Five Crashes in a Day: Business as Usual in Eureka

Posted on October 11, 2019 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

October 11, 2019

Car-Free Streets? It Can Be Done!
San Francisco is moving ahead with a plan to dramatically improve bicycle, pedestrian and transit infrastructure on Market Street – one of the city’s busiest – including making some blocks completely car-free. Which reminds us: the Arcata Plaza Improvement Task Force meets again next week to consider recommendations for making the currently car-dominated Plaza area a safer, more environmentally friendly, and more welcoming space. If San Francisco can do it to Market Street…

Five Crashes in One Day: Business as Usual
With the power out, police reported five collisions on Highway 101 in Eureka on Wednesday, a number that’s “considered in line with city crime statistics.” Yikes. Meanwhile, people struggled to get gas for their cars with no electricity to operate pumps and other equipment. You know who didn’t struggle to get gas? People walking and riding their bikes.

Newsom Signs Amtrak Bus Bill
The governor signed SB 742 this week, which allows Amtrak to run buses independently from its train service. Of local interest: Humboldt County residents heading south may soon be able to skip Bay Area congestion by taking the twice-daily Amtrak Thruway Bus from Humboldt and connecting in Santa Rosa to a SMART train south to the Bay. It’s still unclear where the transfer would take place, but SMART’s North Santa Rosa (Airport) Station is only 1/4 mile from the present bus route.

Weekly Street Story Update: The Friendly City
There have been several reports made from Fortuna since Street Story debuted in Humboldt in June. The intersection of Kenmar Rd, Ross Hill Rd and Business Route 101 seems to be emerging as a particular problem area. You can make your Street Story report here.

“Cars Are Death Machines. Self-Driving Tech Won’t Change That.”
Enough said. Read it for yourself.

Could a Successful Climate Lawsuit Herald the End of the Caltrans Freeway-Building Era?
Cross your fingers.

Speaking of Which…
Another report confirms that too much driving is keeping California from meeting its greenhouse gas reduction goals. This is a crisis, people.

The Collector is CRTP’s weekly transportation news roundup, published every Friday. We focus on North Coast news, but we also include relevant state, national and international transportation news – plus other items that we just find kind of interesting! To submit items for consideration, email colin@transportationpriorities.org.

We Need More Housing. But Where Should It Go?

Posted on October 4, 2019 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

October 4, 2019

What’s That Project For Again?
At the California Transportation Commission meeting next week, Commissioners will vote on allocations of funding for the “safety corridor” improvement project on Highway 101 between Arcata and Eureka. Although much of the attention on this project has centered on the Indianola interchange, it contains a number of other components too, including lengthening acceleration and deceleration lanes. Interestingly, the purpose of that portion of the project – according to the CTC agenda packet – is not to improve safety, but to reduce vehicle delays. Hmmm. Also on next week’s agenda is a request for a time extension for building an electric vehicle charging station in Willow Creek.

And Is Humboldt Done Paying for It?
Meanwhile, the Humboldt County Association of Governments is hoping Caltrans will pick up the increased tab for the corridor project. The county has allocated all of its State Transportation Improvement Program funds to the project for years, and HCAOG isn’t interested in promising future money too.

Times-Standard: If Arcata Won’t Build Student Housing, Eureka Should
An editorial clearly calling out Arcata’s resistance to building The Village student housing project suggests that Eureka can build housing and “they can ride the bus to campus.” It’s a nice thought, and there should absolutely be more housing in Eureka – and more investment in our bus system – but it still makes more sense for HSU students to be housed closer to campus, where walking and biking are options too.

Eureka Commission to Talk Parking
The city’s Transportation Safety Commission will discuss requests to remove time limits in part of downtown and establish a pilot residential permit program near Eureka High School. Maybe if they remove time limits downtown they should add meters, too. It seems high time to stop subsidizing private vehicles with so much valuable public space.

Hearing Scheduled for Sidewalk on Broadway
Caltrans is applying for a Coastal Development Permit from the City of Eureka to build a sidewalk along Broadway south of the Lithia car dealership. This is part of an area that has been a hot spot for pedestrian collisions in recent years. The hearing is scheduled for 10 am on October 15 at City Hall.

