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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.

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Posted 30 March 2012 † Andy Cline § 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 morning.

This “other” is actually a very old problem going back to the earliest days of automobile traffic in urban areas. It is well described in the book Fighting Traffic. This “other” was a real killer early in the last century — mowing down pedestrians and motorists alike. Before traffic controls and regulations, car drivers had a nasty habit of cutting corners when making left-hand turns.

This has now happened to me twice in the past few months — once at the intersection of Catalpa and Fremont and this morning — in the dark — at the intersection of Kickapoo and Grand (I had working front white and rear red lights on at the time). Take a look (click for larger image).

The yellow line is my path. The red line is the path of the car. The blue line in the second photo is how the car driver should have made the turn (please excuse the deficiencies of my crappy, free photo editing application).

In the early days of motoring, someone dreamed up the idea of placing a post in the center of city intersections and requiring motorists to pass around it to the outside in order to make a left turn.

Long story short: With my bicyclists’ modest speed and 360-degree awareness, I saw this coming and executed a dandy emergency stop (I wasn’t going very fast at that point, so it was not so dramatic). The motorist passed with about 18-to 24-inches of clearance. I was coming to a stop anyway because I had the stop sign. The contact point, however, would have been where I marked it — exactly where I would have normally, legally stopped.

So, yeah, the emergency stop (and the emergency turn) that we teach in CyclingSavvy can come in handy for mitigating that pesky 4 percent we call “other.”

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Posted 29 March 2012 † Andy Cline § 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 is also an illustration of sport bicycling hubris. I have discussed the hegemony of sport bicycling in the U.S. bicycling culture many times (example). I believe it is largely from the behavior and experience of sport bicyclists — such as those you see in this video — that drive the idea that, among other things, bicycling in traffic is dangerous (it is not) and that one needs expensive equipment and special clothing to ride. The hegemony of sport bicycling also sets up expectations for bicyclist behavior in traffic.

Part of what I hope to achieve with Carbon Trace, in whatever small way, is to break this hegemony — to make transportation bicycling (same roads, same rules, same rights — in normal clothes) the driver of bicycling culture.

(Full disclosure: I am not a sport bicyclist. I do not own a racer. I have no interest in riding bicycles fast for exercise or any other reason. I neither follow, nor care about, bicycle racing. If you love that stuff, that’s great.)

We need to get to a place in our culture where we snicker at such antics as a sign of being out of touch — a place where sport bicyclists enjoy their sport, but where they follow the rules of the road because the hegemonic pressure dictates it.

Noted: Plenty of transportation bicyclists ignore traffic laws, too. But who is more visible in the culture? And who might be the most likely to effect change?

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Posted 28 March 2012 † Andy Cline § 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 :-)

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Posted 27 March 2012 † Andy Cline § 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.

What’s the law in Missouri?

Practice as professional engineer defined–use of titles, restrictions.

327.181. 1. Any person practices in Missouri as a professional engineer who renders or offers to render or holds himself or herself out as willing or able to render any service or creative work, the adequate performance of which requires engineering education, training, and experience in the application of special knowledge of the mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences to such services or creative work as consultation, investigation, evaluation, planning and design of engineering works and systems, engineering teaching of advanced engineering subjects or courses related thereto, engineering surveys, the coordination of services furnished by structural, civil, mechanical and electrical engineers and other consultants as they relate to engineering work and the inspection of construction for the purpose of compliance with drawings and specifications, any of which embraces such service or work either public or private, in connection with any utilities, structures, buildings, machines, equipment, processes, work systems or projects and including such architectural work as is incidental to the practice of engineering; or who uses the title “professional engineer” or “consulting engineer” or the word “engineer” alone or preceded by any word indicating or implying that such person is or holds himself or herself out to be a professional engineer, or who shall use any word or words, letters, figures, degrees, titles or other description indicating or implying that such person is a professional engineer or is willing or able to practice engineering.

2. Notwithstanding any provision of subsection 1 of this section, any person using the word “engineer”, “engineers”, or “engineering”, alone or preceded by any word, or in combination with any words, may do so without being subject to disciplinary action by the board so long as such use is reflective of that person’s profession or vocation and is clearly not indicating or implying that such person is holding himself or herself out as being a professional engineer or is willing or able to practice engineering as defined in this section.

