If You Close It, They Will Come
Last Sunday’s “Bike Miami” car-free streets event was a huge success. Over 1,000 people biked, walked, ran and skated in downtown Miami and the Brickell financial district. FBA was represented in the person of Executive Director Laura Hallam who took advantage of the crowd to sign up new members and spread the word about bike safety, FBA and the Share the Road license plate. The enthusiastic participation of Mayor Manny Diaz made it all possible and makes it look like this will be a monthly event for Miamians. Although ”Bike Miami” was ignored by the Miami Herald, lots of coverage, photos, and video are available at http://www.bikemiami.blogspot.com and www.spokesnfolks.blogspot.com.
More People, Less Congestion
A View From a Bridge
Bike Miami is Coming
Bike Miami is coming!
The City of Miami’s inaugural “Bike Miami” event will be held on Sunday, November 9th from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm in downtown Miami. Flagler Street and South Miami Avenue will be closed to cars so that bicyclists, pedestrians, rollerbladers and others can explore downtown in a fun, safe and completely free way.
- Flagler Street will be closed to motorists from the Miami-Dade County Courthouse (W 1st Avenue) to Bayfront Park.
- South Miami Avenue will be closed from Flagler Street to Mary Brickell Village (S 10th Street).
Of course, Bayfront Park and the BayWalk will also be open for you to visit! Don’t miss it!For more details, volunteer and vendor information check the Bike Miami blog:
http://bikemiami.blogspot.com/
Friends Mourn the Loss of Jim Malcolm
Key West lost not only a dedicated public servant but a staunch advocate of pedestrian and bicyclist safety on Monday, October 13, with the death of 55-year-old James “Jim” Ralph Malcolm, who succumbed to brain cancer aggravated by a staph infection.
After arriving in the Keys in 1990, “Jim almost immediately became a bicycle activist,” partner Tom Wheaton said.
Malcolm began working for the city of Key West in January 1999, in the Building Department as the bicycle/pedestrian and Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator. This position simply put a title onto a job Malcolm had been doing for years.
“Be assured that any bike path, bike rack or sign was due to Jim,” Wheaton said. “At any civic event, you could find Jim fitting children and adults with free helmets obtained by his hard work.”
In addition to his work for the city, those close to him will remember Malcolm as a family-oriented man who undertook any project with great dedication and concern for others.
“He thought of himself before others,” Wheaton said. “A forgiving and loving man. He was an amazing human being. I was privileged and honored to be his partner. Blessed.”
Cyclist Fatalities Down, Injuries Up in 2007
The Florida Department of Highway Safety has finally released their 2007 Traffic Crash Facts report. According to crash reports submitted by local police departments and the Highway Patrol bicyclist fatalities declined slightly to 121 (from 124 in 2006) and reported bicyclist injuries increased to 4,303 (from 4,227). The majority of deaths happened to people in the 45-54 year old age group and 5 cyclists less than 15 years old were also killed. Of the 121 fatal crashes, 96 of the cyclists were not wearing a bike helmet. The report does not break it down for bicycle crashes but 39% of all traffic fatalities involved alcohol.
The full report (including county statistics) is online at www.flhsmv.gov/hsmvdocs/CS2007.pdf.
Florida in Top 20 of US States says LAB
The League of American Bicyclists has ranked Florida 20th out of 50 in its inaugural ranking of states for bike friendliness. The Bicycle Friendly States program looked at more than 70 factors in 6 key areas: legislation; policies and programs; infrastructure; education and encouragement; evaluation and planning; and enforcement. The states were scored on responses to a questionnaire sent to FBA and FDOTwhich was used to evaluate Florida’s commitment to bicycling. The top 20-ranked states are:
1 Washington 11 Utah
2 Wisconsin 12 Michigan
3 Arizona 13 North Carolina
4 Oregon 14 Hawaii
5 Minnesota 15 South Carolina
6 Maine 16 Massachusetts
7 California 17 Vermont
8 Illinois 18 Wyoming
9 New Jersey 19 Nevada
10 New Hampshire 20 Florida
The full story is on the League’s website: http://www.bikeleague.org/news/090508bfs.php.
FBA at National Pro Walk/Pro Bike Conference
FBA Board members Linda Crider, Mighk Wilson and David Henderson chat with former NCBW Executive Director Bill Wilkinson and current NCBW Executive Director Sharon Roerty at the 2010 Pro Walk/Pro Bike Conference in Seattle
FBA Board members Mighk Wilson, Linda Crider and David Henderson (and Advisory Board member Dwight Kingsbury) were among the 800 attendees of the national Pro Walk/Pro Bike Conference in Seattle September 2-5. This biennial event (from which the Florida Pro Bike/Pro Walk conference takes its name) is put on by the National Center for Bicycling and Walking (NCBW). Over 80 conference sessions and mobile workshops gave participants the latest information on advocacy, bike facility planning and design, educational programs and safety.
