Pedal pushing

Menino mounting bid to make city a bicyclist's dream

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff  |  September 20, 2007

 

Potholes, narrow roads, mean drivers. ... Riding a bicycle in Boston is something akin to combat. Cyclists routinely rank the city America's worst.

 

Full story: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/09/20/pedal_pushing/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+City%2FRegion+News

Those pedaling to 'Shoe won't have to pay to valet

Saturday,  September 22, 2007 6:43 AM

By Tim Doulin

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Fans who pedal to today's Ohio State football game will have a place to park their bikes free.

 

Full story: http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2007/09/22/OSUBIKE.ART_ART_09-22-07_B4_I87VQTT.html?sid=101

Linking bicycle chains

Cities hoping to transform paths into one vast system

Wednesday,  September 26, 2007 5:39 AM

By Tim Doulin and Martin Rozenman

 

If you're a city official in central Ohio listening to the recreational demands of your residents, you're likely hearing this: "Where's the bike trail?"

 

Full story: http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2007/09/26/BTRAILS.ART_ART_09-26-07_B1_7K810GF.html?sid=101

Thanks for posting the Dispatch bike trail article, Noozer.  Here's the map of existing and proposed Columbus and Central Ohio bike trails that went along with the story:

 

The Rails to Trails Conservancy changed their focus from preserving rail trails to providing local trails for most of the public. http://www.railtrails.org/index.html

 

 

 

"What's wrong with wearing spandex! It serves a purpose!"

 

It also creates really bad scarring visuals. I'm sorry, but most of the people I've seen wearing spandex... well, you would think if they spend all that time cycling, they wouldn't have spindly little stick legs and potbellies, right? It's like sticking two toothpicks in a small potato and stretching fabric over the whole thing - NOT pretty!

 

"What's wrong with wearing spandex! It serves a purpose!"

 

It also creates really bad scarring visuals. I'm sorry, but most of the people I've seen wearing spandex... well, you would think if they spend all that time cycling, they wouldn't have spindly little stick legs and potbellies, right? It's like sticking two toothpicks in a small potato and stretching fabric over the whole thing - NOT pretty!

 

Ahh, but properly worn by a deserving cyclist, the sight has few equals in splendor. On long group rides, to keep myself motivated I used to pick out a nice view to follow, and work to keep it in sight!  :-D

"What's wrong with wearing spandex! It serves a purpose!"

 

It also creates really bad scarring visuals. I'm sorry, but most of the people I've seen wearing spandex... well, you would think if they spend all that time cycling, they wouldn't have spindly little stick legs and potbellies, right? It's like sticking two toothpicks in a small potato and stretching fabric over the whole thing - NOT pretty!

 

I love your descriptions :)

 

I was very weary of wearing spandex at first. I finally said "fuck it" and went out and purchased a pair and a jersey. I've never looked back since. It makes all the difference when biking long-distance or when you need a lot of speed. And it even looks great too :)

Some pix from tonight's Columbus Bikeways Plan meeting at the North Bank Park Pavilion. 

 

A crowd of at least 100 and.... the best news.... at least 25 of them rode their bikes!!

 

The plan was very well received and a number of key leaders were there, including Columbus City Council Members Kevin Boyce and Maryellen O'Shaughnessy.

Amen on that last quote in the article.

Yep. Does Columbus have sanctioned Critical Masses? We got our mayor and vice mayor involved in a few, where we protested the lack of bike lanes by circling around downtown during rush hour. Television crews, newspapers, etc. were out that day. We hold bike summits and bike repair sessions in the downtown that draw greater-than-expected crowds. All this with our _new_ mayor, our former mayor could have given less of a rat's @$$ about biking in general.

 

It may just be politics. It's not cheap to install bike lanes, esp. if they are on roads like High Street, but it is far cheaper than many other alternatives (e.g. expanding bus routes, widening roads, etc.)

From Dispatch reporter Tim Doulin's The Cranky Commuter blog.  Another report from last Wednesday's Columbus Bikeways Plan public meeting.  Ya gotta love those public meetings!

 

They weren't shouting 'Go, Bucks'

It turned a little ugly at Wednesday night’s public meeting for the Columbus bikeways plan when the subject of the shabby condition of the Ohio State University portion of the Olentangy Trail was brought up.  A man in the audience called out an OSU official who was at the meeting, wanting to know when long-promised improvements to the trail - a favorite of bicyclists and runners alike - would be made. 

