OKC Bicyclist

Photo By: Mr. T in DC Over the last couple of months four new bills regarding bicycling have been introduced to the Oklahoma Legislature and are making their way through the committee and floor processes. The first three are part of the safety legislation that Sen. Andrew Rice has been discussing for the last several months and the last designates old Route 66 as a bicycle trail. SB 443: Requires that all people seeking a drivers license demonstrate knowledge of the traffic laws of the state including bicycle and motorcycle safety. [Read More]

View Larger Map The route for the 32nd Oklahoma Freewheel has been announced and will go through the East Central part of the state this year, which will mean some longer legs but probably a few less hills than last year. The itinerary is as follows: Day 0, 6/11 – 40 Miles, Durant to Red River and back Day 1, 6/12 – 66 Miles, Durant to Coalgate Day 2, 6/13 – 60 Miles, Colgate to Wewoka Day 3, 6/14 – 75 miles, Wewoka to Checotah Day 4, 6/15 – 74 miles, Checotah to Bristow Day 5, 6/16 – 85 miles, Bristow to Pawnee Day 6, 6/17 – 52 miles, Pawnee to Tonkawa Day 7, 6/18 – 40 miles, Tonkawa to Caldwell, KS The cost for this year’s ride has not yet been announced, but will be available in mid-February when early registration begins. [Read More]

In a case that is bound to cause an uproar with those who hated the signs to begin with, the excellent new “use full lane” signs are now being replaced with a newer version. The phrase “use full lane” is being replaced with “may use full lane”, which admittedly is much clearer. KFOR put together a piece about the new signs: The cost to correct this error is $18,000. It should be noted that the city council appears to be full behind the new signs despite recent rumors to the contrary. [Read More]

Photo By: Michael Patrick The death of Debra Miller last August has prompted a change from the ODOT regarding the placement of rumble strips on Oklahoma highways: The guidelines for highway rumble strips — those pavement ridges on the shoulder that alert drivers when they’ve drifted off the road — have been changed, due in part to the death of a Stillwater bicyclist in August. That’s why rumble strips were installed along State Highway 51 from Stillwater to Interstate 35 earlier this month instead of last summer when the highway was resurfaced, Rep. [Read More]

I’m a little late on this one, but News 9 has a well made Christmas time story on the Alan Spencer Hit-and-Run case and a continued plea for any information regarding the driver in this case:

As a reminder, there is a $6,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest in this case. If anyone knows anything about this tragic event, they should contact Crimestoppers at: 405-236-7300.

I reported a few weeks back about Jim Reading’s stolen Red and Black Cervelo. Well, great news for the new year, according to the family’s Facebook Page, the bicycle has been recovered by the Moore Police Department. The bicycle is apparently in perfect condition. Additionally, an arrest was made in relation to the case. It’s not too often that stolen bicycles are recovered, so this is just great news for the Reading family! [Read More]

In remembrance of the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee Nation is organizing a 1,000 mile bike ride retracing the route of the original removal of the Cherokee people from Georgia to Tahlequah, Oklahoma, the current capital of the Cherokee Nation: During the 2011 Remember the Removal Project, a challenging 1,000 mile bike ride, a selected group of Cherokee students will retrace the historic Trail of Tears, riding from the original Cherokee homelands Georgia and ending in Tahlequah, Okla. [Read More]

James Michael Hazzard, 20, who hit and killed Debra Miller last August, has pleaded no contest to negligent homicide and has been ordered to pay $20,000 in restitution to the family: A driver accused of hitting and killing a bicycle rider on State Highway 51 west of Stillwater earlier this year has pleaded no contest to negligent homicide. . . . Special Judge Michael Stano deferred sentencing and judgment for one year, but required Hazzard to pay $20,000 in restitution by Jan. [Read More]

The Oklahoman has a nice story about the bicycle giveaway provided by the Thunder on Christmas night: On a Christmas night most folks left the arena buzzing about the Thunder’s 114-106 victory over the Nuggets and Kevin Durant’s 44 points, there were more than a hundred kids from the Oklahoma City Boys and Girls Club who walked out of the building with bigger memories. Lasting memories. Lifelong memories. They received tickets as part of the Thunder’s “Tickets for Kids” program, and they thought that was their big present. [Read More]

David M. has reported on several of the bicycle mailing lists that his 2011 Black and White Specialized Roubaix road bicycle has been stolen from the garage of his Norman home. It is 52cm and it’s serial number is: STAT210C0931.  Any information regarding this bike should be reported to the Norman Police Department at (405) 321-1600 under case #2010-16566.   Below is a example picture of the bike in question: