Obama Supports Cycling

from the web site Bike Europe:
US Presidential Candidate Obama Favours Bicycling

PORTLAND, US – Bicycle advocacies from city of Portland have unearthed a quote from US presidential candidate Barack Obama regarding his support for cycling.

He even seems to be the only one of the Democratic presidential candidates who explicitly encourages bicycle transportation in his energy plans. On the Republican side, the only mention of bicycles comes from Mike Huckabee, who told Grist, "I run and enjoy the outdoors and I often ride my bicycle to the store. My kids laugh at me and call me an old geezer, but I love it. Several years ago, I would have driven."

A part of the quote of Obama’s energy platform:

“As president, Barack Obama will build upon his efforts in the Senate to ensure that more Metropolitan Planning Organizations create policies to incentivize greater bicycle and pedestrian usage of roads and sidewalks. He will also re-commit federal resources to public mass transportation projects across the country.”

Tallahassee Newspaper Reporter Gets It Right

Kudos to Tallahassee Democrat writer Gerald Ensley and to long-time cycling advocate Chris Sands for setting the record straight.

How it warms my heart to see the words: "bicyclists fare best when they obey the rules of the road and operate like other vehicles" in print.

New Way to Report Bad Drivers

For some years we've been thinking about a site where cyclists could report bad motorists. Well, it's out there: PlateWire.

You can report the tag number, behavior and location and even request a postcard be sent to the offending driver for $2 (if they are able to find the address). Go here to see the Florida tags.

You're not limited to complaints. You can also flirt with drivers who catch your fancy and give attaboys to polite drivers. The one "Award" tag in Florida was a Share the Road tag!