Bicycle Watchdog - FAQs & Links

Bicycle Watchdog Hounding authorities to make your ride safer!

Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride - John F. Kennedy

Frequently Asked Questions and Links

Q: How can I support Bicycle Watchdog?

A: All help is welcome!

Become a registered user and submit Hazard Reports.
Design a good logo for us (I'm thinking of a snarling dog on a bike).
Contribute $$ to support this website through the Amazon Honor System
Become a "Monitor" so you can edit Hazard Reports, add Jurisdiction Contacts, and help us improve this site.
Send us Jurisdiction Contact information (new or updated).
Print Bicycle Watchdog Cards [pdf] and distribute to other bicyclists.

Your comments and suggestions are welcome. Send us a message via our Contact Page.

Q: What else can I do to help?

A: Get a Share the Road License Plate!

Share the Road License Plates available NOW! $28 from each plate goes to Bicycle Advocacy. Click here to find out how to order yours!

Started in January 2006, you can buy a Share the Road License Plate for your motor vehicle. $28 from each plate goes to the Bicycle Alliance of Washington to support bicycle education and advocacy in the State of Washington.
Over 3300 purchased as of February 2009!

Starting 1 October 2007, you can now personalize your Share the Road plate!
Read how at the Share the Road FAQ page.

Bicycle & Pedestrian Advocacy Organizations

State and Local

Bicycle Alliance of Washington - Promoting bicycling for everyday transportation
Cascade Bicycle Club - Bicycling Club with an Advocacy Arm
Safe Routes to School - Washington State program that promotes walking and biking to school
Feet First - Puget Sound Pedestrian Advocacy

Nationwide and other

Thunderhead Alliance - National coalition of bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organizations
League of American Bicyclists - Promoting bicycling through advocacy and education

Traffic Laws

In Washington State, bicycles are considered vehicles under the law. All bicyclists and pedestrians should understand and obey the current laws and "Rules of the Road"

Bicycle Laws in the State of Washington
Pedestrian - Crosswalk Laws
US Laws on Bicycles
Law Enforcement and Bicycle Safety
Helmet Laws by Jurisdiction in Washington State
BicycleLaw.com - cycling attorney Bob Mionske's website (articles about cycling legal issues)

Legal Advice

In no particular order, the following attorneys specialize in bicycle-related legal opinions:

John Duggan 206-343-1888 johnd@warrenduggan.com

Harvey Grad 206-275-2923 harv@lawyerseattle.com

Joe Chalverus 206-361-4840 Lawyerjoe@comcast.net

Bob Mionske 866-VELO-LAW
(866-835-6529) bob@bicyclelaw.com or www.bicyclelaw.com

Bob Anderton 206-262-9290 bob@andertonlaw.com or www.washingtonbikelaw.com or www.andertonlaw.com

Mimy Bailey (206) 448-1777
(888) 879-8383 mimyb@stritmatter.com or www.skwcbikelaw.com/

Other Links

Other/Official Urban Repair Squad (URS) - Toronto folks fixing their own city
Kent's Bike Blog - insightful, entertaining, and lots of cool links
Bikely.com - Online wiki-database of bike routes
Ghost Cycle - Bike Accident Awareness in the Seattle Area
sightline.org - "Bicycle Neglect" blog
stolenbicycleregistry.com - Free Online Database of Stolen Bicycles
John Forester
More Bicycle Quotations
Even More Bicycle Quotations

We aren't the only ones tracking hazards. Check out these other sites that either have a tracking system, or at least allow you to report a hazard.

Other Online Hazard Tracking Systems:

B-SMART: Bike Safety Monitoring And Reporting Tool (Portland, OR)

EBBC Hazard Report Database (East San Francisco Bay, CA)

SABA Bicycling Hazard Tracking System (Sacramento, CA)

The GhostCycle.org site lists bicycle accidents in the Seattle area.

My Bike Lane Database of Bike Lane Violations

Other Hazard Reporting:

Santa Cruz Hazard Reporting (pdf)

Bike Hazard Reporting in Berkeley

Hazard Reporting Form Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia

Hazard Reporting Form Hawaii Bicycling League

Cool Pictures

After some nudging from Ride8Hard, I've added this section of pictures. If you want to submit a picture for publication here please contact us (but only photos that YOU have taken--no copyright violators, thanks).