Bicycle Safety and Advocacy – Page 3

November 10, 2009January 25, 2012

1950-Era Safety Tips for Children (Part 1)

We Baby Boomers grew up in a time of contradictions: on the one hand we were told by friendly turtles that we’d be safe from a nuclear explosion if we ducked ‘n covered under our school desks; on the other, we were constantly being warned that some activity or another was likely “to put an eye out.”

While rummaging around in the time capsule otherwise known as my Mother’s attic, I came across a 24-page publication, The Police Safety Review, which had been distributed by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. There’s a 1954 Rube Goldberg cartoon – yes, THAT Rube Goldberg – in it, so I’m going to guess it was published in the mid-to-late 1950s.

Police Safety Review Cover

Safety bottom line

Do something illegal or careless and you’re likely to be

Killed
Injured severely
Scarred for life
Arrested
Have your bike taken away
Have a mark on your permanent record
All of the above

Hold on to truck, be crushed to death

Ignorance of the law: die on way to hospital

Racing without looking: killed instantly

Ride next to trolley tracks: fractured skull

Fail to stop: severe injury

Racing with head down: seriously injured

Ride on the sidewalk: seriously injure a child

Failure to stop: die on way to hospital

Ride on handlebars: scarred for years

Train for Century: break your bike, go to hospital

These boys were training for a 100-mile ride between Chicago and Milwaukee when they got their signals crossed and crashed into each other. The editor was obviously disappointed to note, “The riders were not violating any city ordinance because they were outside of the city limits. The editor fails to find anything pertaining to participation of bicycle riders in races or endurance contests. On the contrary, these boys were not racing but were training on a highway; however, their act is a dangerous practice.”

Ride on park path: arrested, bike impounded

Don’t maintain your bike: die

Think about your boyfriend: never walk or ride a bike again

Here’s where you can find the whole booklet

Here’s a link to the whole booklet as a gallery so you can see the “rest of the story” that lead up to these horrible consequences.

There’s an excellent chart of bicycle parts and some very detailed pen-and-ink cartoons that are fun to look at. Overall, the publication makes some good safety points.

October 16, 2009

Your Fuzzy Dice are Safe in Michigan

The Michigan State Senate finally got around to making it safe for fuzzy dice in the State of Michigan.

The Detroit News reports that the chamber voted unanimously for a measure that strikes down a law that says items dangling from the rearview mirror are a no-no.

“We understand there are many distractions in cars, such as cell phones or GPS systems, but we did not feel that a rosary or air freshener was in the same league,” said Sen. Ron Jelinek, R-Three Oaks, sponsor of the bill. “This will help make it legal to do what thousands of Michigan residents already do — hang a memento from their mirror.”

Under the law, police officers can stop cars at their discretion. A court ruling in 2008 determined that any item was an obstruction, no matter its size. Jelinek’s bill drops “dangling items” from the law and says a motorist can only be pulled over for objects that clearly obstruct the driver’s vision.

What did the Senate NOT pass or vote on?

While making the world safe for fuzzy dice, streetblogs.net said they didn’t pass or debate

Senate Bills 529 & 530 which “enhance penalties for moving violations causing physical injury or death to bicyclists and other vulnerable roadway users” according to the League of Michigan Bicyclists.
Senate Bill 531 which stipulates that driver education “shall include information concerning the laws pertaining to bicycles and shall emphasize awareness of the operation of bicycles on the streets, roads, and highways of this state.”

October 15, 2009October 15, 2009

Safety Recall of Schwalbe Ultremo R Tires

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Schwalbe Ultremo R Bicycle Tires

Units: About 5,000

Important information for our customers

WARNING: The SCHWALBE Ultremo “R” tires that exhibit bulging should be removed from use immediately. Free of charge replacements will be supplied.

Regrettably, some ULTREMO “R” racing tires which have been sold into the marketplace might be prone to failure while in use because of an error that has occurred during the manufacturing process. In the limited number of affected tires, the casing layer was not sufficiently rubberized and thus will show a clearly visible bulge, due to the carcass layers separating. This carcass separation will show generally after only a short time in use.

Any Ultremo “R” tires that exhibit this phenomenon should not be used. Replace the tires immediately!

Danger: Not doing so may lead to a catastrophic failure, as the casing layer can chafe and consequently cause the inner tube to burst.

If you notice the phenomenon while riding, under no circumstances should you continue to ride the tires at high speeds. It is suggested that the air pressure be reduced to the minimum recommended psi while riding at a low speed and with great care while you “limp home”; then the tire should be replaced.

October 12, 2009October 13, 2009

Boca FAU Students: Get a Bicycle and Quit Whining

According to a Facebook group of whiny students, there is a parking problem at the FAU Boca Raton campus. Specifically, a car parking problem.

