Bicycling musette

The Musette will be an occasional feature used for two or three short posts. In bicycle racing, a musette is a small, cloth grab bag used to hand up food to a cyclist while he is still moving.

Helmets
The helmet nannies were tut-tutting furiously this week when photos showed President Obama riding a bicycle sans helmet. We all know that a helmet isn't the sole requirement for safe cycling. The rider's behavior is primary, followed by properly designed and maintained roads. Personal protective equipment like helmets are the the last line of defense, used when all else fails.

The New York Daily News had this, however:

David Mozer, director of the International Bicycle Fund, a nonprofit advocacy group in Seattle (said)...."Most bike accidents just happen. Bicycles up and turn over by themselves, and head injuries are a possible consequence of that." 

Sure, it happens all the time. Why, if I leave my bicycles alone in the garage they have riotous parties. They dance and cavort in ways that would shock public decency. And they do it all by themselves.

Red lights
Missouri introduced a new law that allows bicyclists and motorcyclists to ride through a red light when it doesn't detect their presence.

A new state law that began Friday allows motorcycle and bicycle riders to go through a red light at an intersection if they follow strict criteria.

To start, the law doesn’t apply to all intersections. Only those that use sensors or cameras to determine whether the light turns green are covered.

All of the following factors also must apply: The motorcycle or bicycle must come to a complete stop at the intersection, and the driver must deem he or she has been waiting for an unreasonable amount of time. In that case, it must be recognized that the traffic signal was apparently malfunctioning or not recognizing the arrival of the vehicle.

This is a sensible change, though it doesn't specify the length of time a cyclist must wait before deciding the signal is inoperative.

Scorchers
A century ago, scorchers were those reckless young men who rode bicycles at a furious pace, scattering pedestrians and livestock in their wake. They never really went away. Nashville police are using radar guns to apprehend the scoundrels.

A clash between "Tour de France wannabes" and "iPod-deaf roadblocks" has park police warning cyclists to slow down and walkers to stay in the slow lane on Nashville's greenways.

Nashville has a 15mph speed limit on greenways, multiple-use paths that are shared between cyclists and pedestrians. And like most MUPs, the disparity in speed leads to conflicts.

If you're training for competition and going well above the limit, ride on the road.  If your community has a mandatory sidepath law that forces you onto a trail or MUP, try to get that law changed for both your safety and the safety of those pedestrians.

Finally, If you're reading this in Tulsa, be aware that the River Park trail has a 10 mph speed limit. With a good Oklahoma tailwind, you can travel that fast without pedaling!