Weekly Street Story Update
Of the 424 Street Story reports made for far in Humboldt County (at the time of this writing), 166 of them are in the unincorporated county, 149 are in Eureka, and 88 are in Arcata. In the unincorporated county, the greatest concentration of reports is in the areas near Eureka and Arcata, as well as in McKinleyville. You can make your Street Story report here.

NACTO Takes On New Forms of Mobility
The National Association of City Transportation Officials has released new guidelines for regulating “micromobility” options such as e-scooters, as well as autonomous vehicles.

In California, Will Every Road Be an Autobahn?
Some analysts say that the legal arguments the Trump administration is making to try to invalidate California’s fuel economy standards would have much broader effects, including invalidating speed limits all over the state.

No New Federal Transportation Funding
Transportation for America and Smart Growth America are now officially calling for no new federal investment in the “broken” transportation system until the many problems with that system are addressed.

McKinleyville Town Center Inches Closer to Reality

Posted on September 27, 2019 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

September 27, 2019

Shifting Recommendations from Plaza Task Force?
Last month, the Arcata Plaza Improvement Task Force ranked possible recommendations to the City Council and ended up with a list that included a lot of improvements to bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure – including closing some areas to cars. At its meeting this week, the Task Force unveiled the rankings of specific implementation measures. Several improvements for bikes, pedestrians, and buses were highly ranked. However, in apparent contrast with the prior recommendations, the highly ranked implementation measures also seemed to call for increased parking off the Plaza and no changes at all to the parking and driving areas that dominate the Plaza itself. The conversation will continue at the Task Force’s next meeting and an upcoming City Council study session. Stay tuned.

McKinleyville Town Center Inches Closer to Reality
At its meeting this week, the McKinleyville Municipal Advisory Committee discussed how to move forward in coordination with County planning staff to develop an ordinance implementing the long-envisioned McKinleyville town center. That process will likely begin within the next month or two, and there will be at least a few opportunities for more public input. The design of the future town center – and the pattern of development around it – will play a huge role in determining transportation choices in the county largest unincorporated community.

The Climate Action Plan and Active Transportation
Humboldt County’s Climate Action Plan coordinator (and CRTP Board member) Connor McGuigan was the guest on this week’s edition of Happy Trails on KHUM. He talked about how the Plan will try to increase walking, biking and transit use in the county, and how the public can get involved.

Trucker’s Parade Rescued by Rex
Meanwhile, in Sacramento, Governor Newsom signed SB 210 and SB 44 this week, which will subject trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles to smog checks for the first time and require the state to come up with a comprehensive strategy for reducing their emissions. Maybe it’s time for a bike parade.

Organizations Ask Newsom to Sign Caltrans Complete Streets Bill
The bill could have a big impact on the North Coast, where state highways act as main streets in many communities.

North Country Fair Bike Valet a Success
Despite Sunday’s rain, CRTP provided free bike valet services for more than 70 people over the weekend at the annual North Country Fair.

Visitor from Redding Loves the Fact That Eureka’s Downtown Isn’t a Parking Lot
It’s an interestingly timed commentary, given recent choices by the City Council and Board of Supervisors.

Weekly Street Story Update: Is Safety in the Eye of the Beholder?
In addition to hazards, collisions and near misses, safe places can also be reported on Street Story. However, only 5 of the 417 reports received so far have been for safe spots. One such location reported as safe by a user is the intersection of 2nd and F Streets in Old Town Eureka. But only half a block away on F Street, a collision has also been reported. More reports will likely be needed to get a better sense of what makes people (feel) safe or unsafe in this area. You can make your Street Story report here.

Trump EPA Blocks Fuel Economy Rules, Threatens Punishment for Bad Air Quality
As the climate crisis grows and tailpipe emissions increase nationwide, the US Environmental Protection Agency has moved to block California from imposing stricter fuel economy standards. (The state has had the right to impose such standards since the federal Clean Air Act was passed decades ago, and is now suing to keep it.) Meanwhile, the EPA has also singled out California for not meeting federal air quality standards and threatened to punish the state by withholding…wait for it…highway funding! How ironic it would be if, through its own twisted political machinations, the Trump administration forced dirtier cars on the state and then kept the state from maintaining the roads for them to drive on.

Don’t Drive – Organize!
If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a thousand times – electric vehicles are great, but we still need to drive a lot less.

