Monday, March 31, 2008

Bike box and bike lane videos

For your viewing pleasure, here's some videos about bike lanes. The first two are about bike boxes, which are meant to provide a spot for cyclists to stop and make turns at busy intersections.

The first is a video produced for the city of Portland, Ore., in an effort to explain the recently installed bike boxes in that city:



The second shows some bike boxes in New York City:



I haven't decided what I think about bike boxes, but John S. Allen, the author of "Bicycling Street Smarts" takes a look at them here: http://www.bikexprt.com/bikepol/facil/stopline.htm. Allen does have some concerns about the safety of bike boxes, and he cites some studies to back up his concerns.

The final video comes from Los Angeles, where Slate V Editor Andy Bowers describes "the stupidest bike lane in America":



I hope you enjoyed today's triple feature!

Labels: advocacy, bike boxes, bike lanes, cycling, safety

Roger 0 comments 12:29 PM

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Floods affect St. Louis-area bike stores

When the Meramec River overflowed its banks last week in west St. Louis County, it had an impact on bicycle shops in the region, according to Bicycle Retailer and Industry News.

“This last week Monday through Thursday was bad [for sales],” Chris Brewer, manager of Trek Bicycle Store of St. Louis said in the article. “But Friday through the weekend was good, so we kind of made up for it.”

Fox Creek Outfitters, which just opened its doors in November in Eureka, Mo., also reported lower sales because of the flooding. While the store stayed dry, much of the surrounding area was under water.

Labels: bicycle shops, St. Louis

Roger 0 comments 2:31 PM

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Bike commuter in Southern Illinois

Over the weekend, The Associated Press sent out a feature about a Southern Illinois bike commuter to its member papers in Illinois. The Carbondale-based Southern Illinoisan originally published the story back in January.

Bobby Joe Wayne Cantrell -- a student at Rend Lake College, a community college in Ina -- regularly bikes the the 21-mile round trip from his home in West City to Ina on a red Mongoose mountain bike.

Why does he ride? Unlike most of his peers, Cantrell does not have a driver's license.

"I had a (learner's) permit but I was never taken out enough to get any real practice," he said. "And now it's the cost of it. I don't have the funding to get a car and pay for the upkeep of it, so I ride my bike everywhere."

Labels: commuting, Illinois

Roger 1 comments 12:47 AM

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Flint, Mich., bike rack competition

Last, the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation conducted a contest to design bike racks that will be installed in the St. Louis area. Now the folks in Flint, Mich., are conducting their own competition.

The Flint Journal says this city's sidewalks could become home to some of the strangest - and most beautiful - bike racks ever made because of a design contest sponsored by the Safe and Active Flint Coalition and the University of Michigan-Flint Green Arts Project. Here's a quote from the story

"If we just put a bike rack up that's just a bike rack, then that's all it ever is," said Flint sculptor Todd Nickola, who fashions art from "found" objects in his workspace at Red Ink Studios. "The idea here is to create something where even if no bikes are connected to it, it would still be a piece of art beautifying the city. Who knows? Maybe then someone would even pick up the trash around it."

The design must consider the look of the existing streetscape in downtown Flint and be black in color, and it also must follow several other criteria -- including being able to support the bike in two places and to accommodate a U-lock. More rules and an entry form can be downloaded as a PDF file.

As Michael Moore documented in his film "Roger and Me," Flint has taken a beating because of the decline of the automobile industry in that city, but local leaders are trying to revitalize the downtown region. The contest is one small step toward that effort.

Labels: bike racks, Michigan

Roger 0 comments 1:55 PM

"Russian roulette" in Indianapolis

After more than 200 accidents and four deaths involving cyclists and motorists in the Indianapolis area last year, the Indianapolis Star reports local cycling advocates are hoping education and respect will go a long way to a safer 2008.

"It's intimidating as a cyclist," said Jonathan Juillerat, general manager of Nebo Ridge Bicycles in Carmel. "Riding city streets sometimes feels like Russian roulette, so I made a conscious decision not to ride as much because of that. Eventually, I feel like my number will be up because motorists aren't paying attention."

Nancy Tibbett -- president of the Central Indiana Bicycling Association, best known for putting on the Hilly Hundred and N.I.T.E. Ride each year -- told the Star that Indiana has a long way to go before being thought of as a bicycle-friendly state. She also said most roads in the Indianapolis area aren't designed for motorists and cyclists to co-exist.

