613 miles, accumulated on 31 riding days.
(Golly! Weather-wise, what an awesome summer it has been in 2008!)
Tireless advocate for the most efficient form of
human transportation ever devised - bicycles!
Monday, September 1, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Idaho Bicycle Justice
Take narcotic pain pills, get behind the wheel of your Hummer, and kill a bicyclist. Get 9 years probation.
That's how it turned out on August 27th, in Mike Wetherell's courtroom.
Harsh, huh?
Executive summary:
On October 19, 2007, oncology nurse Sarah Howard was riding her bicycle on a nice, wide road with striped bike lanes. She had stopped at an intersection, waiting for the light to turn green.
Alas, at the very same time, Erika Hanson was motoring down the very same road in her Hummer H3, with narcotics in her bloodstream. As she approached the intersection where Howard was stopped, her Hummer swerved into the bike lane and straddled the curb. She plowed into Howard from behind. The cyclist was probably already dead when she hit the pavement, over 100 feet away.
Am I missing any meaningful details?
Hanson's sentence: one year of "house arrest," nine years of probation, and loss of driving privileges for life.
Pretty tough.
Has justice been served?
Why do I feel a little less safe today than I did yesterday, as a transportation cyclist?
More details on the Statesman website HERE.
Previous "Bike Nazi" commentary HERE and HERE.
That's how it turned out on August 27th, in Mike Wetherell's courtroom.
Harsh, huh?
Executive summary:
On October 19, 2007, oncology nurse Sarah Howard was riding her bicycle on a nice, wide road with striped bike lanes. She had stopped at an intersection, waiting for the light to turn green.
Alas, at the very same time, Erika Hanson was motoring down the very same road in her Hummer H3, with narcotics in her bloodstream. As she approached the intersection where Howard was stopped, her Hummer swerved into the bike lane and straddled the curb. She plowed into Howard from behind. The cyclist was probably already dead when she hit the pavement, over 100 feet away.
Am I missing any meaningful details?
Hanson's sentence: one year of "house arrest," nine years of probation, and loss of driving privileges for life.
Pretty tough.
Has justice been served?
Why do I feel a little less safe today than I did yesterday, as a transportation cyclist?
More details on the Statesman website HERE.
Previous "Bike Nazi" commentary HERE and HERE.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Bike Lanes = Pollution?
(Thanks to reader mcarp for the heads-up.)
An article in the Wall Street Journal is quite interesting.
It reports on the successful efforts of "local gadfly" Rob Anderson to block San Francisco's implementation of their 527-page bicycle infrastructure expansion plan, until a comprehensive environmental impact study is completed. The article can be read HERE.
Irony of ironies.
Actually, if you're being objective, you'll agree that Mr. Anderson has a point. If you have limited road width and want to stripe a bike lane, something's gotta give. There are thousands of such roads in 'Frisco, and realistically, the only thing you can do is to surrender motor vehicle road width.
(What else is there? The other options would be to eliminate sidewalk, or condemn and buy up roadside real estate, which is some of the most expensive anywhere.)
If you eliminate a motor vehicle lane, or even make the existing lanes a couple feet narrower, it will have an impact on other roadway users during peak hours. So from an environmental standpoint, the question is... will the addition of a bicycle lane have enough of a positive impact that it will counter the inevitable negative consequences of the loss of a car lane?
One thing that Mr. Anderson (and many bike-transportation skeptics) seem willing to ignore: in San Francisco, bicycles are legal and legitimate transportation vehicles. And as such, doesn't the city have a legal obligation to provide a relatively safe infrastructure, whether it be lane-sharing with motor vehicles or a dedicated bike lane? In nature - "big dogs rule" - the cyclists would get squished by the Corollas until a pack of Camrys shows up. They rule until a Suburban or Hummer takes 'em out. Then along comes the King-of-the-Jungle Huge Dump Truck! No natural predators! But laws are supposed to protect the little guy, in human society.
A small-scale local example of the problem might be the State Street bottleneck, from about 18th to about 22nd or so. State Street is a significant arterial, and in that area is 2 well-packed lanes in each direction. They've already expanded the roadway into the front yards in that stretch; the only way to widen is to knock some houses out of the way. I s'pose cyclists probably ride that stretch during rush hour. I've done it a time or two over the years, but it's an experience I don't relish... a bit too close to the edge for this rider.
When I read (in the WSJ article) that "at least four bikers have died and hundreds more have been injured in San Francisco since mid-2006," it makes me appreciate how blessed we are here, where the roads are generally well-equipped for cyclists, and traffic (so far, at least) isn't so bad that it pushes people to desperation.
