News, Links, and Other Views

City of San Diego

• The city attorney has filed vehicular manslaughter charges against the driver who killed Charles Gilbreth on Montezuma Road.
• The city’s Land Use and Housing Committee passed a resolution to improve bicycle safety.
• There is no more free parking at Horton Plaza, you must now spend at least $10.00 in order to get a parking validation.
• After the Cabrillo Bridge project was defeated in court, Todd Gloria is now contemplating waiving the law that stopped it.
• If you’ve ever wondered why you couldn’t put your bike on a trolley and go to the airport, an article in the Voice of San Diego does a good job explaining the obstacles that stand in the way.
• There was recently some controversy over the City of San Diego’s appointments to the port commission.  Hopefully the new commissioners will have a vision for a waterfront that includes world class bike facilities, not just giant sculptures.

San Diego Region

• Solana Beach is revising its general plan.  The city will hold a workshop on February 21st to get public feedback about proposals to make the city more pedestrian, bicycle, and public transportation friendly.
• San Diego County has amended its off street parking regulations.
• Oceanside’s plans to renovate Coast Highway received more positive coverage.

Elsewhere

• The National Bureau of Economic Research has published a study showing that the reason helmet laws reduce bicycle-related head injuries in children is because helmet laws result in fewer children riding bikes.
• A study is underway at Portland State University to study the impact of protected bicycle lanes on ridership, safety, and the economy.
• Bikes are good for business!  Here’s a good article about April Economides, who has worked with the San Diego Business Improvement District Council and the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition.  Also, here are some local and local and not-so-local examples of how bikes are good for business.
• Building protected bike paths presents political, engineering, and psychological problems as planners wait for the data that supports this “new” idea.
• The Illinois Department of Transportation has blocked construction of protected bicycle lanes on state owned property in Chicago.
• Here is a good video showing how poorly designed bike paths and bike lanes discourage people from riding bikes.
• New York City continues to add bike lanes, but as Mayor Bloomberg’s time in office ends there seems to be a shortage of mayoral candidates who support bike lanes.
• Santa Monica College has installed a new parking facility with capacity for up to 400 bikes.
• It seems the love affair with the car may be on the wane.
• If you think the price of gas in San Diego is high, it could be worse.
• Berkeley has installed a new covered bike rack.
• In Columbia South Carolina discussions are underway about how to make a more pedestrian and bike friendly city.
• Discussion continues around reforming CEQA.
• Scottish bicycle advocates are asking that 5% of the country’s transportation budget be spent to encourage travel by bicycle.
• A motorist who ran into Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins was sentenced to attend a driver awareness course.
• Perhaps this is a particularly Dutch problem, cyclists over 80 years old are 80% more likely to die in a bike accident.
• Hotels from New York to Mumbai are offering bicycles to guests as an amenity.
• In Santa Monica a social group ride has encouraged seniors to start riding bikes again.