She did note that progress is being made on bike lanes and bike routes in the region. Until then, she suggest that motorists and cyclists can share the roads if they traffic laws.

The Indiana Bicycle Coalition is attempting to educate cyclists and motorists about their rights and obligations. The coalition has published brochures urging cyclists and motorists to share the road and to follow the rules of the road.

Labels: advocacy, cycling, Indiana, safety

Roger 0 comments 12:46 PM

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Watch out for armadillos!

Remember the tale of St. Louis-area native Dan Schmatz and his encounter with an armadillo during the 2007 Tour of Missouri? Schmatz broke his collarbone when he struck an armadillo during the second stage of the race.

Well, cyclists should be aware there are armadillos in Southwestern Illinois. Belleville News-Democrat outdoors reporter Rod Kloeckner tells the story of a New Athens man, Bob Rutkowski, who had an encounter with a live armadillo while hiking at the Kaskaskia River Fish and Wildlife Area. Rutkowski took the photo at left, which appeared in today's News-Democrat.

Dr. Joyce Hofmann, a senior research scientist and mammalogist with the Illinois Natural History Survey, told the News-Democrat that since 1999, there have been 130 recorded sightings of armadillos in Illinois. The bulk have come from 22 counties in Southwestern Illinois, bracketed by Interstate 70 to the north and Interstate 57 to the east. More than 70 percent of the sightings have been road kill.

Given my track record of hitting a female cyclist and a block of wood on the road, I know I'll being watching out for dead armadillos on the road!

Labels: accidents, Illinois

Roger 1 comments 2:05 PM

Think spring!

Today is the first day of spring. Woo-hoo!

Although we're expecting some late-winter temperatures for Easter weekend here in Belleville, Ill, the tide is gradually turning. It's time to be thinking about group rides. Here's some St. Louis area rides to whet your appetite:

• The Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society opens its 2008 season of Wednesday Evening Rides on April 2. During April, our rides will start at the Metro East Parks and Recreation Center headquarters, 100 United Drive in Collinsville, and we'll be riding the Madison County Trails system. We'll meet at 6 p.m. and take off at 6:15, although people may leave earlier if they want to get more miles in.
• Trailnet's Bicycle Fun Club opens its 2008 season on Sunday, April 13, with the Prairie Pedal Bicycle Ride in Hamel, Ill. Hamel is a small community just off Interstate 55 about 7 miles north of Edwardsville. Registration is from 8:30 to 10 a.m.
  
• The Team HopeRide for a Cure will take place Saturday, April 26, in Maryville, Ill. This fund-raising ride for the American Cancer Society includes routes of 13, 26 and 62 miles on the Madison County Trails system. Registration will take place from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at the First Baptist Church of Maryville. The cost of the ride is $15 ($20 day of ride) for adults and $40 ($50 day of event) for families. for more information and to get a flier, contact Mike Green at mjgreen6@charter.net or call Dean Mc Peak at 618-920-3418 or Robin Warfield at 618-781-1075.
• Early registration is strong for the Tour de Stooges on Saturday, May 3, at the ride's new home, Lindendale Park in Highland, Ill. The cost of the ride is $30 for adults and $20 for children, and if you pre-register for the ride, you will get a T-shirt in addition to lunch, rest stops and slapstick comedy. Tour de Stooges is the opening event of the Gateway Council of Hostelling International's new series of recreational rides, which includes the Strawberry Fields Forever ride on May 24 at Eckert's Country Store in Belleville.
• For those of you who love to ride centuries, the Gateway Council's 5-Star Century Series gets started Saturday, May 17, with the Indian Crossing Century in Portage des Sioux, Mo., and continues with the Flat-as-a-Pancake Century on May 31 in New Baden, Ill.
• Finally, there's The Gerry Frierdich Road to Recovery Bicycle Ride on Sunday, June 1, in Belleville. The ride is a fund-raiser for Gerry Frierdich, a Belleville photographer who was paralyzed from the chest down when a pickup truck struck his recumbent bicycle on Aug. 19, 2007.

If you know of any other great spring rides that people should know about, feel free to post them in the comments.

It's time to get out and ride!

