Got a quick note from Ben:
Hi Frank – check out this article from the Times today. Might give you some ammo for cdmCyclist.
So I did check it out and so should you. Read this tale of those that feel there are too many bike lanes in New York City, by J. David Goodman in the NYTimes.
Tourists everywhere all summer-long, then as soon as they depart, in come the college students. But Santa Cruz is prepared; it’s a busy city on the coast with a Silver rating by the League of American Bicyclists. (By way of comparison, Long Beach, Huntington Beach and Irvine are Bronze, San Francisco and Palo Alto Gold, Davis, Boulder and Portland are Platinum.)
Cheryl Schmitt, Transportation Coordinator in the City’s Public Works department, is the bike lady. “Cycling is something just about everybody here does,” she describes “so people are very interested in making sure that it’s safe.”
Cyclists love bike lanes separated from traffic. Cheryl designed a hybrid two-way bike lane on a one-way street, separated from traffic by a rubber divider. It keeps cyclists off the sidewalk in this very busy area, but what does she think of the divider and how has the city improved on this concept with other divided lanes?
Downtown there are lots of pedestrians on the sidewalks so the city innovates. Some bike racks are set perpendicular to the curb where the sidewalk is wide enough, in other spots the bike racks are placed in the street.
Show #4 (26:57) Listen
Gonna be in town for New Years? If so, why not join me for a bike safety ride that morning. It’ll be a great way to celebrate, just a little earlier in the day.
Look at this front-page coverage from last year; a slow news day, obviously.
We’ll explore some of the safest routes from Corona del Mar to the peninsula and back. It’s fun, it’s free, it’s an easy ride and we’ll discuss bike safety opportunities in Newport Beach.
Make it your last ride of the year! Details.
Looking for a unique gift for that special someone?
You’ve found it in Bike Snob: Systematically & Mercilessly Realigning the World of Cycling, by blogger BikeSnobNYC. Amazon gives away the pseudonym, Eben Weiss is anonymous no more, but the damage has already been done. His irreverent look at the bicycle, a “Truly Great Invention” from a historical perspective, will knock you or that special someone, off balance. The Snob’s acid wit spares no one. The Amish ride bikes, you’ll learn, but even they may reconsider after the slings and arrows pouring forth.
Like looking in the mirror, you may see yourself described in one of the many profiles: Urban Cyclist, Retrofit Grouch, and ladies, something for you, too, the Beautiful Godzilla: “a particular kind of urban female cyclist who rides as if the rest of the world were created simply to yield to her.” No hate mail, please. I have no idea who he’s talking about; take it up with the Snob himself.
My cholesterol numbers were too high; I was dieting, but not losing weight.
Sound familiar?
A friend suggested I get on a bike and my cholesterol numbers started dropping, but more than that, it was fun! Picture my typical route: Bayside Dr to the Balboa Is ferry then onto the beach boardwalk and beyond; it’s scenic, quiet this time of year, and safe. Newport Beach is a great place for cycling.
Even though our community is well suited for cycling, just the weather alone, we’re part of an automobile-saturated society. It wasn’t long before my wife of 36 years started riding with me; lunch in HB is a popular destination for us, but it only took a couple of negative interactions with motorists to sour our outlook. There’s a lot of road rage out there and it’s often aimed at cyclists. There has to be a way to enlighten the driving public, because a safer, calmer riding experience will bring more cyclists out and the more that come out the more the driving public will learn to share the road and a virtuous cycle begins.
Then tragedy struck, then again, and again; not crude language and rude gestures, fatal consequences. Newport Beach has had 7 fatalities in 5 years; that’s too many. When the City proposed a Bike Safety Task Force I jumped at the chance to serve. I’d soon learn that contributing ideas was easy, many cities have a head start on us and some have detailed documentation for every kind of bike lane and bike rack. Plagiarize is the advice I often hear; find something someone else has already solved then find a way to implement it here, like the Sharrows on Bayside. It’s simple, little more than a plan and a bucket of paint, but Bayside’s Sharrows convey the key message: motorists must share the road with cyclists.
More improvements will follow, some quickly, others more deliberately. But what if we could get more people involved, could more community support speed up the pace? Does anyone besides the spandex crowd care about bike safety on Coast Hwy through Corona del Mar? I knew there would be support for more rapid change because I see great improvements occurring in the cities I’ve visited this year: Barcelona, Austin, San Francisco, Portland, Montreal, (not Istanbul), Boston and New York have all made huge gains accommodating cyclists. If NYC can find the will, to buck the trend of ever more motorists, to dream of a more sustainable future then change here, at home, must be possible, too.
It wasn’t my idea to start blogging on cycling safety; I give credit to a new friend who suggested, “why don’t you interview Charlie Gandy?” That opened my eyes; I could talk to advocates in bike safety, get them to share their stories. How did they galvanize public opinion, handle merchant concerns and make, in the case of Long Beach, dramatic improvements in cycling safety? And could those approaches work here? So I started cdmCyclist to feature these interviews, news and commentary.
Join me, please; share your opinions on these posts and perhaps together we can share a new vision of urban life where people matter more than motor vehicles.
Get on your bike and feel like a kid again.
Wrapping up a 3 day trip to Platinum Portland. While in town, two interviews: BikeTiresDirect’s Lou Doctor and Colin Cooper, Planning Manager, City of Hillsboro, “the Holland of Oregon” and gateway to glorious countryside cycling. He’s just built a BikeStation facility. Look for the interviews, coming soon.
Answer: visit the Dutch.
Question: How could these CA city planners speed up the process and get more bike safety improvements done, and done right?
Do some research, and do it in person, but go Dutch.
A gaggle of city planers from Northern California visit the great biking cities of Holland.
Read Jay Walljasper’s account or pick up the November issue of BicylceTimes magazine.
According to Torrance-based Back on Track Productions:
“Cycling has been enjoying another growth spurt in the US. There are a number of reasons for this including our recognition that dependence on foreign oil is a bad thing. There’s an obesity epidemic and urban renewal has proved that cycling can be the most efficient way to get around in the city. The BBC says that people are searching for greener, healthier and cheaper way to get around. According to the Melbourne Urbanist the increase in walking and cycling has comfortably out-paced population growth. Many of us start our work day with a group bike ride and then just plain feel great the rest of the day. Bike-share programs, education and training classes on effective cycling and increases in funding for bike facilities and education are all positive steps in the right direction. Even attitudes have changed so much that some view the use of personal motor vehicles as selfish and socially irresponsible. Is the tyranny of the automobile coming to an end? Oh, and why are so few American newspapers covering this?”
The cyclist has spinal and brain injuries, disfiguring scars, and will likely be in pain for the rest of his life, according to Corey Doctorow. In his infinite wisdom Colorado District Attorney Mark Hurlbert has dropped felony charges
against Martin Joel Erzinger, a Morgan Stanley Smith Barney wealth
manager who controls $1 billion in investments, because financial rules
would require Erzinger to notify his clients that he was charged with a
felony, and this would have “serious job implications” for the
financier. That would be a hardship! Read the article.
More info in Vail Daily.
California cities Menlo Park, Santa Clara and Huntington Beach have been awarded Bronze status in the League of American Bicyclists‘ Bicycle Friendly Communities program. Read Adam Newman’s post in BicycleTimes.
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