Car-free, for a month, in Topeka? Brave Soul!

Joe at the Southwest YMCA has decided to go car-free for a month, to get a better idea of traveling by bike in Topeka.  It’s an awesome effort – and he’s blogging the whole thing!

He includes great updates as he learns the ways of commuting:

Yesterday I came home from work and had to turn around and go to our church’s music practice and my wife said, “Hey aren’t you going to change into some shorts?” I said, “No, actually it worked great riding in these jeans today!” Famous last words. At about 37th and Gage I discovered why the Mormon missionary I saw on his bike the other day had the right leg of his long pants tucked into his sock. So anyway, jeans and bikes without the chain guard can make for an interesting fashion statement. (That’s how I played it off at church last night; they weren’t buying it.)

He’s also looking up the actual rules and regulations on cycling in this city – which is turning out to be a fascinating resource for me!

My wife had to make a rescue run Thursday night. I rode from my house to Fairlawn Heights Wesleyan Church (http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2969038) for worship team practice at 7:00 P.M, and as practice started to go a little long I would check out the window periodically and see it just get darker and darker. At 8:30 I thought I could make it. At 8:45, I still had hope. But at 9:15 I had to call for help. “Laura, can you drive the truck here and pick me up?” This got me to thinking about doing a little night riding. What kinds of gear would I need for my bike? What do the laws say about riding a bike at night? Is riding at night even crazier than riding on a busy street in Topeka during rush hour? Well, I did come across some laws for what you need for riding at night. Here they are:

8-1592

Chapter 8.–AUTOMOBILES AND OTHER VEHICLES Article 15.–UNIFORM ACT REGULATING TRAFFIC; RULES OF THE ROAD 8-1592…..

So, seriously, check out his blog on CJOnline.com.  Definitely worth a read.

Ride Tonight!

6pm, 6th and Washburn – see you there!

Bike ride shows cyclists belong on the street, too

From the Omaha World-Herald. Sounds like their ride is much like ours!

Mention the cycling event “Critical Mass,” and it may bring to mind images of hundreds of bicyclists fouling up automobile traffic in Seattle or San Francisco. But Friday afternoon in Omaha, “Critical Mass” involved five guys — six if you include the reporter assigned to cover it — enjoying a pleasant, half-hour bike ride through north and downtown Omaha.

“Critical Mass” is a mass bicycle ride held on the last Friday of the month in hundreds of cities worldwide. Typically two to four times as many Omaha cyclists take part in the monthly local event, regulars said. But turnout suffered on a weekend dominated by a concert in Memorial Park, the Omaha Summer Arts Festival and high temperatures approaching 90 degrees.

“It’s hard riding alone,” said Tyler Magnuson, 20, of Omaha. “Cars can be very violent towards bikers … It’s very empowering to be in a group of people.”

Often such events are attempts to call attention to how unfriendly some cities can be to bicyclists. And while some of the Omaha riders said they were interested in raising awareness of two-wheeled traffic, most of Friday’s participants said their primary interest was getting together for a bike ride.
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“I don’t consider it a political activity,” Magnuson said. “It’s just something you do.”

Riders described “Critical Mass” as typically leaderless and informal. The unorganized nature and lack of a formal political agenda keeps riders from having to notify police of a political gathering, particularly in foreign countries not under the protection of the First Amendment.

The bicyclists assembled in Gifford Park, just south of 33rd and California Streets. Things were supposed to kick off at 5 p.m., but the riders chatted while waiting for stragglers.

There was no pre-planned route. There never is. Someone suggested they ride downtown to the Summer Arts Festival and the Old Market, and no one argued. The group pulled onto 33rd Street and peddled north. The small band of cyclists took up the whole northbound lane.

The group hung a right onto Burt Street and sped past the district headquarters of the Omaha Public Schools, where participants waved and said hello to a young man riding a bicycle in the opposite direction. Riders described a community among cyclists, sharing the common experience of being shouted at or treated rudely by motorists.

They went north on 24th Street to Nicholas Street and then east, still occupying the eastbound lane. Behind them, a line of vehicles stacked up. One by one, the drivers of cars and trucks gunned their engines and sped past them as the opportunities arose, but no vulgarities were shouted, soda cans thrown or middle fingers extended, which, they said, is not always the case.

A couple of months ago on North 72nd Street, a motorist zipped up from behind and bumped one of the “Critical Mass” cyclists, knocking him to the ground. He was uninjured, but the bike was wrecked. The police were called and the matter settled when the motorist paid for a new bike.

On Friday evening, the group rolled south, first on 14th Street then 10th. Near Dodge Street, a line of cars got caught behind them, but again, no gestures or shouts. The ride ended near 11th and Farnam Streets. Some cyclists stayed for the Arts Festival; others continued to ride alone.

This “Critical Mass” was the first for Stephen Horn, 69, of Blair, and probably his last. He enjoyed the ride but would rather not put himself in a position where he has to depend on the good sense of drivers. He prefers bike trails.

“I don’t like putting my life in someone else’s hands,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of crazy people driving cars, frankly.”

Contact the writer:

444-3106, andrew.nelson@owh.com

Ride tonight!

Join us at 6pm at 6th and Washburn!

Critical Mass Memorial Ride

Tomorrow night Critical Mass will be having a special ride, in commemoration of two area cyclists who died in cycling accidents in the past week.

