Bob Mionske's BicycleLaw.com Blog on Bicycle Law and Advocacy - Media: Articles

Drunk cycling: Is Denver's new bike DUI policy harsher than rules in other states?

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 14:11:00 -0400

This news article featuring Bob Mionske and Rick Bernardi has been reproduced here for our archives. To access the original article, follow the link.

Westword: Drunk cycling: Is Denver's new bike DUI policy harsher than rules in other states?

By Sam Levin Tue., Nov. 27 2012

Yesterday, we reported that Denver Police are now enforcing state drunk-cycling laws -- meaning intoxicated cyclists can be charged with DUIs just like inebriated drivers. Some cycling advocates question whether this is good public policy -- and a look at parallel laws around the country shows that Denver's approach is harsher than some other states' enforcement rules. [More]

Stay Safe, Cyclists

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 15:25:00 -0400

This news article featuring Bob Mionske has been reproduced here for our archives. To access the original article, follow the link.

USA Pro Cycling Challenge: Stay Safe, Cyclists

Story by Joe Silva

If there’s one thing we’ve learned in the past few weeks with regards to cycling it’s that no one is immune to the dangers of riding out on the roads. Several recent high-profile wrecks have once again brought home the reality that even the most capable and experienced bike riders are subject to the hazards of traffic. In early November Team Sky rider Bradley Wiggins was toppled by a van during a training ride. The Olympic champ and 2012 Tour de France champion was described by witnesses at the scene to be in severe pain as he waited for an ambulance to whisk him off to a hospital. Not long after the team’s coach Shane Sutton was also the victim of a run in with a motorist that was far more serious. Wiggins suffered a rib fracture and a dislocated finger, but Sutton was treated for bleeding on the brain and memory loss. And proving the axiom that bad things come in threes, Wiggins former teammate Mark Cavendish “slammed” into the back of a car that hit its brakes suddenly while the Manx speedster was out training. Luckily, Cav sustained only a bruised arm in the incident. [More]

Cameras Act as Black Boxes When Cars and Cyclists Collide

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 18:20:00 -0400

This news article featuring Bob Mionske has been reproduced here for our archives. To access the original article, follow the link.

The New York Times: Cameras Act as ‘Black Boxes’ When Cars and Cyclists Collide

By NICK WINGFIELD
Published: July 20, 2012

WASHINGTON — When Evan Wilder went flying onto the pavement during his bicycle commute one morning here, he didn’t have time to notice the license plate of the blue pickup truck that had sideswiped him after its driver hurled a curse at him. Nor did a witness driving another car.

But the video camera Mr. Wilder had strapped to his head caught the whole episode. After watching a recording of the incident later, Mr. Wilder gave the license plate number to the police and a suspect was eventually charged with leaving the scene of an accident. [More]

Do Passing Distance Laws Really Protect Cyclists?

Mon, 07 May 2012 14:32:00 -0400

This article featuring Bob Mionske has been reproduced here for our media archives. To access the original article, follow the link.

The Atlantic Cities: Do Passing Distance Laws Really Protect Cyclists?

ANDREW ZALESKI

Cyclists in the Keystone State have reason to rejoice. In April, a new safe-passing law went into effect requiring that drivers leave a berth of at least four feet between their vehicles and road-bound bicycles. The law makes Pennsylvania one of 20 states with similar bicycle-passing requirements, a cause célèbre for biking advocates.

Most require drivers to stay at least three feet from bikers. Still, an important central question remains: do these laws make travel safer for cyclists, or are they hollow gestures that, when enacted, are easily ignored?

"A lot of times, people don’t realize that cyclists have a legal right to the road," says Bob Mionske, U.S. Olympic cyclist-turned-cycling lawyer and the founder of BicycleLaw.com. [More]

Coexisting With Drivers: 10 Rules for Bicyclists

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 19:50:00 -0400

This article featuring Bob Mionske has been reproduced here for our media archives. To access the original article, follow the link.

