a midway bikelog

In complaining about the bike danger “story” that KSTP aired yesterday, i should be clear on one thing: though i live about 2 miles from the station, i can’t receive it on my TV. So i didn’t see it. And i can’t address the content of the piece, though others probably will.

What is sort of fascinating is the comments on the KSTP website about the story. It’s a real window into the world of the depth of ignance that many drivers seem to have.

I’ll quickly preface by saying that i agree with the point that too many cyclists flout basic traffic rules, and i made a point of conspicuously stopping at intersections along the East River Road yesterday on my way home. On to the driver crabbing!

The most common attitude from drivers seems to be that bikes are interfering with their unhindered movement along the road. They complain that bikes use the turn lanes (gasp!) or ride in the middle of the road (horrors!) or can’t keep up with the speed limits (no shit!). The first two of these are facts of MN traffic law: bikes have the right to use the road, and the responsibility to act like any other vehicle on the road. This means using proper turn lanes when appropriate and using the full width of the lane when it’s unsafe to do otherwise.

Another common complaint is that bikes aren’t using the bike lane that’s RIGHT THERE! right next to the road! Well, speed limits work both ways – the speed limit on the path is 10mph, and the average commuting is going more like 15mph. It would be a danger to other users on the path to have bikes speeding along there when they belong on the road with the other traffic. The real problem is that drivers use the river roads as thoroughfares when they’re meant to be scenic routes. If drivers approached these roads with that attitude, they wouldn’t care that they could go “only” 15-20mph. Boo hoo that driver’s can’t maximize their speed on a neighborhood street. The whole gripe about having to pass cyclists is also because of drivers trying to go as fast as possible, so of course anyone else will be in their way.

Quick summary of a few more:

• Most cyclists also drive, so they ARE sharing the expense of the roads. Vehicle taxes cover only a fraction of the cost of road maintenance, but cyclists are disproportionately affected by roads in poor condition.
• 3′ people, three feet. That’s how much clearance is required to pass a cyclist. If you can’t find three feet, don’t pass, period. There’s nothing wrong with slowing down a block until you can safely pass.
• Remember that cyclists are working for their way down the road in the real sweating, physics class sense. They’re dealing with headwinds that drivers can’t feel, and hills that don’t register in a car. If they aren’t getting through an intersection fast enough for you, imagine how we’ll you’d do out of your car. Bike pace is just slower than car pace, but drivers who don’t cycle seem to have trouble with that concept.

Blah blah blah, i could go on for days, but drivers don’t read this bitrag anyway. If any non-cyclists find their way here somehow, please take 2 more minutes to look at these pages:

http://www.sharetheroadmn.org/
MN traffic laws

Here’s the promo link.

Here’s my letter to the station:

I watched with dismay the promo for the story on “dangerous bicycles” you’re planning to air tonight. As a year-round bicycle commuter, I am well-aware of the danger a small minority of cyclists can be on the road and certainly don’t condone their behavior. In my experience, it’s largely young cyclists who are simply transferring the same bad habits they would have driving to bicycle use. I and many of my fellow year-round bicycle commuters in the Twin Cities do follow the rules of the road and ride responsibly, and we feel that the sort of inflammatory “investigation” you’re broadcasting makes the road a less safe place for ALL cyclists to ride. Nobody, neither drivers nor cyclists, needs to have any fuel added to the tension on the road between these twin legitimate road uses. It’s hard enough to battle the attitude that a driver owns the road without painting all cyclists with the broad brush of lawlessness that your story depicts. Encouraging new bike commuters is good for the personal and environmental health of our community, but your story will go far to discourage people from trying a wonderful alternative to driving and ever-higher fuel costs.

I suggest producing an additional story to provide the balanced reporting that responsible journalists strive for. Have a reporter commute by bicycle to work and for basic errands for one month, with a daily commute of no less than 10 miles total. This would provide some sorely needed first-hand experience of what it’s like to be a cyclist on the roads every day in the Twin Cities. It would also, coincidentally, make for a great story. Additional angles could include any near-collisions from inattentive or aggressive drivers, the best cycling routes for commuters, the stores that best serve customers who arrive by bicycle, and some of the many local bicycle-related companies who are working to promote expanded bicycle use.

Bicycle commuting is an increasingly important story in our environmental and economic climate. As record numbers of bicycle commuters hit the road, responsible and balanced reporters should be giving equal weight to both the dangers and benefits that bicycle riding and commuting can bring.

–
Bill Connell
St. Paul, MN

Fi had fun adjusting the various levels of a picture of her swinging, and the result is pretty darn cool.
(click for big version)

I wasn’t raised all that religiously myself, and am not a regular church-goer, though i have some very good friends who are. Thus far, religion has not been a big topic of conversation around the house, though it has come up in interesting ways lately.

