Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Assault on Columns

From Sadlebred (Southeastern Cycling) and the Cobb County Police:

Columns Dr. From the Cobb County Police: "PENS Alert Aggravated Assault (05/17/07 @ 1130 hours in Zone 3) The Cobb County Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons Unit is investigating an aggravated assault on Columns Drive in Marietta, Georgia.

According to investigators, the white male victim was jogging along Columns Drive when he got into a short verbal dispute with the black male suspect. The victim continued on his way and was later confronted by the suspect in a blue/green pick up truck. The suspect got out of his vehicle and ordered the man to apologize. The suspect then produced a handgun and fired a shot at the victim as he ran away. As the victim got the tag number off the truck, the suspect tried to run him over. The suspect fled the area before responding officers arrived. Suspect: Black male, light complexion, 6’00”- 6’03” tall, muscular build, close cropped hair, and armed with a stainless steel semi-automatic handgun.

Anyone with information about this incident should contact the Cobb County Police Department’s Crimes Against Persons Unit at (770) 499-3945."

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Support Bike Racks!


Drive Your Bike To Work Day!

It’s Bike Month!


You’ve got a bike, right?


The purple Schwinn mountain bike you were were going to ride every day. The one you crammed into the back of your car when you drove out west from Minnesota, now collecting dust in your garage.


Or the 1980's Bianchi Pista fixie conversion you bought pre-built off of Craigslist and walk the two blocks from your $1,800/month studio to Ritual every Tuesday night.


Or the Giant OCR that cost a pretty penny, but felt so light when you picked it up in the store that it seemed crazy not to buy it. You know the one.


Well, it's Bike Month, and it’s time your bike got the fresh air and exercise it deserves.


That’s right, Drive Your Bike to Work Day is almost here! On Monday, May 14th, hoist that bike onto the roof of your car and drive it to work!


C'mon everybody, show your support!

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

License Check on Columns!


Very strange going ons indeed! There was a drivers license check on Columns Drive yesterday. When I drove home from work at a little after 5 o'clock this picture was taken of officers stopping all cars and checking for licenses and insurance/registration. This caused about a 15 minute delay.

When I cycled out to join a group ride the Cobb County officers were still checking. They were not bothering any cyclists, and just waved them on through. At a little after 6 o'clock there were 8 officers checking motorists. They were also writing tickets, and had a few people pulled off the road while they wrote.

I cannot remember the last time I saw a license check and I have certainly never seen one on Columns Drive. I wonder if the residents are experiencing some unexpected blow back for harassing the Cobb County Police concerning cyclists. I have yet to hear of a cyclists getting a ticket- warning yes, but no ticket. I have seen many motorists getting tickets due to the increased police presence.

Last year I did see police out with a radar car and several motorcyclists getting speeders midway down Columns. I would love to see the Cobb Police do this again. In any case, I am glad the police are being more visible there. After the BS ordinance was passed, many residents got very aggressive towards cyclists. This should help them rethink that attitude.

I would love to hear how many motorists got upset over the delay and gave the police grief for stopping cars and not cyclists. The officer I talked to was very nice and waited patiently while I dug through all the crap in my glove compartment looking for my registration. He even chuckled at all the stuff I had jammed in there. I have a very visible bike rack on my car, so he knows I was a cyclist. I was very polite and nice to him, and he checked my stuff and sent me on through.

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

May is National Bike Month!

Check out AtlantaBike.org for tons of activities! And remember that May 18th is National Bike to Work Day.