28 Days Later

On Thursday, May 16, 2013 a cyclist was struck in Philadelphia by a tractor-trailer dump truck. The victim was hit so hard they were taken to the hospital in critical condition and the bicycle shattered into multiple pieces. As seen in this newscast. Safe for the office, click here for link.

The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia reported this on its blog and let everyone know that “We will provide updates when they become available”. 28 days later, nothing.

If you are a bicycling advocacy organization and you post about cyclists hurt in accidents it would really help if you follow up. Especially when the cyclist is taken to the hospital in critical condition.  One would hope that the BCGP would have sufficient contacts within the Philadelphia Police Department and other agencies to get detailed information.

Here are some of the questions that I, and hopefully others would like to see answered:

Was the driver of the vehicle ticketed or charged and if not, why?

Does the cyclist have medical insurance and if not is there a fund I can donate to?

Does the cyclist need money to help bills because they are unable to work due to the extensive injuries and where can I donate?

Is there any type of community awareness ride being planned to set a marker warning people what happened?

  

If the BCGP reports bad news it would be nice if they could follow up with some good news and tell everyone how they can help. Inquiring minds want to know.

We Scream for Ice Cream

In Brimfield Township, Ohio the police are writing tickets to children wearing their helmet. Good for one free ice cream cone from Franks Drive-In, located on SR43. A program that was revived after a ten-year absence.

I hope more community police departments will embrace programs like this on a periodic basis. What could be a more effective way to teach young cyclists best practices then a reward from a police officer in the course of an average day. At the same time this benefits a locally owned business as the child who is ticketed will most likely bring friends and/or family who will also buy ice cream.

This is the precisely the kind of ticket I wish we could all get once in awhile.

With friends like these, who needs Stu Bykofsky.

Philebrity likes to rail about Stu Bykofsky's anti-bicycle columns, but it appears they are intent on becoming the hipster version of Stu. Their most recent column, Reasonable Humans Draw Up Pedestrian–Cyclist Armistice That Will Be Followed Everywhere But Here Because Of, Well, You Know.

They allude that a recent article in Slate Magazine which promoted a simple solution of mutual respect between cyclists and pedestrians. To end common misperceptions of each other, Philebrity’s response was, it won't work here because “you know”. The problems are, we don't know. Is Philebrity inferring that there is something about Philadelphia cyclists and pedestrians that won't make this work? Do they have to keep perpetuating the myth that all cyclists are bunch lawless renegades. Terrifying little old ladies as they ride on the sidewalks and running stop signs so drivers get into accidents.

Why does Philebrity need to engage in the same type of pot stirring that Stu Bykofsky does? Is this a ploy to increase the number of hits on their website or do they truly feel that Philadelphia cyclists are a bunch of renegades? It would be nice if Philebrity could explain why this won't work, but only they know.

Lets annoy Stu Bykofsky even more

An ancestor of Stu Bykofsky from a time when there were no bicycles

The Philadelphia Police Department is holding their annual traffic enforcement in Center City during June.  Focusing on specific areas in Center City, areas with high volumes of motor vehicle offenses. The campaign will be run until June 28th. The map below shows the locations where enforcement will be focused.

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The goal is to reduce pedestrian and bicycle crashes in Center City, increase motorist awareness through education and enforcement. There will be an increase in the number of citations given to motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians within the targeted zones.

This will also be a great way to truly annoy Stu Bykofsky. In 2009 Stu Bykofsky opinion writer and professional grumpy old man for the Philadelphia Daily News started writing anti-bicycle articles. According to Stu cyclists or as he likes to call them; bikeheads and pedalphiles.  They are all blatant lawbreakers who either ride on the sidewalks or run red lights and stop signs.  He says that this something every cyclist does, no exceptions and no amount of bike count data will convince him otherwise.

To make matters worse he also claims that because only 1.8% rides bikes three days a week so bike lanes are not needed and take away lanes for cars. What he leaves out is 1.8% of the population of Philadelphia is 27,856 cyclists per week. That doesn’t sound small. Now there is his latest claim, in 2011, 80 cyclists were ticketed and in 2012, the number rose to 88. By Stu’s logic he believes because large numbers of cyclists are not getting tickets there must be very few people riding bicycles. At no time does he even consider that cyclists are not the lawbreakers he thinks they are.

So how can you annoy you annoy Stu Bykofsky? Stay off the sidewalks unless you are walking your bicycle, don’t run stop signs, and wait for green lights. Lets see if we can get the number of tickets issued lower than 88 for 2013.

Via Bicycles - A review

While there are many bicycle shops in Philadelphia there are none like Via Bicycles. Curtis Anthony opened in 1982 with a $5000.00 dollar loan from his mother with an antique bed for collateral. Finding Via Bicycles is very easy just watch for the van that is piled high with bicycles from one of their buying expeditions and a sidewalk lined with bikes ready for sale.

Thirty-one years later Curtis is still going strong at 9^th St. and South St. What makes Via Bicycles unique is they do not sell new bikes; they specialize in reconditioned bicycles for Philadelphia commuters. The shop is filled with fully reconditioned vintage British three speeds, Schwinn coaster brake and 3, 10, and 12 speed bicycles. As well as stocking parts for to make any needed repairs. They also have a collection of truly vintage bikes that can be repaired and ready to ride for the true collector.

Curtis understands that bicycles are meant to be ridden and not end up on display in a collection. This is exemplified by his daily ride, a vintage fixed gear bicycle; a restored 1886 Victor Penny Farthing complete with an 1872 wrench.  A bike that any other collector would never even consider riding on the streets of Philadelphia on a daily basis.

This approach carries over into his business; the bikes he sells are fully restored mechanically, rust free, and the original paint on the frame is in great shape. When Curtis tells you something about a bicycle you are considering buying, listen. Curtis is providing you with information that you never knew and is important to the process of finding the right bike for you. Similar to a chef explaining what ingredients are in your gourmet meal and why it tastes the way it does.

Curtis and his mechanics treat every customer with respect, a douche bag free zone when it comes to bicycle mechanics. They often provide maintenance tips to help you do things at home. Via Bicycles is my go to shop for repairs on all of my vintage bicycles.