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Cyclists are legal and intended users of the road and as such must follow all the rules of the road.  This means riding in the same direction as traffic, obeying traffic signals and stop signs. When riding at night, a white front light and red rear reflector are required, but using bright front and rear lights can make you much more visible to motorists.

Ride predictably, in a reasonably straight line, staying about three feet away from parked cars and the edge of the pavement.  It is generally less safe to hug the edge of the road.

Evaluate where you intend to ride and know where crashes are more likely to happen. Most crashes occur at intersections.  In urban areas with frequent intersections watch out for cars turning left across your path and those who might cut you off by turning right in front of you. In rural or suburban areas, crashes on narrow roads where traffic moves at higher speeds are often fatal. Try to avoid high speed roads unless they have a paved shoulder or bike lane.

Wearing a helmet can reduce your risk of injury in the unlikely event that you are involved in a crash.

Drivers of motor vehicles need to share the road with bicyclists. Be courteous - allow at least three feet clearance when passing a bicyclist on the road, look for cyclists before opening a car door or pulling out from a parking space, and yield to cyclists at intersections and as directed by signs and signals. Be especially watchful for cyclists when making turns, either left or right.

Make a visual check for bicyclists by checking mirrors and blind spots before entering or leaving a lane of traffic.

TUCSON - The Mission and Starr Pass intersection was under construction for many months. Now that it's complete, both drivers and cyclists are noticing some changes.

Erik Ryberg, who lives on Tucson's west side, uses the new interchange, and likes some of the new cycling amenities.

"It might be the most sophisticated intersection in Tucson, in terms of the bike infrastructure that's been installed here," Ryberg said.

Not only is the asphalt much smoother and easier to ride along, specific safety treatments have been built throughout the traffic interchange.

"We've got the green boxes along the streets to tell drivers not to drift into that area because it's exclusively for cyclists. We've got some sophisticated crossings here to allow cyclists to come on to 22nd from mission," Ryberg continued.

However that's not all. In some of the more dangerous areas for cyclists, the City has built special sidewalks for cyclists and pedestrians only.

Tom Thivener, Tucson's Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Manager, says the feedback has been positive.

"Folks are saying it has some pretty cool treatments. I think it's higher standards than what Tucson bicyclists are used to because normally we're used to a stripe on a pavement but here we actually pulled them off with a couple ways to reenter the roadway. A lot of signage, pavement markings, so we kind of got the works with this project," Thivener said.

Additionally, the traffic light crossing signals have been placed for easier access for cyclists, and across the Santa Cruz River, there's a two lane bridge for cyclists and pedestrians. Again, it pulls 2 wheelers and walkers off of the busy roadway, and channels them back to the street at a safer location.

However, even with all the safety features, cyclists should still be cautious when cycling through the area. Because the interchange looks similar to a freeway interchange, cars tend to pick up speed.

Seattle City Councilmember Jean Godden is circulating a proposal that would lower a proposed $80 car-tab fee to $40 and redistribute how it's spent so less would go to transit and bike lanes and more to road repair.

The council will hold a public hearing at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday on the recommendations of the Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee to charge city residents $80 a year for car-tab fees. That group recommends that half of the $27.2 million collected be spent on transit and $5 million on street repair.

Godden's proposal would collect $13.6 million a year with $10.2 million going to road repair and improvements, $2 million to transit and $1.36 million to pedestrian and bicycle projects.

"We really need to keep our maintenance strong," Godden said. She said she's heard a range of citizen views, from taxpayers questioning any new fees to those who are "extremely concerned" about the poor condition of the city's streets.

Godden said she was reluctant to make as large an investment in transit as recommended by the citizen's committee until the city completes a transit master plan and a freight-mobility plan, both of which are in the works.

Other council members also have expressed concerns about the size and distribution of the citizens-committee recommendations. Nick Licata said his fear was that the money targeted for transit would go to planning new light-rail routes.

"We have more immediate needs," he said. He also noted that 80 percent of city residents who rely on transit use buses not light rail.

The council will consider amendments to the citizens committee recommendations on Monday, immediately following the 2 p.m. council meeting.

