Results tagged “cycling”

As it gets closer to Halloween for LAist, a contributer recollects her tale of staring down the serial killer, Richard Ramirez, otherwise known as the Night Stalker. Must think happy thoughts -- okay, free organic chocolate chip cookies for Los Angeles -- now that's a happy thought. Other happy Los Angeles thoughts include an interview with Jack Kehler of The Big Lebowski (he was the Dude's landlord), a beautiful and magical photographic moment in Venice...

Tomorrow a public hearing on Bicyclist Safety Bill (aka S 1414) will take place in room B-2 of the Statehouse at 10 am. The bill is the same bill that Kerry Healey vetoed when she was governor helping Mitt out when they were both lame ducks. As we learned the first time around the executive office seemed to misinterpret the bill, thinking that it imposed a new set of rules on recreation. The bill's intention,...

This afternoon, before the sloppy snow began to fall, a 22 year old man was struck by a Taxi on Huntington Ave near Forsyth St. The taxi clipped the rear wheel of the cyclist and sent him under the rear wheels of a nearby dump truck carrying a full load of scrap concrete. Northeastern News reports that police recovered a fixed-gear bike (with mangled front wheel), a cell phone, a right shoe, a messenger bag,...

Austinist gets arty with an interactive guide to SXSW, loved some local art galleries and a new art exhibit and lamented the possible loss of "Friday Night Lights" production to New Mexico. Bostonist was happy they finally found an Anna Nicole Smith connection to their fair city and that an Apple Store was opening up. They were less happy that new rules have been established limiting underage shows and that their Governor is spending...

A trip through the tunnels might share some of the 48 seconds daily time savings. Back in February we took a look at the numbers. We came up with something in the neighborhood of $168,000, a commenter added in some other factors and found $182,000, in annual productivity savings. This based on the Turnpike Authorities time calculations which had a trip through the tunnel system clocked at 2:48, down from the 19:30 it took travelers in the elevated central artery system. The Census Bureau just released figures that show from the year 2000 to their latest survey of drive times in 2005 showing Boston metro commuters have the 11th longest commute, coming in at 28.6 minutes. The new numbers reflect pre-July traffic levels, so the new detours following the Big Dig ceiling collapse aren't taken into account. Add those in and we might squeak into the top ten. Commute times don't rely exclusively on cars. Public transit, walking, and cycling are all included in the statistics. If there was some good fix for the B-Line travel time the city's average would surely drop.

Last night Bostonist found ourselves at the Massachusetts College of Art Senior Show, an art opening featuring pieces from graduating seniors. The idea of spending a few hours in a room with a group of undergraduate art students had us a bit apprehensive, but we were a bit disappointed by the distinct lack of existential angst emanating from those present. In general, the crowd consisted of very nice students who seemed entirely relieved to be done with it all. By far, the most dramatic figures at the show were the professors.

Thanks for the tips on biking in the winter in boston. I'm outfitting myself with gear, but my gloves for biking are sub-par...do you have any suggestions?

Can Bostonist write anything today that's not about the snow? What can we say? In February we'll be thoroughly fed up with the piles of gray misery clinging to street and sidewalk alike, but in December we are still suffused with childlike glee at the prospect of a healthy storm. And since such a storm is forecast to come our way late tonight or tomorrow, Bostonist thinks now is a good time to remind our dear readers about what may be the most overlooked way to get around town in the snow: Bicycling. OK, it sounds crazy, but Bostonist has found that there is something strangely delightful about cycling in the snow. Sure, you fall a lot, but you're going slowly to begin with, and the falls are cushioned by snow. We've found it to be a remarkably efficient way to get around when other modes of transport aren't doing too well, and since there tend to be fewer cars on the roads, the risk of falling and getting run over is lessened somewhat. Also, the bike we built this year for riding in the snow is wicked awesome.

Hey Bostonist, I ditched my car about a month ago and have been biking everywhere I used to take my car. It's been great, don't get me wrong, definitely the way to get around the geographically small and relatively hill-free city is by bike. I'm a little uneasy though: your horror stories of getting hit, almost getting run over by the UPS man, and getting ticketed don't really help. I wonder if you could...

Bostonist is an advocate of the bicycling life, but we know that it can sometimes be a lonely endeavor - just today, as we suited up in our baggy blue rain pants and slicker, preparing to leave work and brave the torrential downpour, we had to endure the curious/incredulous stares of our co-workers (and we weren't even wearing (nor do we ever) the dreaded spandex shorts so popular with the cycling set). Wouldn't it be...

With summer suddenly and oppressively upon us, there is a natural inclination to turn our attention to outdoor activities. However, in light of Bostonist's interest in all things hip and youthful (Bostonist, like Wu-Tang, is for the kids), we will not focus on softball, mini golf, or croquet. Instead, we offer a primer on that hip-to-death-to-the-point-of-being-over subset of cycling, the fixed-gear bike.

Spring is in the air, the sun is finally shining, our softball team is posting losses on a weekly basis (although Bostonist went 4-4 with 2 RBI and a run scored last night), and it's the time when a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of . . . safety. Yes, June is National Safety Month (along with Aphasia Awareness Month, Scleroderma Awareness Month, Myasthenia Gravis (?!) Awareness Month, Vision Research Month, and Fireworks Safety Month (we would have guessed July, but go figure)). It may seem cruel to urge caution on the populace just as warm nights and budding flowers seem to call for happy abandon, but perhaps that is why the good folks at the National Safety Council chose this month. In any event, their website is full of shocking - shocking! - statistics that will surely convince you to abandon risky behavior at all costs (Bostonist's favorite: "45% of injury-related deaths happen to workers while off the job." Could this be because workers spend about 45% of their waking hours off the job? We can't say, but best to be careful). The news of late offers some object lessons in the importance of safety: there are weird, foreign STDs in our city, so practice safe sex (even though April is Sexually Transmitted Diseases Awareness month); there are also careless drivers all over our roads, so wear your helmet when cycling (although May is national Bicycle Safety Month, December is Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month, and Drive Safely Work Week is in October); and, appropriately for Safety Month, ultimate fighting is too dangerous for Boston (and snide political commentary is too dangerous for Somerville). But the weather really is beautiful, with highs this weekend promised to be in the 80s (!) and rain practically banished from the Commonwealth until next week at least. So get out there are enjoy springtime, but BE CAREFUL.

Bostonist should have mentioned it sooner, but better late than never: this is Bike Week (sometimes known as Bike to Work Week). That means tons of bike-friendly activities all over the state, which are listed at the helpful website of Massbike, our favorite tireless champion of two-wheeled transport. Being great lovers of free stuff, we especially recommend the free breakfasts for bike commuters. There's one tomorrow in front of the Au Bon Pain in Harvard Square from 7:30 - 9:30, and two on Thursday at the same time: one on Main Street in Kendall Square and one on Boylston by the Pru (where the Duck Boats queue up). There will also be a city-funded, bicycle-related giveaway on Friday morning in Cambridge (at Kendall, Central, Harvard Square, and the Minuteman bike trail), and we have it on good authority that even non-Cantabrigians can partake (last year, Bostonist got a bicycle bell).