Have a great Thanksgiving. See you on Black Friday. Or, rather, see you online. I won’t be shopping, although I might go downtown to hang out.

Technorati Tags: bicycle equipment, cycling, utility cycling

What changed?

Remember the report by The Network (a group of young professionals attached to the Chamber of Commerce) about how to attract and retain young professionals? Here again were the top four results:

• Expand trails and bike routes for recreation and transportation.
• Enact a smoking ban in bars, restaurants and other public places.
• Improve wages by supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses.
• Address the lack of diversity through increased awareness and support for minority-owned businesses.

Wow. We got top billing. Fantastic.

I believe the city is taking these things seriously. That’s great!

But “trails and bike routes” has apparently been translated into “bicycle lanes.” That’s not necessarily surprising. That term is, as much as anything, a metaphor for “facilities” in the minds regular folks. “Facilities” can be all kinds of helpful and progressive things.

I am not a fan of bicycle lanes in general (click here). So if you ask me if I like bicycle lanes or want to see them painted in Springfield, I’ll tell you “no.” This does not mean all lanes are bad or that I am against all facilities. It means, specifically, that I worry that some lane advocates (not necessarily our bicycle advocates) will promote poor facilities and may push for a law requiring lane use once lanes are painted (thus making bicycling suck for experienced traffic bicyclists).

I think the foundation of a good bicycle system begins with a good transportation system for all road users — one that is equitable for all users. All users should be educated in how to use the road safely and how to share it with a wide range of other users who all have equal rights and responsibilities (and equal expectations of courtesy and civility). Shared use ought to be an ethic promoted and enforced by all users.

Bicycle facilities should not reduce the bicyclist’s level of service, i.e. make it more difficult to get from point A to point B safely and efficiently or to deny access to roads. Facilities should not create traffic conflicts by encouraging bicyclists to ride in places or in ways that put them in danger. And facilities should not contradict the law or sound traffic education, e.g. creating a lane that runs against traffic. Finally, if you create facilities then I believe you (the city) are obligated to maintain them, which means keeping them cleared of debris, snow, and ice.

Progressive facilities should empower people to make the choice to ride a bicycle for transportation by making it efficient and enjoyable, i.e. easy access to destinations and no manufactured conflicts with motorists. Separation is fine as long as it does not create inferiority for the bicyclist compared to other forms of transportation.

The differences between these kinds of facilities are easy to see. Compare, for example, our greenway trails (progressive) to the new bicycle lane on Benton (regressive). (Note: That was an example. I do not mean to suggest that separated greenways are the only form of progressive facility.)

Since Springfield is moving ahead with “bicycle lanes,” I am going to seek out and publish examples of progressive facilities. And I will support such facilities, even when they involve painting lines on the street.

I will also, however, squawk like crazy if we build lanes that create conflicts or put novices in danger. I am unwilling to increase participation at the cost of safety when our roads are already safe.

Technorati Tags: bicycle advocacy, bicycle culture, bicycle education, bicycle infrastructure, bicycle politics, bicycle safety, bicycle trails, cycling, Transportation Planning, Urban and Regional Planning, urban design, Urban Planning, utility cycling

• Motorists works 2 hours each day to pay for a car.
• Bicyclists work 3.8 minutes each day to pay for their bicycles.

(Obviously the costs are different depending upon one’s circumstances. The well-to-do work fewer hours for their cars. The poor work more.)

Yep, getting rid of my car gave me a huge pay raise. And it got me out from behind the wheel sitting in traffic — one of the top things Americans have cited as making them unhappy. It’s also a heath issue — all that sitting and all that stress. Win-win-win for me!

I have said this before: Using a bicycle for basic transportation in Springfield is easy. So easy. OMG it is easy. If it weren’t easy, I might not have stuck with it (because I just assumed it would be hard and that I’d end up driving a lot).

One thing, however: It helps to live close to your major destinations. That’s not a requirement. But if you live in a far-flung suburb surrounded by nothing but large traffic sewers, well, it’s going to be less easy. You can still practice the 1-mile Solution.