 

Read more at http://blog.dispatch.com/commuter/2007/09/they_werent_shouting_go_bucks.shtml

Car-bike crash study

Danger zones lurk for cyclists

Wednesday,  October 3, 2007 3:48 AM

By Tim Doulin

 

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Annie Hollis says she feels safe as she makes the daily trek down N. High Street from her home in the University District to her job Downtown, even though the route is part of a stretch with the highest number of bicycle-vehicle crashes in the city.

 

Full story: http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2007/10/03/BIKECRASH.ART_ART_10-03-07_A1_Q6839G9.html?sid=101

NYC finally has a progressive Transpo Commissioner!  Just 6 blocks to start, but looks like NYC is going to get its first Euro-style bike lane.  Anyone know if these things exist in other North American cities?

 

NYTimes article: http://www.transalt.org/press/media/2007/1212.html

 

Article from a South African website: http://www.motoring.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=4049534&fSectionId=&fSetId=381 (copied below)

 

 

HOW IT WORKS: A bicycle lane in Copenhagen, Denmark, separated from the traffic by a row of parked cars.

Photo: http://www.motoring.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=1828&fPicId=105650

 

Buffered bike lanes for New York

[ See related stories ]

 

September 24, 2007

 

Manhattan, New York - Bicycle riders and drivers are grudging partners on Manhattan's congested streets, dodging and sometimes cursing each other as they share the road, but that could all change soon.

 

 

 

A combination of wider streets or bike lanes could go a long way to helping bicyclists and motorists coexist.

 

"It all boils down to room," said Bernice Cage, MORPC transportation planner.

 

"You talk to any cyclist who rides on the streets and they say 'We just need enough room.' "

 

I would think wider streets would be self defeating.  Any extra safety from increasing road width is probably going to be offset by the dangers of faster moving traffic.

Not to the extent that there would be faster traffic. Bicycle lanes need to be a minimum of four-feet with no obstructions (e.g. drainage slips, non-conforming concrete curb transitions). Traffic lanes need to be at least ten feet, and most state DOTs won't allow bike lanes if the widths are less than eleven feet (twelve feet is optimal).

Any place with drivers as aggressive as Indiana's, and with as little traffic enforcement, would need physical barriers separating bike lanes from automotive traffic in order to be safe. Painted lines, diamonds and signs mean nothing to drivers who are drunk, crazy, stupid or all three, and we have a lot of them. I was nearly hit by a pickup truck on a downtown sidewalk when the driver decided to bypass stopped traffic because he was going to turn at the next corner anyway. His passenger was laughing his ass off.

Good stuff on a big bike share program out of San Francisco:

 

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/10/03/MNLOSIIPE.DTL

 

http://commuter.typepad.com/commuterpageblog/2007/10/bikesharing-in-.html

.... I was nearly hit by a pickup truck on a downtown sidewalk when the driver decided to bypass stopped traffic .... His passenger was laughing his ass off.

Yikes!  The same problem exists with people rolling through stop signs or right-turns-on-red without stopping.  The motorist just don't know if there is a pedestrian, a cyclist, or an animal there.  I cannot help but think that the police can be trained to watch out for such things and that motorists cannot be trained to be aware of cyclists.

A brief editorial from the Columbus Dispatch:

 

• BICYCLE TRAILS can be expensive to build and maintain, but they are enormously popular and contribute to public health and quality of life.

 

Full story: http://dispatch.com/live/content/editorials/stories/2007/10/06/SHORT06.ART_ART_10-06-07_A8_GO83FRF.html?sid=101

 

This is a network of "touring routes" across the country.  Sounds like fun. 

 

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2007/10/us-bicycle-rout.html

 

US Bicycle Routes Corridor Draft Plan Under Development

4 October 2007

 

The American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has been working with Adventure Cycling Association and several other organizations to develop a corridor-level plan for a national US bicycle routes system.

 

Full story: http://www.transportation.org/sites/scoh/docs/SCOH%2007%20-%20USBRS.ppt

 

Big cities try to ease way for bicyclists

By Charisse Jones, USA TODAY

 

Cities are accelerating their efforts to encourage commuting on two wheels, putting bike racks where cars once parked, adding bike lanes and considering European-style bike-share programs to get residents out of their cars.

 

Full story: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-10-07-bicyclists_N.htm

"I don't think encouraging cycling is going to reduce congestion or significantly change the transportation makeup of our cities," says Randal O'Toole, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. "There really is very little evidence that any of (these efforts) are reducing the amount of driving. They're just making it more annoying to drivers."