Mobile workshops showed the best of Seattle’s bike lanes, shared-use paths, experimental green lanes and “sharrow” projects. Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN) spoke at the closing plenary and told the crowd that although programs like Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School have been successful, advocates must stay in touch with their members of Congress and let them know that bicycling is important to America and must continue to be supported in the next federal transportation bill. The next Pro Walk/Pro Bike will be held in Chattanooga, Tennessee, September 13-17, 2010.
The Message is on the Road
Photo courtesy of Susan Fortini at Fast Signs. (Banners were fabricated by Fast Signs)
Today the Lynx Buses rolled out into Central Florida with a message to motorists about passing cyclists. The message is more than just passing clearance. It’s about courtesy, too, and the reality that passing a cyclist safely does not cause any measurable delay.
Here are some notes about both the visuals and the law:
The position of the cyclist. Cyclists should ride no farther right than the right tire track on any road (this is typically 2-3 ft. from the edge). Often, they should ride even farther left. Riding too far right causes cars to pass too close and increases the risk the cyclist won’t be seen or registered by motorists crossing and turning in his path. The common, incorrect expectation that cyclists should cower along the edge of the road is the source of many, many injuries to cyclists.
The double yellow line. When the oncoming lane is clear, a motorist may legally cross the double yellow to pass a cyclist or other vehicle moving significantly below the speed limit. A motorist MUST cross the center line on most roads in order to give a cyclist safe clearance.
3 ft. is a MINIMUM clearance. It is adequate for small vehicles passing at low speed differentials and speeds under 30 mph. At higher speeds, greater clearance is required for safety. Larger vehicles and trucks pulling trailers should give a cyclist more than 3 ft. at any speed.
A huge congratulations to the members of the Central Florida cycling community whose enthusiasm made this happen. And most importantly… started the momentum for cycling education in this community. We hope that legacy lives well beyond the need to educate motorists about passing clearance.
This artwork was donated to FBA and is available for use in other communities. The only condition for use is that the integrity of the visual image be strictly maintained. You can obtain files by contacting the artist.
The Miami Tragedy
The story of the group of cyclists hit by a cab driver on Miami’s MacArthur Parkway has of course taken the Florida cycling community by storm, but we have to do what we can as cyclists to counter the perception that this a “bicyclist safety” story. Focusing on this event as a bicyclist problem will only reinforce our culture’s belief that roadway cycling is a dangerous activity.
The average law-abiding cyclist is more likely to get skin cancer from sun exposure than to be hit by a car.
The real story here is how the State of Florida (and many other states) continue to permit tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of incompetent motorists to travel our roads. This cab driver (who fell asleep at the wheel) could have just as easily hit a police officer writing a citation, a motorist fixing a flat tire, a pedestrian in a crosswalk, or someone working along the road. On an undivided roadway he could have just as easily drifted left and killed a family in an oncoming minivan.
We are all endangered by such drivers, no matter how we travel.
All that aside, I know I can speak for all Florida Bicycle Association members, board members, and staff in wishing the victims the speediest of recoveries.
Ride strong people.
Rumbles? No. AVPMs? Yes!
Huh?
OK , in English. Effective 2009 the Florida Department of Transportation will require “Audible and Vibratory Pavement Markings” on projects widening or resurfacing rural highways (state roads only). These are a huge improvement over the ground-in rumble strips that have been installed on some highways; the ground-in rumbles are treacherous for cyclists.
AVPMs are best described with a photo (click photo to enlarge).
The dimples or ridges create a sound that cyclists can easily hear when a car tire runs on the stripe, and the sound and even vibration transmits into the car’s passenger compartment as well. The dimples or ridges will not pose a safety problem for the cyclist riding over the stripe. (A number of cyclists on FDOT staff test-rode them to be sure!)
AVPMs can also be used in urban areas where run-off-the-road crashes are a problem, such as this curve on Tuskawilla Road in Seminole County. AVPMs could mitigate the run-off problem without creating problems for cyclists as (for example) these posts and raised pavement markers do.
Local Advocacy Nets Big Bucks For Bicycle Awareness
The North Florida Bicycle Club was the first bike club to promote the 3-foot passing law (Florida State Statute 316.083, 316.085, pg. 13 in the Florida Bicycle Law Enforcement Guide) with signage on Jacksonville city buses. Their local advocacy efforts attracted the attention of Winter Park attorney and FBA Advisory Board member Hal Downing and members of the BOBbies, a Central Florida women’s only bicycle club. BOBbies members Mary Shanklin, Carol Stevens, Lisa Portelli and Keri Caffrey hit the ground biking by raising funds to support a similar campaign in the Greater Orlando area. To date, $6,800.00 has been raised towards the Lynx Bus Signage campaign to promote the 3-foot passing law including over $2,000.00 from the May “Cycling Smackdown at the Bowling Alley” event. FBA pitched in by agreeing to administer the funds so donations would be tax deductible, plus pledged $1,000.00 towards the campaign. Designed by Keri Caffrey and reproduced by Susan Fortini at FastSigns, the banners to appear on the rear of Lynx buses should be on the road in August. more »