If the newsletter below doesn't appear to be formatted properly (or doesn't appear at all), you can read the newsletter online at: http://BicycleUniverse.info/newsletters
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Car-Free
World |
December 14, 2002 |
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Contributors: Eric Anderson Research/Tips: Stefan Wray, Monty Newton Editor: Michael Bluejay |
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Sponsored by Easy Street Recumbents -- Recumbent sales, service, & rentals in Austin. |
Contents From the Editor Austin News Regional News U.S. News International . Car-Free World, a publication of
BicycleAustin.info,
covers alternative transportation, especially bicycling.
We're not opposed to
cars, we're opposed
to the car
culture. CFW is published
sporadically, and may be discontinued at any time without
notice. We currently have over 600 subscribers. Here are
links to subscribe
or unsubscribe. Articles are by the editor if uncredited.
Articles by others may have been edited for grammar,
clarity, conciseness, superstition, or just for the hell of
it.
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From
the Editor In the last newsletter I made the first-ever request for financial support for BicycleAustin.info, which I've been running as a volunteer project for seven years. I want to publicly thank the people who responded, and who got a spiffy new ...@BicycleAustin.info email address in return: Bobby Sledge | Jay Weinshenker | Mike Librik | Dave Troxell | Elliot Kralj | Marilyn Shashoua | Kathy Coons While this has most certainly helped, it's time for me to start working again, so I've set up shop as (what else) a web designer & web hoster. I could really use some business, so if you or someone you know needs a quality but super-cheap website, send 'em my way to WebsiteHelpers.com. Also be sure to check out the new site for one of my newest clients, Waterloo Cycles. |
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In the spirit of holiday giving, I'm offering free
BicycleAustin.info email addresses to everyone for the next
week, and you don't have to donate anything. Just write to
me and tell me you want an address, and I'll get you set up.
You can also have a BicycleSafe.com address if you
prefer.
By far, most of the email I got in response to the last newsletter (back in July, whew) was to complain that Yahoo inserted one-line ad for cars at the bottom of the newsletter. So here's the deal: I don't know any other way on my Mac to send HTML mail other than through Yahoo, and Yahoo adds ads. I did spend about three hours trying to find another way to send the newsletter, but I couldn't and so I gave up. There was probably a better use of my time, but that's what I get for trying to please everyone. So unless someone can come up with an alternate solution for me, then you're gonna see a one-line ad at the bottom of the newsletter. I trust that my readers aren't going to run out and buy new cars because they saw a one-line ad for them in an email message, and if they're really that easily influenced, then we've got bigger problems in the world than an ad appearing in this newsletter. So in short, I know it's tough that you may see a car ad at the bottom of this newsletter, but you'll just have to try to find a way to carry on somehow. back
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Austin
News Local activist Keith Vick killed by truck while cycling We hate being the bearer of bad news, but we lost another one. Keith Vick, 36, who went by the moniker "The Slave", was killed by a truck while riding his bicycle on Dec. 3, 2002. According to APD's accident report, Vick was riding southbound on the right-hand sidewalk on Guadalupe, and when he came off the sidewalk to cross 10th Street, a truck turning right onto 10th street struck and killed him. It's for this reason that we've insisted that you should not ride on the sidewalk. When you come off the sidewalk to cross the street you're invisible to turning vehicles, and are just begging to be hit. Statistics show that you're nineteen times more likely to suffer a collision from riding on the sidewalk rather than riding in the street, and Keith's tragedy is a prime example of why. (For more on how to not get hit by cars, please see BicycleSafe.com.) Vick was a well-known activist, working primarily on issues involving economic justice and micro-radio. We'd corresponded briefly with him a few years ago when he wrote to us asking about the controversy at KOOP Radio where we had a program about bicycling issues. There are some serious unanswered questions about Vick's death. First, APD's accident report says that Vick struck the truck. However, the broken signal lights presumably from the truck found at the accident scene suggest that the truck hit Vick. More serious is the question of whether the truck had enough speed to break its lights from the collision with Vick if it had truly stopped at the red light on 10th Street before turning right. Some suspect that the truck did not stop. Of course, if the truck had a red light, then so did Vick (or at least a Don't Walk sign), and so even if the truck did not stop then they were both at fault. More coverage is available on our Keith Vick page.
A query from one of Keith's friends as to why cyclists have a hard time getting justice reminded us that we'd never posted the long article that we wrote on the subject for Javelina last year. Here's the introduction, with a link to the full article. Why is there no justice for cyclists?
There's a guy in South Austin who has a business making soup for his neighbors and delivering it by bicycle. There, that's it. What more could you want to know? Well, I guess you might want to order some soup. Check out The Soup Peddler. Urban Cycling class Mike Librik & Amy Babich of Easy Street Recumbents are teaching an Urban Cycling Class, to show riders how to cycle safely in the city. No word yet on whether you get an autograph from Amy with the class, but we'll recommend the class even if no autograph is included. (more info).
How the process keeps failing bicycle transportation by Eric Anderson [Readers may recognize Anderson as the inspiration for the Crosstown Greenway, now known as the Lance Armstrong Bikeway. What follows is an excerpt of what he said he intended to convey to the City Council on a hearing about transportation project funding.]
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Regional
News TxDOT's 25-year Plan The Texas Department of Transportation is finishing up its 25-year plan for the state of Texas. Among the details:
The plan will go to the legislature for approval in February or March 2003. back
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U.S.
News President Bush signs electric bike law Electric bicycles used to be classified as motorcycles, requiring them to be licensed, have powerful (and heavy) safety lighting, etc. But now they're properly considered as just bicycles. (more)
AmericaBikes.org
shows you how your elected officials voted on
bicycling-related issues. back
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International
News Mary Hansen of Stereolab killed while cycling Mary Hansen, 36, singer and keyboardist with the London-based band Stereolab, was killed in East London on Monday after being hit by a car while riding her bicycle. (full article on JAM) That's all, thanks for reading! |
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