 

Wouldn't simple reason dictate that if someone is biking somewhere, they are not driving there?  Well, a simple observer would think that, but not Randy O'Toole!  Oh no!  He uses his vast powers of reasoning and sophisticated planning knowledge to realize that it is quite possible, via quantum physics, for people to both be biking AND driving to work simultaneously until actual data recording locks them into one or the other state!  It's Shrodinger's transportation system!  Why hasn't anyone else thought to combine these disciplines?  Because they are all mushy brained liberals who love trees and hate America, that's why! 

 

And there's the truth, folks, straight from the Cato institute.  Info you can trust.

 

Ahh, such an aptly named fellow. 

"I don't think encouraging cycling is going to reduce congestion or significantly change the transportation makeup of our cities," says Randal O'Toole, ...And there's the truth, folks, straight from the Cato institute.  Info you can trust.

 

Ahh, such an aptly named fellow. 

You have seen a glimpse into the right wing mind.  Start with a prejudice, add some bald-faced hatred, then fix some facts to suit your conclusion.  "Right wing think tank" isn't that an oxymoron?

Great article on how the building of bike paths and bike lanes in Indianapolis is aimed not just at creating more and better mobility, but economic development as well.

 

Here's the link to the article and some great pix:

 

http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/10/15/indianapolis-paves-the-way-for-bikes-and-pedestrians/

Holy crap. That is amazing, and a great way to better identify the bike lanes for others who refuse to ride in the road for safety or security reasons (it's a lot different than riding on the sidewalk!).

Yeah, pretty cool.  I copied the article to the people in charge of the City of Columbus Bike Plan.

The Indy Greenways system is surprising; it's well thought out, designed and executed and is heavily used. I say it's suprising because Indianapolis drivers are possibly the most bat-out-of-hell aggressive people in the Midwest. The interstates through and around the city are frightening places and drivers don't slow down even when the road surface is a sheet of ice.

 

Yet when I rode the Monon Trail from 38th Street to Carmel, I found that most drivers on the cross streets were very attentive and courteous to cyclists waiting to cross. The extensive greenway system, connecting places like Broad Ripple and Carmel with the attractive downtown and White River State Park, makes Indianapolis something of a cyclist's dream.

Comment sought on bikeways

An agency that plans our bicycling future wants to know what you think of its long-range plans. The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, which plans transportation in Cuyahoga and four bordering counties, is gathering public comment until Dec. 14 on plans to design, fund and raise the profile of bikeways. The five counties have about 290 miles of bike routes, double the amount in 1997, according to the draft plan. Forecasts show the region could add up to 331 miles of bikeways near vital urban and rural routes over 25 years, at a cost of $51 million. To view the plan and submit comments, go to noaca.org. You can fax comments to 216-621-3024; mail them to NOACA, 1299 Superior Ave., Cleveland, 44114-3024; or phone comments to an answering machine at 216-241-2414, Ext. 303.

^^ When can we see multi-lane bike paths and interchanges? :)

 

_{I would be dying for a photo of a multi lane bike path and/or interchange...}

I'm looking forward to hearing the morning radio/Tv traffic reports talking about "bike jams" on the Olentangy Trail or Ohio to Erie Trail. :-D

 

Not holding my breath...but we can dream.

State Rep. Michael Skindell's bicycle-helmet bill would fine parents

Lakewood legislator in August crash

Friday, November 09, 2007

Donna J. Miller

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

State Rep. Michael Skindell was hit by a car in August while riding his bicycle. ... Wednesday, the avid cyclist introduced legislation that would require children to wear bicycle helmets until they're 18. It would also strap a parent with a $25 fine for allowing a child to ride without a helmet.

 

Full story: http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1194601443307530.xml&coll=2

lawmaker cyclist gets hit by a car and makes law to protect children.

 

 

hmmmmmmmm........

 

 

it would seem to be more beneficial, to all transportation cyclists, to push for complete adoption of the Ohio Bicyling Federation's recommended law reforms: http://www.ohiobike.org/ORC_Proposals.htm

Skindell's the best.  I don't know how parents are going to deal with their forgetful children who set their helmets down "somewhere" and lose them.  Take their bikes away?

This is regarding Lexington, Kentucky's Yellow Bike program.

 

I was quite a supporter of the Yellow Bike program at first. I never paid into it or used it because I have two bikes in my apartment that I use for transportation around town. But now, I'm not quite sure if this program should continue to run into 2008 with the same credentials or methods. Improvements should definitely be made so that these mistakes are not repeated.

