Category: Advocacy
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The 2015 National Bike Summit
Bicyclists from across the country swarmed Washington D.C. last week to attend the 2015 National Bike Summit. At the event, dedicated bicycle advocates discussed the current state of affairs and the future of bicycling in the U.S. Also, this year’s summit marked the launch of a strategic partnership between Bike Law and the summit’s host, The League
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Charlotte Bike Advocacy Moving Forward!
Earlier this week we posted an article about bike groups and mentioned the Knight Foundation’s $600,000 commitment to improve and increase bicycling in Charlotte. Back in November, the Knight Foundation brought together about 60 of us who are passionate about bicycling in Charlotte. What happened was that: “Key themes emerged: Charlotte needs more cycling events to
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More Room for Bikers with the Passage of Another 3-Foot Pass Law
The family of Amy Bennett pushed hard to get the measure passed. Bike Law is honored to represent them. Earlier this week, another state legislature voted in favor of a bill that will protect bicyclists from being clipped from behind by passing cars and trucks. The Wyoming bill dubbed HB-85 requires motorists to give bicyclists at least
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Oregon Bicycle Helmet Laws: Your Rights and Duties
Bicycle helmets have been in the news lately. Last month, Bike Law Illinois attorney Brendan Kevenides reported that an Illinois case may have some potential to hold Illinois cyclists liable for their own head injuries if they are hit by a car and are not wearing a helmet. The day before that report came out, a study was released
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Mandatory Sidepath Confusion
Guest post from cycling historian Dr. James Longhurst Sidepaths haven’t existed for a century – so why do we still refer to “mandatory sidepath laws”? I want to reclaim a word. As a policy historian who has spent several years writing about the brief and largely-forgotten sidepath movement of the 1890s, I sometimes get an
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Bike Law’s Reaction to GHSA Report on Increase in Cycling Fatalities
Ann Groninger and Charlie Thomas analyze the analysis. Understanding trends in helpful in deciding where to focus safety efforts and crash prevention. According to a report released by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), the number of bicyclists killed on U.S. roadways is trending upward. The report finds that yearly bicyclist deaths increased 16 percent between
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Responsibility and Cyclists
Bike Law Ann on earning respect. My social media feed is pretty much full with cycling news and race reports. So for the past several days, I’ve seen a lot of news and commentary on two cycling news events: (1) the Kentucky cyclist convicted of riding in the travel lane of a busy thoroughfare and (2) the
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A MUST WATCH!
Dutch cyclist reports on the state of american cycling, and gets it right! Please watch this video. This Dutch video not only destroys our pitiful infrastructure, but also makes very important points about American cyclo-culture. Bike Law
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Police & Cyclists
Too often, those sworn to protect us don’t. One of our great challenges to making cycling safer is to change the public’s mindset so that bicycles are expected and accepted on the road. This change will be difficult to achieve unless it is first embraced by those whose job it is to serve and protect
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Protest the Washington Post
“It’s a $500 fine for a motorist to hit a bicyclist in the District, but some behaviors are so egregious that some drivers might think it’s worth paying the fine.” Washington Post column, July 8, 2014. Many of you have read the Washington Post’s Courtland Milloy’s attack-piece on cyclists in DC. There have been thoughtful, rationale,
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Charlotte Bicycle Accident Lawyer on a Horrible Morning Ride
The roads in Charlotte were not friendly this morning. Riding back alone from my very early morning group ride there were multiple incidents of drivers coming too close to me, two of which were either intentionally mean or extremely reckless. In the first, I came to the bottom of a hill on Sharonview Rd. in
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Personalizing the Consequences of Bicycle Crashes – the Gerald Apple Story
I always wonder what it will take to get the attention of motorists. How can we drive it into people that they shouldn’t take risks when operating a two ton hunk of metal at high speed? Maybe stricter traffic laws – lower speed limits, prohibiting cell phone use – would help; or increasing punishments for those who break
