The Cycling Dude

WWJST? Salt Lake City to Become More Bicycle Friendly

What Would Joseph Smith Think? ;-D

The Salt Lake Tribune has a great story this week on cycling in "Mormon Central".

Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker's passion for bicycling gets painted on asphalt this summer with new bike lanes along 22 miles of city streets.

Over the next two or three years he hopes to double the 60 miles of road currently buffered by bike lanes, and his budget includes $500,000 toward the goal. That's a tenfold increase over bike budgets before his term, and doesn't include $100,000 in federal economic stimulus dollars helping complete the Jordan River trail.

The City Council still has to sign off on the plan, though.

"It's important for our whole quality of life, for our health, for reducing air pollution, for better use of energy," said Becker, himself a bike commuter to City Hall. "We've got wide streets and we should be able to accommodate bike lanes as well."

Bumping up the budget meant slowing down street maintenance, the mayor said. He also expects cyclists to take some responsibility and stop running red lights -- a common sight downtown. The city is aiding educational efforts to stop it.

The capital's bike program is easily Utah's most aggressive, but bicycle commuters valleywide are finding reason for hope. Salt Lake County is completing an interactive map to show where 16 cities plus townships and unincorporated zones could coordinate for continuous bike routes.

The rest of the article discusses the plans, and reactions of cyclist, motorists, and the Business Community and, in a nice finishing touch, there is an interesting Statistical Chart that discusses Bikes and Crashes as summarized from the Utah Department of Public Safety, Division of Highway Safety, 2007 Utah Crash Summary.

Read: Cyclists await friendlier commutes in Salt Lake City - The city will double lane miles as the county maps routes By Brandon Loomis

True or False: Tandem Cycling a Marriage Saver?

Being a bachelor, and never having been aboard a Tandem, I'm the last person to ask about this question. ;-D

I DID find an article by Jennifer Schwartz, of Boston.com, from last July, that addresses the question.

It seems that while taking a ride with the spouse, each of you on your own trusty steed, may be a great way to experience the outdoors, and get some exercise, it can sometimes put a crimp in the relationship.

What to do?

Chuck seperate bikes, and share one! ;-D

This is a nice, feel good, story, with a wonderful illustration. ;-D

Europe Falling Down on the Job of Promoting Bicycling?

I came across an interesting article at 7th Space Interactive:

On Friday 15 May 2009, the concluding plenary of the international conference on cycling policy "Velo-City 2009" took place in the European Parliament. At this session, the EESC signed the "Charter of Brussels", a commitment to a European pro-cycling policy ., Among other things, the charter calls for a policy target of at least 15% share of cycling in journeys made in Europe by 2020. EESC Secretary General Martin Westlake launched the first "European Cycling Lexicon", containing key terms of cycling infrastructure and different types of cycles for different mobility needs in all 23 official EU languages.

"Cycling is the fastest, healthiest, cheapest and greenest means of transport for medium distances in cities and must be supported by adequate measures at EU level" Janos Tóth, President of the EESC's Section for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure, stressed.

Read the rest here:  Europe must do much more to boost cycling in cities, says European Economic and Social Committee.

Bicycle Tree to Offer OC Cyclists Bicycle Repair Workshops

The Bicycle Tree is a local organzization that I have visited, and written about in the past and they describe themselves as an organzation that "incorporates bicycle education, bicycle recycling, and do-it-yourself repair."

We offer programs and services for youth and adults at affordable prices. Bringing together the excitement and accessibility of cycling, the fulfillment of conservation, and the rewards of education, The Bicycle Tree will be a unique, empowering resource for Orange County cyclists!

I have just received a Press Release about an upcoming project they will be undertaking in co-operation with a local business:

New Monthly Workshops!

The Bicycle Tree is pleased to announce that we will be holding bicycle repair workshops on the last Saturday of every month from 11 am - 4 pm at The Road Less Traveled store in Santa Ana! 

The first of these will be held this month on Saturday, May 30th. 