Edmunds: Coexisting With Drivers: 10 Rules for Bicyclists

Cyclists Have Road Rights — and Responsibilities

Published: 03/01/2012 - by Kathleen Doheny, Contributor

Bicyclists may feel they don't have a fighting chance on the road, much less any friends riding in 4-ton steel cabins atop four wheels. Media reports tend to dwell on unpleasantries between motorists and bicyclists, notably road rage incidents. Nevertheless, safety experts say, it is possible for bicyclists and drivers to peacefully coexist.

We have a set of tips for drivers. But Edmunds.com also asked safety experts — a bicycling advocate, bicycling-accident attorneys and a representative from the National Motorists Association — to give us their best tips for what bicyclists can do both to keep the peace with motorists and enjoy their rides.

Here, then, are the 10 best rules of the road for bicycling near cars. [More]

American Trailblazer Bob Mionske

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:22:00 -0400

This article featuring Bob Mionske has been reproduced here for our media archives. To access the original article, follow the link.

PEZ Talk: American Trailblazer Bob Mionske

Monday, February 20, 2012

by Edmond Hood

The Olympic road race, Seoul – the year is 1988 and it’s the first big East/West Olympic showdown since the Montreal Games 12 years before. East German Olaf Ludwig restored Eastern honour in Seoul, with West Germans Bernd Grone and Christian Henn taking the other two medals; legendary Soviet sprinter Djamolidine Abdoujaparov took fifth. But in fourth place was an ex-skier who’d only been riding a bike for four years, who says he couldn’t ride GC, couldn’t time trial and in his own words, was ‘built like a wrestler’ – Bob Mionske.

Moscow in 1980 saw the US boycott the Olympics as a result of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. And for Los Angeles in ‘84 the Eastern bloc had to boycott – naturally. Soviet legend Sergei Soukhoroutchenkov won in Moscow, but that was no surprise; Soukho had won the Russian road race championship held on the same course some weeks earlier – but over one lap more than the Olympic race. That enigmatic man Alexei Grewal won in LA for the USA to even the score.

Mionske was a contemporary and rival of riders like Lance Armstrong, Bobby Julich, Chann McRae, George Hincapie and Tyler Hamilton; they went on to careers in the highest echelons of European road sport whilst Mionske became the USA’s first ‘cycling attorney' - as he puts it; 'I had only cyclists, other attorneys represented cyclists in their practice but none, to my knowledge had only rider clients.'

He recently took time to talk to PEZ about his life and times. [More]

Coexisting With Bicyclists: 10 Rules for Drivers

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:54:00 -0400

This article featuring Bob Mionske has been reproduced here for our media archives. To access the original article, follow the link.

Edmunds: Coexisting With Bicyclists: 10 Rules for Drivers

Love Them or Hate Them, Cyclists Have Road Rights

Published: 02/14/2012 - by Kathleen Doheny, Contributor

Horrific accidents involving bicyclists and drivers have made headlines recently, including a 2010 collision between an SUV and a bicycle in Largo, Maryland. On the bike was 30-year-old law student and Green Party candidate Natasha Pettigrew. The driver thought she had struck a deer and kept driving, according to news reports. Pettigrew later died from the injuries.

Traffic accidents involving bicyclists and vehicles killed 630 people in the U.S. in 2009, the latest available figures from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Another 51,000 bicyclists were injured, sometimes critically.

Bicycling advocates say drivers can play a big role in reducing those grim statistics, paving the way for peaceful coexistence. It's a two-way street, of course. Bicyclists have responsibilities, just as drivers do.

For this story, Edmunds.com asked bicycling advocates, bicycling-accident attorneys and other experts to give their recommendations on how drivers can coexist more peacefully with bicyclists. In a companion story, we'll outline bicyclists' responsibilities. But for you drivers, here are our 10 rules of the road for driving near bicyclists. [More]

Jury Applies No Penalty to Speeding Driver For Killing Cyclist Jake McDonaugh

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 19:09:00 -0400

This article featuring Bob Mionske has been reproduced here for our media archives. To access the original article, follow the link.

Streetsblog New York City: Jury Applies No Penalty to Speeding Driver For Killing Cyclist Jake McDonaugh

by Ben Fried on October 28, 2011

A Brooklyn jury has found defendant Michael Oxley not guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the 2010 death of Jake McDonaugh, the Post reports.

