People, not speed.

Product Review: NEOS Overshoes

2012-02-16T09:16:00.000-05:00

In the spirit of the site's new wider spectrum of commuting options, today we'll feature the first product review for walking and busing commuters: NEOS Overshoes.

One of the big issues with walking to work or taking the bus is the weather, obviously. No one likes to trudge around in the snow and rain on a nasty day getting their shoes wet. It damages the shoes, makes you uncomfortable the whole day with wet socks, and it makes the experience of getting some exercise while getting to work a lot less enjoyable. But it's also a pain to carry one pair of shoes while wearing another, or keeping one pair at work just to change into, etc.

When thinking about this issue, I recalled the days of my youth, when my dad wore rubbers (no, not that kind) or galoshes to keep his work shoes dry during the winter. And that started me on a search for a similar product, something simple that would allow me to simply pull my boots on over my shoes and not have to worry about those issues. Enter NEOS Overshoes.

They're exactly what they sound like: boots that fit over your shoes. They come in insulated, non-insulated, and their STABILicers models to give extra traction in icy conditions. You slip your foot in, perhaps give the toe a little tap or kick to properly seat your whole foot in the boot, and then tighten the boot over the top of your foot with a strap and stick your pant legs into the boot's top to keep that dry and comfortable as well. It tightens with a cinch at the top to keep stuff out. And that's it. They're stable, light, well made, and warm - even the non-insulated models.

I personally have the "Villager" model, which I bought at Hat & Sole in Bexley. This is my third winter wearing them, with literally no wear to them. I wear them with work shoes and casual shoes, for walking to/from work or playing with the kids in the snow. I wear them in the rain as well (which has been more an issue this winter than snow, frankly), and they keep my feet and pants cuffs dry and comfortable. They protect the shine on my work shoes nicely.

And the traction is wonderful - I've NEVER had an issue with slippery ground, even without the special STABILicer models.

The only downside, in my humble opinion - they make your feet look a little huge. That's the effect of having a boot that fits over your shoes, no way around that. And if you'll pardon me being a little snarky, the looks you get walking down the street wearing them in the rain or snow while everyone else is suffering with work shoes getting wet and pants cuffs getting soaked are priceless.

I'm all about minimalism in my commuting, as many of you may know. I want to throw something on and go, whether it be by bicycle or on foot. And with NEOS Overshoes, I can throw them on over my work shoes, get my normal coat, and an umbrella, and just go. No need for special rain wear or anything like that, no need for carrying around a pair of shoes to change into, etc. They're convenient and effective.

I recommend buying them in person, and trying them on with the shoes you'll wear with them the most. Easton Shoes at 1880 Henderson Road in Columbus is listed as carrying them, and as I mentioned, Hat & Sole in Bexley is where I bought mine (though they are no longer listed on the NEOS website as carrying them, so call first).

People, not speed.

New Transportation Bill Hugely Damaging to Carless Commuters

2012-02-09T13:48:00.002-05:00

The latest proposed cuts to transportation funding are not good if you're trying to get around sans automobile, that's for sure. A number of groups, including the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy, the League of American Bicyclists, and Transportation For America are calling our attention to the very damaging bill H.R. 7 which was recently brought up by

The bill would (per the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy's web page) have the following effects:

Eliminate dedicated funding for trails, walking and bicycling;
Destroy a 40-year precedent of long-term dedicated funding for transit;
Do away with the rail-trail eligibility category in the Transportation Enhancements (TE) program;
Put our children in harm's way by eliminating the Safe Routes to School program;
Fail to maximize its job creation potential, since trail, walking and bicycling projects create substantially more jobs per dollar than do highway projects;
Increase America's dependence on foreign oil;
and Contribute to our growing health and obesity crises.

If you'd like to help with the effort to remove this bill and get your congresspeople to vote against it, click on one of the links above and join us as we fight for better transportation options!

People, not speed.

Pedestrian Death on the Upswing... But Why?

