That's the question ACHD (our local highway district) will be trying to answer this week, by doing bike-rider head counts at various strategic locations.
More info HERE.
Since their baseline counts were done in the month of April, it doesn't seem like very high-quality research. But I'm no expert. (I would expect the numbers to be substantially higher in September 2008, than in April 2007, not only because more people are riding bikes on account of high gas prices, but because September is a more solid month weather-wise, than April.)
You local bike riders - if you see an earnest-looking person with a clipboard and a little hand-clicker as you do your riding, go around the block 3 or 4 times to artifically inflate the count! (Of course I'm jesting.)
Tireless advocate for the most efficient form of
human transportation ever devised - bicycles!
8 comments:
I saw a bike counter last time on Emerald between Five Mile and Mitchell. I've changed my commuting route since then so I don't know if I will see anyone this time.
Along the lines of "go around the block 3-4 times" we need to have a clearinghouse that tells us where the "volunteers" are so we can modify our commutes to go past them.
:) OK, I'm only kidding. (Well, kind of kidding, but kind of serious.)
I've not seen any volunteers so far. (But it may be that I'm not looking for them.)
The two bike racks at my office are STUFFED with bikes today. Easily 30 bikes. In years gone by, half that many would've been a banner day.
(IMO, the Boise-area bike infrastructure is generally quite good, with a few glaring exceptions. I wish every signaled intersection had sensors that would detect bicycles. Other than that... let's roll!)
I have noticed more bikers on my route. A year ago- maybe 1 other biker, now its more like 5-7 bikes. There study will tell them what they want to. They just need some backup for pushing more money into the cycling budget.
Bikeboy;
This is off topic, sorry, but I couldn't find a way to email you directly. This might be good fodder for its own thread, if you haven't done it before.
My latest pet peeve is goatheads, or rather, property owners being to lazy to get rid of them.
I ride to school every morning with my kid and we try to keep to the sidewalk. One property had a 20 foot long section of goatheads so we were forced into the street. As you may know, eventually goatheads make their way out into the street too. After fixing several flats, I took matters into my own hands, went over there with a long-handled floor scraper and scraped the sidewalk cracks from which they were growing. I threw the large mat of offensive pricks onto the property's driveway, where they still remain 2 weeks later. It's a vacant small office, not a home.
To all you cyclists out there who hate goatheads, you can call the Ada County noxious weed department at 577-4646. They have the authority to force property owners to abate the nuisance, as goatheads are on the State's noxious weed list. They will also take care of goatheads in public rights-of-way. We all pay for this service in our property taxes, I believe it's the line item called Mosquito and Weed Abatement District.
More info here. Sorry for finding it too late. http://www.achd.ada.id.us/Departments/PR/News/PrintMe.aspx?ArticleID=78
Places for this afternoon
10th/Bannock Wed Sept 24th 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Boise Ave/Apple Wed Sept 24th 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
8th/ Green Belt Wed Sept 24th 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
UPDATE!
I got counted! At about 4pm today, at the corner of Boise Avenue and Apple (Timberline High). A nice lady was sitting in a lawn chair, just as I imagined - with clipboard and clicker.
I asked her, "Are you counting?"
She said, "Yes, I am!"
I thanked her for her service, and suggested she sign me up for ten.
I find it strange that the Statesman link appears to go to the original article but all of the comments (including Bikeboy's) have disappeared.
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