Can Smaller Cities Get to Zero Traffic Deaths?
A lot of them are certainly trying.

Eureka Makes Some Car-Friendly Decisions

Posted on September 20, 2019 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

September 20, 2019

Eureka City Council Gives Its Blessing to That Parking Lot…
According to the City Council, demolishing affordable housing downtown to build a parking lot (and maybe eventually a County building on top of it) is totally in line with the city’s new General Plan. Which was supposed to encourage denser housing and active transportation in the city’s core. Hmm.

…And That Fast Food Traffic Signal
The Eureka City Council also gave final approval this week to paying for a traffic signal to serve new fast food restaurants on Broadway. In other words, the city is subsidizing one of the most car-centered land uses possible.

Bike to the Climate Strike (and the North Country Fair!)
There are at least two local rallies to mark today’s international climate strike. CRTP volunteers will be providing bike valet for the Eureka rally. After all, driving is the leading source of greenhouse gas emissions locally and nationally. We’ll also be providing bike valet all weekend at the North Country Fair. So wherever you go this weekend, ride your bike (or walk or take the bus)!

HCAOG Board “Relieved” About Corridor Project Cost Increase
As we reported two weeks ago, Caltrans is now projecting major cost increases for the Highway 101 “safety corridor” project, at least in part because of a major oversight in engineering the proposed Indianola interchange. The agency initially projected a cost increase of almost $35 million, but now says it will only cost $20 million more – and says it will pay for the increase with state money. Apparently that was enough for the Humboldt County Association of Governments to send a lukewarm letter expressing “relief” that things aren’t any worse.

Annual Unmet Transit Needs Hearings Under Way
If you have an unmet transit need, let local transportation planners know at one of the public hearings around the county over the next few weeks or online. The McKinleyville hearing next week will also include a discussion of the future town center!

Another Driver Hits Another Pedestrian on Broadway
The person walking was said to have “major injuries.” As one commenter on this article noted: “It seems like we’ve reached the threshold of accidents [sic] per mile where CalTrans and Eureka might look at the problem some more.” Also this week, a driver hit and killed a pedestrian in Orleans.

Arcata Housing Workshop Next Week
The City of Arcata is looking for input on “options to meet our growing housing needs.” The location of housing has a lot of influence on what transportation choices people make.

Weekly Street Story Update
As of this week, there are more than 400 Humboldt County reports on Street Story! CRTP is pleased with the participation so far and will be using the data to advocate for safety improvements on local roadways. You can make your Street Story report here.

Senate Transportation Bill Is More of the Same
The first federal transportation funding bill to make it out of committee includes a few small nods to the climate and safety crises, but mostly sticks to funding more highways for cars. As usual.

A Call for “Universal Streets”
The American Society for Landscape Architecture has released new guidelines that call for streetscapes designed for universal accessibility. The new guidelines go beyond the complete streets paradigm to focus on people with disabilities as well as ecological design and spaces for socializing.

Free Rural Transit Works!

Posted on September 13, 2019 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

September 13, 2019

Arcata Committee to Hold Annual Parking Meeting
Maybe the Transportation Safety Committee should focus more on places to park our bikes and our rear ends than our cars. Whatever your opinion, come out on Tuesday and let them know.

Local Climate Strike Activities Next Friday
Transportation is our largest local source of greenhouse gas emissions – so go to the rallies by foot, bike, bus or carpool.

Free Rural Transit Works!
A locally produced, widely syndicated podcast is out with a new episode talking about the challenges of rural transit systems and how going fare-free can help. The episode features an interview with CRTP Executive Director Colin Fiske.

Another Weekend, Another Car Show
Our local (and national) love affair with cars was on full display in Eureka this week.

Caltrans Has a New Director
In a major departure from tradition, he has a background in urban planning and active transportation rather than traffic engineering. He’s even on the Board of Directors of advocacy group America Walks. Could this be a turning point for the historically car-centric agency?

Weekly Street Story Update: Herrick Avenue
The entirety of Herrick Avenue, and about half of the intersections along it, have been reported as hazards in Street Story over the last few months. Planners take note. You can make your Street Story report here.