2012-02-06T14:58:00.003-05:00

In the past few months, a rash of pedestrian deaths has been creeping up the urban backside of Columbus and causing severe itching for those promoting multimodal transportation.

2011 was not a good year for the pedestrian in Franklin County, with the highest number of pedestrian fatalities in recent history (23). And 2012 has already seen three such fatalities in various parts of the city.

The question, then, is why? What is causing this spike in the number of pedestrian deaths of late? While location does not appear to be an issue, time of day certainly does. Of the 13 deaths from 2011 examined thus far, 10 of them have been at night with the victim not using a crosswalk and dressed in dark clothing. So though it's a horrible tragedy, logic dictates that more people are taking unnecessary risks just to walk across the street. And the police are taking the predictable route of advising people to wear brighter clothing at night.

But if I was to advise the city in researching these accidents and looking for commonalities, here's what I'd like to suggest: instead of looking at locations in the city, look at the following things for each accident:

the speed limit at the locations of the fatalities;
how close a crosswalk was to each location;
how close to the location was the nearest bus stop.

I've long said (though possibly not here) that the city is doing its citizens an injustice by not having a crosswalk at the location of every bus stop. For example, one of the bus routes I take regularly is on Indianola Avenue going south to downtown. On the days that I have to get off on Indianola instead of on Hudson (days I don't have to pick up my son), it's always an issue to try to get across Indianola without walking entirely out of my way to do so. To get to a crosswalk is at least a quarter mile either north to Indianola and Weber Road or south to Indianola and Arcadia. And Indianola isn't even as much an issue as roads like Morse, Henderson, Bethel, Dublin-Granville, etc. (due to speed and road width).

I'm in good shape, so it's not generally a problem for me to hustle across Indianola. What about someone who's not possessing full mobility and needs to get across - the handicapped or elderly, example? It's a bad situation and not just in my location - many people complain about this very problem all over the city.

And with more people taking COTA for transportation each day for economic or other reasons and the rate continuing to rise, the problem is only getting worse, I think.

How about you? What are your thoughts about why the rate of pedestrian fatalities is rising?

People, not speed.

Slow It Down for Easier Commuting

2012-02-03T10:17:00.001-05:00

One of the primary reasons I've heard that people don't bike to work more often is the "need" for clothing changes once you get there. It's too much of a pain to carry clothes with you every day, or to take them to work ahead of time so you have something to change into when you arrive all sweaty from the exertion of riding, etc.

And there's a lot of truth to that - it can be a pain when you've just completed your sweaty, leg-burning ride to work and you're covered in perspiration, and have to face the day with tired legs and a warm body.

Well, all that speed that you're putting into your ride may not only be unnecessary...but counterproductive. Mark Sisson, author of The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram your genes for effortless weight loss, vibrant health, and boundless energy and the Mark's Daily Apple website, and an accomplished health and fitness professional, put out an article a number of years ago called "A Case Against Cardio (From a Former Mileage King)".

Sisson pulls together data and results from several studies with the determination that a slower, less strenuous pace of exercise is more beneficial and less stressful on the body than the normal standard of "just hard enough that you can still talk while exercising" standard that is commonly heard. Keeping stress levels down, boosting fat-burning, and avoiding inflammation are all benefits that he mentions.

But another benefit that applies to bike commuters (and anyone who likes to exercise on their way to work, via walking, jogging, etc.) is that you don't arrive all sweaty! You can ride in your work clothes, take it easy, enjoy the ride, and arrive in a much less-stressful and much less aromatically-repellent mode than you would had you "hammered down" the entire way! And it's arguably better for you to do so, as Sisson points out.

So the next time you're riding to work, take your time a bit. Enjoy the morning, relax a bit, and get where you're going a little bit more slowly. Your morning routine will be easier, your laundry will be less, and your body may just thank you a bit more.

People, not speed.

Same Site, New Name

2012-02-02T12:34:00.000-05:00

For some time now, I've been tossing around the notion of rebranding this website, and I think the time is right to do so. So welcome to Carless Columbus!

