The Blog Page

News, commentary and humor about bicycling and other topics of the day

 

Illinois bicycle trails get grants

The Pontiac (Ill.) Daily Leader reports the north-central Illinois city of Chenoa has received a $300,000 federal grant for the Chenoa Route 66 Prairie Trail. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., recently made the announcement.

The grant was among $2 million provided to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) for Illinois Trails under a federal transportation bill for fiscal year 2006. Other money was earmarked for transportation enhancement projects in Illinois, including the Springfield Interurban Trail, Urbana to Danville Trail, Galena River Trail, and Camp Sacajawea Trail (Adams County).

The League of Illinois Bicyclists is hoping to develop a Route 66 bicycle route from Chicago to the Chain of Rocks Bridge that links Illinois and Missouri at St. Louis. You can read more about that plan in an article I posted in September.

Roger 0 comments 1:25 AM

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Calling all bicycling blogs!

There has been a proliferation of bicycling blogs in recent years, and to reflect that, I have added a new section to my Bicycling Links page. As you can see, it is a bit thin at the moment.

That's where you come in. If you have or know of interesting blog pages dealing with bicycling, including touring, racing and advocacy, please leave the link in the comments or e-mail me at roger@rogerkramercycling.org. If I think the blog is interesting to a wide range of people, I will put the link on that page. The very best of the blogs that have an RSS feed will be included in the feeds list on the right side of my blog page.

Any help you cyclists can provide will be greatly appreciated!

Roger 3 comments 10:27 PM

Thursday, November 24, 2005

Thoughts this Thanksgiving

First of all, I want to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving. My Thanksgiving will be too short. As soon as I finish this account, I'm on my way to my sister's house in Godfrey, Ill., for the Thanksgiving meal, then I have to work tonight to put out the Friday edition of the Belleville News-Democrat. I can't complain too much; I will have Christmas and New Year's Day off.

Don't forget those who are less fortunate this holiday: the people who suffered big losses from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, people who lost loved ones in fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the poor.

My prayers go out to my brother-in-law, Bill Parod, whose father is in poor health; Bike, a fellow blogger whose 4-year-old daughter died less than a month ago and found inspiration in my recent post about Kristin Armstrong; and to Kristen, an excellent singer and blogger whose father suffered a heart attack this week. It will be a difficult Thanksgiving for them as well, but I hope they can find strength though family, friends and faith.

Roger 1 comments 8:51 AM

Monday, November 21, 2005

Kristin Armstrong is doing well, thank you

The Belleville News-Democrat published this Dallas Morning News story about Kristin Armstrong in its Saturday editions. The former Mrs. Lance Armstrong (as opposed to the elite U.S. female cyclist of the same name) has moved on by falling back on her Catholic roots and running marathons.

Kristin is quite the runner. She ran the Chicago Marathon in 3 hours, 35 minutes -- good enough to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

That doesn't mean life has been easy for her. Here's an excerpt from the story:

During the worst of it, she tried therapy (a waste of her time, she says). So, in the end, she turned to friends to repair her damaged heart. She all but plunged into running, friendships, family, writing and painting, but all of them paled in comparison to ...

"Faith. My faith in God. I'm a Christian ... Catholic. I've always been this way, but I think definitely any time you go through a season of trial in your life, your faith deepens. It's something beautiful that comes out of a difficult time. At least, it worked that way for me. There's no doubt about it. I wouldn't have made it without it."

What it gave her, she says, along with those other healing tools, was a "sense of peace, a calm on the inside, a steadiness at the core, that translates into every part of your life -- to your children, all your other relationships. It's not just about church. It's about your life, your focus, your direction. How you derive your peace and your stability."

SPEAKING OF MARATHONS: My friend and former Belleville News-Democrat copy desk colleague Emily Priddy completed her first marathon Saturday, the Oklahoma Marathon in Tulsa, Okla. She ran the marathon in 5:22 or 5:23; she doesn't know for sure because she accidently turned off her stopwatch. You can learn about her training by reading her blog, 26.2 for 66. Congratulations to Emily for accomplishing her goal of finishing a marathon!

Roger 1 comments 12:59 PM

Good advice for bicycle commuters

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Ride Guys, Shane Graber and Elisa Crouch, are urging bicyclists to keep riding your bicycles, but be sure to see the light(s).

The main pieces of advice here are to be sure to have a headlight and taillight and to dress properly. The article is short on details, but you can find out more at the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation's Bike Commuting page.

Roger 0 comments 2:17 AM

Friday, November 18, 2005

Battle of Bunker Hill

St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Mandy St. Amand had an interesting column about Bunker Hill (Ill.) High School basketball coaching legend Jim Hlafka. There was a movement to make him the girls basketball coach at the school, but the job went to someone else.