California Has Too Much Parking and Not Enough Housing
State policymakers and local advocates have been reduced to advocating for safe overnight parking spaces for people who live in their cars. Meanwhile, some forward-thinking trail advocates are considering how to design trails that meet the needs of the houseless as well as the housed.

Transportation Bills At the Deadline
Today is the last day for the California legislature to pass bills this session. Here’s a sampling of some of the bills we’ve been following and their current status: So far, the Caltrans complete streets bill, the bill requiring Caltrans to develop a strategy for heavy-duty diesel vehicle emissions reductions, and the bill allowing Amtrak to run buses independent of its trains have passed the legislature and are on the governor’s desk. The bill making electric bikes and bike shares eligible for old car trade-in rebates in some parts of the state has already been signed by Newsom. Meanwhile, this session’s follow-up bill to the Great Redwood Trail Act has been shelved, apparently by mutual agreement of stakeholders as the administration continues carrying out the first steps required by the Act.

Will a Horrific Crash Move the Needle on Bike Infrastructure in New Orleans?
Advocates say it could be a world-class biking city if its streets weren’t so dangerous.

Electric Pick-up Start-Up Getting Loads of Capital
National Drive Electric Week starts tomorrow. Will Rivian successfully produce electric versions of America’s beloved pick-up trucks and SUVs? Is this where we should be putting our cash anyway?

Complete Streets Bill Near the Finish Line

Posted on September 6, 2019 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

September 6, 2019

Arcata City Council Picks Annie-Mary Trail Route
The portion of the trail through Arcata will stay on the former railroad right-of-way, rather than following any roads. This route was generally the most popular during public outreach, but does leave some potential users feeling unsafe due to greater isolation.

County Planning Commission Tackles Subdivisions
Several subdivisions, mostly on the periphery of urban and suburban areas, were on this week’s Humboldt County Planning Commission agenda. We used to call that sprawl.

Complete Streets Bill Near the Finish Line
Advocates are calling SB 127 one of the most important active transportation bills in years. Caltrans is working hard to stop it. (Side note: Why, Caltrans, why?) It’s now on the Assembly floor. If it passes, it goes on to the Governor.

Humboldt Supervisors Form Ad Hoc Sea Level Rise Committee
Some of the infrastructure most at risk, of course, is transportation-related. See next item.

Safety Corridor Snafu?
This week, the Humboldt County Association of Government’s Technical Advisory Committee talked about new cost increases for the long-discussed project intended to improve safety on Highway 101 between Eureka and Arcata. Apparently Caltrans didn’t plan for the fact that the new Indianola interchange would be built on unstable fill material, and had to go back to the drawing board for new engineering. You’d think… oh, nevermind.

Weekly Street Story Update: Speeding, Speeding, Speeding
As reports trickle in, one trend is clear: speeding is the top reported cause of hazard, crashes, and near misses. It’s noteworthy that when a driver hits a bicyclist or pedestrian, higher speeds are directly tied to higher chances of death. The causes of speeding are many and varied, but street design plays a surprisingly large role. You can make your Street Story report here.

Candidate Climate Plans Ignore Driving
Too much driving is, well, driving greenhouse gas emissions in the US. But most of the Democratic presidential candidates have little or nothing in their climate plans about reducing driving.

Pedestrians and Bicyclists Are Dying in San Francisco
And your risk of being hit depends on where you live.

E-Bikes in National Parks?
First e-scooters in cities, now e-bikes in parks. How do we decide how and where new (or newly popular) modes of transportation should be used? A question for our times.

New County Zoning Rules Adopted

Posted on August 30, 2019 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

August 30, 2019

Supes Move Forward on Eureka Land Purchase
Final decisions on whether to buy it and how to develop it are in the future. Will it be a parking lot? Members of the public had some pointed comments. “‘This parking lot thing is the opposite of the whole thing we did this morning,’ said one speaker, referencing the board’s earlier decision to create an advisory committee to address climate change.” Indeed. Or as another commenter asked: “Maybe managers could carpool?”

New County Zoning Rules Adopted
At the same meeting, the Supervisors adopted new zoning rules to implement the 2017 General Plan update. While a lot of the discussion – and all the media coverage – was about timber zoning, they also adopted rules for the new mixed-use zones to be located in town center areas. The rules include the possibility of reduced parking requirements – but you’ll still have to get a special permit for that, despite CRTP’s best efforts. Oh, and the Supes voted to move ahead with forming a Climate Advisory Committee, too.

