New Improvements to Federal Guidance

On December 16, 2009, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) published the new edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). At the Federal level, this new edition went into effect on January 15, 2010 but states are given up to 2 years after publication to either adopt the new edition of the MUTCD as their state traffic control manual, or adopt a state-specific MUTCD. Therefore, it might be a while before every state adopts the new improvements.
Here in Washington State, the Department of Transportation adopted the 2003 recommendations in 2005. Until such time as the WSDOT adopts the improvements to the MUTCD, cities and counties can choose to follow the national guidance except on state routes.

NOTEWORTHY CHANGES FOR BICYCLISTS

The MUTCD has over 700 pages but Part 9 is of particular interest to cyclists. Some highlights include:

• The use of regulatory signs for bike lanes are no longer mandatory but recommended;
• Standards for sign height and offset on shared-use trails have been revised to allow for greater flexibility;
• New signs have been created for specific types of road and path users like skaters and eqestrians; and particularly noteworthy is the following:
• For locations where a travel lane is too narrow for a bicyclists and a motor vehicle to travel side by side, there is a new "Bikes May Use Full Lane" regulatory sign that can be posted to remind road users of bicyclists' legal right to the lane without crowding. To see all of the new signs allowed including "full lane" check it out on page 793: http//mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/pdfs/2009/part9.pdf

To see the entire online version of the MUTCD, visit http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/

I like to feel the wind in my face.

Good Morning! As an introduction my name is Mary, I live and bike in Bellingham with my husband and seven year old daughter. I am on the Board of Directors for the Bicycle Alliance of Washington. I am extremely lucky in that I love my job as the everybodyBIKE events coordinator. I am currently busy with Bike Month and planning Whatcom County's Bike to Work and School Day. I help put on bicycle rodeos at local schools and at community events.

When I speak to kids about bike safety I like to start off by asking them why they like to ride their bikes. When I was at a Cub Scouts meeting the other week a few of the kids gave the typical answers: "I like riding down hills" and "Riding with one hand is fun".  But one kid totally surprised me by saying, "It's better than sitting in a car". I couldn't agree more!
Last week at an elementary school a fifth grader said, "It makes me feel free" and another, "I like to feel the wind in my face". These answers brought the biggest smile to my face! I love riding my bike for all these reasons too (plus many more I won't go into right now).

What about you? Why do YOU like to ride your bike? Has that answer changed over the years? Think back to when you were a fifth grader on two wheels, what did you love about bikes then?

It Costs $$$$ to Drive

Perhaps you're not concerned about global warming or the impacts driving a motor vehicle has on the environment.  Maybe you're seldom faced with traffic congestion when you drive.  Then consider the financial costs of driving.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) released its 2010 edition of Your Driving Costs: How Much Are You Really Paying to Drive?  If you drive a small sedan like a Toyota Corolla and average 20,000 miles per year, AAA estimates your annual driving costs to be $7321.  If your wheels are a Honda Accord or similar midsize car, your costs increase to $9519 annually.

Are you a soccer mom with a Toyota Sienna minivan?  You'd better budget $10,476 for the privilege of driving your vehicle.  Drive a Ford Explorer?  AAA says you're paying $12,410 to drive your SUV.  Costs for all vehicles were calculated with gas at $2.603 per gallon.


I think I'll keep pedaling my bike.

Bicycle Commuting: Building Linear Communities

Everybody knows that Portland and Seattle are bike commuting havens. Motorists see cyclists everywhere and know that those cyclists travel from Point A to Point B while also fitting in a workout, reducing their carbon footprint, cutting down on traffic, and getting a caffeine-free, natural wake-me-up -- well-known benefits of commuting by bike.

What non-riders don't know is that cyclists who ride regularly also form a linear community as they ride. I wave and call "Good morning!" to an elderly crossing guard, who wishes me a good morning in return. I salute the walker who wears Mickey Mouse gloves and waves at every vehicle that goes by. I smile at the long-bearded cyclist I encounter every morning at the same place. I smell the fresh, sugary smell as I pass the Hostess Cake factory. I hear the birds singing and watch the pairs of mallard ducks trolling for their breakfasts. I see the same young boy at a bus stop each morning, playing with one stuffed animal or another as he waits. I chat with other cyclists at stop lights and ride with fellow commuters. I've met a number of very nice Bicycle Alliance supporters that way, out on the road. My favorite bike shops -- and, indeed, shops in general -- are all along my route, not necessarily near my home, but handy to stop by on the way here or there.

