Carrboro is North Carolina’s big winner in new ratings of bicycle-friendly communities published by the League of American Bicyclists.

While no North Carolina burg makes the 13 top-ranked “platinum” and “gold” cities for two-wheel friendship, Carrboro is the state’s only representative on the list of 28 “silver” communities.

It's not clear what did Carrboro did to earn this recognition. A league web page outlines desirable town qualities under the headings of “engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement, evaluation.” A press release about bike-friendly communities says: ... [MORE]

The Raleigh City Council has endorsed a plan to add bike lanes as part of the makeover of Hillsborough Street, which borders N.C. State University and its 30,000 or so students. Two Raleigh streets have bikes lanes -- Ridge Road and Edwards Mill roads. A stretch of Glenwood Avenue between Oberlin Road and St. Mary's Street soon will become the third. The city is considering adding more bike lanes, The N&O's Sarah Ovaska reports.

Not everyone thinks bike lanes are a good idea. Some cyclists think they make riding more dangerous. Michael Ritchey, a merchant on Hillsborough Street and an avid cyclist, thinks the proposed bike lanes on Hillsborough Street could be harmful to bike riders. Among other things, Ritchey says the Hillsborough bike lanes would not provide enough buffer to prevent "dooring" accidents. Click here to read his letter to the Midtown Raleigh News, which is published by The N&O. 

One thing the cycling community agrees on: All cyclists should wear helmets. Unfortunately, the rider pictured with Ovaska's story is not wearing one.

--John Drescher