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01.14.10 // Yet Another Reason to Ride on the Streets

I get kind of harpy and annoying about this, but the sidewalks and crosswalks are for walking (that’s why they’re called sidewalks and crosswalks, people). When I’m walking, which I frequently am, I like to have the room to walk, and not be run off the sidewalk by cyclists. And when I’m riding my bike, which I frequently am, I like to have the solidarity of other cyclists on the street with me. Plus riding my bike on the street is pretty much proven to be safer, is legally where my bike belongs, and is faster than navigating cracked sidewalks full of people.

But if all that wasn’t enough for you, then you might want to consider what would happen to you if you were riding on a sidewalk or in a crosswalk and you were hit by a car. A recent case in Canada suggests that while the accident may be the driver’s fault, the fact that the victim was a cyclist who was illegally in the crosswalk means that the cyclist shares some of the fault. In fact, an appeals court split the fault right down the middle–50% driver, 50% cyclist.

The trial court, when it first heard the case, had placed the fault 100% with the driver of the automobile. The rationale was that if the cyclist had been a pedestrian in the crosswalk, the driver would have been 100% at fault. But on appeal, it was determined that because the bicyclist was in the crosswalk, where he didn’t belong, he was partially at fault.

All I’m saying is be careful. Follow the rules of the road, for your own sake!

01.13.10 // Actual Cafe

The latest thing that everyone is talking about is the Actual Cafe in Oakland. Found on the corner of San Pablo Ave and Alcatraz, Actual Cafe promises to be, well, actual. That is to say, it’s  a real cafe. As opposed to an imaginary one.
Alright, so they’re not trying to oust that very favorite cafe [...]

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01.04.10 // The French Twitter Bird is Awesome–It’s the bike!

See the American Twitter Bird? You’re probably pretty familiar with it:

Now check out the French Twitter Bird–WAY cooler:

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12.31.09 // So Long, 2009

Happy New Year’s Eve, everyone!
It’s been a wild year for me–driving 2000 miles from Wisconsin to California, then flying back to Wisconsin to get Orion and driving the 2000 miles again (I should probably buy some carbon offsets for this year, huh?).
For me + cycling, it’s been a wild year, too. Some achievements:

mastered bigger hills [...]

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12.30.09 // Congratulations, Berkeley!

The City of Berkeley has secured $4.5 million to expand the current bike path system! The expansion will include a bridge over Highway 80 near the Marina, paving of previously unpaved sections, and expansions to link existing sections of path.
The paths will link parts of town that cyclists could previously only get to by riding [...]

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12.29.09 // Bamboo Bikes, Item Deux

I’ve already written about Bamboo Bikes in the context of the Bamboo Bike Project put on by Columbia University’s Earth Institute. That project trains bike builders in Africa to build inexpensive bamboo bikes for the people who don’t have other transportation, but are in need of it for access to work, trading, food, and water. That, [...]

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12.23.09 // For the Holidays

Tomorrow is Christmas eve, and this time of year usually makes me more vulnerable to feeling warm and fuzzy all over at the slightest thing. The effect is somewhat lessened this year, since it’s my first Christmas without snow and with palm trees, but lights and glittery wrapping paper and tv Christmas specials are enough [...]

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