Busted? Traffic school for you!

For as long as I can remember (since I was a heavy-footed teenager, that's for sure!), motorists who ran afoul of the law could opt to take a traffic class, to avoid losing their driver's licenses. (I took such a class once in my teenage years. I don't remember much about the class, but 2 or 3 hours of misery seemed a small price to pay, to hang onto my flyin' license!)

Now, over in central Oregon, they're trying the same thing with cyclists. A cyclist who is cited for breaking the law can pay the fine and do the time, or can opt to take a ($50) "diversion" class.

Lt. Chris Carney of the Bend Police Department: "Not everybody understands a bicyclist has to follow the rules of the road."

Amen to that!

They've got the police, bicycle advocates and educators, and the courts on board. The class is conducted by a LAB-certified instructor.

I would love to support such a program in the Boise area. I've long contended that education/enforcement are what we are most sorely lacking to be a truly bicycle-friendly community, and this program covers both ends. I just don't know if we could get all those power players on board. Most seem content to ignore bike violators, unless there's a crash.

Story HERE.

Upcoming Boise-area bicycle events

Here are some that I'm aware of, and hope to join in with. Please let us know of others.

There will be a "Ride and Seek" scavenger hunt on May 14th (Saturday), originating at Veterans' Memorial Park. It's a fundraiser for the Boise Bicycle Project and AmeriCorps. More info HERE.

Boise Bike Week runs from May 15-21. It is "a week promoting bicycling in every form." This is the ninth year; it has become part of the bicycle fabric of Boise. I've participated before, and will participate again. More info HERE. It kicks off with "Family on Bikes," 5/15 (Sunday) at the Egyptian Theater. Nancy Vogel and her family - of Boise! - will tell of their 3-year bicycle adventure from Alaska to the southern tip of Argentina. The grand finale is the "Pedal Power Parade" on 5/21 (Saturday), originating at Capitol Park. In between are a bunch of rides, picnics, training sessions, etc. (Looks like it's the biggest and best BBW yet!)

Bike transportation advocates should enjoy a presentation/discussion on May 18 (Wednesday) at 6pm at Boise City Hall. The presentation is by Mia Birk. Ms. Birk was one of the key players over the past 20 years or so, in making Portland one of the most bicycle-friendly cities. She now extends her expertise across the Fruited Plain, with a firm called Alta Planning and Design. More info HERE. (I just read her book, Joyride, and will be commenting on it in the near future.)

Bike transportation - not so efficient after all?

I've smugly declared that bicycles are "the most efficient form of human transportation ever devised." And I'm rarely, if ever, challenged on that assertion.

One reader observed that if you consider the cost of calories for that amazing "hybrid bicycle engine" - you know, what you spend at the grocery store - it might not be so cheap after all. But a person has to eat whether he drives a car or rides a bike, so it's very hard to measure... and I continue to maintain that all things considered, a bicycle is considerably cheaper than any alternative.

But... maybe not?

I found an amazingly comprehensive report called Bicycle Energy by David S. Lawyer. He has some interesting and detailed observations.

On the surface, indeed a bicycle seems more efficient by many-fold, over a fossil fuel-powered automobile.

But Mr. Lawyer points out that for every food-calorie burned in riding, it might take 10 calories to grow, distribute, and cook that food. Nit-picky?

How about this one... Do you want to factor in the life expectancy of the vehicle? He observes that while an automobile might last a 200,000 mile lifetime, a bicycle lifetime is 525 miles. (525 miles? What the??? Per month, maybe? But consider the millions of bikes that will never be anything more than the occasional recreation toy. Many of them probably do only last 525 miles - spread over 10 years.) If you factor that in, one car might take the driver (and passengers) many hundreds of times more than one bicycle, over the lifetime of the vehicle. So maybe per mile, the energy to manufacture a car is less than for a bicycle... all bikes considered.

He's got all sorts of stuff - rolling resistance, aerodynamic drag, inclines and descents, small car vs. big car, etc. You guys with your slide rules and scientific graphing calculators might really enjoy it. (My head started aching, so I just kinda skimmed over a lot of it. And if you're asking, "What's a slide rule?" you were born too late! It's kinda halfway in between that graphing calculator and the abacus.)

Let's ride!

Brush with the Law

I had a strange experience Saturday. I bicycled out Eisenmann Road, which is at the very southeast end of Boise Valley... the edge of the high prairie. And, I stopped on the last overpass over I-84, to snap a photo and enjoy the beautiful day and a bit of rest.

As I stopped, a state highway patrol car pulled over on the other side. The officer got out and motioned me over.

"Were you up here a few minutes ago?" he asked.

"Nope, just got here."

"Did you see another guy on a bike?"

"Yes, I did," I answered honestly. "We passed maybe 1/2 mile back - he was going in the other direction."

"That must be who I'm looking for."

He got in his cop-cruiser, turned on the lights, and took off.

Hmmm... the other guy hadn't looked like a ne'er-do-well... just another guy out enjoying the beautiful day on his bike.

I stood there for a couple minutes, snapped a couple photos.



As I turned to get back on my bike, lo and behold, a county deputy comes pulling up. WHAT THE?!!?

He got out of his car.

"How ya doing?"

"Fine."

"Have you been here for very long?"

