Gear

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Biking News Around the World

Student Caught Biking Drunk Banned from Cycling for 15 Years
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 11.29.09




Americans are still reacting to the news that a man got away with only a four-month jail sentence after shooting a bicyclist in the head in cold blood, in front of his three-year old child. In Germany, the web is buzzing about a sentence equally extreme, on the opposite end of the spectrum. Christopher-Felix Hahn, a student of theater science in Gießen, has learned he is banned from riding a bike, skateboard or any other "unlicensed vehicle" on the streets -- for fifteen years.

Most cyclists in Germany know someone with a friend-of-a-friend who lost their driver's license because they were caught cycling drunk. Cyclists are vehicles subject to street laws just like everybody else, under the law. When conversation turns to the topic, the question of what happens if a cyclist has no driver's license soon follows. Now the Hahn case provides the answer.

Christopher-Felix Hahn says he did not feel unduly impaired when he made the decision to take his bicycle home from a party in June of 2008. On his way home in the wee hours of the morning, he attracted the attention of the local police. The police administered a breath test and found a blood-alcohol content of 0.171%, over three times the German legal limit of 0.05%.

Hahn was given a €500 ($700) penalty, which he paid. And he would have to live with the fact that there would be no chance to apply for a driver's license until his record cleared. He thought the affair was over and done with.

However, in Germany, all arrests with a blood alcohol content finding of over 0.16% must be reported to the drivers' licensing bureau. Hahn was surprised to receive a letter requiring that he submit to a medical and psychological examination. He ignored the letter. After all, he had no plans to seek a driver's license. And the €500 euro cost for the examination was a steep price for a student.

The lack of response did not go unnoticed. The letter was soon followed by a second missive, this time forbidding Hahn from using any license-free vehicle on the public streets. According to the Geißener Anzeige, the local newspaper, authorities indicated that such a ban cannot be lifted for at least fifteen years.


From Treehugger (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/11/student-drunk-biking-banned-from-cycling-15-years.php?campaign=th_rss)

I'm not sure which is more insane, the guy shooting someone in the head and getting 120 days or some guy BUI (biking under the influence) and not being allowed to bike for 15 years! Oh. My. God.

Here's a little more from Treehugger:



Beijing Hits 2,100 New Cars Per Day, and Welcomes More
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 11.29.09

The announcement yesterday by Beijing's environmental officials that the city was about to hit 4 million automobiles -- and could withstand more -- was, at the very least, poorly timed.

Official readings said the city's air was largely "unhealthy," while the US Embassy in Beijing, using a stricter air pollution metric, gave a "very unhealthy" warning. Automobile emissions are a major contributor to levels of particulate matter, ozone, and the carbons NO2, CO2 and black carbon, or soot. Such auto pollution in China has been tied to lead poisoning, respiratory illnesses, sterility and more.

So why on earth were officials so upbeat?
Article continues: Beijing Hits 2,100 New Cars Per Day, and Welcomes More

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