Educate, educate, educate.
When a kids gets his first trike, parents should talk to him or her about safety. And keep it up — increasing it with the first two-wheeler.
And I do believe every school should require a class in bicycle safety, starting in first grade and repeating it (along with increased details) in each grade.
Many schools offer or arrange driver’s training, but a kid going out on a two-wheeler often gets no instruction on general safety, let alone explanations of law.
Good that ACHD is making brochure “available” and AAA and coppers trying, but until they find a way to get the info to every rider, not just the ones who will pick up the brochure or the ones the coppers stop, the tragic deaths and injuries will continue.
Of course, no matter how much you educate them, there will always be a few fools who ignore it all, just as there are among motorists, but it’s the best bet, nevertheless.

Bob’s great outfit makes a lot more sense than the lycra “bike racer” get up so very popular today. The vest is a very good idea, as are the lights.
I agree with Gorden as well. If ALL kids learn bike safety then even those who choose never to ride as an adult can be more bike aware.

These changes show some progress is being made in the ongoing conflict. Although I don’t ride a bike because of a health situation, I’m going to get a copy of the manual anyway, in case someone around where I live needs to see it. Please post info on where to get those vests (like Tencate’s.

My biggest beef is the speed allowed on inner city streets—Harrison should be 25mph not 30, same for all the others downtown or near it. The cities I lived in back east maintained 25mph as the default in-city auto speed. Much safer for everyone: pedestrians, bikers and cars.

Touching on Bikeboy’s last comment. BPD should be handing out warning tickets to cyclist with the requirement they attend a bike safety class. No fine if they attend the class.

There is a bunch of great ad campaigns online that have been sponsored by local governments. They provide education for motorist and cyclist. A couple of my favorites.

Fort Collins Coexist Campaign.
http://www.fcgov.com/bicycling/coexist.php

NYC DOT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7COwwbhB4Yg

EDITOR NOTE– Clancy, thanks for the links. Look for something from the Top Copper in the next day or two in answer to your suggestion.

I have to disagree..

Let me set a scene…It is 5PM. In front of you is an evil rich fellow in a Hummer. He is driving 10 MPH in the middle of your lane. As you drive along behind muttering to yourself, the Hummer sort of slows down at the next stop sign and then drives on through to continue on the other side at 10mph. He next turns without signal or stopping at the next stop sign and is now driving the wrong way up a one way street.

Would the police write a warning and send him to driver ed…nope.

Now put that fellow on a toy, call it a bike, and we speak of education.

No, arrest or ticket the fellow if an auto driver would have been arrested or ticketed for doing the same thing.

I realize I cannot take these toys and death traps off the road, but everyone should insist people on those things obey the same laws we all do.

Would we allow a car that failed its government crash tests on the road? Would most states allow a car that has failed the safety intersection on the roads? No and no, yet we let a toy far more dangerous on our streets every day, flaunt the laws, greatly increase pollution (all those cars idling behind them) and we do it without a pause…

Bikes are PC…angry drivers are not.

JIMV – I’ve ridden a bike for my TRANSPORTATION, here in Boise, Idaho, since 1986. 350+ days, 5500+ miles per year. And I take a slight bit of offense that you ignorantly refer to my chosen mode of transportation as a “toy.” (It’s no more a “toy” than the evil Hummer you allude to in your parable, or whatever you use to get from Point A to Point B in.)

By the way, I agree with YOU on the point of enforcing traffic laws on bicyclists. That, IMO, would be the best impetus for getting people educated… if they knew they were risking both life and dollars! (Risking life doesn’t seem to be much of a disincentive to a lot of yokels-on-bikes out there.) It might also raise the status of the lowly bicycle in your eyes and the eyes of a lot of other folks who dismiss it as a “toy” and nothing more.

(There are, however, numerous instances of motorists getting some sort of “traffic school” educational alternative, rather than losing their license. So Clancy’s suggestion is totally valid.)

“And I take a slight bit of offense that you ignorantly refer to my chosen mode of transportation as a “toy.”

Bikeboy, until you pay your fair share of road taxes and registration fees for the thing, and until it is given the same load of safety requirements required before it can be on the road, it is a toy.

as you note, drivers have to have a license and pay a registration, every year, bike riders have no such requirement.

As one who has had a near-death experience bicycling in Boise (bilateral subdural hematoma), I am appalled at the sense of immortality displayed by bicyclists in the city.

Having rights and exercising them has no relation to survival. My learned sense of survival includes avoiding traffic at all costs, maximizing the use of bike paths and always watching motorists, including the use of a rear view mirror.

Bicycling should not be a social activity. Talking while riding is as dangerous as texting while driving. Defensive riding is, in the final analysis, the key to survival.