Labels: Belleville Area Bicycling Eating Society, bicycle rides, Gateway Council of Hostelling International, St. Louis, Tour de Stooges, Trailnet

Roger 0 comments 10:43 AM

Think pink!

The most recent edition of Adventure Cycling's Bike Bits e-mail newsletter should have come with a pink background because a couple of the news items feature pink bicycles. I have a couple of friends of mine -- Arlene and Jody -- who are heavily into pink, so this post is dedicated to them.

The Pink Bike Site pays tribute to pink bicycles. Vermont cyclist Crystal Waters told Adventure Cycling: "I wanted to invite your readers to send in photos of their pink bicycles to be posted on my new pink-bike Web site gallery. I started the gallery on my girlbike.com site a few years ago, when it focused on women's cycling. Even though the gallery there is sort of hidden, it remains one of the most-visited pages -- it's so popular, that I decided to put (it up) on its own site."

As you might imagine, women make up the majority of the contributors to the site, but there are enough men who are secure enough in their masculinity that they, too, have pink bikes.

Larry Black of Mt. Airy Bicycles in College Park, Md, who is selling some used pink bicycles, notes one advantage of owning a pink bike: There's plenty of nail polish colors available to touch up frame scratches!

The second item mentioned in Bike Bits is about Tulsa Townies, a project was launched in August 2007 by Saint Francis Health System to promote an active and healthy lifestyle in the Tulsa area.

So what does this have to do with pink bicycles? A closer look at Tulsa Townies' Web site reveals that all of the group's bicycles are pink!

This project is the first bicycle program of its kind in northeastern Oklahoma. Three of the four bicycle rental stations are located at the Tulsa River Parks Trail, and The fourth is located at the Sand Springs River City Park. Although there is no cost to check out a Tulsa Townies bicycle, a credit card is needed for identification purposes and to help prevent theft. Patrons may return their Tulsa Townies bicycle at any one of the locations regardless of where the bicycle was originally checked out.

So if you think you're pretty in pink, bicycling's the sport for you.

Labels: Adventure Cycling Association, bicycles

Roger 0 comments 9:55 AM

Monday, March 17, 2008

Dear bicyclists ...

The Chicago Tribune on Sunday published a commentary by Cate Plys: an open letter to cyclists in the Chicago area. You kind of get the direction she's going in her opening salvo:

Yes, yes, we know. You're better than us. You care about the planet. ... You assume the people you leave in your two-wheel wake are marveling at the reds, greens and oranges -- envying you.

We're not. We're thinking that most of you are a bunch of smug, self-satisfied, frequently dangerous jerks. We're thinking you should lose about 10 pounds before subjecting the world to those bike pants again.

Plys is annoyed by Chicago's new bicycle ordinance, which levies fines up to $500 for vehicle drivers. The laws impose fines on motorists who turn left or right in front of someone on a bicycle, pass with less than 3 feet of space between car and bike, or park in or otherwise obstruct marked bike lanes.

But before you jump off the deep end, Plys says she's a bicyclist herself. Her concern is that the ordinance targets only motorists and that nothing is being done to punish cyclists who disobey the rules of the road.

Plys also contends that instead of focusing on ordinances such as this one or Chicago's bike rental proposal, the city should be concentrating on building a grid of bicycle paths common in European cities.

Labels: advocacy, Chicago, safety

Roger 0 comments 2:19 PM

Friday, March 14, 2008

Sharing the road

Just in time for spring: West Newsmagazine, a direct-mailed community newspaper that serves west St. Louis County, has an article about sharing the road.

Cycling traffic is expected to increase on Clayton Road as the weather gets warmer. Because of the construction that has closed Interstate 64-U.S. 40 in west St. Louis County, some of the vehicle traffic has shifted to Clayton Road, increasing the possibility of conflicts between motorists and cyclists.

Most of the sources contacted for this story report few conflicts between cyclists and motorists in west St. Louis County, but one source took aim at cyclists.

However, one Wildwood resident, Kurt, who only wanted to use his first name, said he thinks cyclists assume that “Share the Road” signs are directed at automobile drivers, not cyclists, and that some bikes take advantage and take over the entire road, especially on the more rural roads in Wildwood.