Unauthorized practice prohibited, persons excepted.

327.191. No person shall practice as a professional engineer in Missouri, as defined in section 327.181 unless and until there is issued to such person a professional license or a certificate of authority certifying that such person has been duly licensed as a professional engineer or authorized to practice engineering in Missouri, and unless such license or certificate has been renewed as provided in section 327.261; provided that section 327.181 shall not be construed to prevent the practice of engineering by the following persons:

(1) Any person who is an employee of a person holding a currently valid license as a professional engineer or who is an employee of a person holding a currently valid certificate of authority pursuant to this chapter, and who performs professional engineering work under the direction and continuing supervision of and is checked by one holding a currently valid license as a professional engineer pursuant to this chapter;

(2) Any person who is a regular full-time employee of a person or any former employee under contract to a person, who performs professional engineering work for such employer if and only if all such work and service so performed is done solely in connection with a facility owned or wholly operated by the employer and occupied or maintained by the employer of the employee performing such work or service;

(3) Any person engaged in engineering who is a full-time, regular employee of a person engaged in manufacturing operations and which engineering so performed by such person relates to the manufacture, sale or installation of the products of such person;

(4) Any holder of a currently valid license or certificate of authority as an architect who performs only such engineering work as is incidental and necessary to the completion of architectural work lawfully being performed by such architect;

(5) Any person or corporation who is offering, but not performing or rendering, professional engineering services if the person or corporation is licensed to practice professional engineering in the state or country of residence or principal place of business.

Don’t you just love legal language :-)

I think it is entirely possible someone with a bug up his/her ass could file a complaint about me. I hold the super important and prestigious title of chairman of the engineering committee for the STAR Team of Ozark Greenways — I insisted on Grand Pubah, but no one listened :-( I once submitted a drawing of a proposed bicycle corral (that — GADZOOKS! — included actual measurements) to a local merchant so that merchant could make an argument to the city and local downtown civic groups for building such a thing. I have absolutely no qualifications as an engineer as reinforced by my life-long aversion to anything having to do with math.

What protects me: The bike/ped community and the City of Springfield (especially the planning and engineering people) have a good working relationship built on mutual respect.

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Posted 12 March 2012 † Andy Cline § 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 any given crossing opportunity one would have the best chance of “winning” by paying attention to my distinction. I do not mean to indicate any solid rule of traffic or compulsive behavior on my part. The three photos below demonstrate what I mean. The major artery is National Ave. My three most-used crossing intersections are (top to bottom) Cherry (going to and from downtown), Harrison (campus and downtown), and Grand (going to campus).

The reason for this behavior appears to be (I say “appears” because I’m only just now thinking about it specifically) that I do not like being the lone bicyclist at a lonely intersection. I’m expressing a personal preference, not a rule or suggestion anyone else ought to follow.

I am very comfortable in traffic and rarely feel intimidated by motor vehicles — even on those rare occasions when a driver is trying to intimidate me. But there is something about being alone at a major intersection that bugs me. Perhaps it is this: Being slow and exposed in traffic is a safety asset for bicyclists (re: CyclingSavvy) because, among other things, bicyclists can have 360-degree awareness and maneuverability. From a proper position in traffic, we can see traffic situations unfold in time to take action as necessary to ensure our own safety — thus virtually eliminating the most common crash scenarios.

When I am stopped, alone, at a lonely intersection, I might as well be a pedestrian standing in the street. I much prefer to be part of a line of traffic at big intersections.

Again, this is just a tendency and perference I have noticed in my own traffic behavior. I am not making a suggestion for others. Well, perhaps this: It’s always a good thing to reflect upon what you do and why you do it.

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Posted 05 March 2012 † Andy Cline § 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 an opportunity to talk about the virtues of good rain gear :-)

Check out the report by KY3 television.

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Posted 29 February 2012 † Andy Cline § 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.

I think it is especially difficult to measure participation across purposes. Bicycle commuting is a particular purpose. Recreation is a particular purpose. Exercise is a particular purpose. Basic transportation ( or utility bicycling) is a particular purpose. It seems to me that each of these purposes has particular constituencies. And some bicyclists — your author, for example — is a member of more than one.

