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25

AGAINST One of my primary issues with bike lanes is that motorists tend to think that you have to stay in that lane. So when you have to move right because of debris, garbage cans or parked cars in the lane it further annoys ill-informed drivers. Additionally, drivers come to expect you to be out of traffic, riding on the shoulder, and will squeeze by you ...


18

For the most part, the same kind of advice you give to any cyclist will suffice here. Encourage them to take it easy at first, to give them the opportunity to experience cycling--and specifically climbing--in a supportive, non-threatening environment. Pick a good route What hills and roads you pick will have an effect on how the newbie cyclist perceives ...


13

In theory great except for: Painted white line on side of road - great except for everybody turning right across them at each junction, cars parked in them, busses pulling in and out of them, grit+broken glass+leafs+litter swept into them, broken drain covers, or are so narrow you can't fit a bike in them. Separated bike lanes - either take you miles out ...


11

Rails-to-trails, LAB and others are all great groups who do a lot of good, but not necessarily in your area. Like the saying goes, "Think globally, act locally". The best form of advocacy is to ride as much as you can. In the developed world we tend to look at cycling as recreation or a hobby. As such, many participants drive their bike to the place ...


11

I want to just go over to the person and try to give them some common sense. If I felt like that, I'd have to tell every second cyclist I see at night that they ought to have lights. Is it productive to be confrontational in this situation? Has anybody been able to educate them? Should we let the salmon swim upstream unimpeded? Ring your bell. :-) ...


7

I'm sure there are cultural differences between NYC and where I live, but I've found that any attempts at yelling "Don't go the wrong way!", "You're gonna kill yourself! Ride with traffic!" or something like that at a passing cyclist get no acknowledgment, get dismissed ("yeah, yeah, whatever"), or hostility. There's very few wrong-way cyclists that seem ...


7

Velodromes are not a suitable cycling venue for members of the general public. They require specialized equipment (e.g., higher bottom brackets to avoid pedal strikes), training (e.g., no moving up/down track without ensuring you have room, maintaining enough speed in corners), and discipline. Expecting untrained riders and/or unsupervised novices to ride ...


6

The closest thing I know of nationally is the League of American Bicyclists I Bike - I Vote page, but that is not going to really give you a clue about for whom you should vote. It's more a resource for issues before Congress that you could use to question candidates. I don't know where Dana Point is, but I know many counties in CA have bicycle advocacy ...


6

Showing example is a great way for cycling advocacy. People around me take usage of car for granted. But when they see me riding my bike everyday for working, for shopping or just for the pleasure of cycling, they start to question their behaviour. There is still a long way before they are converted but the seed has been injected in their mind.


6

I have in the past stopped and held up my hand in a 'stop' gesture and had a short conversation with people riding the wrong way. If they stop, which they normally do, I typically and quickly try to point out: Wrong way riding is illegal. It's substantially more dangerous. Our state is a contributory negligence state, so if you are in an accident you will ...


6

In London there are some new 'Cycle Superhighways' painted in blue with lots of associated signage (and publicity), they're envisaged as arterial routes from the edges of the city into the centre. Obviously they're only useful if your journey is close to where they are but they have had some quite obvious effects even in the few months of their official ...


6

This may not seem very concrete to you, but if you think about it, it is very powerful indeed. Imagine a collision between a car and a bike. With no such law in place you might expect there to be some argument about whose fault it was etc. etc. and as cyclists we all know from experience who's likely to come off worst... However you put such a law in place ...


5

Well, there's the Cars-R-Coffins website, but i don't know of any shops that are actively anti-car. It's pretty counter productive, and even if you push the green dream pretty hard, it's generally recognized that positive input is better than negativity. For example: Most people respond better to, "I ride my bike because it's good, cheap transportation, ...


5

It's not your problem. Leave them be. Do your own thing, swim your own path. It's easy to say that but life's too short. If they're not going to listen to what you say and it would just annoy you even more than it apparently already does, then just leave them to it and go on about your day. Unless someone has actively endangered me with their stupidity, ...


5

Honestly, I don't think that a velodrome would accomplish what you are intending, taking the public from the streets to the track. Riding on the banks of a velodrome (Unless it's wide/long such as the 'drome at the end of Paris-Roubaix) is an accomplished skill, so what I'm afraid you'd have is a bunch of riders doing laps at the bottom of the track. Also, ...


4

It'd be best if they simply obeyed the traffic laws, but the few times I've brought this up with wrong-way riders, I've encountered everything from disbelief to hostility. I simply do my best to avoid them and not collide with them. To that end, I've found that you can usually "direct" these riders within the bike lane or shoulder. When I see them in the ...


4

There are so many variables here. Strength and endurance varies widely between riders, and the situation gets even more complicated if heat is at all a factor. And many riders may be on bikes that lack a decent granny range. Less experienced riders will have difficulty holding the bike steady on a hill, even if they have the strength to easily manage the ...


4

One of the aspects of Cycling Advocacy is to make cycling more popular. My usual approach to this is to get work colleagues to volunteer to take part in a charity bike ride a few months from now (we usually do the Manchester to Blackpool Bike Ride in aid of The Christie which is about 60 miles long). Out of the various people who volunteer and do the bike ...


4

There are lots of cycling clubs that are associated with IMBA (International Mountain Biking Association). These clubs often run events and maintain trails. By joining an IMBA club, you'll help support efforts on a regional and national level.


3

The most practical approach we found for larger posters was trailers. Like this They're somewhat inclined to fall over in the wind so you have to be a little cautious, but the group who were using them lent them out to a range of people without any problems (other than getting the trailers back afterwards). You can attach the same A frames to a loadbike if ...


2

Well, in many countries there is a nationwide cycling advocacy group, often organized similarly to motoring clubs. In Germany there is the ADFC, the Netherlands have the Fietsersbond, etc. A international umbrella organization is the European Cyclists'Federation. I don't think there is any global umbrella organization. These organizations are all part ...


2

On a global level, there are two different takes on whether helmets should be illegal, or recommended at all, and what effect that has on bicycling in the community. Bicycle Helmet Research Foundation. The International Safety Union for Cyclists. A TEDx talk by an advocate of the former Personally, I started wearing a helmet when my first kid was born ...


2

I don't know of any truly worldwide organizations of that type, and doubt any are out there. I believe you'll have an easier time finding a local organization. I believe a local organization is also going to be more effective at achieving the goals you mention. Bicycle advocacy of getting better infrastructure (roads, paths, lanes, etc) will have to be ...


2

In most states people are prohibited from texting or using hand-held cellphones while driving. I see no reason why the same prohibitions shouldn't apply to cyclists. I'd consider it the height of folly to text while cycling, and, while I can sort of conceive of using a cellphone while cycling (though I'd never do so myself), I see no reason why cyclists ...


2

I would think the best would be to attach to a rear rack. The posters could stick up above the top of the rack, occupying maybe 3 vertical feet. Width would be limited by heel clearance issues -- probably about 18 inches. You could also put small posters on the front wheel, mounted to a front rack. And there can be a poster in the triangle between the ...



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