CALIFORNIA BICYCLE NEWS AND CYCLING SAFETY TIPS BLOG

The League of American Bicyclists has awarded Stanford University with their prestigious Platinum Award for promoting a bicycle-friendly campus. According to BikeRadar.com, Stanford has promoted a commuter friendly campus with an emphasis on bicycle safety. “We encourage, reward and incent everyone to ride a bike and offer multiple programs and promotions to promote bike safety for all campus users,” says Ariadne Scott, Stanford’s Bicycle Program Coordinator. Stanford’s campus is home to 13,000 daily cyclists. The campus has bike paths, discounted helmets for sale and bike lockers; it also offers bicycle safety classes twice a month and a diversion program for cyclists who receive citations. “The results prove to be successful. Stanford University’s employee drive-alone rate dropped from 72 percent in 2002 to 48 percent in 2010,” says Scott. “Our bike commuter rate for university commuters is 21.7 percent.” The rankings for the League of American Bicyclists are based on campus…
Read More »

San Diego police are searching for the driver of a truck that struck a cyclist on January 25, leaving the North County cyclist in the hospital with injuries, according to ABC 10 News in San Diego. 33-year-old Heath Bernstein was riding with friends late Tuesday night when a dark-colored pickup truck swerved across two lanes on Highway 101, striking Bernstein, who was in the bike lane. Bernstein was riding with two other friends when the San Diego cycling accident occurred. “My recollection of getting hit is thankfully not there,” Bernstein said about the bicycle accident. “I turned around and went back, and that’s when I saw his bike lying down on the street with his light pointed in the bushes and I knew something had happened,” said Dr. Scott Holyoak, who was riding with Bernstein. Bernstein, who is staying at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, suffered fractures and other…
Read More »

The Los Angeles City Council approved legislation on March 1, 2011 to implement more than 1,680 miles of bike paths, according to the Miami Herald. The legislation is a huge step forward for bicycle safety advocates. The 2010 Bicycle Plan also calls for the city to add 200 miles of new bike paths to the interconnected bike path system every five years. The Los Angeles City Council has been working on this plan for years. The plan is a monumental step in promoting bicycle safety in Los Angeles; the city has added only 377 miles of bike paths since 1977, according to the L.A. Times. Local cyclists opposed the bill in 2009, saying it failed to meet their needs; the city council consequently rejected it. The revamped plan has the full support of cyclists and local non-profit organizations.  Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who approved the plan on March 1, is an…
Read More »