The reason for this is three-fold:

1. I've always been about pretty much anything except cars for getting around, and this is just an affirmation of that.

2. I wanted an easy-to-remember domain name, and bikecolumbus.com is already taken (not used, mind you, just owned by some IT firm up in Powell).

3. And now the big reason.

For some time now, I've not been riding my bike to work nearly as much as I used to. The reason for this is fairly simple: now that my son is in school, I stop on my way home from work and pick him up to walk home. And though I'd ridden my bike on those days for a while, it was always a bit of a pain in the tuckus to handle him and the bike (my son is autistic, for those who don't know, and he's very impulsive). So for a long time now, I've been walking and riding the bus for work (though I have ridden on some days when I haven't had to pick up the boy).

And, to be frank, without as much riding going on in my life, I didn't have much to say here on that topic. Other bloggers are doing a marvelous job of keeping up with the cycling world here in Columbus, so I am happy to let them be the bike specialists while I move on to something slightly different.

And as you may have noticed, I've included non-biking topics on Bike Commuting in Columbus in the past. Trains, COTA, walking, etc. have all been open for discussion here for a long time. And I felt it was time for me to make the change for the good of all of those.

Because the message real doesn't change: getting people out of cars and onto bikes, onto their own two feet, onto Segways, into buses, etc. is all the same to me. The point is to improve people's lives via more and better exercise, less pollution and use of resources, and all the wonderful aspects of life that are improved by those factors.

The evidence is increasingly overwhelming about the importance of low-impact exercise and staying on our feet as much as possible. Study after study after study is showing just how important it is to stay on our feet as much as possible. Our ancestors didn't sit in chairs all day at all. They were up and moving around, getting exercise and generally just keeping loose by being active. And they were free of many of the maladies that affect people today via their regular behavior. So anything we can do to keep our stress levels down, our exercise levels up, and our use of valuable and/or damaging resources to a minimum is a plus.

It's amazing how all this fits together in a win-win situation. And that's what I want to celebrate here at the newly named Carless Columbus.

So stand up and move!

People, not speed.

Helmet-Cams: Got One?

2011-09-13T13:12:00.002-04:00

I've been contacted by a major Columbus news outlet asking questions about helmet-cams and whether a lot of people use them while they ride in town.

And, to be frank, I have no clue! I don't use one, and it's never really come up for me, but that doesn't mean that others aren't putting tech to work for them as they negotiate the Central Ohio roadways.

So...do you use one? Has it come in handy? How do you use it? Are you interested in being interviewed?

Drop me a line either here in the comments, or via my email address. Or feel free to get hold of me on Facebook or Twitter.

Hope to hear from you if you're rocking a helmet-cam!

People, not speed.

Ticketed for Riding Outside A Bike Lane? Not in Ohio.

2011-07-29T14:48:00.000-04:00

Here's a humorous but poignant video from a New York rider who was ticketed for not riding in the bike lane when it was available.

First, I'm impressed at his mad stunt-man skills.

Second, this isn't even an issue in Ohio - where it remains illegal for any municipality to make a law that states bikes can't use the road or must ride on a bike-specific path or lane, as long as it's not a limited-access highway.

Still, it makes for a fun, though somewhat frustrating viewing. The problems we have with the few bike lanes here in Columbus (trash build-up, lack of knowledge about how to operate in or near them from both cyclists AND motorists) don't even compare to the problems they have in the Big Apple.

People, not speed.

Accidents While Sidewalk Riding: Who's At Fault?

2011-07-26T12:07:00.002-04:00

Riding on the sidewalk - never a good idea.

I got an interesting question from David today - unfortunately I was away from my computer when he asked the question so I couldn't respond to him personally. But it's a situation that I think deserves a post, so here goes.

