BikeLeague News: Vol. 2, No. 1

Tue Feb 13 13:42:45 CST 2001

Welcome to the League of American Bicyclists' electronic newsletter,
BikeLeague News. To subscribe or to un-subscribe, or to submit an idea for
a
story, please write mailto:bikeleague at bikeleague.org. Feel free to forward
this to fellow cyclists and others who may be interested, but please make
sure to credit the League of American Bicyclists as your source. To join or
learn more about the League, visit http://www.bikeleague.org.

TRUCKER CHARGED IN ROAD RAGE DEATH OF CYCLIST IN SAN FRANCISCO
Rueben Espinosa, who allegedly ran over and killed cyclist Chris Robertson
in San Francisco on November 17, was charged Monday with involuntary
manslaughter, assault with a deadly weapon, and assault with force likely
to
produce great bodily injury, following a lengthy investigation. The judge
set bail for Espinosa at $2 million. Robertson was taking part in a group
ride following the funeral of a friend when he was killed. Witnesses told
investigators the truck driver threw a large chunk of wood at the rider,
who
then "cut off the 18-wheeler, and the driver ran over him." The San
Francisco district attorney's office said Espinosa was intoxicated at the
time.

Robertson was an active member of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. A
rally will be held February 12 on the steps of City Hall to demand that the
city of San Francisco, the SFPD and the DA do more to improve how cyclists
are treated on the streets. For more information, go to
http://www.sfbike.org. Before he died, Robertson had planned to do the
California AIDS ride for the second time in June. His team members from the
last ride will be sponsoring his rider #2115 and his family and friends
will
also ride and crew in his honor. You can send a donation on Chris' behalf
by
using his rider number and going to this site:
http://www.sfafpledge.org/sponsor.html

ANTI-BICYCLING TEXAS SENATE BILL 238: CYCLISTS UNITED IN OPPOSITION; FIGHT
FOR YOUR RIGHT TO RIDE
In a recent Action Alert, the League urged cyclists to join with the Texas
Bicycle Coalition (http://www.biketexas.org), Lance Armstrong
(http://www.lancearmstrong.com/) and the League in opposing Texas Senate
Bill 238, a measure that would severely curtail the rights of cyclists in
Texas. The Bill, which could take effect September 1, would prohibit groups
of three or more cyclists on many of the best country roads in Texas
(essentially making group riding illegal on rural roads), prohibit riding
two abreast, and require cyclists to wear "slow-moving-vehicle" emblems.
(Picture Lance wearing one of those.)

Opposition to the measure is mounting rapidly. Preston Tyree of the Texas
Bicycle Coalition reported that one Senator has received some 400 messages
against SB238 and none in favor of it. Last week, the three Texas chapters
of the national Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (http://www.leukemia.org)
joined the effort to defeat the Bill, that would curtail Leukemia Team in
Training fundraising efforts for the 11,000 Leukemia patients in Texas.
Many
farmers and the Texas Farm Bureau support the Bill, however, and it has
garnered enormous press coverage in Texas, with several newspapers
editorializing against it; read all about it:
http://ww.biketexas.org/sb238media.html. Another bill, proposed by Rep.
Rick
Green, that would ban cyclists from rural roads with high speeds and high
traffic counts that lack shoulders, has not been filed as of this writing.
Go to http://www.biketexas.org to add your voice to the chorus opposing
these discriminatory measures.

MARIN COUNTY'S OUTSTANDING "SHARE THE ROAD" PROGRAM
Possibly the broadest and most effective local "Share the Road" campaign in
the nation, the Marin County, California "Share the Road" program is a
community-based effort with the support of numerous organizations, groups
and individuals, including the entire law enforcement community of the
County. Ten thousand (yes, 10,000) posters featuring Lance Armstrong are
being placed in prominent locations all over Marin. Details of the program
and a look at the poster can be found at http://www.MarinShareTheRoad.com.

The program is dedicated to increasing the awareness and the understanding
of both drivers and cyclists about the need (and the legal requirement) to
safely share the roads in Marin County. It aims to firmly introduce the
phrase "share the road" into the daily vocabulary of Marin County residents
and visitors. "Share The Road" road signs are deployed in appropriate
locations throughout Marin, and a massive promotional campaign (featuring
the posters, bumper stickers, T-shirts, water bottles, and more) is
underway. The program advocates the timely and accurate reporting of all
"road incidents", by both drivers and cyclists. When a law has been broken,
appropriate local law enforcement agencies take charge. The program also
encourages the local press to publish timely follow up articles in all
situations when charges have been filed.

