Wrist-slap from the "legal system"

Suppose your vehicle had a frosted-up windshield one cold winter morning. And let's suppose you were in a big hurry - no time to scrape that windshield - so you hopped in and drove away, peering through the defrosted "peep hole."

(I know what you're saying. C'mon! Something like that could never happen!)

Furthermore, let's suppose that you were stopped in that frosted-up vehicle, near the railroad track... and suddenly the train was coming! Oh, no! Gotta do something! But due to your frosted-up windshield, you failed to notice the guy on the bike, directly in front of you. As you stomp on the gas, you hear a crunch - you know you hit something! But, the train's a-comin' - you gotta get out of the way!

Apparently, that is exactly what happened to Maria Fregoso-Avina, down in Provo, Utah.

The guy on the bike was Douglas Crow. He was 69, a custodian at BYU... a job he'd held for 30 years and was planning on retiring from this year. He was the father of seven children, an avid transportation cyclist, and loved the outdoors. He was pulling a trailer with some gear in it behind his bike. Ms. Fregoso-Avina pushed him onto the tracks with her frosty SUV, where he was run over by the approaching train.

"Just a tragic accident," right? That's what her attorney said.

Could it have been avoided, with reasonable and responsible behavior?

So - what should the penalty be, if your irresponsible behavior - your willful negligence - directly results in the death of another person?

Well, in this particular case, Ms. Fregoso-Avina was sentenced to 210 days in jail. (A bit over 6 months.) With credit for the 56 days already served.

That will send a stern message to all drivers... right?

You are responsible for safely operating that vehicle! You better scrape that windshield, cuz if you don't and kill somebody, you could end up spending a few months in jail!

I'm disgusted.

Story HERE.

Health: We're "older" than our parents were at the same age

Today's adults are 15 years older, in the sense of "metabolic health," than their parents were only one generation ago.

6000 adults aged 20-50 were observed over a 25-year period, and younger people were significantly more likely to be overweight or obese, and to have higher blood pressure, diabetes, etc.
- Men over 30 were 20 percent more likely to be overweight than previous generations.
- Women over 20 are twice as likely (!) to be obese, than those just 10 years ago.

The life expectancy rate has traditionally gone up as new medicines and treatments came to market, workplaces became safer, health risks have been better identified, etc. Could the kids of today be the first ones to deal with decreasing life expectancy?

What are we doing wrong?

Those who conducted the study say it's simple... we need to encourage increased physical activity and a balanced diet. For all of recorded history, we've sought good food and enough of it, and less physical labor. Now that we've gotten what we're after... it's killing us!

(One bit of good news - smoking is down. So you'll die of diabetes instead of lung cancer.)

I've been 10% or so overweight, according to the chart, since I was in junior high. My doctor says it's a non-issue since I have good blood pressure, cholesterol, heart rate, and get plenty of exercise. If I dropped the exercise - primarily bicycling - it would definitely have an impact on my health and/or I'd need to make significant adjustments to my diet. (I love red meat and chocolate and ice cream as much as the next guy! That's one of the reasons I'm motivated to hop on that bike every day.)

Story HERE.

Celebrity makes ass of self on bike

"Rock stars - is there anything they don't know?"
- Homer Simpson

People sit up and take notice when celebrities do stuff. And people noticed when Alec Baldwin took a spin on his bike, in NYC.

I don't know if helmets are required by law, in New York. (If not, Nanny Bloomberg has really dropped the ball, hasn't he?!!) But if you yap on your cellphone while riding... it's smart to wear a helmet. But now that I think about it, it's not too smart to yap on a cellphone while riding... so there's no reason to expect somebody who's talking on a cellphone while riding, to be smart enough to don a bucket.

The worst part - because I know it's illegal - the esteemed Mr. Baldwin is pedaling along on the wrong side of the road! That'll get you MASHED in lots of places.  Particularly if you're wrong-side riding while yappin' on your phone, and not wearing a helmet.

Fortunately for him, his arrival and intact departure, and the time in between, apparently went unnoticed by the "authorities."

Story and photo can be seen HERE.

Women can now ride bicycles in Saudi Arabia, but...

This has to be one of the strangest bicycle stories I've seen. (Maybe it's an April Fool, and I've been "punked"!)

Saudi Arabia's religious authority has given his (yeah, like it would be a woman!) blessing for women to ride bicycles in the country, "in parks, seafronts, among other areas, providing that they are wearing fully modest dress and a male guardian has to be present in case of falls or accidents." Driving is still off-limits for women, of course.

