Our news intern Ansel is smart, he's a good writer, a swell guy—also very earnest—and we like him a lot. But I gotta disagree with his whole philosophy about riding a bicycle "fearlessly without a helmet."

Yesterday, Ansel pointed out that certain research, which finds wearing a helmet is effective at preventing head injuries, contradicts other research. For instance, one famous study out of Seattle in the 1980s found they reduced head injuries among riders by 85 percent—but those results were anomalous and aren't much cited anymore. Moreover, wearing a helmet is a capitulation to fear of being hit by vehicle, and it's a "protruding sign strapped on top of your head of submission to the status quo," he wrote. Because Ansel wants the city to be safer for cyclists, he went on, he embodies that reality by riding without a helmet.

Like I said, Ansel is swell (and lots of comments on his post hurled personal insults he didn't deserve—he didn't say anything mean to others). But still, I think he's wrong on this.

While the data is decidedly mixed—I'll cede that—of the credible studies, many seem to show significant-to-modest reduction to head trauma among cyclists who wear helmets. And we can quibble over just how effective they are, but let's just say instead of 85 percent percent reduction in head injury, it's instead just 50 percent... or even 15 percent.

Those thin odds of saving my brain are good enough for me.

• THE STRANGER
• Natalie Wynn: After her bicycle accident.

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Six thousand bright blue bicycles were released into New York City's streets yesterday in the launch of what will be the nation's largest bicycle sharing program. Alta, the same company contracted to run NYC's program, is also set to build Puget Sound Bike Share (PSBS) here in Seattle.

NYC's bike sharing launch has coincided with no small amount of bickering and complaining (watch the video, it's kind of hilarious) over the placement of bike racks. Still, it sounds like the program is off to a great start. The New York Times reports that some 13,768 miles have already been logged on the bicycles.

Worryingly, Alta was hit with labor complaints in Portland today, largely from rebalancers, who "drive trucks around cities to pick up bikes and move them around to balance inventory to meet demand at busy docking stations," alleging unpaid wages and benefits. But things still look promising for PSBS, which bills itself as a public/private partnership. PSBS received a $1 million federal grant on Friday, meaning it's on track to launch in early 2014, Tom Fucoloro at Seattle Bike Blog reports. Fucoloro points out that now would be the perfect time for a local corporation to step in and fill the remaining funding gap for PSBS:

Look at all this amazing exposure for Citibank [sponsor of NYC's Citibike program]. Being a big sponsor of Puget Sound Bike Share would be an incredible marketing deal. PSBS is actively searching for a company to step up with a big enough sponsorship to gain naming rights, and that door could swing shut soon (some ideas: XBikes, Amazooms, Starbikes, LOLBIKES or I Can Has Bike Share, REI BIKE, Vulcancycle, QFCyles, COSTCOcycles, Velo Nordstrom, PEMCO Bike, F5 Bike, Velo ZymoGenetic…)

So let's hear it, folks. Presuming Alta deals with its labor issues and a Puget Sound Bike Share comes together as planned...

Thanks, Tom!

At about 7 a.m on May 1, Lance David was killed in a collision with a truck on East Marginal Way while biking to work. His was one of 11 bike fatalities in Seattle since 2007. West Seattle Bicycle Bike Connections is hosting a memorial bike ride for Lance David and all of the other cyclists who have lost their lives in traffic accidents. It starts at 5:30 p.m. on May 7, at Seacrest Park, and will wind its way from there to the site of Wednesday's accident. (More details are on our news and politics calendar.)

The ride will remain exclusively on protected bike paths, follows a 3.2 mile flat and relaxed route, and is accessible to anyone who can ride a bike.

Last week, Bethany posted an open letter on Slog that was sent to us from a bicycle enthusiast by the name of Mike. In Mike's letter, which he addressed to Mayor Mike McGinn, he suggested that Seattle create two bike-only streets in Seattle, one running north-south and the other going east-west. Well, Mike, today the mayor actually responded to your letter on his own blog. Now, Slog has created—for the first time—legitimate Mike-to-Mike correspondence.