Technorati Tags: 1-mile Solution, bicycle advocacy, bicycle commuting, bicycle culture, cycling, green transportation, utility cycling

I’m a fairly recent convert to the iPhone. I bought my 3GS about two weeks before the new one hit the market (which saved me $$$). The app thing is very cool. I’m all about apps.

So, naturally, I went looking for bicycling apps, and there are bunches of them. Most of them are geared to sport/exercise cycling, but I’ve found three that I like toying with so far.

First things first: It seems like talking on the phone or texting while riding a bicycle is a transgression almost on par with doing these things in a car. I say “almost” because a bicycle driven by a texter is unlikely to cause as much mayhem in a crash as a car driven by a texter.

I’ve promised myself not to use my phone while riding, and I’ve pretty much stuck to that. I say “pretty much” because I have broken my own promise on a few occasions — having rationalized it this way: Quiet residential street, no pedestrians, no traffic, so what can it hurt? I really need to keep my promise.

So far, I’m enjoying these free apps:

The Bike Computer: This is a fairly simple app for keeping track of your miles and times. It uploads your stats to EveryTrial where you can keep further track of your trips. The app is a bit klunky, and sometimes the feature used to turn of the display while it’s in your pocket freezes the phone — at least it happens to me.

Bikenik: This one similar to The Bike Computer except that it works with Google maps. Again, it keeps track of time, miles, and other stats — mostly of interest to sports/exercise cyclists. Its display is also a bit more elegant than The Bike Computer. So if you have to choose just one free bicycle stats app, then go with Bikenik

IMapMyride: This is the most useful of the free apps I’ve tried. It’s solidly focused on sport/exercise, but it is also useful for utility bicyclists because it integrates with the mother ship at Map My Ride. But here’s a weird thing (and a turn-off): The app is sponsored by Cadillac, which either tells you something about the demographics of Map My Ride users or how much money GM has to waste on the wrong audience. Hmmmmm…

So that’s the free stuff. I haven’t used any of these enough to justify paying for an app (that may or may not be better than these). I’ll keep you posted.

Beyond bicycling apps, there are numerous things the iPhone (or Andriod phones) can do to make life easier for the utility bicyclist:

1. The Weather Channel app is comprehensive, including hourly forecasts and a weather map. This app has kept me dry twice this year when I was caught downtown without rain gear. I was able to figure out how long I had to wait out the storms.
2. As long-time Carbon Trace readers know, I like to carry DV and digital still cameras with me. Now I just carry the iPhone. I’ve used it for most of the pictures you’ve seen here recently. There are many free photo/video apps. Take your pick. But be sure to get ShareMedia to help you post to Facebook on the fly. Also, PS Express gives you some powerful photo editing tools for free.
3. Evernote is a great way to keep track of information on the fly and includes a voice recorder and camera feature.
4. You’ll find all kinds of GPS apps. The iPhone comes with a map app, but I bought GPS by MotionX because I really like playing with these things

So what am I missing? How do you use the iPhone to improve your utility cycling experience?

Technorati Tags: bicycle advocacy, bicycle equipment, cycling, utility cycling

I do not intend to identify the store in this post because I have not had a chance to speak with the owner — a person who allows me (and I assume others) to bring my bicycle into his store.

I can fully understand the frustration of being ripped off and trying to do something about it that might upset customers. I’ll bet it feels like a no-win situation.

That said, this policy works to limit the choices of people who may want to walk or bicycle to this store. Yes, there are alternatives to packs. But will these alternatives also become off limits?

And what about women’s purses? There was a lady in the store at the same time whose purse was every bit as big as my daypack. Yet she was allowed to carry it. I guarentee you it would be easier for her to slip something into her purse than for me to remove my pack, open it, slip something in, close it, and put the darn thing on again.

Is this a sign of the times?

Are people who choose to walk and ride bicycles to shop going to come under greater scrutiny because we carry packs, panniers, and other containers that allow us to carry our daily necessities?

I hope not.

Technorati Tags: bicycle advocacy, cycling, utility cycling