This is the beauty of going by bike. In your car, you choose comfortable, climate- and noise-controlled isolation. On a bike, you hear, see, smell, and feel it all, building a depth of relationship with the people and the place unimaginable to the average motorist. And when you roll in soaked to the bone, leaving damp footprints and a trail of drips behind, you know you aren't alone. You're part of the bicycle commuting community.

Bikes on Light Rail Kick-Off

The Bicycle Alliance is excited to be kicking off its Bikes on Light Rail project in Southeast Seattle at Bike Works' Kid Bike Swap on May 8, 2010 from 10am-4pm at Genesee Playfield. Kids will get to test their new bikes and learn riding skills on a course we set up, and we will be provide maps and information about taking bikes on transit and places to ride in their neighborhoods. The Bicycle Alliance is a Gold Level sponsor of the 2010 Kids Bike Swap.

We are promoting bikes on light rail as part of a joint project with Transportation Choices Coalition to promote the use of light rail to Southeast Seattle residents with our focus on combining it with bicycling. The Bikes on Light Rail project is generously funded by a grant from Boeing.

Future Bikes on Light Rail activities include organizing and leading short rides for the Beacon Hill Elementary School Bike Club, organizing neighborhood rides to Link Light Rail stations, and matching new riders with Bike Buddies.

Sharing the road

Sharing—it seems like such a simple concept. By the time we were three, most of us had figured out that mom thought it was a good thing if we let our friends play with our toys. By the time we were eight, most of us had a decent handle on what sharing was all about. And as adults, most of us wouldn’t dream of keeping our possessions, our time or our talents all to ourselves.

So why is it that so many people have such trouble sharing the road? Why do people who wouldn’t dream of refusing to lend their neighbor a cup of sugar act like maniacs on the highway? There are many causes: frustration, impatience, inattention, intoxication, ignorance, and anger among others. Whatever the reason, there’s no doubt that operating a vehicle brings out the reptile brain in too many people.

As if we needed another reminder of the consequences, there’s the recent case of Dr. Michael Fadich in Wenatchee, struck and seriously injured by a pickup truck that illegally turned left in front of his bicycle, then left the scene.

Tracy Warner, the Wenatchee World’s editorial page editor, and a cyclist himself, used the occasion as an opportunity to educate drivers about cyclists’ legal rights, and remind cyclists that they, too need to obey the law. Warner’s column is a good primer on the rules of the road, and worth sharing with your non-bicycling friends.

At the same time, the state Department of Licensing, in conjunction with the Bicycle Alliance, is doing more to educate both drivers and cyclists about sharing the road and how to avoid collisions. This includes “Share the Road” brochures for both drivers and cyclists. The brochures are available on the Bike Alliance website.

The brochures, appropriately enough, were financed in part by revenue from the “Share the Road” license plates, the best car accessory you can buy. They’re way cooler than fuzzy dice, way cheaper than a new sound system, and help benefit the cause of safe cycling.

Abolish Bike to Work Month

2010 Designated "Bike Everywhere!"
For years now, May has been designated National Bike to Work Month. Businesses all across the US organize teams and award prizes for the longest commute, the most miles ridden and most new bicycle commuters. Let's challenge ourselves instead and designate 2010 the year of Biking Everywhere.
I suggest a particular month does not need to be designated ride to work. How about riding for the joy of the ride, the adventure, the health of it, every time you have a short shopping trip, or want to save a little piece of the environment?
During May and beyond, I challenge you to embrace Kent Peterson's mantra that "every distance is bicycling distance". Reward your kids for riding to the grocery store or ride with them to school every week until school ends. I challenge you to go to the Farmer's Market in your neighborhood and buy all your dinner ingredients from local farmers. Ride to worship. Think up more reasons to hop on your bike and go someplace. Leave your Lycra at home and ride in blue jeans, shorts, flip flops, a suit and tie, skirt and blouse. Smile along the way.
If you take up my year-long challenge, I guarantee you'll reap many rewards and have a lot of fun along the way.
Life is better by bicycle!