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Author Archives Andy Cline

The Most Important Thing In The World

Well, obviously, the most important thing in the world is our tender convenience. Let no rules (especially the Golden one) or conventions of polite behavior stand in the way of our desires. Technorati Tags: crazy drivers, cycling

Posted 30 March 2012 § ecology ‡ Comments (4) ° Tagged: ,

That Pesky 4 Percent

In the classroom portion of CyclingSavvy we present a nifty interactive pie chart demonstrating that a bicyclist who knows how traffic works and follows the rules can mitigate 96 percent of the most common types of crashes. That leaves a 4-percent slice of the pie called “other.” I had a close encounter with “other” this [...]

Posted 29 March 2012 § advocacy § bicycle destination § bicycle safety § cyclingsavvy § safety § traffic ‡ Comments (6) ° Tagged: , , , , ,

Riding Into Cultural Oblivion

Warning: This post may piss you off. Good. Can you spot the problem(s)? I’m torn. On the one hand, I am a supporter of everyone enjoying bicycling in all of its many forms. Get out there and have fun! But… This video represents more than simply the predictable results of running a stop sign. This [...]

Posted 28 March 2012 § advocacy § bicycle safety § news § policy § safety § traffic ‡ Comments (20) ° Tagged: , , , , , ,

Carbon Trace Update

I was away last week on spring break. But now I’m back to work and back to blogging. Spring has apparently sprung, and summer will arrive by 15 April. I’m helping shoot a promotional video for PedNet. What else? Hmmmmm… That’s it for now Technorati Tags: cycling

Posted 27 March 2012 § advocacy ‡ Comments (2) ° Tagged:

Engineering And The First Amendment

Can you be persecuted (and, perhaps, prosecuted) for having an (informed) opinion about traffic infrastructure and voicing/writing that opinion as part of bicycle and pedestrian advocacy. Apparently, yes. This is partly a case of attempting to criminalize speech for political purposes. Although it also appears apparent that you’ll “win” even if the worst should happen. [...]

Posted 12 March 2012 § advocacy § news § policy ‡ Comments (15) ° Tagged: , , , , , ,

My Choices At Major Intersections

I noticed something the other day, i.e. thought about something I do as potential blog-fodder I tend to prefer to cross primary arteries at major intersections when traffic is busy. When  traffic is not-so-busy, I tend to choose non-major intersections. I say “tend” to indicate that if one were to bet on my actions at [...]

Posted 05 March 2012 § ecology § traffic ‡ Comments (4) ° Tagged: ,

Lots Of Participation At The Open House

The open house hosted by the Traffic Advisory Board yesterday to get citizens’ comments on bicycle and pedestrian issues was a success. I was only able to be there for the first 30 minutes — needed to get home before the storm, seeing as how I drove my bicycle to the event. It gave me [...]

Posted 29 February 2012 § advocacy § bicycle infrastructure § news § policy ‡ Comments (2) ° Tagged: , , , ,

How To Increase Participation

My headline over-promises. I am not particularly interested in increasing participation as an end in itself. But it is clear that many bicycle advocates believe that providing such infrastructure as bicycle lanes, tracks, and separated paths does increase participation. According to recent studies, it’s not entirely clear what the cause-and-effect relationship actually is between infrastructure and participation. [...]

Posted 28 February 2012 § advocacy § bicycle infrastructure § ecology § news § policy ‡ Comments (10) ° Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Traffic Class: Your Place In Line

One of the reasons you should be reading Commute Orlando is because it’s like an on-going traffic class. This week Keri Caffrey demonstrates why a leftward position at intersections is the safest way to proceed straight across. General rule of vantage: “The best vantage in your lane will generally be gotten from where a car [...]

Posted 24 February 2012 § advocacy § bicycle safety § safety § traffic ‡ Comments (4) ° Tagged: , , , ,

Bike-Ped Plan Official Website

The official city website for the Bicycle-Pedestrian Plan is ready to view. Just click here. From the website: The City presently has a Bicycle Plan, a Greenways Plan and miscellaneous pedestrian policies and manuals.  Our goal is a comprehensive strategy that updates these plans and adds a formal Pedestrian Plan. This project is in response [...]

Posted 24 February 2012 § advocacy § news § policy ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: , , , ,

Bicycle-Pedestrian Plan Open House

Here’s a good opportunity to have your say about the future of sustainable, carbon-neutral transportation in Springfield (i.e. bicycling and walking): The City of Springfield Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan Open House. When: 28 February, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Where: Busch Municipal Building I assume there will be much talk of bicycle lanes. Again, I have [...]

Posted 23 February 2012 § advocacy § bicycle infrastructure § news § policy ‡ Comments (2) ° Tagged: , , , ,

Just Crazy

Raise your hand if you own a computer. Keep your hand up if your computer has ever glitched while in use, i.e. lost its internet signal or crashed or done some other annoying thing that basically ended its functionality if even for a few seconds. Ahhhh … all of you Now imagine a computer driving [...]

Posted 17 February 2012 § news § policy ‡ Comments (10) ° Tagged: , , ,

Changing The Suburbs After The City

How might we re-imagine the suburbs? An exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York examines that question from an architectural standpoint. While the designs are rather dramatic, perhaps the most interesting idea is that we need to “change the dream.” That means re-thinking home ownership and single-family homes. So, yes, density. But [...]

Posted 16 February 2012 § ecology ‡ Comments (4) ° Tagged: , , , , ,

Easy Sooooo Easy

Here’s more from the ol’ helmet cam — downtown to MSU. I go downtown for coffee every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning. This is my route to school. One difference: Walnut between Kimbrough and Hammons is being renovated, so it’s closed for a bit. I take Elm instead. You’ll notice two “close” passes. The speed [...]

Posted 08 February 2012 § advocacy § bicycle safety ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged: , , ,

Rent A Bicycle Today At MSU

Check out all the green bicycles at the Bear Paw (shouldn’t they be maroon?):   The Residence Hall Association is renting these bicycles to students for $15 per semester (including a cable lock). What a deal! Where did these come from? Well, many of them were abandoned on university bicycle racks. Thanks for the donation! [...]

Posted 06 February 2012 § advocacy § bicycle § bicycle equipment § news ‡ Comments (3) ° Tagged: , , ,