2014 - Week 19 - Internet Round Up

12 May 2014 – Week 19 – Internet Round Up

Posted at 08:00h in Inspiration by Johnny Lam 0 Comments

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News

Kentucky bicyclist charged with reckless driving – My initial reaction was a big at-a-girl for being courageous in her efforts to bring awareness of bicyclists in the Kentucky area but upon looking at her route to work, she clearly has a wide shoulder to ride on but chooses to be on the right lane. I understand that sometimes you need to veer onto the right lane to avoid debris or even a parked car but to be riding on the right lane on a high-speed highway is a bit too risky in my thoughts. I’m guessing that Kentucky may not be a bicycle friendly state so I understand her point but I think there still needs to be some compromises when it comes to sharing the road.

How does your state rank? – California is up 10 spots to #9. This is great news as California was #19 the previous year. From the ground-level, you can definitely see changes in bicycling in various cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego. We also have several open street events like CicLAvia to keep this bicycle friendliness alive! Watch out Washington, we’re gunning for you! How does your state stack up in bike friendliness?

Why it makes sense to bike without a helmet – A very well written piece which explains how bicycling compared to other transportation option is actually safer but still have a weird stigma that folks should be wearing helmets. In the article, he sites that being on a motorized vehicle is actually more risky to result in head injuries than bicycling but why are we not making drivers and passengers wear helmets? Furthermore, his remarks of making biking with a helmet is detrimental to bicycling and public safety as this discourages people from riding and sharing the road with other motorized vehicles. Better infrastructure for bicyclists will help keep cyclists as well as pedestrians safe and not just a helmet. The author may ride in his familiar environment without a helmet but recommends that one should wear one for long-distance journeys as you may not be familiar with the traffic conditions. For me, I may try to experiment riding with and without a helmet and see if cars give me more space as studies suggested for shorter in town trips. For longer bicycle tour, you can bet I’ll have a helmet on.

30 Days of Biking by Eunice Chang – A very touching and inspiring #30daysofbiking blog. Eunice Chang lost her partner, Seth Vidal, last July 2013 and have been dealing with the grief of her lost when she embarked on this year’s 30 Days of Biking campaign. Her blog takes us on her journey of healing with beautiful pictures, poetry, and several inspirational stories about Seth and finding the joy of cycling once again. Day 12 and 16 was so beautifully sad. Her tribute to Seth is one of a kind and I’m sure he is proud of her 30 Days of Biking.

Little car love among urban Millennials – Millennials need good transportation options besides just the car. All stories points to an encouraging fact that we need better transportation option and infrastructure and not need to own a car. Those days are long gone as growth of the car industry is on the decline.

Legalize Protected Bikeways CA – Legalize Protected Bikeways in CA by signing the petition and sharing on social network. We need to make sure protected bike lanes are included in the plan so please sign the petition to get them included. Do it now. It’ll mean safer and viable transportation options for California communities.

Videos

[youtube=http://youtu.be/bb3iLnEalS8]
Guy’s Huge, Stupid Bike Looks Pretty Smart After Flash Flood – Hilarious tall bike photobombing in Florida! You can see the camera person mesmerized by the sight of this guy playing in the water while his cohort is reporting doom and gloom warnings. This is an instant classic!

Witnesses: Orlando police car hits bicyclist, then drove off – Orlando police car hit man on bicycle, and drove off according to 2 witnesses. The chief promised that an investigation will be taken. Shouldn’t this be required? Thanks for pointing out that point Dreamwave Dave.