(Obvious question: Does that 527-page plan include a bike lane on Lombard Street?)
An article in the Wall Street Journal is quite interesting.
It reports on the successful efforts of "local gadfly" Rob Anderson to block San Francisco's implementation of their 527-page bicycle infrastructure expansion plan, until a comprehensive environmental impact study is completed. The article can be read HERE.
Irony of ironies.
Actually, if you're being objective, you'll agree that Mr. Anderson has a point. If you have limited road width and want to stripe a bike lane, something's gotta give. There are thousands of such roads in 'Frisco, and realistically, the only thing you can do is to surrender motor vehicle road width.
(What else is there? The other options would be to eliminate sidewalk, or condemn and buy up roadside real estate, which is some of the most expensive anywhere.)
If you eliminate a motor vehicle lane, or even make the existing lanes a couple feet narrower, it will have an impact on other roadway users during peak hours. So from an environmental standpoint, the question is... will the addition of a bicycle lane have enough of a positive impact that it will counter the inevitable negative consequences of the loss of a car lane?
One thing that Mr. Anderson (and many bike-transportation skeptics) seem willing to ignore: in San Francisco, bicycles are legal and legitimate transportation vehicles. And as such, doesn't the city have a legal obligation to provide a relatively safe infrastructure, whether it be lane-sharing with motor vehicles or a dedicated bike lane? In nature - "big dogs rule" - the cyclists would get squished by the Corollas until a pack of Camrys shows up. They rule until a Suburban or Hummer takes 'em out. Then along comes the King-of-the-Jungle Huge Dump Truck! No natural predators! But laws are supposed to protect the little guy, in human society.
A small-scale local example of the problem might be the State Street bottleneck, from about 18th to about 22nd or so. State Street is a significant arterial, and in that area is 2 well-packed lanes in each direction. They've already expanded the roadway into the front yards in that stretch; the only way to widen is to knock some houses out of the way. I s'pose cyclists probably ride that stretch during rush hour. I've done it a time or two over the years, but it's an experience I don't relish... a bit too close to the edge for this rider.
When I read (in the WSJ article) that "at least four bikers have died and hundreds more have been injured in San Francisco since mid-2006," it makes me appreciate how blessed we are here, where the roads are generally well-equipped for cyclists, and traffic (so far, at least) isn't so bad that it pushes people to desperation.
(Obvious question: Does that 527-page plan include a bike lane on Lombard Street?)
Monday, August 25, 2008
Democrats on Bikes
Day 1 of the Democratic National Convention, Denver Colorado.
According to Rocky Mountain News, 1348 people rented "Freewheelin" bikes in Denver today. (Sounds pretty user friendly - no cash required. You use your credit card, and get use of the bike, plus helmet and calorie/mile counter.) They report that the bikes were rented by "locals, delegates, and media."
1348 bikes rented... those bikes traveled 1559.21 miles. If my calculator is working, the average distance traveled, per bike, is... 1.157 miles.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha..... GASP..... Bwaaaaaaaaa-haaaahaahahahahahahaha!
(Sorry, I couldn't help myself!)
According to Rocky Mountain News, 1348 people rented "Freewheelin" bikes in Denver today. (Sounds pretty user friendly - no cash required. You use your credit card, and get use of the bike, plus helmet and calorie/mile counter.) They report that the bikes were rented by "locals, delegates, and media."
1348 bikes rented... those bikes traveled 1559.21 miles. If my calculator is working, the average distance traveled, per bike, is... 1.157 miles.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha..... GASP..... Bwaaaaaaaaa-haaaahaahahahahahahaha!
(Sorry, I couldn't help myself!)
Vehicle Snobbery
Have you ever checked out www.Priuschat.com? It's the chat room for the Prius People. (I s'pose if you're not a Prius Person, you've probably never heard of it, like me 15 minutes ago.)
Alex, aka "priusaurous," sounds like he might be quite the catch for some lucky gal.
He's from Chicago and describes himself as "22, Male, attractive. Law Student." He also boasts of his Salsa Red Prius.
Alex thinks Prius owners "need a dating/whatever program, to hook us up with other Prius owners."
In a subsequent post to clarify, he says, "... it stems from my inability to look at people with gas burning cars as attractive."
This guy's in Law (or so he claims), not Engineering... but doesn't a Prius burn gas? (Maybe a little slower than that ugly gal in the Chrysler minivan, but still...)
It's hard to disagree with Alex... people in cars are UGGGG-LEEEEEEEEE!! But I think Prius drivers are even uglier, with their noses stuck up in the air like that. Besides - 45mpg really SUCKS!