 We invite you to bring your bicycle - our volunteers will work with you to keep your bike running smoothly.  We will have repair stands and a solid assortment of tools available to make almost any adjustment.  We suggest a $5 flat rate donation for unlimited stand use for the day, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

The Road Less Traveled store is "an environmentally & human conscious store dedicated to bringing alternatives to every aspect of life," located at 2204 N. Main St., Santa Ana 92706  

For the workshops, please park on the opposite (east) side of Main Street. 

Please visit The Road Less Travelled to learn more about this great place!  We thank them for their generous support!

If you are interested in volunteering for these monthly workshops, please contact us at info@thebicycletree.org.

I wish them great success with their efforts!

Columnist Steve Lopez, Like Me, Points Out the Uneasy World of the Bike Trail

Recently Steve Lopez, the always interresting, and informative, columnist of the LA Times, did for the Santa Monica Bike Trail what I tried to do for the Huntington Beach Bike Trail, and the Newport Beach Back Bay Trail, in 2006, camera in tow (More than 3 years of coverage of the issue of Motorist, Cyclists, and Pedestrians getting along, and the Share The Road Campaign, can be explored, at your leisure, in this Archive of posts.) ;-D

Steve writes:

Paradise. Nirvana. Whatever you call it, we're lucky mugs to have a tranquil respite from the urban madness and permanent bottlenecks.

But wait. Do I see a collision in the making?

A woman is pushing a stroller, a teenager is on a skateboard, a man is walking a dog on a leash -- all of them idling along on a path that's marked BIKES ONLY -- and here comes a cyclist, closing in on this knot of nudniks. The cyclist slows, he weaves, he shoots past them and all are safe. But it doesn't always work out like that...

The term "bike path" doesn't leave much room for ambiguity. But pedestrians just can't seem to get it...

 the hazards are mounting because so many people are on cellphones or using iPods, oblivious to the world around them...

None of this catapults the issue to the top of our list of regional concerns. But how hard is it, really, to enforce regulations and prevent accidents? Southern California does a lousy job of accommodating bikes on city streets.

You'd think we could at least get it right at the beach, but hazards abound.

Read the whole piece: On Santa Monica's beachfront bike path, an uneasy mix.

Oh, and BTW, this is the same Steve Lopez responsible for the magnificent human interest story that was the basis for the great film The Soloist. ;-D

1 Legged Cyclist an Inspiration

Imagine yourself pedaling up, up, up, some highway in the mountains near where you live...

It's a beautiful spring day, you can see for miles, and you don't have a care in the world as you huff, and puff your way up the road.

Suddenly you become aware of a cyclist coming up behind you, and announcing his passage on your left.

Your jaw drops, and you almost lose your balance, on your trusty steed, as you notice that the rider leaving you in his wake...is doing so on 1 leg. ;-D

This happens alot to cyclists in Los Angeles according to a great article, in todays LA Times, about Felix Hackenberg:

During a 1999 appointment with a prosthetist Hackenberg was asked if he had considered riding a bicycle. No, he replied, but he was willing to try.

"I thought I'd have to put a mattress on my left side in case I fell," he said. "But I got on the thing and immediately had balance. I could ride it."

He hasn't stopped pedaling since. The 58-year-old is a daily fixture on streets near his Hollywood home, in Griffith Park and on steep mountain roads such as Mulholland Highway...

Read the rest of his amazing story, and see a selection of photos, here: Disabled Hollywood man bicycles way out of bitterness by Bob Pool.

 

Will Typepad Changes Lead to More Cyclists Discovering The Dude?

I go away for a week, and return to discover I have a bigger, and better, Typepad Profile Page, a "Follower", or 2, and the ability to post comments in places I never could before. ;-D

The page shares my Profile, excerpts of my recent activity on my blogs, comments I leave at certain blogs, and sites, a link to my other blog, and links to other sites of mine I choose to link to, such as Facebook, and Twitter, and links to my Yahoo, and MSN Messenger User Names, and who I follow, and follows me.

When I comment on certain Cycling Blogs, using my Profile Name, the link with my name goes to my profile, not to this blog alone, so I'd have to use another comment signing choice if available to do that.

There are other things going on that will take time to learn how to use that will enhance interaction with readers, and commenters.

I welcome the opportunity to engage a wide audience, and look forward to seeing where this leads.