I know some of you will hate this.

Thanks to Bookninja for the link.

The Times Union published a story today about a 14-year-old cyclist hit in Albany.

COLONIE – A 14-year-old is in stable condition at Albany Medical Center Hospital after being hit by an SUV Monday as he crossed Central Avenue.

Police said the incident occurred at 5:47 p.m. between Colonie Center and Northway Mall when Carlos Perez of Albany rode into the path of a Honda CRV driven by Colleen Williams of Albany.

Perez was thrown from the bike and landed on the hood of the SUV before rolling to the ground, police said. He suffered a concussion, broken bones and cuts on his head and neck, police said.

No tickets were issued. Witnesses said Perez was not crossing in a designated area and also said Williams had a green light.

Anyone who witnessed the crash can call Sgt. Robert Donnelly at 783-2744.

This morning I saw a guy on a bike pass a bus on the right without slowing down. He blew through the red light the bus was stopped for. So I thought I’d post this helpful bit.

Rohan set me up with an account, so I have written two short/sweet articles about Bike Safety and Bike Locks for the Albany Bicycle Coalition’s website. They are by no means thorough, hence the “101″ suffix, but they are better than nothing.

This video is worth watching. I appreciate a cyclist admitting he does dangerous things. I also appreciate his calm explanations of why things are dangerous.

A discussion to help reduce your carbon footprint sponsored by
the Sierra Club, the Rochester Bicycling Club and
presented by the Monroe County Office of Traffic Safety

Free & Open to the Public

Thursday – March 19, 2009 7:00pm

Brighton Town Auditorium
2300 Elmwood Avenue
Rochester, NY 14618

This discussion will provide information on the vehicle and traffic laws of NYS and how they apply to new or experienced bicyclists.

We will cover:
common collision scenarios and how to avoid them.
safe riding techniques to keep bicyclists safe on the streets.
useful information on riding safely and legally in traffic.
preparing new or experienced bicyclists for an understanding of vehicular cycling.

Questions? Please contact:
Jean Triest (585) 753-3016 jtriest@monroecounty.gov |
Frank Regan (585) 224-9075 frankregan@rochesterenvironment.com

This two-wheeled journey begins with a single pedal
By Casey Seiler

If you’re an urban cyclist, you haven’t lived until you’ve been to Portland, Ore. The city’s elaborate bike lanes are broad and logically arranged, its bike racks are plentiful and sturdy, and downtown commuters on two human-powered wheels are accepted as a regular part of the traffic flow, not as potential suicides.

It was with Portland in mind that I arrived at the main branch of the Albany Public Library on Wednesday night for the first public meeting to discuss the city’s Bicycle Master Plan. Almost 200 people turned out — but you would have been able to predict that even before entering the building: Every available sign and stachion on the sidewalk had a bike locked to it.

Read the rest of the article.

This came from the Albany Bicycle Coalition mailing list:

League of American Bicyclist Traffic Skills 101

• March 27,28, 2009 TBD Saratoga Springs NY
• May 1 and 2, 2009 SUNY Albany (May 1 Friday evening 6:00-9:00PM / May 2 Sat. 10:00-4:00PM)
  

League of American Bicyclist LC1 Seminar (I believe for those who have passed the traffic Skills 101)

• May 29, 30 and 31, 2009 (Friday evening, Saturday, Sunday at Draper Hall, SUNY Albany Downtown Campus)

For any of these dates or for more information please contact Claire Nolan or Bert Schou.

People tell me I’m nuts when I say I look for black ice to ride on with my studded tires. But it makes perfect sense, in a kind of loony way. The studs grip the ice perfectly – though you still; have to ride conservatively, especially when descending a steep hill or taking a hard turn. But smooth ice provides a very quiet, pleasant ride, one made more pleasant by the fact that the motor vehicles are either going more slowly than usual or staying off the streets altogether. There’s a rub, of course, or actually a harder form of potential contact: cars and trucks slippin’ and slidin’ and maybe plowin’ into you. So make sure you give them lots of space. Even get up over the curb, if necessary, until the coast is clear.