(I'm serious about the 45mpg. But not about ugly car drivers. I see beautiful people driving around in gas guzzlers. Mentally picturing Christie Brinkley driving that red Ferrari 308 in "National Lampoon Vacation" ... Also, I'm aware that transportation cyclists can rightly be accused of snobbery. We know we're better than - and better-looking than - "people with gas burning cars.")
Poor widdle Alex just can't get a date. And apparently his red Prius isn't helping, the way he thought it might. Maybe it's his dinosaur mentality - specifically "Priusaurous."
Alex, aka "priusaurous," sounds like he might be quite the catch for some lucky gal.
He's from Chicago and describes himself as "22, Male, attractive. Law Student." He also boasts of his Salsa Red Prius.
Alex thinks Prius owners "need a dating/whatever program, to hook us up with other Prius owners."
In a subsequent post to clarify, he says, "... it stems from my inability to look at people with gas burning cars as attractive."
This guy's in Law (or so he claims), not Engineering... but doesn't a Prius burn gas? (Maybe a little slower than that ugly gal in the Chrysler minivan, but still...)
It's hard to disagree with Alex... people in cars are UGGGG-LEEEEEEEEE!! But I think Prius drivers are even uglier, with their noses stuck up in the air like that. Besides - 45mpg really SUCKS!
(I'm serious about the 45mpg. But not about ugly car drivers. I see beautiful people driving around in gas guzzlers. Mentally picturing Christie Brinkley driving that red Ferrari 308 in "National Lampoon Vacation" ... Also, I'm aware that transportation cyclists can rightly be accused of snobbery. We know we're better than - and better-looking than - "people with gas burning cars.")
Poor widdle Alex just can't get a date. And apparently his red Prius isn't helping, the way he thought it might. Maybe it's his dinosaur mentality - specifically "Priusaurous."
Thursday, August 21, 2008
New Boise Landmark
As of last weekend, there's a very impressive new landmark along the Greenbelt - the Fallen Firefighters' Memorial.
It's definitely worth a trip to see.
It can be found on the NORTH side of the Boise River, on the Greenbelt, a block or so west of the Americana bridge.
(Click on the photo for larger viewing options, etc.)
It's definitely worth a trip to see.
It can be found on the NORTH side of the Boise River, on the Greenbelt, a block or so west of the Americana bridge.
(Click on the photo for larger viewing options, etc.)
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Giving up the car for a bike
A year ago at about this time, the Tour de Fat came through Boise.
(It's scheduled again this weekend, for those who enjoy a bit of social revelry, with an underlying pro-bicycle theme. And who have the free time.)
A lucky contestant was selected to give up his motor vehicle(s) in exchange for a sweet bicycle and a pledge to live life car-free. Micah Deffries is his name.
On the bright side, he has paid $0 for gas in the last year (or car insurance, maintenance, etc.). And he's dropped 30 pounds. (Awesome, huh?)
Of course, he's had some frustrations that any transportation cyclist can identify with - mostly flat tires.
Good trade-off?
Strangely, he moved from Boise, where he works downtown, to Nampa. Now he "often commutes by bus to Boise and bums rides with his girlfriend." To this observer, that doesn't make a lick of sense!
Deffries' story can be read HERE.
In conjunction with the story, the informal daily poll question on the Idaho Statesman website today is...
Would you give up your car for a bicycle?
The multiple-choice responses are:
- Yes
- No
- For electric bike
As of this writing, the respective responses are 103, 392, and 33.
(It's scheduled again this weekend, for those who enjoy a bit of social revelry, with an underlying pro-bicycle theme. And who have the free time.)
A lucky contestant was selected to give up his motor vehicle(s) in exchange for a sweet bicycle and a pledge to live life car-free. Micah Deffries is his name.
On the bright side, he has paid $0 for gas in the last year (or car insurance, maintenance, etc.). And he's dropped 30 pounds. (Awesome, huh?)
Of course, he's had some frustrations that any transportation cyclist can identify with - mostly flat tires.
Good trade-off?
Strangely, he moved from Boise, where he works downtown, to Nampa. Now he "often commutes by bus to Boise and bums rides with his girlfriend." To this observer, that doesn't make a lick of sense!
Deffries' story can be read HERE.
In conjunction with the story, the informal daily poll question on the Idaho Statesman website today is...
Would you give up your car for a bicycle?
The multiple-choice responses are:
- Yes
- No
- For electric bike
As of this writing, the respective responses are 103, 392, and 33.
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