Urban Velo

Washcycle has a "nice" thorough piece about a hearing in DC about biking, "Bicycle Advisory Committee Performance Oversight Hearing" From the recounting, the hearing seemed to overly focus on the desire to ticket bicyclists for running lights/stop signs. I am unapologetic about running either--but only if there is absolutely no oncoming traffic. If I do so otherwise, ticket me.

On the other hand, charge people with assault for throwing things at bicyclists, including me--I was hit with stuff in the back while biking by Spingarn high school on Benning Road on Saturday, after going to the opening of the Deanwood Heritage Trail, physically threatening bicyclists (that happened a few months ago to me on Kansas Ave. NW at 8th Street when a person turned around, drove at me at a high speed, and got out of his car and physically threatened me), or yelling at bicyclists generally (I couldn't ever keep track of all these incidents--they happen frequently, but not necessarily every week). In any of these instances I did nothing to provoke someone.

Also, jail people for stealing bikes or pieces of bicycles.

And, jail people for vehicular manslaughter of either bicyclists or pedestrians.

Once that starts happening as a matter of course, then we can talk about ticketing bicylists running stop lights or stop signs.

On that note, a couple weeks ago at Atomic Books in Hampden, Baltimore, I picked up some copies of a 'zine called Urban Velo, with the tag line "Bicycle Culture on the Skids." Each issue is only $3, but it's free online as well. Read it along with Momentum Magazine.