Courteous Mass December 2012

It's Tonight!
The weather is supposed to be terrific.

Here is the drill.  Happens every 2nd Friday of the month. 
This is not a training ride.  This is a City ride.
All parties are welcome to join and help bring common courtesy back to the streets. For those who need a refresher on what Courteous Mass is, here is the deal:

1. The ride will respect and abide by the city’s traffic laws.
2. Rides will be on the slow side to ensure no one is dropped and that the Mass stays a mass
3. The Mass will only take up one lane, two when necessary for safety.
4. The ride will stop at red lights and stop signs. If a light turns red mid-mass, the riders who made the light should safely pull over to wait for those who were caught by the light.
5. Riders are asked to signal turns, call out danger, and communicate their intentions to other riders.
6. All riders are required to wear helmets

The goal of these rides is to be a visible and positive example of the cooperation that can exist between cars and bicycles when people respect the laws and each other.

So join the Mass and help make Fort Wayne a better place for bicycles. 

Rally at 6:15 at Lawton Park at the trailhead.

Ride at 6:30.

Comfortable Pace, no one is dropped. (But please make sure that your equipment is in working order)

3RVS sponsored ride so helmets are required

Bicycle Culture by Design

Breathtaking

Inspiring

a four year old kid rips some downhill.  Makes me want to head out to Franke Park

Cardboard Bike?

Izhar cardboard bike project from Giora Kariv on Vimeo.

3 foot law passed!

It is official!  The Common Council of the City of Fort Wayne voted unanimously to approve G-11-08-12, an ordinance amending Title 7, Chapters 70, 71, 72, and 74 of the City of Fort Wayne Code of Laws.  In short this ordinance codifies a number of traffic laws with regard to transportation. 

While there is a few big changes like: making it legal to ride your bike on a sidewalk as long as you yield to pedestrians many of us in the cycling community are excited about the section regarding passing a cyclist.

SECTION 4. That Chapter 71, Title 7 of the City of Fort Wayne, Indiana Code of ordinances be amended as follows to add:

§ 71.06 OPERATION OF VEHICLES IN ROADWAYS WHERE BICYCLES

ARE PRESENT

(D) PASSING OF BICYCLES

The operator of a motor vehicle passing a bicycle proceeding in the same direction on a highway, street, or road shall leave a safe distance, but not less than three (3) feet, when passing the bicycle, and shall maintain that distance until safely past the overtaken bicycle.

We in the advocacy community have been lobbying the Indiana State Legislature for years to create a Vulnerable Road Users Law.  They have not.  This last year the bill was not given a vote in the Committee.

I would like to thank Mayor Thomas Henry, Community Development Department, the Ordinance Committee and the Fort Wayne Common Council for helping to create an environment within our great community that is friendly toward Bicycles.  This is BIG.    

The Updated bike ordinance in its entirety

http://www.cityoffortwayne.org/customapps/council/files/2012-09-04/G_12_08_11_A.pdf
City Council will make its final vote on the Ordinance This Tuesday.  For those who don't know about this, it passed out of Committee unanimously on 9/4/2012. 

Euro Style or man are Americans just slow or what?

Bike movie trailer

Enjoy.  Looks fun.  I might go see it.

We are doing it again. Last Friday of the month Bike to Work Friday!

Dash In
Friday May 25th
7 - 8AM
Grab a coffee, talk bikes, bike products, bike commutes, bike advocacy, etc!
Join us...

Commuter Challenge Fort Wayne Style!

Hey Y'all!
Many of you were involved with the Indiana Bicycle Commuter Challenge that Bicycle Indiana Sponsored Last year.  We logged a crap load of miles and trips and the Fort Wayne Bike Commuters beat every team in the state!
It doesn't really matter that we won, the best part was getting a bunch of out there thinking about commuting by bike to work, the store, everywhere.
I just signed up HERE.
Kept the original team name, Fort Wayne Bike Commuters if you wanna join a team.
So get out there and log some miles/trips!  Starts May 1!
Need more info?  Check the Bike Fort Wayne Facebook page.
Best,
FWBC

April Bike to work Friday

Yes folks it happens again this Friday the 27th of April.  We usually meet at the Dash In at around 7AM for some coffee and camaraderie.  
Join us!

Bike Art Downtown Fort Wayne

Love this.
In the alley by Pint n Slice.
Anyone know who did this?
Saw a photo of another one on the Twitter yesterday but I don't know where it was.
Cool nonetheless.

Traffic explained

Via Atlantic Cities Website

Yes it is in Spanish with subtitles but it is the best explanation that I have ever heard.

ENJOY!

No doubt about it, this kicks ass.

Streetsblog Capitol Hill » Video: In Car-Bike Hit-and-Run, “Heroic” Bus Driver Saves the Day

I watched it 5 times!  Talk about protecting vulnerable road users!

Pennsylvania passes 4 foot passing law.

PennLive : Gov. Corbett signs bicycle safe passing measure into law
Here in Indiana our Senators can't pass a 3 foot passing law out of committee for like the 4th time.  We have a long way to go people!  We need your help in this.
Congratulations to Pennsylvania's leaders for doing something that is not that hard!  4 feet to boot!

Life without a car

Choosing to live without wheels | FortWayne.com - Fort Wayne IN

It is so nice to hear about people living life without cars and knowing that it is do able, even in Car-centric Fort Wayne.  I thank the News Sentinel for printing it because it is news and good news at that!

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Protection of cyclists law in DC introduced

WABA Quick Release » Blog Archive » Protection of Cyclists Law Introduced In DC

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Uni(cycle) Vision

Max Schulze Spring 2011 from Max Schulze on Vimeo.

Tour De Fashion

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Bike by designer Lela Rose Credit: Tour de Fashion

Twice a year, dozens of stone-faced models march down the runways of New York Fashion Week wearing marvelous clothes that very few of us can even begin to afford. Fewer still will be invited to grace the front row seats of the runway spectacles themselves (hint: be rich, powerful, or a Real Housewife). Regular folks need not apply, though there’s usually enough media coverage to tide over most casual observers. Trends may come and go, but Fashion Week remains a high-visibility, low-access affair.

During this year’s Fashion Week, however, all New Yorkers get a front-row seat - a bicycle seat, that is. From September 8 - 15, the Fashion Center Business Improvement District (BID) is sponsoring Tour de Fashion, a limited-time bike share program that makes a fleet of 30 bicycles available to the public for free 90-minute rides around town. The bicycles have been creatively (and in some cases outrageously) customized by some of New York City’s best fashion designers, including industry superstars like Diane Von Furstenburg, Isaac Mizrahi, Betsy Johnson and Elie Tahari as well as up-and-comers like Prabal Gurung and Project Runway winner Gretchen Jones.

The Rest of the Story

Choose to bike.

Two Mornings from Sierra Club National on Vimeo.