March 2010
WHEEL PEOPLE |
VOL. 29 NO. 2 |
March 2010 |
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Newsletter of the Humboldt Bay Bicycle Commuters Association P. O. Box 9054 Eureka CA 95502 HAPPY NEW DECADE—MAKE IT A BICYCLE COMMUTING ONE!!! THANKS TO THE NEW AND RENEWED MEMBERS FOR 2010 New Members:
Renewed Members for 2010:
Those with a ** have made additional donations to the HBBCA. Those with *** have made donations of $25 or more. THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING TO BE HELD MARCH 22 IN ARCATA The next regular HBBCA meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m., Monday, March 22, 2010 at Carmela’s Mexican Restaurant, 13th and G Streets in Arcata. Dinner is optional. The agenda will include discussion of Bike Month events (See article within on Bike Month.) and other items of interest to those in attendance. Agenda items may be added by emailing Rick Knapp at info@humbike.org JUDGE WATSON ORDERS ALAN BEAR TO PAY NEARLY $250,000 IN RESTITUTION FOR THE WRONGFUL DEATH OF GREG JENNINGS On March 2, Judge Watson, the presiding judge who ordered Alan Bear to serve a one year jail sentence for running down fellow cyclist Greg Jennings in August 2008, ordered Bear to pay $243,842 to the widow of Jennings. The figure is intended to represent “lost economic support to Mr. Jennings surviving widow.” Bear was sentenced in September 2009 for misdemeanor manslaughter after driving his vehicle some 15 feet to the right of his travel lane on Route 299, hitting Jennings with the left front portion of his vehicle. This was after seeing him ahead on the roadway, riding about 10 feet to the right of the fog line. In court, cyclists and family members urged the judge to sentence him to jail time so that he would have an adequate opportunity to reflect on his lack of attention to safety and his lack of remorse. While the judgment will in no way properly compensate his widow for the loss of her husband, we can only hope that it will send a powerful message to those who think cyclists do not have a right to the road, and that their safety need not be considered by motorists when sharing the road.MAY IS BIKE MONTH—TAKE PART! The Bike Month Humboldt Coalition is working hard to bring more and better events to the Humboldt Bay Region in 2010. The Coalition involves the Humboldt Bay Bicycle Commuters Association, Humboldt County Health Department, Caltrans, Redwood Community Action Agency, the Outdoor Store, the Northcoast Co-Op, the City of Arcata, HumPal, Bigfoot Bicycle Club, As always, there will be Bike to Work Days in Eureka and Arcata. Those will be on May 13 and May 20, respectively. In addition to the noontime rallies, there will be free energy stations at Eureka and Arcata Co-Ops in the morning of the rallies, 6:30 – 8:00 a.m. We hope for even more to attend the rallies and stop at the Co-Ops to fuel up. May 1, Saturday, between 1:00 and 4:00, there will be a gear swap/film festival/ bike maintenance workshop at the D Street Neighborhood Center in Arcata. For more information on the myriad of bike events scheduled, refer to the humbike.org home page.CBC PROPOSES SPECIAL PENALTIES FOR CARELESS DRIVERS WHO INJURE BICYCLISTS Careless drivers who injure bicyclists or other vulnerable road users would face special penalties under legislation sponsored by the California Bicycle Coalition. The bill, which is currently being drafted by San Francisco Assembly Member Tom Ammiano, would require a careless driver who injures a vulnerable road user to face a judge and possible penalties ranging from traffic school and community service to a large fine and suspension of driving privileges. The penalties would apply to drivers who injure bicyclists, pedestrians, runners, roadway workers, farm equipment operators and other lawful roadway users who are particularly vulnerable to careless driving. Deterrence and education are the goals of the bill, which is modeled after a law enacted in Oregon in 2007. Judges would be given the option to waive fines and license suspensions for drivers who complete traffic school and community service. The service requirement could include projects directly related to roadway safety. The bill would close a gap in the law that often leaves drivers not found to be impaired or criminally negligent to face no more than a simple traffic ticket for seriously injuring a bicyclist or pedestrian. A driver who kills a bicyclist or pedestrian may face vehicular manslaughter charges. CBC strongly supports the use of differential penalties to make drivers more aware of special safety hazards, much the way California already provides enhanced penalties for traffic violations that occur near schools and in highway construction zones. Editor’s note: The HBBCA has commented to the CBC that legislation to increase penalties is good but traffic school, community service and fines are not always adequate to compensate for the negligence that leads to these collisions and injuries. We would not want the District Attorney or the courts to come to the conclusion that a serious injury or death could be mitigated by a fine, community service or traffic school.THE CBC IS ALSO PUSHING FOR GREATER CONSEQUENCES FOR DISTRACTED DRIVERS………….AND BICYCLISTS Anyone who rides a bike for transportation knows how many drivers continue to use hand-held cell phones behind the wheel, despite a ban enacted two years ago. Palo Alto Sen. Joe Simitian, author of laws that ban hand-held cell phone use and texting by drivers, wants to double the fines for distracted motorists. Simitian's Senate Bill 1475 also would extend those penalties to bicyclists, making California the first state to do so. Six other states and the District of Columbia ban the use of hand-held cell phones while driving, while 18 other states and the District of Columbia ban texting while driving. A handful of cities in other states have enacted cell phone bans that apply to bicyclists as well as drivers. Under the bill, the fine for a first-time violation of the hand-held cell phone ban would increase from $20 to $50 and for subsequent offenses from $50 to $100. The fine for violating the texting ban would rise to $100 from $20 (first-time) and $50 (subsequent). Violations would also add a point to a motorist's driving record. CBC will work with Simitian to ensure that SB 1475's penalties are appropriate to bicyclists, given the