I sold my beloved car a couple years ago, and like many Yehuda Moon comics, this strip makes me smile and nod in agreement. I love this comic strip, and it makes cycle commuters everywhere feel less alone.
Author Archives: howrad
Blackberry Ride?
Today’s Denton Record Chronicle mentions that a blackberry farm in Sanger is now open for summer.
Duck Creek Blackberry Farm, 5037 Duck Creek Road in Sanger, has opened for the season, offering pick-your-own blackberries through late July.
This is the fifth year the farm has been in operation. To check days and hours of operation and availability of berries, visit www.duckcreekblackberries.com
The website states that they’re open 7-10AM on Saturdays, but that they usually sell out by 9AM.
At about 15 miles, this sounds like a great early morning country ride. Maybe there’s a nice cafe in Sanger to get lunch after picking berries? If we start riding at 6AM, I’d guess we could be there around 7 to 7:30.
Fort Worth City Planner, Don Koski
Bike Friendly Oak Cliff published an interview with Fort Worth City Planner, Don Koski, discussing how he incorporates consideration for bike/pedestrian planning into his overall design philosophy. Fort Worth has committed itself to an incredibly ambitious people-first multi-modal transit plan, and Don is the key player who will oversee execution of the transit plan.
I have a lot of experience in the planning of bicycle and pedestrian transportation systems and the development of bicycle and pedestrian transportation projects. Bicycle and pedestrian planning has always just been one of the many duties that I have had, along with arterial street system planning, project identification and prioritization, capital program development, and others. I jumped at the opportunity in Fort Worth because of the tremendous challenges and opportunities the city has with its rapid pace of growth and evolving development strategies.
I was intrigued by Fort Worth’s walkable downtown, investment in mixed-use urban villages, relatively unconstrained growth potential, and interest in improving its bicycle and pedestrian transportation systems.
Cool, that sounds like Denton too: rapid pace of growth, evolving development strategies, walkable downtown, mixed-use investment, unconstrained growth potential, interest in improving bicycle and pedestrian transit.
Fort Worth has had some great recreational trails along the Trinity River and elsewhere for many years. What was lacking was a way to make connections for people interested in cycling for transportation purposes. In 1999, the city worked with the North Central Texas Council of Governments to develop an on-street bicycle route network plan that would create linkages between downtown and its surrounding neighborhoods. The City came across some difficulties implementing the plan and the bicycling advocates in Fort Worth became frustrated with the lack of progress.
That reminds me of the Denton Mobility Plan, which proposed ambitious changes. The bicycle component was never fully realized.
When I came on board in December 2006, I was immediately approached by the late Dr. Byron de Sousa – a community leader who had been Chair of the Fort Worth Plan Commission and was an avid proponent of bicycle transportation infrastructure – to develop a truly comprehensive bicycle transportation system plan encompassing infrastructure, education, encouragement, city policies and programs, and law enforcement. That was when we kicked off the effort that led to the Bike Fort Worth plan.
Excellent! A comprehensive program touching all aspects of a properly planned endeavor: infrastructure, education, encouragment, city policy, and enforcement. Bike lanes alone won’t do it, this holistic approach is the most likely to succeed, and the only logical choice.
However, there are a number of streets that are oversized for the level of vehicular traffic that they experience today or are likely to have in the future. In some of those cases, a “road diet” may be possible that could provide dedicated space for cyclists. We look at these on a case-by-case basis to determine how best to accommodate cyclists, based on the criteria established in the plan.
Bike lanes are a nice accomodation, bike racks are a nice accomodation, road diets would show incredible commitment to the growing Denton cycle community. Does Carroll Blvd need to be 6 lanes wide? I don’t know, but perhaps that could be asked of every huge artery which squeezes out cyclists and pedestrians and encourages traffic congestion and high speeds.