They also advised women to "steer clear of youth rallies, to avoid confrontations with protest groups."

Can that be right? Gangs of punks are protesting the newfound women's lib? "No wife of MINE will be seen riding a bike!" (A person would think that the youth of the country would protest in favor of relaxing the old-time restrictions. The times, they are a-changin'!)

Samia al-Bawardi, who apparently is an advocate for womens' rights, points out correctly that wearing abayas (the Islamic gown worn by women) and riding erratically "could result in terrible accidents."

Interestingly (and coincidentally?) in this country 120 years ago, bicycles played a significant part in the "emancipation" of American women. Munsey's Magazine, in 1896, stated: "To men, the bicycle in the beginning was merely a new toy, another machine added to the long list of devices they knew in their work and play. To women, it was a steed upon which they rode into a new world."

(More info about women's emancipation and bicycles, including some awesome photos and illustrations, can be seen HERE.)

More adults (than teens) text while driving

Do you wonder why kids think it's OK to yap on the phone, or text, while driving?

Because they see the grownups doing it.

A new study indicates that while 98% of adults know that texting or emailing while driving is unsafe, 49% of them do it anyway. (This compares with the 43% of teens who admit to texting while driving.)

Apparently "awareness" and laws (it's illegal in 39 states and D.C.) aren't incentive enough. I hope each one of the miscreants doesn't have to kill somebody or damage somebody's property to get the message.

"Researchers at Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that sending or receiving a text takes a driver's eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds — about as long as it takes to drive the length of a football field at 55 mph. The researchers found that texting creates a crash risk 23 times worse than driving while not distracted."

(I've said it before and I'll say it forever! I'm conservative, and all in favor of people making their own choices, and then being responsible for those choices. If people only endangered themselves by clicky-clicking, yapping on the phone, driving drunk, running red lights, etc., I'd say let each person decide! But the harsh reality is... those irresponsible yahoos are out there killing innocent bystanders... and I don't want me or one of my loved ones to end up being one of those bystanders!)

Meet Bonnie!

By summer time, I'll have to get the BOB Trailer baby-carrier rig out of mothballs... I've been blessed with a new granddaughter.

Bonnie was born on February 27, and we're mighty excited!  Her cousin Mackie in particular... she's already planning the bike adventures the three of us will go on.

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Greenbelt update (2) - west of Boise

A month ago, I was thrilled to report that the westbound Greenbelt was passable all the way to Eagle Road.  It was a little mushy in spots, but for the first time it was looking like a transportation corridor, rather than a recreational "out and back" pathway.

Alas, the situation has deteriorated.

Last Saturday, Mackenzie and I bicycled out that way once again.  And when we got to the end of the pavement, a mile or two east of Eagle Road, we also got to the end of the Greenbelt.  Further progress is now blocked by a big steel gate, and stern-looking Private Property signs.

Is this another case of the "haves" locking out the "have-nots," as is the case in the Riverside Village subdivision??

I've sent a letter to the Eagle "city fathers," reminding them that they were vocally on the side of the cyclists in the dispute regarding Riverside Village, and expressing my hope that they'll also eventually make sure the south-bank Greenbelt continues to their community.

 

Here's part of that letter:

... a "bike path" that ends abruptly might be a nice recreational facility for people who have time to ride out to the end and then backtrack... but a bike path that leads to DESTINATIONS (like Eagle Road) also becomes useful as a transportation corridor.  And what a lovely (and safe) corridor the Greenbelt would be!  (NOTE: A graded dirt trail isn't as nice as a paved trail, but it's perfectly functional for 90% of bicycle traffic.  There were a couple "squishy" spots in February, but I got the impression it would be passable by most cyclists, once it dried up in a few more weeks.)

As a lifelong Boise resident, and a 27-plus year veteran transportation cyclist, I'm pretty sure I've heard implications that "the dream" is to eventually extend the Greenbelt all the way to Eagle Island, and perhaps even to points beyond!  But if passage on the Greenbelt is prohibited due to private property restrictions, such a dream will never be reality.

I hope you can give me and other cyclists (particularly those who live in Eagle) some reassurance that eventually the "Greenbelt" will also be a functional transportation corridor to your community.  You can rest assured I'll be much more inclined to visit - often with other family members who like treats/incentives at the destination! - when we can travel on the Greenbelt, rather than on State Street or some other route we are sharing with high-speed motor traffic.