OTTAWA — As the high-profile attorney general for Ontario, Michael Bryant had championed severe and controversial traffic safety laws. On Tuesday, he was charged with criminal negligence causing death and with dangerous driving causing death in an unusually violent episode of road rage involving a bicyclist….

Former Ontario Prosecutor, Bryant, Charged in Toronto Death – NYTimes.com

“The trail — which remains popular with bicyclists elsewhere in the city — would, they claim, block easy access for large trucks and other vehicles heading toward waterfront businesses.”

Thank you for your patience!

Senator Jim DeMint Wants to Eliminate Bike Stim Funds: Take Action!
by Bryan Goebel February 6, 2009

Senator Jim DeMint, the South Carolina Republican who said that directing stim funds toward bicycle and hiking infrastructure will not help the economy or create jobs, has gone too far. He and Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn, another pro-highway Republican who is no friend of bicyclists, have just proposed an amendment that would kill all stimulus funds for bike and hiking trails.
In a statement, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) said it shows how short-sighted and out of touch Republicans are:

Investment in bike paths will not only improve our economy, and take our country in the right direction for our future; it is precisely the kind of investment the American people want. American families have indicated time and again in the passage of bond measures across the country that they favor spending on alternative transportation, such as bicycles and mass transit, over spending on more highway capacity. Americans want a real solution to the economic crisis, not just a band-aid fix. These investments will stimulate the economy in the present and point our nation toward the economic and environmental realities of the future.

Call or write DeMint and Coburn and tell them what investing in bicycle infrastructure really means:
Coburn’s Washington office: 202-224-5754 or email.
DeMint’s Washington office: 202-224-6121 or email.
And then call Senators Feinstein and Boxer and tell them to kill the amendment:
Feinstein’s Washington office: 202-224-3841 or email.
Boxer’s Washington office: 202-224-3553 or email.

Stimulus Bike: Stimulus Bill: From the House to the Senate

“In reality, stimulus money that is headed for roadways can easily be advertised as fix-up projects, but then be spent on adding a new lane in attempts to ease congestion. This is exactly why we should be looking to alternatives to expanding highways, such as trains, buses, and livable streets – places where we can walk and bike and be part of traffic instead of a nuisance to traffic.“

“We have been flogging this bicycle thing for 20 years,” said Mr. Blumenauer, a Democrat. “All of a sudden it’s hot.”

“In addition, after many attempts, this fall Mr. Blumenauer saw Congress approve his proposal to extend the tax breaks offered for employee parking to employers who encourage biking. The measure, which Mr. Blumenauer called a matter of “bicycle parity,” was part of a bailout bill.”

If they could do it here, then they can do it here.

“Earlier this year, McMacken and his family sued the City of Seattle for negligence over its failure to improve the narrow bicycle-pedestrian walkway on the bridge. Lisa McMacken said she intends to continue the King County Superior Court suit in the hope that it will force the city to improve conditions on the bridge.“