Category: news

General Motors buys Specialized Bicycles!

Richard MasonerMarch 31, 200812 Comments on General Motors buys Specialized Bicycles!

“In light of global concerns about climate change, GM has been at the forefront in developing new transportation choices that limit our impact on the environment,” said Flora Lopi, GM’s vice president, Environment, Energy and Safety Policy. “GM’s engineering, marketing and distribution expertise combined with Specialized’s branding among cycling enthusiasts make this a winning combination for GM investors and consumers.”

See the full story in The Silicon Valley Business Journal.

See also the story at BikeBiz.com, who promises to participate in the media conference call about this deal that takes place tomorrow.

This is pretty big news and people all over are discussing this:

Because of the timing of this announcement, there’s a lot of speculation that this might be an April Fool’s joke. I talked with Chris Matthews (marketing director at Specialized) on the phone this evening and he assures me this is the real deal.

Posted In news

Chicago passes bicycle safety ordinance

Richard MasonerMarch 12, 20087 Comments on Chicago passes bicycle safety ordinance

(I almost wrote “ordnance,” which could either be really good or really bad for cyclists).

The City of Chicago passed the Bicycle Safety Ordinance this afternoon. The new law now establishes fines for turning left or right in front of a bicyclist, passing a bicyclist with less than three feet of space, and opening a vehicle door into the path of a bicyclist. Fines range from $150 to $500 and go up to $500 if the violation results in a bicycle crash.

It also establishes a fine for double-parking in a marked shared lane, and increases the fine for driving, standing or parking in a bicycle lane.

“We are committed to making Chicago the most bicycle friendly city in the country, and safety is a very critical part of the plan,” Daley said after the measure passed. “More than 6,000 crashes between bicycles and motor vehicles were reported in Chicago between 2001 and 2005. Unfortunately, 30 bicyclists were killed. These new laws will help prevent injuries and save lives.”

Daley defended bike messengers when asked about their sometimes risky riding and rude behavior. “The bike messengers are a breed unto themselves,” Daley said, smiling. “I got to meet a lot of them so I know a lot of them. They’ve got a job to do, and like anything else, they are respecting the laws on the road and all that, and the rules.”

From Chicagoland Bicycle Federation via Jennifer in Chicago. Dave also points us to an illustrated PDF with photographic examples of the types of actions this law prohibits.

Posted In chicago | illinois | news

Kristy Gough, Matt Peterson killed in cycling accident

Richard MasonerMarch 9, 200824 Comments on Kristy Gough, Matt Peterson killed in cycling accident

Triathlete Kristy Gough competed in events around the world.

Area cyclists and the California Highway Patrol report that a Santa Clara County Sheriff’s deputy collided with a group of cyclists on Stevens Canyon Road south of Cupertino, California on Sunday morning.

The deputy admitted fault, stating that he was driving north on Stevens Canyon, which is a popular route for recreational cyclists. He crossed the centerline and hit the cyclists who were riding south, reportedly single file in the bike lane. A 29 year old man died at the scene and a 30 year old woman died enroute to Stanford Medical Center.

Update: Video report on KTVU, which reports one death. The Mercury News and San Francisco Chronicle report two fatalities, and a third bicyclist critically injured. The Chronicle identified the deceased as Kristy Gough, 31, of Oakland and Matt Peterson, 29, of San Francisco.

More: Discussion at Slowtwitch.com. Post from a friend of Matt Peterson. Another friend of Matt Peterson. Word from a friend of Kristy. Notes from Amanda Lovato.

Posted In news

National Bike Summit 2008 in the news

Richard MasonerMarch 3, 20082 Comments on National Bike Summit 2008 in the news

Summit fever is rising! The League of American Bicyclists reports that over 500 participants are now registered for the weekend, with company presidents, national press, strong local advocates—and an impressive array of speakers scheduled to appear.

In addition to the festivities of the National Bike Summit—from the opening dinner with National Park Service Director Mary Bomar and David Jones, Jr., Chairman of Humana’s Board of Directors to the famous politicians at the closing reception on Capitol Hill—there are many events for cyclists. The League of American Bicyclists is holding our annual meeting on Wednesday evening, with two authors—Bob Mionske and J. Harry Wray—speaking and signing books. Swing by for a free drink, good eats, and an update on how the League is doing in 2008—even non-Summit attendees are welcome.