Oxley was speeding behind the wheel of a Dodge Caravan when he ran down cyclist McDonaugh at the intersection of Flatbush Avenue and Duryea Place last April. The investigation and prosecution were unusual for a vehicular violence case — police followed up with witnesses, and the Brooklyn District Attorney applied a felony charge. But the jury cleared Oxley of homicide as well as reckless driving, a misdemeanor. A closer look at the case is in order.

At 9:20 a.m. on the morning of April 14, Oxley was driving on Flatbush when he struck and killed McDonaugh, who was bicycling eastbound on Duryea. Oxley, 28 at the time, was observed traveling at an excessive speed, and a witness saw him run a red before killing McDonaugh, according to court documents [PDF]. He was driving with a suspended license and according to the Daily News had racked up three license suspensions for failing to pay fines for speeding and improper turns. [More]

A New Breed of Lawyers Focuses on Bicyclists' Rights

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 17:00:00 -0400

This blog article featuring Bob Mionske has been reproduced here for our media archives. To access the original article, follow the link.

The New York Times: A New Breed of Lawyers Focuses on Bicyclists’ Rights

By J. DAVID GOODMAN
Published: August 19, 2011

AT the law firm Rankin & Taylor, everybody’s a cyclist.

Scott Charnas, a personal-injury lawyer, has handled many cases involving New York cyclists.
One recent day, the lawyers there parsed bike-law issues, like “dooring zones” and when is it legally acceptable to ride outside a designated lane, while downstairs, each of their bikes were expertly locked to a scaffold along Broadway in TriBeCa.

The small firm is preparing to bring a class-action suit against New York City on behalf of cyclists over summons handed out for what it contends are phantom violations — bike behavior that it says is not illegal in the city. It is another sign that New York’s bike fights are moving from the streets to the courtroom. [More]

Curing Car Vs. Cyclist Road Wars With A New Rule: "Just Don't Steal The Right-Of-Way"

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 16:38:00 -0400

This blog article featuring Bob Mionske has been reproduced here for our media archives. To access the original article, follow the link.

Treehugger: Curing Car Vs. Cyclist Road Wars With A New Rule: "Just Don't Steal The Right-Of-Way"
by A.K. Streeter, Portland, Oregon on 08.18.11
CARS & TRANSPORTATION (bikes)

Though a world-class cycling city, Portland lacks a bike share system similar to those in other great cycling cities such as Minneapolis, Montreal, Paris, Barcelona. Though bike sharing is considered to be important to attract new cyclists onto the lanes, lack of funds has hampered planning efforts. At first, 2011 seemed to be the year the city of Portland would fund bike sharing. But then, as a vote neared, opposition arose from Commissioner Amanda Fritz, who claimed she couldn't support funding bike sharing due to...bad bicyclist behavior.

"I may support a bike sharing program downtown when I see bike riders using downtown streets and sidewalks in a safe manner. Daily, I see cyclists in the Light rail and bus lanes in front of my office. I see cyclists riding on the sidewalks, endangering and harassing pedestrians. I see cyclists running red lights and making illegal turns off the bus mall. And these are presumably experienced cyclists. I believe a bike rental program downtown would only add to these unsafe behaviors." - Amanda Fritz, via Bike Portland

Though the idea of withholding funding to a system until all users agree to strictly follow the rules is a new line of logic (imagine canceling road improvements until car drivers were caught speeding), bashing scofflaw cyclists, or course, isn't unique to Portland or Commissioner Fritz.

In fact, holding cyclists to a "different standard" is rampant, says bicycle attorney Bob Mionske, author of the book Bicycling and the Law.

"It is hypocritical, but cyclists are held to a different standard," Mionske said. "Meanwhile, 7 out of 10 motorists admit to breaking the law." [More]

Staying safe while biking in traffic

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 22:28:00 -0400

This blog article featuring Bob Mionske has been reproduced here for our media archives. To access the original article, follow the link.

The Chicago Tribune: Staying safe while biking in traffic

By Julie Deardorff
Tribune Newspapers
1:06 p.m. CDT, July 27, 2011

Biking in traffic isn't as treacherous as it might seem. Cyclists rarely get mowed down by motorists from behind — a common fear — and in fact, most accidents don't involve motor vehicles at all. [More]

The Chicago Tribune: Bike safety: My 6-year-old was 'doored'

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 14:15:00 -0400

This blog article featuring Bob Mionske has been reproduced here for our media archives. To access the original article, follow the link.