David's question (and it was in Google Chat so it was informal):

Hey Jamie my names David, I had a bit of a situation about a month ago and now its coming back on me pretty hard, and I was wondering if you had any insight. I was getting off of the olentangy bike trail onto third ave up near grandview and stayed on the sidewalk for a block before I got out into the road (traffic was flowing at a solid pace) I know now that I'm not supposed to ride on the sidewalk ever, but as I was pulling into the road a woman pulled out of the OSU Cancer research center and COMPLETELY blocked the crosswalk. having now where to go i t-boned her, and now, long story short, I'm being pursued to pay some ludicrous amount to fix her door.

Is there anything you can think of that might be of some help to me? they told me i was going to have to shell out $1000 and now it seems like they want me to pay the whole thing! (almost $2500!) I'm a college student and i'm already just getting by as it is. As far as everything else goes, i was following the law. i had reflectors and lights. it just seems like she was just as at fault, considering the fact that she was all the way out past where she was supposed to stop.

Interesting question, and I'm going to restate it as I understand what was going on here:

David was on the sidewalk to begin with, but was pulling out onto the road.
A motorist pulled their car out too far, and blocked the crosswalk. This leads me to understand that David was in the crosswalk and was trying to pull onto 3rd Avenue.

As much as I hate to say it, David was in the wrong here for his part. Although it's enforced about as much as texting while driving, sidewalk riding is illegal, and David admittedly was doing that.

However, what I don't know is whether he should be held responsible for the entire amount as the driver in this case was blocking the crosswalk, which, if I understand correctly is legally considered an extension of the sidewalk. It seems to me, as a strictly non-lawyer type, that both parties are at fault here. I don't know how that applies to financial responsibility for a collision, though.

If anyone with legal experience has an idea of how this should be handled, I'd love to hear it!

Note: along with the comments here, we've got an interesting conversation going with this on Google+.

People, not speed.

Yehuda Moon Added for Your Reading Pleasure

2011-05-24T08:04:00.001-04:00

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Rick Smith and Brian Griggs of Yehuda Moon fame have created a widget that allows me to bring you their fantastic comic on a daily basis. Keep checking back for the latest episodes in the ongoing series about this hilariously passionate cycling advocate and his group of cycling friends.

People, not speed.

College Student Cycling Resources from OnlineUniversities.com

2011-04-15T10:58:00.001-04:00

Got a message from the folks at OnlineUniversities.com and they've put together a great list of resources for college students on cycling and using your bike on campus. You've got a full gamut of articles available, from forums to avoiding bike theft, from general "surviving without a car in college" to Park Tool maintenance articles. Truly a great resource!

Enjoy!

40 Incredibly Cool Biking Tools for College Students

People, not speed.

What's the biggest misconception about transportation cycling?

2011-03-21T10:25:00.000-04:00

In light of the Dispatch article today on bikes and cars mixing on the road, I thought that I'd open things up to a little different tact today. I already wrote up a critique of the article on Examiner, but over here we can get a bit more personal and less formal.

The article brought up a lot of great points about cyclists and motorists not knowing the traffic laws (and looking at the comments on the web version of the article, that condition is rampant from the motorists' side) and I agree wholeheartedly with all that. And I was a bit distressed at some of the lack of detail given to certain points - like controlling the lane and getting the two-abreast law completely wrong.

But to bring up the notion of minimum speed limit was great. That was a big plus - and hopefully it'll open the eyes of a few people.

So let's discuss it: what are the biggest misconceptions YOU think both cyclists and motorists have about operating on the road?

People, not speed.

The Lazy Randonneur Won't Dress Like a Traffic Cone, But I Will

2011-03-14T13:45:00.001-04:00

A new (to me) blogger called the Lazy Randonneur wrote an excellent article today (that was reposted by the People For Bikes Facebook page) about the author's refusal to "dress like a traffic cone" while he rides. And it's an article that I totally agree with, but I will admit that I do dress like a traffic cone.

The standpoint is that the author, who we'll call LR for the purposes of the article, does not wear reflective clothing for his riding. The standpoint is one that I've ranted about many times: that cycling is just transportation, and he wants to get where he's going with the absolute minimum of fuss. And that's a standpoint that I agree with, wholeheartedly. I make recommendations on bikes and equipment that will make your bike transportation easier and more convenient, in my opinion. We're not going to get more people to ride unless we do that very thing - make it easy as (or easier than) driving a car.