Arcata Annie & Mary Trail Connectivity Project Report Available
The project aims to connect the existing Bay Trail North to the future Annie & Mary Trail along West End Road. The draft project report is available online, and the Arcata City Council will be discussing it at their meeting next Wednesday.

Another Driver Kills Another Pedestrian on Highway 101
Highway 101 is often the main route, and sometimes the only route, between locations on the North Coast. It must be made safer for people without a vehicle.

Weekly Street Story Update: The McKinleyville Gateway Area
An group of concerned citizens, now working through the McKinleyville Municipal Advisory Committee’s new ad hoc Active Transportation Committee, has been trying to get safety improvements on Central Avenue in what is sometimes called the “South Gateway” to McKinleyville – from the highway ramps to the shopping center. Anyone who’s traveled this area knows it’s terrifying and dangerous if you’re on foot, on a bike, or need mobility assistance. Street Story reports confirm hazards, collision(s), and a near miss in the area. You can make your Street Story report here.

Supervisor Candidate Says Trails Are a Priority
Full disclosure: CRTP Executive Director co-hosts the Happy Trails segment with Berkowitz on KHUM once a month. Listen to our latest segment here.

McKinleyville Municipal Advisory Committee Talks Town Center
The idea is as popular as ever. When will it actually happen?

Bike-Friendly Bills Advance
Check out CalBike’s informative legislative update.

Prioritizing Kids Over Cars at HSU

Posted on August 23, 2019 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

August 23, 2019

HSU Chooses Child Care Over Car Parking
In a refreshing display of reasonable priorities, the university announced that its Trinity Annex building, until recently slated to be demolished for a new parking lot, will instead be used as a child care center. Prioritizing kids over cars…imagine that! Maybe the County will follow their lead?

Planning Humboldt’s Energy Future
Over the next few months, the Redwood Coast Energy Authority will be re-writing its comprehensive plan for energy in Humboldt County. The plan focuses on electricity – including the recently adopted goal of getting to 100% clean and renewable electricity by 2025 – but will also touch on transportation, one of the major uses of energy in the county. The first opportunity to have your say is at a meeting next Thursday in Eureka.

Housing is Unaffordable in Humboldt
The average household in the county can’t afford the average home in the county. Building more suburban subdivisions won’t help. Will the County actually prioritize affordable infill housing projects? (Incidentally, that would also make transportation more affordable – walking, biking, and taking the bus are only feasible in denser mixed-use areas, and they’re all much cheaper than owning a car!)

Arcata Transportation Safety Committee Takes on Weighty Topics
At its meeting this week, the committee discussed the proposed Creek Side Homes residential development project, improvement of trail crossings, partial street closures during farmers markets, and more. September’s meeting will focus on parking. Perhaps they’ll consider the evidence that abundant free parking causes more people to drive.

State Transportation Commission Coming to Del Norte
Mark your calendars: They’ll hold a town hall on November 6th.

Take the Arcata Housing Survey
Let the city know what you think about what kinds of housing should be encouraged – and where.

Weekly Street Story Update: South Eureka
Traditional sources of street safety data include only collisions reported to the police. Street Story provides a way to report “near misses” as well. That’s critical because research indicates that locations with numerous near misses are likely to experience a collision in the future. Street Story reports so far in south Eureka may be providing a warning sign: a growing number of near misses in areas where few actual collisions have been reported yet. You can make your Street Story report here.

Caltrans Fights Dirty Against Complete Streets Bill
Caltrans was named and shamed by state legislators this week for vastly overinflated cost estimates and other underhanded tactics aimed at sinking SB 127, which would require the agency to build more bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure on many of their roadways. Hey, wait a minute…hasn’t Caltrans repeatedly said it’s already committed to doing this? Then why the big fuss? Anyway, it didn’t work – the bill still moved ahead. But the Assembly Appropriations Committee only has a week to take final action on the bill before it will be declared dead for the session.

Amtrak Bus Bill Moves Ahead
Meanwhile, SB 742 – which would allow Amtrak to provide bus service independent of its train service – was approved unanimously by the Assembly Appropriations Committee and now moves on to the Assembly floor.