Regarding temperature, I don’t buy the argument that people won’t bike because it’s too hot/cold/wet/etc. Look at the cities that have the highest bicycle commute rates in the country: Portland (wet), Minneapolis (cold), Seattle (wet), and Tucson (hot). Certainly there are many cyclists who won’t bike for transportation purposes when it’s hot, but there are other ways to address that, like by promoting the provision of shower and change facilities at major employers. In fact, I would say Fort Worth has great potential as a bicycling city: relatively flat, decent street block pattern, great trail system to which to make connections, great cycling weather 8 months out of the year, etc.
Ditto. Here, Denton has an advantage over Ft Worth in smaller size, reducing complexity and cost of cycling infrastruction improvements.
From the city’s perspective, the impetus behind this effort today are many, but include making transit service (bus and rail) more accessible and attractive, making the city more attractive to the creative types who want to live and work in bicycle-friendly communities, helping residents lead more active and healthy lifestyles, and giving people more transportation options – especially those that help alleviate air quality problems and that are easy on the wallet during these tough economic times.
All true, and very reassuring to see a comprehensive, progressive, sustainable vision from the transportation head. I’d like to do an interview with the Denton transportation czar for comparison.
Austin Master Bike Plan Passes 6-0
So two weeks ago, while I was in Austin for a friend’s wedding, I went to visit Mellow Johnny’s bike shop, a Lance Armstrong endeavor at 4th and Nueces in a great old building. We ate at the Juan Pelota cafe inside, which has really really good little prepackaged salads. The espresso I had was really good, surprisingly better than the one I had earlier at Ruta Maya. The bike inventory was impressively varied: cruisers, mountain bikes, practical bikes, roadies. They have a commuter station inside with lockers, showers, and practical biking accessories.
As I ate the killer (no, really) salad, I eyed the magazine rack in the cafe and noticed a big binder. What’s this?
It’s the Austin Master Bike Plan, which was unanimously passed by the Austin City Council 6-0.
I read the whole thing, cover to cover, and it is really really good. An incredible amount of effort and coordination went into creating this document, and I was shocked at the size of the list of citizens who are advising the city on the project. This document is so good that it could perhaps be borrowed from by other aspiring cities, surely saving thousands of hours of research.
I’ll close this post with a quote from Elliott of AustinOnTwoWheels. This quote reminds me of Denton’s lack of execution regarding the council-endorsed bicycle plan from several years ago. Dedication is the hardest part.
I would like to close by saying while this plan has our support, it remains only a words on paper if it is not implemented. When we were circulating this petition, the number one issue that upset people most was that only 1/3rd of the projects in the 1996-98 plan every got completed. By establishing timelines in the new plan, we will not have to wait over ten years to see if progress is being made. In fact, some of the deadlines in the plan will arrive in the next budget cycle and before the terms end for the incoming council. The cycling community is more active and organized that ever before in this city, and I think you can expect us to remain engaged while working with you to ensure progress is made and this plan is honored.
Austin Cyclist Shot In Back With BB
The Austin On Two Wheels blog reports that Brad Urry finally got his story out on KVUE that he was shot in the back with pellet gun on May 1st.
I could sense that something wasn’t right,” said Brad Urry, a high-tech worker who rides his bicycle at least twice a week.
Urry said, two people in a light-blue Prius shot him in the back with a pellet gun and kept going.
The half inch deep wound barely missed his spine.
“When they went by me they scrunched down in the seat so that I couldn’t see anything but the top of their heads,” said Urry. “I wanted to catch them to find out what did I do to deserve this? Why would you do this to another person and create such a situation where somebody could literally get killed?” questioned Urry. He told KVUE he wants others to be aware of their surroundings.
“Just be cognizant, pay attention when you’re out there because it caught me by surprise,” he said. “I thought I was aware of everything that was going on around me and this caught me 100 percent by surprise. Nothing to provoke the shooting.”
On a similar note, I was waiting to cross University/380 on my commute home from work yesterday. I was behind one car, both waiting to cross. A white Dodge Ram truck turned into the lot, and instead of going straight into the lot, the truck insisted on traveling diagonal to cut across the turn-in, which is exactly where I stood with my bike. They laid on the horn, and angrily motioned for me to move. In years past, I might have stood my ground and dealt with escalation, but I know better now. It’s not worth it. Like Urry says, focus on being cognizant and writing down the plate numbers. In the past, when occupants of a van on Hwy 77 threatened to get out a gun and kill me, I was too freaked out to note the license plate. Don’t make that mistake if you have any hope of justice.