That being said, I wear a fluorescent green jacket when I ride my commute each day. Would wearing a dark jacket, which is what I do wear when I ride the bus or for most of my local rides when I'm not commuting, be sufficient? Yes. I am of the strong opinion that most problems cyclists encounter with traffic are alleviated when they ride properly - out in the middle of the lane, away from the curb, and controlling the traffic around them by taking up the space that they're legally allowed (at least in Ohio). And if you're riding at night, using proper bike lighting on the front and back of your bike helps with nighttime visibility issues.

So why do I wear a fluorescent jacket when I'm riding, if I agree entirely with LR?

Because it's worked for me so far. I've been riding regularly for around five years now, and I have yet to be involved in any sort of accident. I rarely even have close calls (granted, after five years, my definition of a close call and a new rider's definition might be two different things) because I ride conspicuously and look conspicuous.

Other than that, I try to do as little as possible to change clothes from my riding clothes to my work clothes. And I ride in such a way (slow!) that makes that easier since I'm not sweating as much.

But if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I have a lot riding on my regular daily safety. And if I'm going to ride every day I should do what I can to remove as much of the risk as possible. And though my riding style ensures that drivers are going to see me, wearing a fluorescent jacket or vest makes that even more clear. That's not to say that people who don't partake in traffic cone chic are risking too much. It's just my preference to do what's worked for me.

People, not speed.

Bike OSU Hosting Winter Bicycle Show

2011-02-17T09:10:00.000-05:00

We've mentioned Bike OSU before, the great group of transportation cyclists that have organized at Ohio State to promote bicycling and work for bike acceptance and awareness.

The great folks over there are hosting a Winter Bicycle Show on Feb. 24th, with free safety checks, maintenance demonstrations, food, vendors such as :roll bicycle shop, and so much more!

If you've been thinking about getting out of the car, improving congestion around campus, giving your health a super boost, and save some money, then this is the chance for you to get on your bike and GO!

People, not speed.

League of American Bicyclists Wary of Bike Funding Cuts in Congress

2011-02-14T10:20:00.002-05:00

The League of American Bicyclists sent out a post today warning people of the following. If you're not a member of the League's Action List, you can join here:

Potential Attack on funding for bicycling could happen this week
We are on "Amendment Watch"

Dear Friends:

Working with our partners at America Bikes, we have been monitoring and preparing for possible federal budget cuts that could attack biking and walking. This is a “pre-alert” to give you the heads up that if biking and walking funding and programs are attacked, we will have a very short window in which to take action.

If an amendment attacking biking and walking is proposed we will let you know right away and ask that you do your part as a citizen to raise your voice for biking and walking. If such action is required we will provide specific information and directions.

There is no action to take at this moment – this is just a heads up that we need everyone to stand-by for action.

Thank you in advance.

People, not speed.

"Share the Road" Signs Taken On By Ohio Bike Lawyer Steve Magas

2010-09-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

They've been in the consciousness of a lot of people in the Columbus bike community recently: those "Share the Road" signs on High Street. Lots of people look at them as sort of a nice reminder that bikes might be around and, please, to be nice motorists and give those poor cyclists a little bit of your room on the road.

Ohio Bike Lawyer Steve Magas, on the other hand, lays the legal smack down on the concept of Share the Road. Magas, you may remember, is the lawyer who got the positive judgment in the Trotwood vs. Selz case that led to the great bike law reforms that we're enjoying now in the State of Ohio.

Let's take a look at bike law, for starters. No, let's not.

Let's go back to vehicle law. A bicycle is a vehicle. And as a vehicle, it is subject to the same rights and responsibilities as any vehicle on the road. Read that again - rights and responsibilities. And one of those rights is the right of way. Bikes have the right of way when they're traveling on the road, just like any other vehicle does - they have a right to that section of the road that they're currently taking up.