And while you’re standing there in the snowbank, pause to pity the poor pedestrian. I keep telling people not to shower sympathy on winter cyclists but on the winter walkers who have to negotiate unshovelled sidewalks and perilous mini-glaciers at many corners. Residents, homeowners and businesses mostly do a lousy job of clearing their walks, and the municipalities do an even lousier job of educating and policing. It should be obvious that many folks become in effect housebound by the conditions. And many others struggle: the other day in my neighborhood, I saw a young woman trying to push a double kid stroller over a mass of crusty snow between her and a crosswalk. Amundsen never had it so bad. And I frequently see people operating wheelchairs in the street because the walks are impassable. I think we bikers need to organize some kind of solidarity with our transportation cousins. I guess we can always call City Hall… and then wait for spring like everybody else.

Jason sez: Welcome to new contributor Bill Corbett. Bill is the president of a small non-profit called Capital Region Sponsor-A-Scholar, Inc.. They help disadvantaged students in Albany, Troy and Schenectady graduate from high school and go on to college. When they get there, Sponsor-A-Scholar gives them $750.00 stipends for each successful semester they complete. Bill lives in Voorheesville with his wife Diane and son Ryan. His son Billy is a junior at Dartmouth college.

Approaching a complicated intersection

In an effort to help other bike riders (read: commuters) I will attempt to make some suggestions on how to approach and navigate a difficult intersection. In my travels to work on a regular basis, I have to navigate the intersection at 155 and 20 in Guilderland. This is a major intersection from all four directions. I approach from the south (Voorheesville) on 155, with the intention of going straight through to Washington Avenue Extension, where I work. It has both left- and right-hand lane arrows as well as four other lanes in either direction. In my first days of commuting to work, I avoided this intersection and went three extra miles each way to stay safe. Researching the safest route you will take is the first and possibly the most important step you can take in bike commuting.

As road work in the Capital Region progressed, Johnston Road was deemed to get a full makeover. This cut out my alternate route and forced me to confront the 155/20 intersection. It was a pleasant surprise to see that 155 actually had a large shoulder in many places but considerably more traffic, as well. They were also in the process of building a Stewarts halfway to my destination (read: ice cream cones on the way home, chocolate chip cookie dough). So I did my usual good research on the safest route for riding and decided that maybe this would work out after all.

My first approach to the 155/20 intersection went smoothly, as I got the light and no one in a car was making a right hand turn, as I was going straight ahead. This did not work out consistently, causing me to have to figure out where to head and when to take the lane in order to be seen and safe. The right-hand lane was doable until I reached the CVS on the right side of the intersection, but then I found I had to move to the left of the right hand turn lane in order to allow the car traffic to make the turn and not run me over (always a serious consideration on my part). So my plan is to approach with traffic, staying always to the right until traffic starts to back up at the light and I can move into the lane safely. As I proceed to the light with traffic, I move to the left of the right hand turn lane and wait for the light that allows traffic to go straight ahead, which I what I do.

On the return trip, as I said, the Route 155 section between 20 and Washington Avenue Extension where I work has an ample shoulder. I can safely use this all the way from work to Route 20 and then I have to confront yet another six lane choice. In this direction, two right-hand lanes have the right to make a right on the arrow. This is much more complicated and requires more eye contact along with other methods of communication such as hand signals and talking to drivers as they wait at the light to let them know what I am going to do. I choose to take the second right-hand turn lane and keep an eye on the traffic behind me to see if someone seems to want to turn right from the lane I am in. In the event this is the case, I again move over to the left-hand part of the second right-hand turn lane. When the light turns green for the straight ahead option, I proceed across the intersection. (Lots of times I stop for ice cream!)

Remember: always wear a helmet, as it is the single most important safety tool you have!

Next time, how to navigate a round-about.