BFOC Bike Lane Primer
Bike Friendly Oak Cliff posted a nice primer on bike lane basics, which is important, because bike lanes are often installed haphazardly and this can lead to more accidents than no bike lane at all. We’ve all seen these: bike lanes that disappear into vehicle right-turn lanes, bike lanes without enough buffer, tiny bike lanes, bike lanes without no-parking signs, etc.
I really love the idea of bike-boxes, as they would prevent right-hook collisions, which are at great potential for the Hickory St/Carroll intersection in Denton.
Here’s a shot of a Portland bike box during installation:
I’ve been out measuring the street and bike lane dimensions on Hickory St recently, and I’m planning an upcoming post comparing the Denton bike lane designs to the recommended AASHTO standards. AASHTO sets the industry standards for bicycle facility design.
Madison, WI: Going Beyond Gold
On a bus ride this morning, I was reading the new issue of Bicycle Times, an excellent new commuter cycling magazine. A short, pg 16 article about the Wisconsin Bike Summit had some quotes that I wanted to share.
From Bicycle Times writer Mark Parman:
Madison mayor, and more importantly bicyclist, David Cieslewicz, led off the Monday evening speakers, addressing the issue of making communities more bikeable, hence more livable. He was unambiguous about his goal of making Madison the most bike-friendly place in the country, just as BFW director Andy Hardman was unequivocal about the Federation’s goal of making the Badger State the most bike-friendly in the nation. “A city that’s good to bike in is a city that’s good to live in,” said Cieslewicz.
“If we can’t do it now [get funding from a bike-friendly Obama administration], we should all be fired,” said Andy Clarke of the League of American Bicyclists.
Madison is 84.7 square miles with a population of 221,551.
Denton is 62.3 square miles with a population of 115,506.
From the bikeleague.org entry for Madison:
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz formed the Platinum Biking City Planning Committee, members included leaders from the business and advocacy communities, to work in concert with city staff and the police department. The committee’s goals include achieving the Platinum BFC designation and to create a roadmap for Madison to become the best city in the country for bicycling.
The bicycle is considered at every level of planning, design and engineering. Specific bicycle policies include a provision of all needed bicycle facilities when constructing or reconstructing city streets and including the requirements of bicycle traffic in the design of all traffic control devices. All or almost all roadway projects funded with STP-Urban Program funding over the past 10 years have included bike lanes.
On University Avenue, in the heart of downtown Madison and the University of Wisconsin campus, the city recorded 10,000-12,000 bicycle trips per day at the peak and 2,000 plus trips per day in January’s bitter cold when the University is out of session for 3 weeks.
Tax Incentive for New Bike Purchase?
Via BikePortland, Jonathan Maus writes that Congressman Ron Kind (D-WI) introduced The Public Health Investment Today (PHIT) Act of 2009 (H.R. 2105). This act would allow taxpayers to allot money in a pre-tax flex account to put towards “qualified sports and fitness expenses.”
Now, mind you, only $250 could be alloted towards purchase of an item. Overall, this bill is aimed at increasing overall fitness participation, not specifically bicycles.
Maus writes:
If the bill passes, section 213(d) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 would be amended to include a subparagraph for, “qualified sports and fitness expenses.” Expenses covered under the new law would include; membership at a fitness center, participation or instruction in a program of physical exercise or physical activity, and “equipment for use in a program (including a self-directed program) of physical exercise or physical activity.”
The bill has text to disallow use of funds for joining country clubs, golf courses, and horse riding facilities. $250 might not sound like much, but it’s comparable to the $20 per month employer reimbursement which the IRS recently adopted.