 

Sorry, I don't see how having many bikes stolen, many vandalized or marred, and some "banged up" a success. 52 out of 80 have been found, which is quite dismal, and some corporations that funded the program initially will most likely not fund it in the future if this trend continues. A better system should be put into place, similar to what Humana is doing to their bike system for downtown Louisville.

 

This quote really gets me: ""I said I'd be very happy if we had half the bikes after one season."

 

They don't understand that _others_ funded this program. It's quite easy to make that remark when it doesn't come from your pocket.

 

--

 

Yellow Bikes' first year: a bang-up job

First season met goals, board member says

By Jennifer Hewlett, Herald-Leader, November 14, 2007

 

Some of the bicycles are a little banged up, a few sport new but unauthorized paint jobs, a couple have been seriously vandalized and more than a few are unaccounted for.

 

Full story: http://"http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/230272.htm

Just did an entry on the long-term bikeways plan which is being finalized as I type this. This is the same entry as on my blog, but you can't click on the links, they're text-only (except for the blog).

 

Even before the bikeways plan (WARNING: huge .pdf) is totally implemented (will take a decade) we already have a number of bike friendly roads. If only the city would publicize this with maps and signs.

 

Page 13 has a map (Wait a minute, the solid red lines are existing shared roadways? I must have missed all of the huge “Bicycle Boulevard” stenciling and signs all over Summit, 4th, Neil, etc and I just noticed High St is going to get no treatment and will remain an “Undesignated Roadway”; looks it’s time for us to be the squeaky wheel, i.e. nag persistently.)  of what they’re going to do downtown; lots of bike lanes. I’d rather have them all be shared roads like what they’re going to do with Town and where they want to put bike lanes make them shared roads in addition to bike lanes so that those of us who don’t want to use them don’t have to, but if you do there they are. Isn’t that a good compromise for the cycling community? Now let’s look at what Madison has:

“Guide to the Madison Map for Bicyclists

Detailed explanation of symbols

 

The Madison Map for Bicyclists shows two levels of information about Madison’s streets to help bicyclists choose their preferred routes

between points in the urban area.

 

First, there is information about types of streets and special facilities for bicyclists. What streets you choose to use will depend upon your skill and confidence level for bicycling in traffic, as well as your origin and destination.

 

Local or neighborhood streets primarily provide access to homes. These streets have low volumes of traffic and slow

speeds. Local streets do not need any special accommodations for bicyclists. Many bicyclists, however, find local streets inconvenient for longer trips due to frequent stops or circuitous routes.

 

Collector and arterial streets suitable for most bicyclists, but without any special facilities for bicyclists. Collector streets connect the neighborhood streets to the main streets. Collector streets have higher volumes of traffic and higher speeds than local streets, but generally are acceptable to most bicyclists without

the need for special facilities.

 

Arterial streets are the main routes through the city. Arterials carry the heaviest volumes and highest speeds of traffic. Arterials are also the major truck routes through the city. Many bicyclists do not feel comfortable riding on arterial streets unless special accommodations for bicyclists have been made on that street.”

 

Map Legend (in .pdf format, sorry)

 

Map (more .pdf, again my apologies)

 

(bolded and italicized by me)

 

So what I want to know when I go to the next Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting on December 19th, 4:00PM (they meet every other month so I’ll double check) is why we don’t have maps of similar streets over here. These are the ones that we should have been focusing on since these are the cheapest to make friendly for bikes since they already are! I know when I get tired of High I’ll go down Dennison. Then Downtown there’s Gay and Washington which are easy with lower amounts of traffic. Why streets like these haven’t been promoted for cycling I just don’t know. We have the streets, they just need some publicity.

 

http://columbus-ite.com/2007/12/11/biking-is-relatively-easy-in-columbus/

Constructive Criticism of the Bikeways Plan.

January 2, 2008 by columbusite

 

Yay! It’s 2008 and we have a busy year. First up is more on the bikeways plan, since I read as much as I could.

 

Here are my apprehensions about the bikeways plan in it’s current form, though don’t get me wrong, I’m glad we’re finally going to have an urban biking infrastructure that people will know about. I cited the sections so that it’s easy to find what I’m talking about and I’ll be sending this to Alta and recommend everyone to give their input.

