Share the road
According to the RACQ
Drivers need to remember they share the road with cyclists who can be on the road at any time of the day or night…
RACQ traffic and safety executive manager John Wikman said many crashes between motor vehicles and bikes occurred when drivers did not give enough thought to scanning the road environment for anything smaller than a car.
Good to hear that. See the RACQ media release [PDF]. [twitterer]
But then, is "Share the road" sending the right message?
Rando
What is randonneuring?—a pretty good summary.
Biceberg
biceberg is an automatic underground bike park. It collects bikes from, and returns them to street level. It can also be used to store accessories such as a helmet or backpack.
Cables are the new carbon
How lightweight would this be? [Tensegrity Bike is Held Together By s][]
History
The Australasian Cycling History Conference 2009 will be held in Melbourne on 17th, 18th and 19th of April. [via Melbourne Cyclist]
Straight from the road
Really good portraits of The Peloton . [twitterer]
Can't say I entirely agree with this
Hugo Rifkind has some valid points to make, he just makes them badly:
The fact is, we cyclists jump red lights. Hell yes. Every day. Challenge us on it, and we'll probably deny it, or at least pretend we feel guilty. But we don't. We're just lying, non-cyclists, to make you shut up.
I know, I know it's supposed to be all ironical and clever and stuff but still…
For the record, Hugo Rifkind doesn't speak for me: I do not jump red lights—and I'm not just saying that so you'll shut up. [twitterer]
Novelty factor
Cyclists: You're A Menace To Society:
534 pedestrians were killed by drivers of motor vehicles, compared with one killed by someone riding a bike. Now, one is one too many, but FIVE HUNDRED AND THIRTY FOUR is a pretty big elephant in the room that the press does a great job of ignoring.
It's "man bites dog" novelty factor.
Did I mention this before?
I have mentioned the list of cycling twitterers before. Just thought I'd mention it again now that I'm on it :-)
It's a very inclusive list and if you want to be added to it you just need to direct message @carltonreid.
Hell hath no fury
According to The Guardian:
A Times article about decapitating cyclists was the most complained about last year to industry watchdog, the Press Complaints Commission, receiving a record number of complaints about British newspapers and magazines.
Yep, that is indeed what Press Complaints Commission says:
584 people complained about a comment piece article in The Times by Matthew Parris, published on 27 December 2007, headlined "What's smug and deserves to be decapitated?". The complainants were mostly cycling enthusiasts objecting to the suggestion that piano wire be strung acrosscountry lanes to decapitate cyclists, as a punishment for littering the countryside. The Commissionsaid that the Code of Practice had not been breached, although it was pleased that Mr Parris had apologised for his comments.
So, for all the complaints it didn't come to much in the end. [twitterer]
If you've some idle time, here's what I had to say about it at the time: Matthew Parris wants you decapitated.
Security
@KarlOnSea says:
Bike security: "No lock can stop all thieves, but all locks are better than no lock at all". I wrote that. You can quote me on it.
OK, I did. That's all that need be said really—everything else is detail.
A bit embarassing
Recorded on Streetview for posterity: a bike crash [twitterer]
Obese patients stay longer
Science Daily reports on a study that found
a direct relationship between obesity and duration and frequency of hospital stays. Researchers found that, on average, obese persons stayed one and a half days longer than those with normal weight.
Comments
I'm amazed by that story from the Guardian on the UK Press Council. Very helpful. Thanks for the link.