"Oh, maybe five minutes, but I'm getting ready to leave." (I thought maybe I was upsetting them by loitering.)

He paused for a couple seconds, then said, "You're not thinking about jumping, are you?"

"... Heck no!"

Wow! What a question!

Apparently, it would seem, somebody driving underneath saw me, or maybe the other cyclist, and phoned in a concern that there might be a "jumper" on the overpass!

Jumping was the farthest thing from my mind! You'll search far and wide to find somebody who enjoys life more than I do! (In fact, I bet cyclists don't even get counseling as often as the general population - it's therapeutic!)

(Before I got home, I'd turned over 2000 miles for the year.)

Wildlife Close Encounters

This is the time of year when the earth comes alive. Boise is getting spectacularly beautiful, with blossoms on many trees, the daffodils and tulips, and vibrant green new foliage.

The critters are on the move, too.

Yesterday (after leaving the dentist's office), I got a flat tire on my way to the office. I was close, so I decided to just walk a couple blocks. And I had a rather amusing encounter with an urban squirrel.

(Poor squirrels! They are the Outlaw Bikers of the animal kingdom - their motto is "Live Fast, Die Young, and leave a Furry Patch on the Highway.")

Anyhow... I was walking down the sidewalk pushing my bike, and I spotted Mr. Squirrel in the gutter, behind a parked car. Just at that moment, for a reason only he could understand, he decided to head across my path for the lawn and trees on the other side of the sidewalk. He ran, and came up against my rolling front wheel. For maybe 3 seconds, he scurried along right next to the rolling wheel, actually rubbing against it - then he made his move, trying to dash in front of it. He was a bit too close - the (flat) tire rolled against his little noggin, and I felt a grating sensation... like when you hit a round rock and push it in front of your wheel ever so briefly. Poor guy! He jerked loose and altered his trajectory, leaving at least a foot between the wheel and himself, and made it to the other side. He appeared to have not suffered any permanent damage, but I suspect he had a bit of road-rash under his chinny-chin-chin.

As I went on down the sidewalk, I cast a glance backwards. He was standing on the sidewalk, watching me with what seemed to be a hurt-feelings expression. "Why did you run over me???"

Then on my way home, I was riding the asphalt and noticed a little garter snake coiled up. (On cool but sunny spring and autumn days, they seem to enjoy the warmth that gets absorbed by the dark-colored asphalt. Unfortunately, that tends to put them right in harm's way.) Since my granddaughter loves toads and lizards and snakes, I stopped and collected him. They're a little stinky, so I used one of my "emergency rainstorm grocery bags" that I carry to cover my shoes in the event of an unexpected downpour.

As expected, Mackie loved him! We put him in a big wheelbarrow and exchanged pleasantries for an hour or so, then we bagged him back up and took him back home - right to the spot where I had found him. The story had a happy ending, I hope. (And we hope he'll come out to see us sometime in the future, as we go by.)

Bicycle vs. Huge Diesel Pickup

I had to stop at the dentist this morning, so I got an early start.

At the first traffic signal of my commute (Cassia / Latah), a guy in this huge white dually-diesel pickup had to stop at the red light, while I went through on the green light. His light turned green and he roared on by.

The next light up the way (Latah / Rose Hill) turned yellow just as he was approaching, and he slammed on the brakes. I got another good look at his awesome truck. A triple roll bar -looking contraption, with five huge spotlights mounted along the top. (I don't think it provides any actual roll-bar functionality; it's probably just to mount the lights on. But it sure looks macho! The few feet of space in the pickup bed that are lost... a small price to pay for all that macho vibe!)

I couldn't have done any better if I'd written the script... the light turned green just as I got there! I very much appreciated the furious roar of diesel torque, as he "floored it" to keep the guy on the bike from getting the hole shot.

The dentist's office is only another quarter-mile up the road from there... and imagine my delight when I pulled into the parking lot, and there was Diesel Boy, just shuttin' 'er down. Hahaha! I walked through the door just ahead of him.

BSU Campus - closed to bikes?

On Saturday my granddaughter and I rode a stretch of the Greenbelt, including behind the BSU Campus. I noticed a new sign on a "sandwich board" sort of thing (temporary-looking) that said something like "no bicycling beyond this point." Hmmm...



I've commented before about the sometimes-disturbing carelessness of pedestrians. (The Phone Zombies are particularly dense on campus.) But I've got to admit I've also seen, and had close encounters, with some careless cyclists. (There are places to go 25mph... and there are places where you go 5mph. It takes judgment - and not particularly acute judgment, IMO - to make such determinations.) I can confidently declare I've never caused a hazardous situation in my occasional rides across campus. (There have been times when a Zombie would've walked straight into me... or into the side of a brick wall, or an open manhole, for lack of paying attention.)

I don't know what the specific restrictions are on bicycle use. I would hope that students on bicycles don't have to walk 'em clear across campus. It's fairly narrow north-to-south, but it's probably a mile from east to west.

Ironically, a recent article at the Arbiter (student newspaper) website lauds the recognition BSU got, as one of the Top 20 Bike Campuses. And the timing is bad - a bike ban on campus as gas prices approach $4. (Everybody knows how poor college students are... right?)

Like many rules, this one is going to penalize many conscientious citizens, because of the actions of a few irresponsible citizens.