Hlafka led the boys team for 42 seasons, winning 754 games until his retirement in 2002. A few of those came against my alma mater, Southwestern High School in Piasa, Ill. You always could count on a wild game, whether it be in the somewhat spacious gym at Southwestern, the cozy gym at Bunker Hill or in a neutral site during Macoupin County Tournament. Bunker Hill was THE RIVAL of Southwestern. Although Southwestern is a considerably bigger school than Bunker Hill, Hlafka always would find a way to make his Minutemen a competitive team. The only tarnish to his coaching career was that his teams usually didn't do too well in the postseason.

I interviewed Hlafka many times during my early journalism career and found him a class act. From the evidence provided in this column, it looks like he handled this in the same manner. I'm not surprised.

Roger 0 comments 12:49 AM

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Just an idea what I'm missing by not being on BubbaFest

One big reason why I regret not being on BubbaFest this week:

Today's forecast for Key West, Fla.:

High temperature: 84 degrees
Low temperature: 74 degrees

Today's forecast for Belleville, Ill.:

High temperature: 40 degrees
Low temperature: 21 degrees

Roger 0 comments 2:24 AM

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Metro-east gas prices fall below $2

Hip, hip, hooray! The Belleville News-Democrat is reporting that gasoline prices have fallen below $2.00 a gallon at many metro-east service stations.

While it's great for the billfold, I hope that doesn't mean people will give up on measures to conserve gasoline such as car pooling, mass transit and bicycling. And I really hope that people won't be tempted to buy sport utility vehicles unless they really, really need them.

Roger 3 comments 4:42 PM

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Ugh ... it's leaf burning season

Generally speaking, I'm glad I live on the Illinois side of the St. Louis metropolitan area, but there's one bad thing about many of the communities here, including Belleville: They allow leaf burning.

I know it's an easy way to get rid of leaves, but that doesn't mean it's a good way.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the visible smoke from leaf burning is composed of tiny particles that contain a number of pollutants. If inhaled, these microscopic particles can reach the deepest regions of the lung and remain there for months or even years. Breathing particulate matter can increase the chances of respiratory infection, reduce the volume of air inhaled and impair the lungs' ability to use that air. Particulate matter can also trigger asthma attacks in some people.

It's time for people to think of their neighbors and stop the obnoxious practice of leaf burning.

Roger 0 comments 6:48 PM

Some thoughts on our region's highways

In the days after the St. Louis Post-Dispatch asked the question "How will the area handle life without 40?" the message board of the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation was going nuts. What concerned them most was an item in an accompanying graphic about alternative east-west routes to Highway 40 (Interstate 64/U.S. Route 40). The offending item?

Clayton Road: Bicyclists use this road west of Brentwood Boulevard for both morning and evening rides. They’re just as entitled to the road — for now — but motorists complain that the bicycles slow traffic. This road around Brentwood and the Galleria is already pretty well saturated. Plus, it stops south at Skinker Boulevard. Further west is a good shot to Interstate 270.

The reaction from some members of the STLBikeFed has appeared something like this:

• "What's up with that "for now" stuff? Sounds like biased and outright wrong reporting, and comments like this could easily lead to confrontations on the road."
  
  
• "Looks like a letter to the editor or some phone calls are in order to 'wake up' this Shane Graber person (the reporter who wrote the story) and anyone else who needs to have a clue that cyclists don't just ride this road or many others for recreation. We use these road for transportation just the same as they do. I could see this causing problems like you said about motorists some how doing us a "favor" for letting us survive on Clayton Road. But now that They need it due to the poor planning on the part of people who let this highway and the whole transportation system go to pot now bicyclists are the 'Fall Guys / Gals.'"
  
  
• "I am disturbed by the language used in the sidebar on alternative east-west routes in the 6 Nov 2005 article on handling life without Highway 40, specifically the following on Clayton Road, 'Bicyclists use this road west of Brentwood Blvd. for both morning and evening rides. They're just as entitled to the road--for now--but motorists complain that the bicycles slow traffic.' What does "for now" mean, exactly? Bicycles are vehicles with all rights and responsibilities afforded to road-going vehicles. The language used implies that use of the road might be some sort of temporary favor granted by motorists, which is patently untrue. The notion that bicycles slow traffic is absurd; consider what happens when too many cars get on the road! The "for now" language is little more than editorialization placed in the context of news. The bit would have lost none of its informative nature by sticking to facts, e.g., "Bicycles are entitled to use this and any other road, but there are motorist complain that bicycles slow traffic along this route."