Mr. McGinn was not completely enamored with your bike-only street idea, Mike. However, he did voice his commitment to creating great north-to-south and east-to-west routes for bicycles. He also pointed out the fact that—although not necessarily on par with carless streets—Seattle is in the process of creating multiple protected bike right-of-way routes throughout the city. His crown jewel so far is the protected lane that just opened on 65th Avenue Northeast between the Burke-Gilman trail and Magnuson Park.

Read his full response by clicking here.

Or so says a study of Portland. Long post short: cyclists spend less per visit, but visit more often and are more likely to be regular customers of small neighborhood businesses. Another argument for more bike infrastructure, even at the cost of parking spaces for cars.

The Cascade Bicycle Club today posted its annual ratings of Washington State lawmakers on the merits of their pro-bicycle voting records, finding that, generally speaking, urban lawmakers tend to do better than their exurban and rural counterparts. For example, Representatives Judge Clibborn, Joe Fitzgibbon, and Andy Billig (respectively from Bellevue, Seattle, and Spokane) all got 100 percent voting records. At the bottom, folks like Senator Tim Sheldon (D-Only Technically) of Potlatch was given an 11 percent rating and called out as the only member of his party to vote against a bill granting more flexibility when designing bicycle infrastructure. The report card is based on votes for nine bills, from letting cities reduce speed limits to appropriating cash to bicycle projects.

Based on voting records alone, none of the ratings are shockers.

But here's where there's some interesting nuance: Senate Transportation Committee chair Mary Margaret Haugen (D-Camano Island), who earned plaudits by swinging her vote in favor of marriage equality last winter, got a 100 percent rating. However... she still won a broken chain award as an opponent of safe cycling.

"Don’t let Sen. Haugen’s voting record deceive you—her actions demonstrate that she does not support bicycling," her scorecard explains. "As chair of the Senate Transportation committee, Sen. Haugen actively works to block pro-bicycling legislation and funding. She worked to sabotage the passage of SHB 1217, the 'Neighborhood Safe Speeds bill,' and HB 2370, including health in the state transportation system policy goals, while standing as the single largest roadblock to securing local transportation funding options."

I'm glad that the Cascade Bicycle Club didn't let Haugen off the hook. Too often these sorts of voting scorecards look superficially at voting records. But the influence of legislators, particularly powerful committee chairs, is often in shaping legislation or never allowing votes to happen in the first place. So, yeah, Haugen voted correctly, but she used her post to make sure things she opposed would never even reach the senate floor.

• DH
• A "sharrow" lane on Capitol Hill.

He didn't break any traffic rules. He was just riding where cyclists are supposed to ride on every street—in that channel between the cars lanes and parked cars. And the driver didn't do anything wrong, exactly, except not look to see if a cyclist was coming. Now my friend is facing upwards of $5,000 in medical bills. "Getting doored" is common enough that it's happened to five or six people I know in the last few years.

There's no real solution except to say: Be careful, drivers, and open your doors slowly after checking to make sure no one is coming. There's literally nothing a cyclist can do in that situation to avoid a car door when he or she is pinned between traffic on the left and a row of parked cars on the right.

And City Hall, when people talk about building protected bicycle lanes—physically separated from traffic—it's not because they fetishize Europe. It's basic infrastructure that serves public safety.

Use your book smarts here!

Please enjoy/misinterpret/hate upon:

Thanks to Slog tipper Jamey.

• Kelly O
• MUSICIANS Making regrettable decisions since the beginning of music.

Here's a favorite:

Shenandoah Davis (Shenandoah Davis): I regret agreeing to stay in a place called “Shit Mansion” in Buffalo, New York. It smelled like cat pee, human pee, cigarettes, and decomposed food. I also regret sitting through a performance in Provo, Utah, where a young singer-songwriter mourned the successes of Barack Obama. It was called “Black Butterfly” and was met with violent applause. Ick.

READ ALL OF THEM >>