Ella, the 6 11/12-year-old takes after me a bit in being a major bookworm. More like a book sandworm, of the sort in Dune. Or book Worm, like Smaug the giant worm. But i digress. One of Ella’s favorite books around the house has been the Gods and Goddesses of Olympus, and it meshes well with the sort of mythology and fairy tales that she likes in other books. But it’s obviously more than just stories to her too. When she plays with friends whose families are more religious, they have sometimes had discussions about God. Her friends will talk about the usual one god, a male, and that’s what it is. To Ella, however, this is bunk and unfair to have only a boy god, and she believes in the Greek gods, all of them.

We’ve discussed this a fair amount over the past couple of weeks, mostly me trying to explain how the most common view IS for just one god, and God is thought of as a male figure. It’s hard for her to understand because her version makes so much sense to her. It’s hard to not be swayed by the logic of a very intelligent almost-7-year-old. I don’t push her views one way or the other, and i enjoy the debate, taking sides purely for the sake of argument. It’s fascinating to have her thinking about all of this so deeply and defining her beliefs.

Fiona, being 4 1/2 is a different creature aside from just the age difference. She likes books, but would usually rather play, and just isn’t to the point of having debates of faith yet. But she does go to the YMCA child care/preschool, and recently has helped remind us of the C part by singing their school grace songs before mealtimes. She’s an enthusiastic singer, and i encourage her to sing them, and we talk a little about what they mean. It’s also nice to have a little moment together before the meal begins, a helpful part of trying to have some sort of civilized dinner together at the table.

So far the songs haven’t brought any protest from her sister, but i’ll bet it does eventually. For now i’m just enjoying our little microcosm of religions and a bit of philosophy. If it keeps up, i might even dig out my old college text on Zoroastrianism for a little historical perspective. I’d also better hurry up and finish Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, because at the rate Ella’s going, i’m going to need it.

I was pleased to be part of a rather civilized debate over bicycle helmet use over on the iBOB list. Given how quickly and completely these sort of hot-button debates devolve in most internet forums, i was pleased and proud that as a contrast, the iBOB debate resolved itself into a battle of haiku.

my favorite: (not mine)

Fast downhill. A bee!
Out of my vent, you insect!
Next helmet has mesh.

adam in toronto.on.ca

There’s still hope for the internet after all.

I volunteered along with many of my brave and shivering clubmates at yesterday’s Ken Woods Memorial Road Race. It’s the first road race of the season, and the weather at the end of April in Minnesota is notoriously unpredictable. Least year it was windy, but 60 and sunny and beautiful. This year, we made up for that with 32°, snow, icy roads and enough wind to knock over a horse. The race waves were combined and postponed until 11:30, when the roads were melted and dry enough to ride safely. Still, after the race people were marveling at how far they had to lean to stay upright in the crosswinds. Not a great day to run the deep section aero rims.

It was our first (and any MN cycling club’s first) race using the same sort of chip timing used in lots of running and ski races. It went well, and in that sense, the weather delay helped give everyone some extra time to work out last-minute kinks. I was inside most of the morning, but mostly outside in the afternoon helping to collect chips, and underdressed. I drove home with the heated seats on high and took a long mid-afternoon shower.

Major props to the 115 or so hardy souls who showed up to race, it was the very definition of an epic race.

from the wsj

An interesting article following up the recent kerfuffle over the Obama quote about bitter people and their frustration outlets. I agree that there are people who put up walls with issues like gun control or immigration to avoid the difficult discussions and inherent hypocricy of those hard line stances (ie.; we’re almost all immigrants here in the US, right?). I don’t agree that simply being a gun owner makes you a bitter person, and this article goes even farther to state that bitter people don’t generally buy guns. Those who do own guns (34% of y’all’s households) are happier than the general population, are wealthier, and tend to donate proportionally more money than non-owners. They even tend to give more blood than the rest of us. This isn’t a cause and affect thing though, unless you happen to use your gun to demand a 32% raise.

The people i know who own guns tend to match these tendencies; not necessarily in material ways, but in personality and outlook. They tend to be more self-sufficient and self-reliant, more of the “bootstrap yourself” can-do attitude. For them, owning a gun is like owning your own hammer, just another tool of being an independent person.

I can appreciate this idea, as i’m one of the stubborn independent types too, in many ways. I also own several hammers of various types, and i’m a relatively happy person, though haven’t yet felt the need for a gun.

i’m just sayin’…

The Current just played the Replacements’ I Will Dare a few minutes ago, and it struck me both how good that song is, and how good it sounds on the radio even now. That song kills most others on the radio, and there are some pretty good bands around now.

A salute to those out slogging away at the Ragnarök 105 today. I’m out because of a total lack of fitness (i threw in the towel weeks ago), and i’m sure a few of the others pulled the covers up extra high this morning rather than face 105 miles of gravel, 33° and scattered showers of beautiful, fluffy snow. For those who saddled up, good on ‘ya and good luck.

Seriously, they’re better that some dishes i’ve owned. Whatever happened to the paper box with the metal handle that started fires in the microwave?