substantially lower safety risk posed by bicycles. CBC supported Simitian's earlier bills to restrict cell phone use and texting by drivers, and continues to support efforts to prevent distracted driving. Editor’s note: Even though the current fine is $20 for cell phone use, additional court fees and fines yields a total ticket of about $140 for a first offense. A second offense increases the amount substantially more. Maybe if more drivers knew this, they would think twice…. Wait, they would have to first think once.HBBCA CONDUCTED BIKE MAINTENANCE WORKSHOP AT 2010 NORTHCOAST YOUTH SUMMIT The HBBCA conducted a bike maintenance session at the 2010 Northcoast Youth Summit at the College of the Redwoods on Saturday, February 27th. Rick Knapp (Vice-President) and Tim Daniels (HBBCA member and President of the Bigfoot Bike Club) conducted the class, which was attended by 20 teenagers. Attendees received training on how to keep a bike serviced and properly adjusted. The proper way to fix a flat on the road was demonstrated. According to the evaluation forms, the class was well received. Both Rick and Tim enjoyed teaching the class, so it is likely they will be participating again next year. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Great to hear from you. Portland is an incredible bike city. Rain doesn't seem to discourage bike commuters - they ride every day. Even on the one day we had snow, there were cyclists on the roads (although some were walking - it was a bit slippery for skinny tires!). But on that day the cars were in gridlock. Our new place is on the edge of downtown, so we took a walk around enjoying not having to drive. I think I've driven my car once in the last two weeks... bliss. The regular riders here vary from the double-pannier, full-gear commuters to the minimalist fixed-gear delivery cyclists. With everything in between. Some folks (with short commutes, I assume) barely put on a jacket, and some put on full rain gear. But even the minimalists have lights! Many have the small bright flashing front lights - not so much to light up the roadway (there are street lights in most areas), but to alert other oncoming riders, pedestrians and motorists. The new batteries for the flashing lights last a long time. Same with the new small flashing red tail lights. Because it's often overcast and semi-dark, I see many cyclists riding with their lights on - especially tail lights - even in the middle of the day. The other day I rode a loop around the east side of Portland. More than half of the roughly 45-mile ride was on paved bike/ped paths. Unfortunately the rest of the ride was on busy city streets (most with bike lanes, but busy none-the-less). There are a bunch of creative connections for cyclists to get by freeways, rivers, railroad tracks, etc. The bike routes on the I-205 and I-5 bridges over the Columbia river are interesting, to say the least. I'm enjoying exploring all the new places to ride, but I miss getting out in the hills away from traffic. I haven't found anything like Butler Valley yet, but I'll keep looking. Take care, Scott Kelly Dear Wheel People friends, I am very concerned about the number of bicyclists who ride at night without a headlight. When I am driving at night, those cyclists suddenly appear out of nowhere and create an unnerving distraction on the road. I feel called to launch a massive public information effort to educate the cycling community on the necessity of having a headlight at night. My effort will begin by publishing letters to the editors of all the local papers. I am calling upon my fellow HBBCA members to help me with more ideas on how to proceed. You can begin by telling me which local retailers sell the cheapest legal bike headlights. By the way, here is an excerpt from the law: Section 21201 of Article 4 of Chapter 1 of Division 11 of the California Vehicle Code (d) A bicycle operated during darkness upon a highway, a sidewalk where bicycle operation is not prohibited by the local jurisdiction, or a bikeway, as defined in Section 890.4 of the Streets and Highways Code, shall be equipped with all of the following: (1) A lamp emitting a white light that, while the bicycle is in motion, illuminates the highway, sidewalk, or bikeway in front of the bicyclist and is visible from a distance of 300 feet in front and from the sides of the bicycle. (e) A lamp or lamp combination, emitting a white light, attached to the operator and visible from a distance of 300 feet in front and from the sides of the bicycle, may be used in lieu of the lamp required by paragraph (1) of subdivision (d). I thank you all in advance for your ideas. Carman Gentile, Arcata Editor’s note: Several comments and ideas have been shared with Carman so far through the HBBCA’s humbike@googlegroups.com discussion site. HBBCA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
If anyone is interested in filling a Board seat, or becoming more involved, please call one of the Board members above. WHO TO CALL WHEN YOU SEE A SAFETY CONCERN (Revised 1/09) The HBBCA checked with agencies in the Humboldt Bay region to determine appropriate contact personnel to respond to bike-related issues. If you see a condition that needs to be corrected in order to improve safety or convenience for cyclists such as a pothole in a bike lane, accumulated debris on a roadway shoulder, the need to re-stripe a bike lane, or the need to clear vegetation encroaching on a shoulder, call the responsible agency/person listed below.
MARK MUELLER ORGANIZING BICYCLE DRILL TEAM FOR RHODY PARADE If you’d like to participate and/or help organize a Bicycle Drill Team for the upcoming Rhody Parade in Eureka, please contact Mark Mueller at (707) 599-2438. He will be doing this on behalf of the HBBCA. The parade will be on April 24th. PLEASE JOIN OR RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP FOR 2010 With you membership card, request the following discounts on bike parts and accessories: 10% (or more) at Henderson Center Bicycles; 10% at Revolution Bicycle Repair; 10% at Adventure’s Edge; 10% at Pro Sport Center and the New Outdoor Store, and 15% at Sport and Cycle. If you are already a paid-up member and would like to start receiving your newsletters by email, please advise us at: info@humbike.org Newsletter of the Humboldt Bay Bicycle Commuters Association |
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