   CHICAGO (CN) - A man exonerated of murder after 24 years in prison can proceed with claims that police systematically tortured him and other black suspects into making false confessions, and that former Mayor Richard Daley and other authorities ignored such abuses.
     During the early morning hours of July 21, 1986, police found Betty Howard's body in a vacant apartment of her building.
     Michael Tillman, who lived in the same building, voluntarily went to the Area 2 police headquarters house later to face interrogation by the-detectives Ronald Boffo and Peter Dignan. Tillman says he spent the next four days in police custody, cut off from the outside world and tortured by various officers until he incriminated himself.
     According to the complaint, officers struck Tillman's head and stomach, causing him to vomit, and also hit him in the back and head with a telephone book, causing his nose to bleed and then forcing him to clean up the blood.
     They also pressed their thumbs against Tillman's ears, pushed his head back, poured 7-Up into his nose, hit him with a flashlight and waved the flame from a cigarette lighter under his arm.
     At one point, then-Detective Jack Hines drove Tillman to a secluded location, forced him to his knees, held a gun to his head and threatened to kill him "like you killed that woman."
     Tillman said he eventually agreed to cooperate and falsely admitted involvement with the crime. He said he never had the chance to speak with a family member or an attorney.
     Meanwhile, police assaulted another suspect, Steven Bell, until he agreed to make a statement implicating himself and Tillman. Though Bell was acquitted, Tillman was convicted of murder. The trial judge rejected Tillman's motions to suppress the confession.
     In 2010, after Tillman had spent 24 years in prison, the Cook County special prosecutor vacated the conviction. Tillman soon brought suit against a litany of defendants, ranging from the officers who allegedly tortured him to former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.
     Tillman's suit detailed both the abuses he suffered and what he framed as an extensive pattern of torture and coerced confessions in Area 2. He also claimed Daley, as then-state's attorney, and others intentionally declined to investigate such practices.
     Higher-ups continued to defend Area 2 detectives, even after public hearings and an Amnesty International report indicated that the group, led by then-Police Commander Jon Burge, systematically tortured black suspects.
     The defendants filed various motions to dismiss Tillman's suit earlier this year, and U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer agreed in part.
     Pallmeyer began by rejecting the motion to dismiss Tillman's claim that he was deprived of a fair trial because the state had failure to disclose exculpatory evidence.
     "The imagination need not stretch far to conclude that, had the indicated findings of torture at Area 2 been in evidence, not to mention the defendant officers' testimony confirming the alleged torture of Tillman himself, there might have been a different result at trial," Pallmeyer wrote.
     Daley, who also served as mayor, will not have to face these claims, however.
     "Daley's alleged decision to defend Burge in civil suits, rather than heed the advice of his senior staff and sue Burge, does not support the conclusion that exculpatory information was suppressed," Pallmeyer said.
     In short, none of the actions Daley took to defend Chicago police constituted "suppression" of evidence, because evidence of police torture was already public. The claims can proceed against other municipal defendants who Tillman specifically alleged were personally involved.

PLEASANTON, Calif. (KGO) -- Riding a bike should now be safer in one East Bay city because of new, smarter traffic signals. I could be a trendsetting change in the city of Pleasanton.

Big, wide intersections, like the ones along Foothill Boulevard in Pleasanton can be dangerous on a bike.

"One of the main complaints we had from cyclists is they would get the green indication, and then start pedaling and then get halfway through the intersection and see it turn yellow and then red on them," said Pleasanton traffic engineer Mike Tassano.
"I can think of quite a few times when I've been stuck in an intersection," said cyclist Evan Haase.

Haase knows the problem all too well. So-called smart traffic lights seem just a little too dumb to notice a bicycle. Sometimes, they turn red too quickly. Other times, they never turn green.

"I've sat there for five minutes and eventually I'll just go hit the crosswalk and wait for that go and walk across with my bike," said Haase.

But in Pleasanton all that has changed. They call it the Intersector and it looks like a big radar gun mounted next to a traffic light. It fires microwaves down into the intersection and when they bounce back, it can tell if it's looking at a car, a pedestrian, or even a bicycle.

"Once it does, it can then tell the traffic controller there's a bicycle here and provide the extra time it needs to get across the intersection," said Tassano.

On a computer screen, there are black numbers for cars and a blue box is put around the number if it is a bike. The computer will give that bike an extra 10 seconds to cross the intersection and if there's no bike, the computer speeds up the traffic lights to get more cars through.

"It's going to make the whole intersection work better. It actually improves the road for bicyclists and drivers alike," said Renee Rivera from the East Bay Bicycle Coalition.

The East Bay Bicycle Coalition is thrilled at this technological first and hopes it won't be the last.

The Orioles' lineup, from one through nine, has clicked on very few nights this season, but this was certainly one of them as the Orioles posted a season-high in runs (12) and extra-base hits (eight), and did it against an opponent that has bullied them around for the past couple of seasons.

“This team has beaten up on us pretty good. It’s nice to come in here, score some runs and get a win,” said first baseman Derrek Lee who got everything started with a two-run double in the second inning that eluded diving Blue Jays’ center fielder Travis Snider. Lee now has 17 RBIs over his past 16 games

Lee went 4-for-5 with a double, a homer and a season-high five RBIs. Shortstop J.J. Hardy hit two home runs, giving him 16 for the season, and also drove in four. Left fielder Nolan Reimold, getting another start against a right-handed pitcher, went 2-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs.

Every Oriole had at least one hit, and all nine starters reached base twice except for designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero, who returned from the disabled list to go 1-for-5 with a single and a run scored.

“There was a nice air about everybody tonight during batting practice. Hopefully it continues,” said Orioles manager Buck Showalter whose team broke a seven-game road losing streak. “It was like every time they started to creep back in it, guys would come in and put another crooked number up. It was one of those not-to-be denied nights."

This was just the Orioles’ fourth victory here in the past 29 games at the Rogers Centre. They have now won two straight here after losing 16 in a row.

After failiing in his previous four tries and after not winning a game sicne June 20, Jake Arrieta collected his10th victory, allowing four runs over five innings.

“It does feel good,” Arrieta said. “It’s nice to get it out of the way. Hopefully, I can pile on a few more and finish the season with some momentum.”

Arrieta exited the game after getting nailed in the right foot by Edwin Encarnacion’s comebacker, the ball bouncing to Lee at first base for the final out of the inning. X-rays taken on Arrieta were negative, and he said that he expects to make his next start.

“Foot is good,” said Arrieta. “Initially, I thought it was maybe going to be a little worse than it was because I had trouble putting pressure on it but now, all my mobility is there. It just seems like a light bruise. I’ll be fine.”