With all due respect to the folks at STLBikeFed, who do a lot to fight for the rights of cyclists in the St. Louis region, I think the suggestions that reporter Shane Gruber is biased are far-fetched. While I've taken the Post-Dispatch to task for its reportage of the "controversy" between cyclists and residents of Jersey and Calhoun counties in Illinois, I don't think the criticism is warranted here.

While closing Clayton Road to bicyclists is a slim possibility, it is a possibility. If more cars are forced onto Clayton Road because of road or lane closures on Highway 40, motorists could indeed pressure communities along the road to bar bicycles. Instead of searching for bias, STLBikeFed members should channel that energy to make sure the road stays open to bicyclists and to improve the roads of the region to make sure they are safe for both cars and bicyclists.

While we're on the topics of highways, the Missouri Department of Transportation should scrap its asinine proposal to charge tolls on the new Mississippi River bridge. The Belleville News-Democrat reported last week that results of a preliminary study by St. Louis engineering consulting firm URS Corp., show that a $1 toll each way would generate $220 million to $240 million per year if an average of 66,000 vehicles cross the new bridge each day. The study, which also evaluates the impact of charging tolls up to $3, will not be available until early next year.

I completely agree with St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern, who said, "It's clear that tolling is unacceptable, we already pay a hefty gas tax, and our population should not have to pay $2 per day when the state of Illinois has agreed to come to the table and fund its share of the project."

The article quoted STLBikeFed member Steve Patterson, 38, a real estate agent from South St. Louis who bikes and rides a scooter, as saying a new bridge will only encourage more suburban sprawl in the metro-east. He'd rather see the states commit the funding to improve public transportation in the region.

"Why should we who aren't going to use this bridge subsidize those big sports utility vehicles?" he said.

When I first read Steve's remarks, my back bristled. I don't think Steve intended this, but it sure did sound like the stereotypical statements many Missourians make about Illinoisans, in which they lump us all together as a bunch of rednecks or ghetto dwellers.

While we don't have the great restaurants or cultural amenities the Missouri side of the river has, not all of us fit into that stereotype. And Steve should keep in mind that St. Clair County -- unlike St. Charles County, Mo. -- did approve a tax hike several years ago to extend MetroLink and reduce the burden on the Poplar Street Bridge. Steve also should keep in mind that Madison County has a huge network of bicycle trails that connect the communities.

A toll bridge also doesn't make sense because highways that go through St. Louis are major trucking arteries for the nation. It also would make sense for industries on the city's North Side to have better highway access so their trucks don't have to deal with the Poplar Street Bridge bottlenecks. The last thing these companies need is a toll to increase their costs of doing business.

Roger 1 comments 12:11 PM

No BubbaFest for Roger

I should be sitting on the beach at Key Largo, Fla., today. Instead, I'm sitting here in Belleville, Ill., glaring at a computer screen.

Because of my inability to manage money, I will not be at BubbaFest this week. Because I have to spend money on a repair to my car to make sure it passes Illinois' emissions test. I'm really angry at myself for this because I had plenty of time to plan for this. A course in budgeting could do me some good.

This would have a good, easy way to end the cycling season. Here's what Bubba has to say about his ride:

Tired of the same old stuff? You know, ride all day, sleep all night. Wake up in the morning only to have to do the same boring riding you had done the day before. If all you want to do is ride, you can do that without going on a bike tour. You can stay at home and ride. TRUE? Tired of not being able to find a good late fall ride? You know, when the leaves have fallen. You know, when the sky is gray. You know, when the temperatures fall below freezing. BURRR. Tired of not being able to bring that special friend on an event because they do not ride and there is just nothing for them to do? You know, you ride all day, they get to sit around a school and wait for you to show up. You know, you bike all day in the middle of no where while they sit and wait for you to arrive, also in the middle of no where. No cell service and nothing for them to do. YUCK! Tired of the same old scenery? You know, trees. Trees all around you. Trees to the right. Trees to the left. Trees behind. Trees ahead. Some times its corn on the left and beans on the right. Some times its beans on the left with the corn on the right. YAWN. Ready to have some fun and forget the “old” way of bicycling?

Ready for an event BY a rider FOR a rider? Are you ready for Bubba?

Bubba Barron, a retired St. Louis County Police Department officer, runs a business in which he provides and sets up tents for people on weeklong bicycle trips. He decided to expand the business to put on his own trips. He'll do a great job because he's a larger-than-life personality who has a big following in the bicycle touring community.

I hope my friends Arlene Willmann, Doug Kaufman, Wayne Baird and Wilma Lenaway -- among others -- have a great time for me!

Roger 1 comments 11:00 AM