Fewer Than Five Miles From Campus? Get a Bike

Skip the car and bike to college. You'll be better for having done it. More than five, fewer than 15 miles? Get a nice bike.

This is Florida, not Minnesota. We don’t have four feet of snow on the ground for three months out of the year. Yeah, it’s hot, but the Florida Atlantic University campus has showers. Unlike Boulder, Colorado, there aren’t any uphill climbs on the way to the college. I doubt FAU’s Boca Raton campus is more than 20 feet above sea level. I know for a fact that the campus itself is flat because it was an Air Force base in World War II and many of the parking lots are old runways.

These are college students. They should be in relatively good shape able to bike five to ten miles. If they aren’t, well, a semester on the bicycle will help them get into better shape.

Parking at FAU Has Always Been Tough

When I was (briefly) a student at FAU in 1994-ish, students hated the parking situation. There was plenty of parking. In fact, most lots were more than half empty. The problem was the parking lots were former airplane landing strips and it wasn’t uncommon to have to walk a really long way to get from car to class.

I lived 22 miles north and was stuck driving a car. I envied the students who zipped right up to the front of the building where their class was held. No parking problem. No walking three-quarters of a mile. Just ride, hop and lock. Sweet.

Parking Garage Versus Bike Racks

A parking garage, the suggested solution, will cost a few million dollars at a time when the state university system is a billion or so dollars short. Bike racks, really nice covered bike racks or even bike lockers, would cost a tiny percentage of the cost of a parking garage.

As we can see in the above picture, 20 bicycles will fit in the space of one Cadillac Escalade.

You’re Skipping School? That’s Your Parking Protest?

You want to protest the lack of parking by simply not showing up to class? What does that accomplish? How is that type of protest sustainable? Are you just going to skip class until the parking problem is solved through expulsions? Good plan. Not.

If you really want to accomplish something, ride your bike to class. Instead of paying between $63 and $625 to park on campus, ride your bike. It’s free. No decal needed. (Motorcycles, too, require no parking decal.) If you live too far from campus to complete a bike-only commute, add in Tri-Rail and Palm-Tran.

Ryan Commutes By Bicycle in Palm Beach County

My buddy, Ryan, is in his late-20s and doesn’t own a car. I’m pretty sure he isn’t even licensed to drive. He managed to graduate from New College in Sarasota (Florida) while owning a bicycle. He managed to keep a job in Portland (Oregon) for two years on a bicycle. Now that he is back in Palm Beach County, he commutes to work on his Electra Townie.

If you need help planning your bike commute or want to whine about how you can’t commute by bicycle, please comment below.

—Matt

October 2, 2009

“She’s a Good Drawer,” Says Malcolm

I saw this over on the Cycle Jerk yesterday and sent it over to my 5-year-old grandson, Malcolm, who is laid up with some kind of intestinal disorder that I hope he hasn’t passed on to me.

Artist, not dresser

His mother replied, “He liked it. He said she’s a really good drawer. That’s draw-er, as in artist. Not drawer, as in dresser.”

That brought back the Nightmare of Art 101

Art 101 was a requirement for Ohio University photo majors.

I was pathetic.

I couldn’t draw a conclusion

One of the first assignments was to fill a sketchbook with renderings of a common object you see every day.

We weren’t on the same page

The first problem was that we weren’t on the same page when it came to defining “rendering”

He was thinking, “picture: show in, or as in, a picture; “This scene depicts country life”; ‘the face of the child is rendered with much tenderness in this painting’.”

My work came closer to “melt (fat or lard) in order to separate out impurities; ‘render the yak butter’; ‘render fat in a casserole.'”

My first subject was my desk lamp

After a number of attempts that made primitive art on cave walls looked advanced, I tried to fake it with a collage.

Some of the sketches showed some real bursts of talent

That’s because the girls working on either side of me, recognizing that there was no danger of ME raising the grading curve, agreed to “help” me with my sketches if I’d “help” them with their required photo course. After a couple of contributions, I had to pass on their work. The contrast between my stick drawings and what they were doing, even after I asked them to “dumb it down,” was too obvious.

Here’s a photographer’s workaround

Then I found that I could put a negative in the enlarger, project the image onto my sketchbook and use my pencil to make the reflected image a solid gray color, ending up with something that actually could be identified.

This, obviously, wasn’t a good long-term solution.

I become an object of pity

Finally, the prof said, “This isn’t working out. You’re trying, but….

“Since you’re a photographer, I’ll accept a photo or a contact sheet of whatever you’ve taken for the day as being your “sketches.”

At the end of the quarter, he pulled me aside and said, “I’m going to give you a passing grade, but, thank god you’re a photographer.”

My sketch book is available for purchase

If anyone sees real talent in my primitive art, I will make my sketch book available to the highest bidder.