And the reason for this? The law doesn't tell a car or a bike that they have to obey the law, it tells a person - the driver. So the right of way belongs to a person - not a vehicle. If there was no right of way for people, then pedestrians couldn't be assumed to have a right of way, right?

So there's no need to tell anyone to Share the Road. Cyclists have the same rights to that section of the road that cars do - period. And the language of Share the Road is so ambiguous to be scary. For cyclists, it's telling motorists to share the road with them. But to motorists, it's telling cyclists to move over and quit hogging the road - even though cyclists have the right to it.

As Columbus continues to invest in "Share the Road" signs and thinks that it's doing all of us cyclists a big favor to improve things, perhaps they need to step back and look at what those signs are really saying.

People, not speed.

The Floodgates are Open...

2010-09-28T09:35:00.001-04:00

Over on our Facebook page, we've started a discussion on the pros and cons of ALL bike-related infrastructure: bike lanes, sharrows, separated bike lanes, etc.

Do you think they're a good thing? Are they right for Columbus? Come on over and chime in with your opinion.

People, not speed.

Tweaking Shall Continue...

2010-09-23T11:16:00.001-04:00

Hey, cyclerati of Columbus. Hope you'll bear with me while I tweak the format of this page a bit. Blogger's made it so easy to do now that I can't keep my hands off it while I work to get just the format I want.

And let me know if you find anything you think could be changed for the better here!

People, not speed.

Should Cyclists Be Protected from Themselves?

2010-09-22T09:08:00.000-04:00

I wrote a quick news article today on Examiner.com about Upper Arlington's examination of State bicycle law and a loophole that says cyclists can only be charged if they're on a street or bike path. That wasn't something I was aware of. Here's the article.

Upper Arlington re-examining bike laws - Columbus alternative transportation | Examiner.com

So the situation here is that the guy was drunk. REALLY drunk - three times the legal limit. And he was riding his bike to the ATM (in a shopping plaza's parking lot) because he was trying to be safe by not driving his car.

Seems a pretty noble thing to do, right? He avoided being unsafe to other people by getting where he needed to go via a safer form of transportation. But he was still stopped for DUI. Granted, the charge was reduced because of the loophole mentioned in the article but that's really not the point here.

The point is that I'm concerned about laws that are designed to protect people from their own stupidity. I can totally understand automobile-related laws of this nature. Let's face it - cars kill. And the number one cause of car-related killings is irresponsibility. Using a cell phone or texting while driving, DUI, etc. are all forms of this. Groups like MADD have all sorts of statistics for DUI, and obviously there are plenty of laws going on the books about distracted driving related to cell phone, texting, etc.

But what about cyclists? One can make the argument that a cyclist who takes to the streets and doesn't pay attention, talks on a phone, or is even mind-numbingly schnockered is endangering other folks on the road - drivers may swerve to miss a cyclist who's riding a bit wobbly for whatever reason and hit someone else.

But in this case, it was 1:00 AM and the rider was in a parking lot. Was this traffic stop really needed? The police officer in question probably wouldn't even have noticed the cyclist if this had been daytime, and a normal number of cars was around to occupy his attention.

What do you think?

People, not speed.

With a Feminine Point of View

2010-08-18T14:43:00.000-04:00

My blog tends to have a male point of view, simply because... well... I'm male. I try to cover things in a way that I think will appeal to everyone, but let's face it, I can't do that as well as I'd like because I am coming from a specific point of view.

So let me share with you a blog that comes from another point of view, that of the female rider! That's not to say you should stop reading my stuff, but rather that this is another great blog with a different point of view! And here's an article that struck me as really interesting today.

My Evolution from Biking Girl to Biking Mom | Bike Shop Girl

People, not speed.

Top 7 Solar-Powered Bags for Back-to-School! — Life Scoop

2010-08-17T11:33:00.000-04:00

Here's an interesting idea for getting your devices charged during your commute: Solar Cells on backpacks and messenger bags! Smart stuff!

Top 7 Solar-Powered Bags for Back-to-School! — Life Scoop

People, not speed.