[Update: Tuesday, Dec. 30 -- The driver of the first car turned herself into police Monday night, accompanied by family members and her pastor. Her story to police is that she thought she hit a bicycle in the road, not a person. She was booked on of hit and run, vehicular manslaughter and driving with a suspended license. The driver of the second car hasn't come forward.]

Does anyone in the San Francisco Bay Area take responsibility for their actions while driving?

Authorities in Conta Costa County are trying to solve another hit and run bicyclist fatality, this one on Saturday evening involving two motorists, neither of whom stopped. It follows by a month the hit and run death of bicyclist Mark Pendleton in a rural part of the county.

The latest fatality occurred about 6 p.m. in urban Richmond. Police say Laura Casey was riding her bicycle south on a sparsely populated portion of Carson Boulevard when she was struck from behind and knocked to the ground. Reports the Chronicle:

As Casey screamed for help, several people ran to her aid, officials said, but before they could reach her, a second vehicle hit her and dragged her about 25 feet ...   more »

The New York City policeman who body-checked the bicyclist in this YouTube video has been charged with filing false statements, assault and harassment charges.

The cop, Patrick Pogan, pleaded not guilty earlier today to all charges.

The original charges Pogan filed against the 29-year-old who he body slammed during a July 25 Critical Mass bike ride in New York City were dropped several months ago. ...   more »

Update: Dec. 11, 2008 -- That "No Bikes" marking on El Monte Road in Los Altos Hills has been covered up and will be removed early next week, says the city's Public Works director.

In a letter to Bob Shanteau of the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition, Richard Chiu explains that the markings were installed to direct cyclists to a bike path through the college. 

"It was brought to our attention that some drivers may act more aggressively towards bicyclist with the markings in place ....   more »

The Washington Area Bicyclist Association is trying to arrange valet bicycle parking for the Jan. 20 inauguration of Barack Obama.

WABA wants to set up three valet stations within walking distance to the National Mall so cyclists can drop off their bikes and hike on over to the inaugural events.

Visitors also will have bicycles in SmartBike DC self-service bike rental program, left, at their disposal. District officials warn, however, that some of the 10 stations might be located in the security perimeter and passage in and out could be difficult.

WADA is working with the district to find the bike valet sites where cyclists can drop off their bikes, receive a claim check ...   more »

That tired old proposal about bicycle license fees has been broached again, this time from James F. Vesely, editorial page editor at the Seattle Times.

He proposes that bicyclists pay a $25 annual fee for owning a bike. It would make us members of the world of transportation, he writes, "rather than free riders on the tax rolls."

Like so many of the previously misinformed, he writes about the benefits of  bicycle pathways and bicycle lanes that are bestowed upon bicyclists by "the remarkable generosity of Puget Sound taxpayers." ...   more »

There might not be a better opportunity to further the cause for bicycle paths, bike lanes and similar projects for a long time.

When President-elect Barack Obama made a pitch on Saturday for a massive public works construction program to jump-start the economy, he said some spending would go to projects aimed at conserving or expanding energy supplies.

He also talked about creating jobs "by making the single largest new investment in our national infrastructure since the creation of the federal highway system in the 1950s."

Infrastructure? Conserving energy supplies? To me, that says funding bicycle trails, bicycle paths, bicycle racks, marked bicycle routes, and more.

I don't know if that type of "infrastructure" is in Obama's plans right now, but it should be. The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is seeking signatures on an "Economic Recovery Petition" that encourages spending on bicycle and pedestrian projects. It reads ....   more »

C'mon. There's enough road rage out there without bicyclists turning on each other.

But that's what happened in Madison last week, reports the Wisconsin State Journal. According to police reports, Colin O'Brien, owner of Madison's Cronometro bike shop, was attacked one evening after suggesting that a couple of other bicyclists "get a light" after they passed him.

The man and woman had the decency to announce "on your left" when they passed, so they should have known that they needed to light up their rides after dark. Instead, the man shouted "mind your own business." ...   more »