Denton Cyclist Hit and Run: UPDATE
UPDATE (6/2/09): After some confusion about the case being closed, Nick reports that the case is indeed open and that the Denton Police Department is actively seeking the car in question. Please, please keep your eyes peeled for this vehicle and report it to the police if you see it.
Reiteration: the car in question is a a boxy maroon rusty Oldsmobile. 9WG-TK (with handicapped symbol). It might still have a broken windshield from the impact of Nick’s head.
—-
The above picture is real.
Steel is real.
Helmets can save lives.
Local cyclist and Querencia volunteer, Nick Magruder, was riding on Bonnie Brae north of University when a driver hit him from behind last Wednesday night at about 9:15. Nick was using the famously bright Planet Bike Superflash rear light, so visibility should not have been a problem.
Nick says:
I’m posting to ask everyone in the Denton area to keep a look out for a driver who ran me down last Wednesday night and took off with blatant disregard for the life of another human. This driver is obviously an incredible danger to anyone on our roads. The details are as follows;
I was riding south on Bonnie Brae just north of University at about 9:15PM on Wednesday the 13th by myself. Bonnie Brae is a wide open, four lane road with “Share the Road” signs every 20 yards or so and light traffic. I was on my road bike with my superflash turned on, and good reflectivity on my shoes and helmet. The car came from behind in my lane and without slowing, veering, swerving or braking at all, slammed into my rear wheel at about 35-40, throwing me onto the hood. My helmet broke his windshield at least a small amount, because I had bits of glass in my helmet and on my arms. I blacked out for about a quarter of a second and came to laying back-down on the hood, still going down the road at about 35 mph. Not wanting the driver to slam on his brakes and throw me, I rolled myself off the driver’s side of the car, giving me bad road rash on my knees, arms and a deep gash on my hip. He didn’t seem to slow down at all through the whole incident and just rolled on down the road, not even speeding off in a hurry. My cell phone and superflash came off in the wreck, I expect onto the driver’s hood. I stopped the next car and called 911. I was about a quarter mile from a fire station and half a mile from a hospital, good place for a wreck. I gave a full report to the police and then went to the hospital to get checked out. Not a single break, sprain or even a minor concussion. I was wearing a Bell Volt, and it stayed completely intact except for internal cracks, I HIGHLY recommend this helmet after seeing its performance. Anyway, the description of the car, as I and another witness at the scene described is;
An older (80s-early 90s) boxy maroon sedan with (from the other witness, relayed to me through a Denton Officer) disabled veterans plates. The witness also saw the driver stop and pickup my taillight, in order to hide the evidence. I am also pretty sure that they stole my cell phone, since it most likely came out of my jersey pocket onto their hood. No one got a license plate number at the scene.
I posted all of this info to my Facebook that night, and on Saturday a friend of mine noticed a car that was very close to the description. He was behind an older reddish/brown Oldsmobile with handicapped license plates, and a crack in the driver’s side of the windshield. He got the license plate number, which was 9WG-TK (with handicapped symbol). My friend wasn’t at the scene, so this second sighting is only possibly the same driver, but the odds seem very unlikely that it wouldn’t be.
As of tonight, Wednesday the 20th I haven’t heard anything from the police on the case, supposedly the hit and run detective was off last week. If you see this car, please call 911 and relay this info to the operator and the location of the car. We can’t let this incredibly dangerous and heartless driver continue to drive freely on our streets. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at ncm200@gmail.com
Fortworthology Goes To Portland
I’ve been to Portland quite a few times, and I really enjoy the transit variety there. Buses, streetcars, MET train (free in downtown, has bike hooks), tons of bike lanes, and even bike lanes on bridges. Portland has a “Last Thursday” art-walk in Portland which is now car free, after the city agreed to repeating street closures. For a Texan, the experience can be pretty overwhelming, and the openness towards multi-modal transit and new urbanism contributes to Portland’s appeal to the creative class.
There are so many things I enjoy about Portland that they’re hard for me to succinctly articulate. Lucky for me, Fortworthology has already written a series of articles about Portland, and this one is about cycling in Portland.