US Capitol Building

There is also a League board meeting on Tuesday, March 4 from 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. in room Meridian C at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center in downtown Washington, D.C. Open to all!

There are post-Summit evening events hosted by International Mountain Bicycling Association, Thunderhead Alliance, and Bikes Belong. For more information on the Summit, and events going on in conjunction with it, click here for the full agenda[PDF].

A group plans to ride from Reagan National Airport to the National Bike Summit location at Ronald Reagan Trade Center in something like a Critical Mass demonstration showing how bike transportation can be done. The ride will start at 12 p.m. on March 4. All bike riders are encouraged and welcome. If your plans already have you in Washington before noon on Tuesday, ride organizers invite you to ride out to the Airport: it is just 3.5 miles from the Reagan International Trade Center. You can also just ride Metrorail Blue Line from the airport to Federal Triangle Metro Station, from which you can just go upstairs into the plaza outside of the Reagan Trade Center.

Here are some mentions of the 2008 National Bike Summit in the mainstream media.

  • August, GA: Bike shop owner becomes first time lobbyist.

    Political action aside, community service has been a staple for Cohen. Annually, his shop participates in bike giveaways at Christmas, promotes bicycle safety classes, donates helmets at local elementary schools and helps scouts earn their bicycle merit badges.

    “I am happy to have helped,” says Cohen. “I like interacting with kids in the community, but I also feel it is my obligation to give back to the community that gives me and my family its livelihood.”

  • Louisville, KY: The Year of the Bicycle? Also at Daily press.com.

    Bicycling’s best year since the start of the auto age? That’s the argument likely to be made March 4-6 as hundreds of cyclists from across the nation gather in Washington for the National Bike Summit sponsored of the League of American Bicyclists.

  • USA Today: Stars ride bikes to assist wounded veterans.

    The Road 2 Recovery effort kicks off with an informal fun ride Tuesday at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. It will be held in conjunction with the League of American Bicyclists’ National Bike Summit.

For more information, see the LAB Summit web page.
Photo: Me riding a rented bike in front of the U.S. Capitol Building

Posted In advocacy | news

Cyclist spontaneously combusts

Richard MasonerMarch 2, 20084 Comments on Cyclist spontaneously combusts

Perhaps Mr. Mieczyslaw Jasinski should consider lycra bike shorts, which don’t chafe quite so much, or maybe he needs to wipe the grease off of his chain. Jasinski was Just Riding Along when he smelled burning and looked down to see his pants had caught on fire.

A police spokesman said: “Witnesses said he was like a flaming human torch cycling along the road.

“We do not know how it happened but we have heard that it could have been caused by a reaction between friction as he cycled, sweat and the material of his trousers.”

Read more about this cycling human torch here and here. Big props to Biking Bis for this important safety news.

Posted In news

Universal Studios: Not In My Back Yard

Richard MasonerFebruary 28, 20086 Comments on Universal Studios: Not In My Back Yard

Politicians and cycling advocates in Los Angeles want to extend a bike path along the Los Angeles River to provide a relatively flat, straight, low traffic bike route from the San Gabriel Valley into downtown Los Angeles. Jennifer Klausner, executive director of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, said the bike path potentially offers the chance to give cyclists a way to get across the city without dealing with streets.

“The beauty of the river path is that it’s basically flat and separated from the road for people who want a quieter ride and don’t want to hump it over a hill,” she said.

The blocker: Universal Studios, which owns property along the Los Angeles River, doesn’t want a bike path there.


“We have some very important, high-profile production companies that are located along that road as well, and security is a concern,” says Tom Smith, senior vice president of West Coast real estate for NBC Universal.

LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky counters, “The fact is that we have a public bike path along some of the most expensive and reclusive properties along the ocean — from Will Rogers [beach] to Torrance. I don’t think it’s a mutually exclusive proposition to have a bike path and a secure studio in the same location.”

Read more in the Los Angeles Times, with discussion also at LAist.

Posted In california | news