BICYCLE SAFETY BILL FACES COLORADO SENATE VOTE
Following the Colorado Senate Transportation Committee's approval yesterday
of Bicycle Safety Bill SB 01-59, the Bill may face a full Senate vote as
soon as Monday, February 12. Martha Roskowski, Executive Director of
Bicycle
Colorado and a member of the League's Board, said, "we are working to
convince the state legislature to make legal changes that will improve your
safety when cycling on the road. If the bike safety bill is approved,
cyclists will have additional protection from right-turning motorists and
right turns could be signaled with an outstretched right hand. Car drivers
would be required to give cyclists at least three feet of clearance when
passing, and cyclists could legally ride through a crosswalk from a
shared-use path." Bicycle Colorado will hold a rally and press conference
to
support the Bicycle Safety Bill at the State Capitol in Denver on February
12th at 8:00 am. Read the Bill at http://www.bicyclecolo.org. Contact
Bicycle Colorado at 719-530-0051, or e-mail Martha at bicyclecolo.org for more
info.

HOUSTON CYCLIST SUES OVER BIKE LANE REMOVAL
Barry Reese, a Houston cyclist and advocate, has filed a lawsuit against
the
Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the U.S. Department of
Transportation (USDOT) over the recent removal of bike lanes near downtown
Houston. Some two miles of bike lanes were removed after motorists
complained about poor traffic management in connection with TxDOT's ongoing
construction on the I-45 freeway near downtown Houston. The bike lanes were
installed as part of the City of Houston's commitment to clean up its air
quality under the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program of
the USDOT.

Reese said he filed the lawsuit out of a concern for safety, clean air and
government waste, "The bike lanes are needed to improve conditions for the
safety of bicyclists and encourage bicycling as a healthy, clean
alternative
to the car. I'm particularly concerned that tax dollars intended to clean
up
Houston's air and make streets safer for everyone, may have been used
instead to remove bike lanes and signs and compromise the safety of (the
street)," said Reese. Dan Lundeen, Reese's attorney, said, "it's illegal to
use federal aid highway monies to sever a major bicycling route without
providing an alternate route like a detour, or to fail to consider the
safety needs and routes of bicyclists in roadway projects. Removal of the
West Dallas bike lanes did just that."

OBESITY CONTINUED CLIMB IN 1999 AMONG AMERICAN ADULTS
The prevalence of obesity in the United States continued to grow in 1999,
representing a serious public health threat to millions of Americans,
according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Since
1991, obesity among adults has increased by nearly 60% nationally. Dr.
Jeffrey Koplan, Director of the CDC, said, "As a nation, we need to respond
as vigorously to this epidemic as we do to an infectious disease epidemic."
He said national efforts were needed to encourage physical activity and
better nutrition and to conduct research to identify effective educational,
behavioral, and environmental approaches to control and prevent obesity.

"As obesity rates continue to grow at epidemic proportions in this country,
the net effect will be dramatic increases in related chronic health
conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the future," said
Dr. Koplan. CDC recently reported that diabetes increased by 33% among
adults during the 1990s, reflecting the surge in the obesity epidemic
during
that same period. Overweight and physical inactivity account for more than
300,000 premature deaths each year in the U.S., second only to
tobacco-related deaths.

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT WILL CREATE MOUNTAIN BIKES PLAN
After receiving some 12,000 comments from cyclists opposing a Bureau of
Land
Management (BLM) plan that would have lumped mountain bikes with motorized
vehicles, the BLM announced Friday it will write a separate planning
document for mountain bikes. The document will define how the BLM governs
bicycles on BLM-managed land. The League of American Bicyclists and the
International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) had urged cyclists to
express opposition to a proposed plan that would have grouped mountain
bikes
with motorized vehicles despite the different impacts of the activities.

"We have decided to pursue a separate strategy for mountain biking because
there are enough unique differences. We'd really like to elevate our
recognition of mountain biking and include them in our planning process,"
said Bob Ratcliffe, BLM's deputy group manager for recreation. The
strategy,
which will take at least a year to develop, will cover trail mapping,
signage, user education and partnerships with other groups. Tim Blumenthal,
IMBA's executive director, said, "What's been most encouraging about this
is
how well the cycling community responded and how enthusiastically and
passionately they responded," he said.

LEAGUE ANNOUNCES NEW EDUCATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS
In light of the League's expanding bicycle safety and education programs,
League president Chris Kegel has announced a new Education Committee.
Committee members include: Peter Flucke, president of WE BIKE and board
president of the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin; Linda Crider, director of
the State of Florida Traffic & Bicycle Safety Education Program and
president of Bike Florida; Lois Chaplin, project director for the Cornell
University-based bicycle safety education program; Preston Tyree, education
director of the Texas Bicycle Coalition and president of the Austin Cycling
Association; John Schubert, technical editor of Adventure Cyclist magazine
and a League board member; Bill Hoffman, vice chairman of PA Pedal Cycle &
Pedestrian Advisory Committee and chair of its Cycling Education in
Pennsylvania sub-committee; and Barbara Sturges, treasurer of the League,
who will chair the Education Committee.

We hope you enjoy BikeLeague News. To subscribe or un-subscribe, please
write mailto:bikeleague at bikeleague.org. Please forward this to fellow
cyclists and others who may be interested, but please be sure to credit the
League of American Bicyclists as the source for your information. To
support
or learn more about the League, visit http://www.bikeleague.org.