On Friday, June 12, Lawrence resident and former KU athletic director Bob Frederick died as a result of injuries sustained in a cycling accident. Frederick was an experienced cyclist, and was riding in Lawrence when he struck a pothole and was thrown from his bike. He was taken by helicopter to the University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City, where he later died. Frederick was 69.

The following day, Saturday, June 13, Michael Ebron, 48, of Topeka, was riding on US Highway 24 in North Topeka, near NW Goodyear road when he was struck from behind by a motorist in a Toyota 4-Runner. Emergency responders pronounced Ebron dead at the scene.

As often as we ride, it’s easy to forget that there are very real dangers on the road, and that we must continue to be always mindful of our surroundings. The purpose of Critical Mass is to raise awareness among motorists of the presence of cyclists, and to remind them to share the road with all its users, not just other motorists. Mr. Ebron’s death is an example of why what we do is important, and should strengthen our resolve to educate motorists in Topeka and elsewhere.

During our ride tomorrow night, we will be placing a ghost bike at the corner of US Highway 24 and NW Goodyear Road, in memory of Mr. Ebron. For those who aren’t familiar, a ghost bike is an all white bike, installed at the site of a cycling fatality as a memorial to the cyclist who lost his or her life, and as a visible reminder to motorists to share the road. For more information, refer to ghostbikes.org.

Bob Frederick
1940 -  2009

Michael Anthony Ebron
1961 -  2009

Yes, we’re riding tonight!

Same time, same place. See you there!

(6pm, 6th and Washburn)

Cowboy Indian Bear is playing at the Boobie Trap tonight – it will be worth checking out.

Sharrows!

That’s what we need!

Commute Orlando has awesome graphics. The picture on the right shows a car passing in the opposing traffic lane. They also have great tips on urban cycling.

Carbon Trace suggests that arrows promoting bike use of a traffic lane are best when painted in the middle of the lane.  It’s better to show that the whole lane is used for multiple kinds of traffic, rather than a dedicated bike lane and a dedicated motor-vehicle lane.  If they’re offset, they tend to suggest lane position to both cyclists and drivers.

According to Commute Orlando:

The purpose of sharrows, technically known as Shared Lane Markings, is primarily to indicate a cyclist’s right to the lane. It does not confer this right, it just informs road users of it. Cyclists have the right to the lane on every road and only have to ride to the right and share a lane that is 14 feet or wider AND has unobstructed pavement on the right third AND when this position does not otherwise interfere with a cyclist’s safe operation.

They have another cool picture, too.

City planners and community activists – think about it!  Especially when implementing programs like Complete Streets and Livable Streets.

DIY Bicycle-Powered USB Device Charger

Via Lifehacker

Last week we took a look at MightyMintyBoost, a solar-powered USB charger. If you liked the idea but can’t count on the sun shining, this USB charger runs on the power of your bicycle pedals.

Like the solar-powered charger, this pedal-powered charger is based off the previously mentioned MintyBoost charger (which is simply powered by AA batteries). As opposed to the MintyBoost, which is built to be as easy to assemble as possible, the geek quotient that lies within this Instructable is high. That said, if you’ve got the chops, time, and cash to pull it off (the motor they used cost a whopping $275), it’s a really fun idea.

How to Charge Any USB Device by Riding Your Bike [Instructables]

Bike Lanes Are Dangerous

This letter to the editor that appeared in the NY Times a few years ago does an excellent job of describing the flaws in the idea that bike lanes are a safer alternative for bicycle commuters.

The fact is, separate bicycle lanes foster the belief on the part of motorists that bikes don’t belong on the road.  Additionally, they frequently take cyclists out of drivers’ line of sight, creating a very dangerous situation at intersections.

The safest way for cyclists and motorists to co-exist in a community is to share the road.  That’s why we all must do our part to raise awareness among non-cyclists about our place on the road, and how to safely navigate a shared transportation system.

To the Editor:

Samuel I. Schwartz’s nostalgia for the 1980 experiment with barrier-separated bike lanes in Manhattan (”Rolling Thunder,” Op-Ed, Nov. 5) is naïve. These lanes were hardly usable!

In such lanes, bicyclists’ travel is blocked by pedestrians, trucks or their delivery ramps; these also hide bicyclists and turning motorists from each other, increasing the risk of the most common car-bike crashes, those at intersections.

National design guidelines, and position statements of the League of American Bicyclists, strongly discourage the construction of barrier-separated lanes, as research consistently shows them to be more hazardous than riding on the same roadway with motor traffic.

Real improvements in bicycling conditions result, for example, from education, enforcement, bicycle boulevards (streets open for through bicycle travel but for only local motor-vehicle access) and reducing discretionary driving, as with London’s successful congestion charge.

John S. Allen
Waltham, Mass.

The writer is regional director for New York and New England, League of American Bicyclists.

Originally published: November 12, 2006

The Politics of Two Wheels

excerpted from The Bicycling Life (PDF)

This article shows how many people in our society believe a dangerous superstition about bicycle operation. People following the superstition ride bicycles in ways that put them at much greater risk (riding on the wrong side of the road, for example). The superstition dominates public policy relating to cycling, which increases risk for all. This article discusses the problems caused by misguided policy and what can be done to remedy them. A companion article, Bicycle Commuter’s Guide, tells how experienced cyclists follow the rules of the road via a principle called Vehicular Cycling, which is summarized as “Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as operators of vehicles.”

Read the whole article here (PDF).

Read more about safe commuting, Vehicular Cycling, and Effective Cycling.