The Outspoken Cyclist – 12/03/2011
The calendar says December, but the weather still says October. No complaints here, and if the “weather suits your clothes” as the song says, keep riding outdoors. The three month indoor ride to nowhere will start soon enough.
The first stop on tonight’s tour takes us south to the capitol of our fair state, Columbus, Ohio, and a conversation with Jody Dzuranin, Operations Manager for Consider Biking. Consider Biking serves ‘people who pedal’ in the Columbus and surrounding area of Ohio. Jody will bring us up to date on their Open Streets initiative, and progress on the Ohio-to-Erie Trail, among other exciting opportunities for cyclists.
Regardless of how warm (or cold) it is, daylight is at a premium this time of year. Our second guest can help with that if you want or need to ride at night safely and legally. We’re joined by Thomas Prehn, President of Cateye America. Thomas has news about some very cool lights, including USB-rechargeable models inexpensive enough to fit in your Christmas stocking (hint, hint).
LISTEN TO THE OUTSPOKEN CYCLIST
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 59:02 — 27.0MB)
Additional Information about projects mentioned in the Show:
Bike Share:
The Ohio State University is a LAB Bicycle Friendly University
My list is also on Columbus Underground. Please chime in at Columbus Monthly or Columbus Underground.
Jess from CbusCycleChic
My teammate Jess and I have been doing a little bicycle experiment lately...Dressing up to ride bikes, Skirts, heels, etc. (Actually Jess has been riding chic for awhile, but I just started this summer). When we're biking in style, it seems we get noticed more and as a result the cars drive slower and steer clear. I guess it started as an experiment, but then I realized, wow it seems safer riding when I am dressed like a girl. It's out of the ordinary, so people take notice.
There seems to be a contingent of "Safe Cycling Advocates" that believes safety means a reflective vest and other equipment to get the driver to notice you. I am suggesting there is another way to be noticed on the road.
How about a video and/or print campaign, that shows attractive ladies riding bikes dressed up in skirts and heels.
The messages:
I have also dressed like a clown for various meetings and that again, seems more safe because it is eye catching.
After dark:
For night time, I realize there is no substitute for good lighting, but the lighting can be sexy too! Project Aura: Bicycle Safety Lighting System
Project Aura: Bicycle Safety Lighting System from Project AURA on Vimeo.
Why Sexy for Safety? I believe our goal is really to decrease the overall odds of a crash or fatality. I don't believe our goal is that every rider is going to be a safe rider. What we need is more riders in general and that will mean some safe and some unsafe riders. The fact that we have more riders will decrease the accident statistic because there is a larger number in the denominator. It's statistical safety. Our efforts should be placed on getting more people on bikes and less focus on getting all riders to be safe riders. When we do things purely about "good safety" it reinforces the message that bicycling is unsafe and scary; which turns people away from riding altogether. The bicycle message should focus on making bikes appear fun and cool so the casual rider (especially females) are willing to try it out.
Additional Reading:
Have helmet laws put the skids on Australia’s bike share scheme?
Cycle Chic: Denmark's bicycle ambassador is bringing sexy back to cycling
TEDxCopenhagen - Mikael Colville-Andersen - Why We Shouldn't Bike with a Helmet
Yesterday, July 4th marked the 28th Annual Doodah Parade. – a march to celebrate freedom of speech, through humor. Fun was poked at the usual suspects: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Anthony Weiner, John Kasich and Terrelle Pryor to name a few. Thousands watched and laughed along the Short North route.
In case you hadn't heard or read, a few weeks ago a Dutch girl was stopped by NYC cops. They attempted to 'fine' the woman because she was wearing a skirt while riding her bike. The NYC cops claim that the female bicyclist was 'too distracting.' When I read this article, I about fell out of my chair at this far-fetched, brainless ban (read the article here: http://www.dutchdailynews.com/girls-on-bicycles/).