 

http://columbus-ite.com/2008/01/02/constructive-criticism-of-the-bikeways-plan/

I'm a bike trail advocate, but even I think Gib Reese is being an arrogant bully.  The man is an attorney and he should know better than to assume he owned the entire right-of-way.  Now he's got himself in a pickle and his strategy is to claim the adjacent landowners are "hurting the community"?  Talk about trying to shift blame.

 

I hope some accomodation can be worked out, but if Reese had been thorough in his own reserach and bothered to meet and talk with the landowners early on, a lot of this might have been avoided.

I too would like to see some resolution agreed upon that addresses the landowner's concerns while preserving the bike trail.  This trail has the potential to be a wonderful asset by linking the City of Heath trail with the trail in Newark and Licking County.  Possible extensions to Dawes Arboretum are feasible as well.  I would think it would be highly used since two high schools abut the trail being constructed.  Regardless, the wreckless way in which the trail is being constructed is troublesome.  Unfortunately, this method of "doing business" has been used on other portions of trails in Licking County. 

 

Another concern not mentioned in the article is the actual construction being used.  Having seen the new trail, I would not be happy if I were Licking County/City of Heath to be inheriting a trail that will no doubt need major maintenance due to the poor construction techniques being used.  The reconstructed crossings are in terrible shape, there are bridges with known problems, and asphalt should not be put in this late in the construction season.

That's what happens when someone rushes the job.... and that's Gib Reese's style. No doubt his intentions are good, but his methods are sloppy and suspect.  he probably thought he could get the whole thing paved over before anyone could react.  How wrong he was.

Article published Jan 8, 2008

Bike-path foes take case to Heath council

Residents say city should have looked out for them

By KENT MALLETT

Advocate Reporter

 

HEATH -- Heath and Licking Township residents came to the Heath City Council committee meetings Monday to ask why the city allowed construction of a bike path on land they say Heath residents own.

 

Full story: http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080108/NEWS01/801080313/1002

 

Article published Feb 12, 2008

Bike trails are a benefit to the county

Russell Edgington

 

The Licking Park District operates and maintains about 25 miles of bike trails from the county's eastern border along Ohio 16 to Newark and west of Newark to Johnstown. More than 250,000 individuals annually use these trails.

 

Full story: http://www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080212/OPINION02/802120330

Railroad land may link bike trail

Metro Parks is considering buying 11-mile right of way for the Ohio to Erie Trail

Saturday,  February 16, 2008 3:08 AM

By Debbie Gebolys

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

In four years, bicyclists might be able to hop on a trail near I-270 in western Franklin County and keep pedaling until they reach Cincinnati.

 

Full story: http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/02/16/BTrail.ART_ART_02-16-08_B1_IF9CHK3.html?sid=101

ORDC couldn't buy the Camp Chase RR for $750,000 so 3-C passenger trains could avoid freight traffic at the southern throat to Buckeye Yard? Is the Metro Park board aware of the Ohio Hub plan?

The southern throat to Buckeye yard isn't the problem.  It's the junctions in downtown Columbus... two within a half-mile of each other. The Ohio to Erie Trail folks are aware of the Ohio Hub Plan.  In fact, the O to E Trail leadership has been very supportive of the plan.

I love bicycling, but for the last two or three years have done it recreationally with a hybrid bike.  I just got a road bike, and am looking forward to using it to run errands and such.  Two questions for you avid cyclists:

 

Where in Cleveland can someone with limited experience riding on roads with p.o.'ed motorists go to get some practice in a group setting?

 

And are the Ohio City Bike Co-op classes helpful?

 

Thanks much! 

 

 

Hmm, good question. Do you mean practice commuting on the roads or riding with our road cyclists in groups (i.e., bike shorts, jerseys, etc.)? If you mean bike shorts riding, Spins in Lakewood has group rides on Wednesdays, which I've heard good things about. I plan to join them this summer.

 

If you're looking for practice commuting, you might try the traffic maps for cyclists, which break down roads by traffic volume. It's helpful when planning routes and rides: http://www.noaca.org/bikemaps.html

 

My friend took a bike mechanics class at the OC Bike Co-Op and he can do all sorts of cool repairs. I think it's worth it.

A HAND FROM COTA

Outspoken cyclist likes fighting tide

Thursday,  March 6, 2008 3:36 AM

By Dean Narciso

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Bicycle commuters know few greater joys than smooth pavement, clear skies and a balmy spring morning. Jennifer Jasmin is looking forward to them.

 

Full story: http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/03/06/bikenut.ART_ART_03-06-08_B5_049IA4M.html?sid=101

Do they "think she is slow" or is she "holding up traffic"?

Consider Biking