Most communities require that bicyclists use some type of front and/or rear bike light on their rides after dark. In addition to the legal aspects, it's just plain common sense.

The Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WADA) reports that half of all bicycling fatalities occur after dark involving bicycles without lights, although only 3% of bike rides occur at night.

To raise awareness about nighttime safety issues, bicycling associations are giving away free front and rear bike light sets. I've spotted upcoming giveaways in Washington DC, Seattle and Portland. ...   more »

Instead of complaining about all the trash along a section of a bike path, members of the Mid-Valley Bicycle Club in Corvallis, Oregon, are taking matters into their own hands.

Ten cyclists met at the bike path along 99W, and in little more than an hour had picked up 20 large garbage bags of crap from along the one-mile stretch. Among the items they found was a stripped down bicycle frame, which they're considering upgrading into a new bike.

Good deeds like these aren't isolated to Corvallis. Bicycling groups all over are joining "Adopt-a-trail" campaigns in communities to keep their trails clean ......   more »

A $350,000 settlement has been reached in a lawsuit stemming from the death of a cyclist on the opening day of RAGBRAI in 2004.

After admitting no wrongdoing in the case, Crawford County turned around and passed a resolution banning RAGBRAI from using its county roads because the county chooses not to maintain them to bicycling standards.

RAGBRAI officials said they'll honor the ban. "Most places want RAGBRAI." ...   more »

I've always been reluctant to jump on a corporate bandwagon to support a cause, but this one makes so much sense that I think it deserves recognition.

It's the 2-Mile Challenge sponsored by Clif Bar. Essentially, it encourages people to ride their bicycles instead of drive their cars on trips within a radius of 2 miles from home, which accounts for 40% of all urban travel.

According to a video on the 2-Mile Challenge website, if 1 million people replaced a 2-mile car trip with a bicycle ride once a week, carbon dioxide emissions could be reduced by 50,000 tons per year.   more »

Feeling a little beleaugured by traffic or poor road design on your morning bicycle commute or ride to the store?

Rest assured that somewhere in the US, seven cities are being honored in 2007 by the League of American Bicyclists as new "bicycle friendly communities" for their efforts to integrate bicycles into the fabric of city life.

Certainly leading the list in terms of population and impact is New York City. Others receiving the Bronze-level designation are Lexington-Fayette County, Kentucky; Liberty Lake, Washington; Santa Clarita, Cal., and Spartanburg, S.C.

Two cities received the higher ranked silver award. They were Santa Cruz, Cal., and Steamboat Springs, Colo.....   more »