In order to increase participation through infrastructure, transportation planners must first understand infrastructure in the context of particular purposes. That seems like a truism and an interesting technical/engineering puzzle. But, again, I’m not all that interested because I think this may be true: Participation across purposes (but especially the transportation purposes) requires proximity and population density first and traffic education before infrastructure.

I’ve told this story before: When I moved to Springfield from Kansas City I was aware that I was moving to a flat town with a grid street system. I made the conscious decision to live within 2 miles of my job (actually .75 to work and 2.25 to downtown) so that it would be easier to walk and ride a bicycle. If I had chosen instead to live in the southern suburbs, I doubt very seriously that I would be typing these words to you now. I’d be a regular automobile commuter just as I was in Kansas City. Further, when I arrived here I was a novice rider. I had plenty of experience as a kid, so I rode as a child often rides (thankfully I new which side of the street to ride on!). It took a couple of years of before I “grew up” fully and took my proper place in traffic. I had to learn it by doing it, by experiencing it. What allowed that process to occur? Proximity. Living close to my destinations made bicycling an easy choice.

If, instead, I had chosen to live in the suburbs, would bicycle lanes have lured me onto the road? That’s difficult to say. But I doubt it due to the question of proximity.

A better plan for Springfield:

1. Forget bicycle lanes.

2. Keep building greenways (primarily for recreation).

3. Improve the urban core and encourage people and businesses to locate there.

Obviously, this does nothing to encourage suburban residents to ride bicycles for transportation, and — Gadzooks! — it’s decidedly long-term thinking. Methinks $5 gas might encourage suburbanites first to move closer to their primary destinations. From there they may venture onto bicycles.

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Posted 28 February 2012 † Andy Cline § 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 driver sits. So, when stopped in traffic, moving the speed of traffic, crossing intersections or approaching a side street or driveway with poor sight lines go to the left tire track.”

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Posted 24 February 2012 † Andy Cline § 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 to:

  • a Field Guide 2030 (Springfield’s strategic plan) goal for a complete street policy and improved facilities for walking and bicycling.
  • citizen comments revealing a desire for more emphasis on pedestrian and bicycle transportation as part of both community planning and transportation projects.

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Posted 24 February 2012 † Andy Cline § 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 decided to pick my battles by publicly opposing only those lanes that put novices into immediate danger while fooling them that they are safe, e.g. door-zone lanes.

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Posted 23 February 2012 † Andy Cline § 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 a car.

Yes, that idea is absolutely insane.

Now, as a technical and scientific curiosity aimed at learning more about what we can get computers to do, I’m all for messing around with the driverless car. Looks like great fun!

But, in practical application, what happens if the car loses its GPS signal for even a moment? What happens if the computer hits a glitch even for a moment?

Disaster.

Disaster is what happens.

Disaster is what the State of Nevada is asking for in passing regulations to pave the way for driverless cars.

People will pay with their lives for this stupid mistake.

But … we already pay with our lives for a human-controlled system — upwards of 40,000 deaths per year (up with which we would not put if these lives were lost to airplane crashes or terrorist attacks). So, really, what’s a few more deaths to advance fossil-fueled technology?

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Posted 17 February 2012 † Andy Cline § 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 I’m not hot on the idea of building more stuff far from established urban centers. I’d like to see the urban centers fixed first and allow for a continued migration out of the suburbs into the cities.

Plus, I’m all about putting ideas to the energy test. These retrofits make me wonder if they are simply dramatic artistic expressions with little connection to our reality, i.e. an ongoing financial crisis and limited energy resources.

My vision for Springfield: Redevelopment of the urban core on a human scale, i.e. with walkers and bicyclists in mind.

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Posted 16 February 2012 † Andy Cline § 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 limit between downtown and MSU along this route varies from 20 mph to 30 mph. At these speeds close passes do not bother me. The automobile drivers obviously see me. And an automobile driver who sees you is unlikely to hit you (even if they close pass you).

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Posted 08 February 2012 † Andy Cline § 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! :-)

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