I wanted to do something about this – let people know about the absurdity regarding this lack of Freedom of Expression while riding your bike. What better audience to make fun of this than the good ol' Doodah Parade. About fifteen of us rode, men and women, skirts flowin' proud. Thanks to all who joined and all who complimented us on the cause.
Enjoy the pics.
Don't worry folks, that booty's fake 
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photos by Amsterdamize.com and Mark Emery
Above: Riders in the Netherlands rarely don helmets, partially because helmets are not required by law and partially because riding is relatively safe. Separated bike lanes, bike boxes at intersections, and a high volume of cycling traffic makes cycling safer in the Netherlands than most major cities in the US and Canada. Below: Helmets were first introduced to cycling as a way to protect racers' heads from injury. Unlike the typical commuter cyclist, road racers travel at high speeds, in close proximity to other riders in a peloton, such as in Nature Valley Grand Prix depicted here.
By Elly Blue
In the cycling arena, nothing has been more hotly debated or more polarizing than the debate about the merits of mandatory helmet laws.
Carla Danley is a former emergency room nurse who has seen her fair share of head injuries. She has also been a daily bicycle rider since 2009 when, at age 50, she moved to Portland, OR, and launched headlong into the city’s vibrant bike scene. In Portland, bicycling verges on the mainstream.
Danley is one of many who choose to wear a helmet every time they ride. “It’s in my marriage contract,” she said. Her husband lost his teenage sister after she was struck by a car while on a cross-Canada bike trip. “One of the things I give him credit for is: when we moved to Oregon, I was like, ‘I’m going to get rid of my car and ride a bike’, and he has always been behind me 100 percent,” she said. “But he is really clear that he wants me to use bike lights at night and have a helmet on all the time. And I’m good with that.”
Across the globe, in Western Australia, Sue Abbott, a 50-year-old mother of four who has cycled for transportation for 46 years, has never worn a bike helmet. Even after 1991 when Australia became the first country to pass a law requiring them for adults and children, she rode helmet-free, an act that soon earned her a stiff ticket.
Abbott emerged victorious last August from a string of court battles over her right to cycle bare-headed in her town of Scone, New South Wales. Aiding her suit was the embattled and contradictory state of scientific research on helmet use.
Since the helmet question is one of the most fiercely debated and polarized issues in transportation bicycling, the question is, which is more important: personal freedom or a precautionary approach that mandates defensive cycling? Should the government step in to enforce head protection or should the onus be on the individual? The science is murky, but the political philosophies in question are sharply delineated.
A Brief History of Helmets and Laws
For much of the history of the bicycle there were no helmets, only protective leather caps occasionally worn by bike racers, motorists, aeronauts, rugby players and mountaineers.
Helmets, as we know them today, did not exist until 1975, when Bell Sports introduced the first polystyrene model to the United States market. First constructed to protect the skull by crushing on impact, there has been little aesthetic or material innovation in their design until recent years.
Now, in North America, fanciful or sleek helmet shells with minimal venting, such as those made by Nutcase and Bern, are becoming popular among utility cyclists. In Europe, the Ribcap – a knit hat with soft inserts that harden on impact – is all the rage for bicycling and skiing.
The first mandatory bicycle helmet laws that went into effect in California in 1987 and New York in 1989 applied only to young children who were passengers on a bike. Since then, laws passed across North America and the world mostly govern children under 16 years of age.
From National Bike League @bikeleague:
May is National Bike Month. To find out what is happening in your area, check out the 150 Bike Month Special Events that have already been posted. And it’s not too late to use our Bike Month Guide to create a successful National Bike Month Event in you community, workplace, city or state.
Twitter users — Follow #bikemonth and check out the twitter feed on our homepage and Bike Month pages to stay in the loop.
May 1 begins @bikeleague #BikeMonth
See the list of events planned statewide
PS: If you tweet about biking to work, use hashtag #biketowork and #Ohio
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