JIMV – you’re straying WAY off topic (safety) with your ill-founded declaration that cyclists don’t pay their fair share. But I feel compelled to respond.

Points to consider:
1) How do you determine the “fair share,” first of all? In all fairness it would somehow have to be based on wear-and-tear, I would think. (Unless you think some convoluted year-of-manufacture formula is the fair way!)
2) Most cyclists – at least the ones in my circle – are supporting a registered motor vehicle (or several) as well, that sits off the roadway when they are cycling. (I own two registered motorcycles and the Missus drives a minivan.) I’m making a contribution, even though my motor vehicles likely do a lot more sittin’ than most.
3) Registration is a tiny slice of the road maintenance revenue pie. (ACHD’s 2009 budget lists registration fee revenue at $4.5 million, compared with property tax revenue at $31.7 million! Source: http://www.achd.ada.id.us/pdf/Budget/2009/Revenues.pdf)

Regarding safety… I’ll forthrightly declare that cyclists can’t depend on a big ol’ cocoon of steel to protect ’em if they mess up. Yeah – we get squished like a bug! So a responsible cyclist is much more vigilant in operating in a way to AVOID smashups! If only drivers had such high stakes… I bet they’d be more careful!

(By responding, in no way do I want to infer that I accept your declaration that bikes are toys based on your criteria. You’ll never convince me that my tried-and-true, older-than-motorcar, super-thrifty-and-efficient, non-polluting form of personal transportation isn’t superior to yours in every way!)
(-;

It,s very interesting to see that now there is such attention to bicyclists and safety after the recent Tragedies. We at THE IDAHO COALITION FOR MOTORCYCLE SAFETY have been addressing the same issues for years and are the Watchdogs for Legislation that affect Bicyclists, motorcyclists, Equestrians, and to some degree Pedestrians. We would like to invite the Cycling community to take a look at what we do and who we are. Our website address is http://www.idahobikerrights.com. Please contact any of the members listed for more info. Thank You R Chris Lambing ICMS PSA Promoter.

I’m a part-time biker, part-time driver and I’m generally moderate on this issue (in that I understand and tend to agree with both sides in this debate).

I will admit, however, nothing but sheer rage at the idiot bikers that want to creep up behind and to the right of me while I’m stopped at a light. In more than one instance I’ve attempted to turn right on a stop or red light only to nearly plow into or have a biker plow into me.

I understand bikers don’t have to necessarily stop at lights and signs. Fine, so long as they understand and appreciate right of way rules. But if you’re going to consider yourself part of traffic, then you sit in traffic at the light like the rest of us. You sneak up behind me while I’m trying to make a right turn into traffic, and I won’t feel bad for a second that you end up on the pavement.

…the GUARDIAN has decided to provide a forum for both motorists and cyclists in an effort to bring some attention to the problems as well as offer some potential solutions.

Jimv, We see your point of view. How about some real life solutions? Changing laws will be tough and not attainable in this forum. I refer you to my post on July 23 at 1:55 pm. I admit cyclist have a public image problem. Bikeboy’s linked article admits this frustration too. But we come up with a solution to help the spandex crowd get along better with motorist.

I remember the first time being pulled over for speeding at age 16. Officer Ruska gave me a stern warning and told me not to let it happen to again. I was never pulled over by Officer Ruska or anyone else in that county. Enforcement through education can work for cyclist as it did for me.

Motorist tend to complain about idiotic cyclists, and they are often correct in that assessment.

However, for all the times a motorist has gotten impatient an put a cyclist in danger by passing too close, etc., it is rare that they are being delayed from anything more pressing than catching back up to the bumper of the preceding vehicle.

In my mind, tailgating is not sufficient justification for snuffing a cyclist, no matter how boneheaded the cyclist’s behavior.

Holy moly Jimv, who gave you title to the roadways? Bikeboy has knocked down every one of your fallacious assertions and you continue like he didn’t say anything.

Those toys of which you speak allow us to get exercise per doctor’s orders, make your air cleaner than you are making it, and reduce the country’s reliance on foreign oil. What does your toy do? The fact that you pay next to nothing to pollute our air makes you a little hypocritical.

You need to get used to the idea of sharing the road. I’m a big fan of the t-shirt that reads “one less car”. I long for the day we close off downtown to them and you have to lumber that butt of yours on two legs. It’ll be good for everybody.

How about a bike fee to pay for the bike related costs? Kinda like the boat fee I gotta pay on my boots to make sure they are free of snails.

I lived in college community and if you didn’t stop at stop signs by putting one foot down, if you rode on wrong side of the street, or if you didn’t ride in the bike lane, $50 ticket for each one. Most folks learned very quickly.