The Chicago Tribune: Bike safety: My 6-year-old was 'doored'

By Julie Deardorff, Tribune Newspapers
July 7, 2011

Last weekend, my 6-year-old was doored — the driver of a parked car flung open the door in his path -- while riding his two-wheeler with me in a designated bike lane in downtown Evanston. My son wasn’t hurt, but the driver took no responsibility for the incident and said, “I hope you learned a lesson, young man.” [More]

Cyberpresse: Cyclist hit by a door: Stiffer penalties sought

Fri, 13 May 2011 04:55:00 -0400

This English-language translation of a French-language news article featuring Bob Mionske has been reproduced here for our media archives. To access the original article, follow the link.

Cyberpresse: Cyclist hit by a door: Stiffer penalties sought

Gabriel Béland
Press

The doors open car in a careless manner represent a major cause of injury among cyclists, says Velo Quebec, which requires that steps be taken to educate drivers.

Last Sunday, a cyclist was seriously injured on Van Horne Avenue when it collided with a car door opened unexpectedly. The man is 56 years since in a critical condition in hospital.

According to the organization, such accidents are a real scourge in Montreal. "Motorists do not seem to understand how it can be dangerous, told The Press Director of Vélo Québec, Suzanne Lareau. When we cycled, we know. The door is the bane of cyclists. " [More]

NBC New York: The Latest Salvo in the Bicycling Wars

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:41:00 -0400

This news article featuring Bob Mionske has been reproduced here for our media archives. To access the original article, follow the link.

NBC New York: The Latest Salvo in the Bicycling Wars

It's well-treaded territory, and the issue of bicycling in New York City remains a hot topic. Just take a look at the NYPD ticket blitz targeting bicyclists who run red lights in Central Park.

Bicycling Magazine blogger Bob Mionske joins the fray, dissecting the arguments -- from politicians, drivers, pedestrians -- made against dedicating road space for cyclists in New York City. He asks: [More]

Outside Magazine: Rage Against Your Machine

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:49:00 -0400

Tom Vanderbilt takes a look at the conflict between motorists and cyclists in the latest issue of Outside Magazine-- and interviews Bob Mionske for his perspective.

This news article featuring Bob Mionske has been reproduced here for our media archives. To access the original article, follow the link.

Outside Magazine: Rage Against Your Machine

By Tom Vanderbilt

THE U.S. CENSUS BUREAU DEFINES AN "EXTREME COMMUTER" AS SOMEONE WHO SPENDS MORE THAN THREE HOURS GETTING TO AND FROM WORK.

This is usually understood to be by car. It's not clear, then, how the Census would categorize Joe Simonetti, a 57-year-old psychotherapist who lives with his wife in Pound Ridge, New York. His commute takes him from the northern reaches of exurban Westchester County to his office just south of Central Park.

It's about three and a half hours each way.

By bike. [More]

Bob Mionske's BicycleLaw.com Blog on Bicycle Law and Advocacy - Media: Articles

Drunk cycling: Is Denver's new bike DUI policy harsher than rules in other states?

Stay Safe, Cyclists

Cameras Act as Black Boxes When Cars and Cyclists Collide

Do Passing Distance Laws Really Protect Cyclists?

Coexisting With Drivers: 10 Rules for Bicyclists

American Trailblazer Bob Mionske

Coexisting With Bicyclists: 10 Rules for Drivers

Jury Applies No Penalty to Speeding Driver For Killing Cyclist Jake McDonaugh

A New Breed of Lawyers Focuses on Bicyclists' Rights

Curing Car Vs. Cyclist Road Wars With A New Rule: "Just Don't Steal The Right-Of-Way"

Staying safe while biking in traffic

The Chicago Tribune: Bike safety: My 6-year-old was 'doored'

Cyberpresse: Cyclist hit by a door: Stiffer penalties sought

NBC New York: The Latest Salvo in the Bicycling Wars

Outside Magazine: Rage Against Your Machine

Cameras Act as Black Boxes When Cars and Cyclists Collide