You Can’t Call Them Accidents
It’s been said that you can get away with murder simply by getting into a car. Drivers, after all, are rarely held to account for actions which result in the deaths of other people on the street.

Active Transportation in McKinleyville? Oh My!

Posted on August 16, 2019 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

August 16, 2019

Tear Down Housing for a Parking Lot? No Thanks.
CRTP weighs in. And for the record, we’re not in favor of a parking garage, either. That would cost even more per parking space – a lot more – and just encourage more driving.

McKinleyville Has a New Active Transportation Committee
The McKinleyville Municipal Advisory Committee has formed an ad hoc subcommittee on active transportation and trails, and its first meeting is next Wednesday. Come on out to show support for better bike, pedestrian and bus infrastructure in Mack Town!

CRTP Submits Comments on Creek Side Homes Project
Main takeaways: This could be a good project, but it needs less parking and more transportation alternatives – and it could use some more housing, too.

Arcata Plaza Task Force Considers Recommendations
At its meeting on Thursday, the Task Force began discussing which specific recommendations to make to City Council and how to implement them. Among the draft recommendations, 6 of the top 10 were related to improving non-vehicular transportation design!

Weekly Street Story Update: Highway 36
It’s no secret that Highway 36 between Carlotta and Bridgeville is dangerous – whether you’re in a vehicle or not. Street Story reports are confirming that. You can make your Street Story report here.

Holmlund Stepping Down as Eureka Development Director
Rob Holmlund has led the way in Eureka’s revitalization by focusing on denser, mixed-use, less car-focused infill development. Will the city’s next Development Director continue in this direction, or will we return to the old-fashioned (but still common) car-centric approach to development?

Caltrans Complete Streets Bill (SB 127) Set for Hearing Next Week
At the same hearing, the Assembly Appropriations Committee will consider the bill to allow Amtrak to run bus service independent of its train lines (SB 742). This is likely that last major hurdle for both bills.

As Trinidad Hotel Moves Forward, So Does Highway Interchange
Let’s not forget about that part of the project.

How Long Until Highway 101 is Under Water?
Maybe not that long.

Our State’s Struggle with Cars
A thoughtful big-picture look at the challenges facing California as we face the necessity of reducing car use.

New York & San Francisco Re-Think Car-Dominated Streets
If they can do it, can’t we?

Bike-Share, Scooter-Share…Moped-Share?
These new transportation systems appearing suddenly on city streets could play a valuable role in reducing driving and addressing the “last mile” problem of public transportation. But it’s a challenge to roll out new ideas in cities designed around cars.

State Agencies Make Big Decisions for Humboldt

Posted on August 9, 2019 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

August 9, 2019

Coastal Commission Approves 101 Corridor Project…
Despite many complaints about billboards and lack of planning for bike and pedestrian access and sea level rise, the Commission approved the changes to Highway 101 between Arcata and Eureka. What bothers us most about this project – other than the fact that much of the corridor will likely be underwater in less than 10 years – is the unstated intention to raise the speed limit. Because faster is safer, right?

..and Trinidad Hotel Project
With the focus on water, the proposed new highway interchange which the hotel relies on (but has not received any approvals yet) was barely mentioned.

Transportation Commission to Vote on Local Project Allocations
Among the projects under consideration for funding next week are “vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian improvements” on Redway Drive in Garberville and major changes to the Kenmar Road interchange in Fortuna (also to include some bike/ped amenities).

Humboldt Street Story in the News
CRTP Executive Director Colin Fiske presented about local our use of Street Story on a statewide webinar this week.

Weekly Street Story Update: 6th Street
6th Street in Eureka shows up on Street Story reports to date as a string of collisions and near misses. At least this weekend bicyclists and pedestrians got a brief respite when a stretch of 6th Street was closed down for the Eureka Street Art Festival Block Party, and CRTP provided free bike valet! You can make your Street Story report here.

New York Times: Do Bicyclists Really Deserve All the Blame?
Anyone who’s ever mentioned bicycle hazards to a non-bicyclist knows that the most likely reaction is something like this: “Darn bicyclists, they’re so reckless, they create hazards for the rest of us.” Never mind that studies have shown bicyclists and drivers break the law at about the same rate, and a car is orders of magnitude more dangerous than a bicycle.