It is easy to speculate and get it wrong. On Tuesday a bicycle hit the rear side panel of a police car on Jackson.
It sounds like the police officer made a left hand turn across oncoming traffic (the bicycle) and passed through the right of way of the bicycle too closely for the bicycle to stop. The mitigating factor is that a stalled van in the middle of the road was blocking visibility.
We hope that for full transparency the police report on this incident will be shared with the public. Already the talkback forums on news sites are full of anti-cycling venom. Let’s make it clear, either way, who was at fault and why.
It is reassuring to hear that the driver of the police car was unharmed. Those bicycles can cause a lot of damage. For evidence, just see the dent in the back of the police car.
Okay, this particular pothole only cost the bicycle owner $150, but Soma is generous and he is still without his vehicle for a good deal of time. I’ve broken two frames, one purchased from Craigslist wasn’t covered, the other took two months to ship to the manufacturer in Italy and get a replacement. Now I own a primary bike and a backup bike.
In Jonathan’s case, this pothole broke his frame. At the time that he crashed, it was covered with water and looked like just a puddle on top of the pavement, not a deep pothole.
How upset would you be if you totaled your car in a pothole?
Could you imagine what we’d be saying now if Jonathan hadn’t been wearing his helmet? He hit is head so hard that his helmet cracked, so he would have either died or been in critical condition in the hospital right now.
Would the city be facing a lawsuit over a pothole?
How would the lawsuit be colored by the fact that this is on an official bicycle route and adjacent to the most used trail in the region?
Seattle, please keep repairing the pavement. It can be a killer.
Cyclists, use extreme caution around puddles. We often can’t tell how deep they are.
2009 was a bad year for bicycle fatalities, which is one of the reasons why bicycle advocacy groups are pushing for a vulnerable user law, but for as bad as any year is for bicycle fatalities, it is worse for pedestrians.
In January of 2010, Seattle saw four police reported vehicle collisions that injured pedestrians. One of those caused a pedestrian fatality. January saw no cyclist vs. car crashes reported on the SPD Blotter Blog
That is just the police-view of the world. Most crashes don’t get police reports. These statistics don’t include all of the crashes that police don’t respond to. BikeWise lists two self-reported motor vehicle vs. bicycle crashes in January. This is why we would like to see lower speed limits, pass a vulnerable user law, expand BikeWise to collect pedestrian crash statistics too, and increase driver license test requirements and require re-testing when renewing licenses.
Are we delaying because this could be us behind the wheel of the car? Last year this was proposed as a felony. This year it is proposed as a larger fine, community service, requires completion of a traffic safety course, and requires appearance in court. If I was responsible, even accidentally, for the death of someone, I would want this and more. The guilt of anything less would be horrible.
“I didn’t see” are the three little words that car and truck drivers have used over and over to avoid being charged with anything more than a traffic fine when they kill a pedestrian or cyclist.
It is time to change that. We now have both Cascade Bicycle Club and Bicycle Alliance of Washington pushing the state legislature to adopt a law similar to the one that Oregon adopted last year.
Help Cascade in their effort to pass this legislation.
What SB 5838 does:
· Amends Negligent Driving 2, an infraction
· Imposes an additional $250 fine
· Requires court appearance
· Requires completion of a traffic safety course
· Court can impose up to 200 hours of community service related to traffic safety
· If the traffic safety course and community service are not completed within a year, court can suspend driving privileges and impose fine of up to $5000
If you can, please go to Olympia next week and talk to your representatives in person and urge them to support this bill.
Cyclists, have you noticed numbers appearing all over the city along your cycling routes?
There is simple explanation. Seattle Public Utilities is doing an inventory of all of their items, like drain grates and man whole covers, along bicycling routes in Seattle.
Kudos to SPU for doing work to make cycling safer and for having at least one person doing the inventory from her bicycle.
When we do bicycle counts, one of the key indicators is the female/male mix. When we generalize to large populations, on the whole women are more safety aware and risk adverse. When bicycling feels risky, there is a low female to male ratio in bicycle counts.
Our friends over at http://www.totcycle.com have great resources for, and a nice network of, families who bicycle together.
Perhaps the next indicator species in our bicycle counts should be families. We might be on the cusp of success in the neighborhoods where families feel comfortable bicycling together. Take a few minutes to watch their slideshow of families in the Pacific Northwest who bicycle together. They are an inspiration to us all!
Many people would like to inform an agency (government or otherwise) about an opinion or make a suggestion.Many do not follow through because they put it off, or they are scared of doing it wrong.While contacting an agency about your opinion is always good, making sure your opinion is taken seriously is of high importance.Below are some tips about how to express your opinion in a thoughtful and reasoned manner. An example is posted in the comments section.
-Make sure you address your letter or email to the correct agency/agencies or person/s and that you have the spelling correct.
-State why you are writing.What specifically has you concerned?Location?Actions of others?Damaged infrastructure?
-Explain the problem that stems from the issue you see.Give a logical explanation of why the particular area is a problem – if you have examples give them.Provide pictures if at all possible that illustrate the problem area.
-Respond quickly.Waiting months after a problem is noticed can create more time before the issue is addressed or fixed.
-Keep your letter or email short.Stick to the point.Try to keep it within several paragraphs if possible.Don’t resort to name-calling or blame.Be careful to suggest fixes that are possible like filling a hole or replacing a drain grate rather than complain generally about your entire bike route.
-Use your real name and contact information if you are comfortable doing so.Many agencies will respond to you for either a thank you or sometimes even to obtain more information.Real-world experience is valued and some agencies are quite responsive.
-Remember that your input can be invaluable for others.If you see a problem, remember that you are likely not the only one. To create a better infrastructure for cyclists mandates good input from cyclists.
Research has shown for quite some time that speed limits and fatal crashes are linked. What is new is that research now shows that 20 mph speed limits reduce fatal crashes and the change doesn’t move those fatalities to nearby streets with higher speed limits.
A recent study published in the British Medical Journal shows:
Results
The introduction of 20 mph zones was associated with a 41.9% reduction in road casualties, after adjustment for underlying time trends. The percentage reduction was greatest in younger children and greater for the category of killed or seriously injured casualties than for minor injuries. There was no evidence of casualty migration to areas adjacent to 20 mph zones, where casualties also fell slightly by an average of 8.0%.
Conclusions
20 mph zones are effective measures for reducing road injuries and deaths.
So, why are our residential speed limits so high on our residential streets in Seattle?