“I know that it is very irritating when the bicyclists ride double or even triple,” Kurt said. “I have even seen some going four across the lane on a narrow road such as Wildhorse Creek, especially going west down toward Ossenfort Road, (Missouri Highway) 109 or Highway BA. It is terrible as a driver to turn a corner and then, unexpectedly, find yourself right behind a human being as vulnerable as can be on a bike. I can't even imagine the feeling of a person if they innocently hit the cyclist.”

There's a couple of interesting little stories tacked on to the end of the main piece. One is about a doctor who is battling back from injuries suffered in a cycling accidents, and the other is about efforts by the St. Louis Cycling Club to preserve a stone dedicated to William M. Butler to “preserve upon the highway the memory of an ardent cyclist.” The stone is located on Old Manchester Road near the Pond Road intersection in Wildwood.

Thanks to Belleville Area Bicycling and Eating Society member Thomas Carter for passing along the stories this way!

Labels: safety, St. Louis

Roger 0 comments 12:16 AM

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Hitting the trails

What a great day to have been off work! I got in 23 miles on the trails in Madison County. Nothing particularly earth shattering about the ride, but I do have some news for people who haven't been on the trails for a while.

One of the few complaints I've heard about the system is that it was easy to get lost on the trails -- especially in the Edwardsville area -- because of a lack of signs or trail markings.

When you hop on the trails this spring, you will notice painted markings on the trails at intersections. The markings are fairly close to the intersections, so you will have to keep your eyes open for them. Signs also have been placed near some of the key intersections.

You may want to avoid the Nickel Plate Trail between Glen Carbon and Pontoon Beach. The trail is closed at Illinois Route 157 because MCT is constructing an underpass at the busy highway. Seasoned cyclists can use Glen Crossing Road, Route 157 and Illinois Route 162 to get around the construction, but I wouldn't recommend that detour for people who are uncomfortable riding on busy roads.

Also, users of the Glen Carbon Heritage Trail need to use caution at the Goshen Trail overpass. There's lots of wet, loose gravel that can cause a spill if you're not careful.

Labels: MCT Trails

Roger 0 comments 12:21 AM

Sunday, March 09, 2008

'I wouldn't wish this on anyone'

On the same day that two cyclists were killed and another cyclist seriously injured when they were struck by a sheriff's patrol car near Cupertino, Calif., I had the opportunity to talk to a man whose life was changed forever by an accident.

As regular readers of this blog know, Gerry Frierdich of Belleville, Ill., was paralyzed from the chest down when his recumbent bicycle was struck by a pickup truck on Aug. 19, 2007. The group that's planning The Gerry Frierdich Road to Recovery Bicycle Ride met today to make plans for the June 1 ride, and Gerry was able to join us.

Not only did Gerry participate in a social way, he chose the winning design for the T-shirt that will be given to participants. Students at Signal Hill School in Belleville drew pictures, and the rest of the committee narrowed the field. Gerry made the final decision: a pencil drawing of a smiling, helmeted cyclist on a recumbent bicycle.

It's a simple drawing, drawn simply with a pencil, but it really does express Gerry's spirit.

The good news is that Gerry has made progress. He has considerably more motion in his arms and hands than he had two months ago when I last saw him, although he still has a long ways to go. Gerry spent many weeks in a hospital bed after the accident, and it takes time to rebuild muscle tone.

His long-term goal is to able to ride a hand cycle. Only time will tell whether he will be able to achieve that goal, but if anyone can do it, it's Gerry Frierdich.

Everything considered, his spirit is strong. He talked about the difficulty of climbing the Zingg Road hill north of Millstadt -- one of the most notorious hills for metro-east cyclists because of its steepness -- while riding a recumbent and hauling his golf clubs in a trailer.

"You just got to sit back in the seat and push hard," Gerry said of his secret of making it up that hill.

But one comment really struck me, especially since he said it twice during our conversation.

"I wouldn't wish this on anyone."

I'm certain that also includes the driver of the truck that struck him. The driver has been charged in St. Clair County Circuit Court with two counts of Aggravated Driving Under the Influence, a felony charge in Illinois. The case is pending.

As for the California accident, there's a wide range of comments on the San Jose Mercury-News and the San Francisco Chronicle stories as well as Fritz's Cyclelicious blog. I'm not going to jump to any conclusions here until more facts come out.

But one thing is certain: The lives of the survivors and the killed victims' families will be changed forever, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Labels: accidents, Gerry Frierdich

Roger 0 comments 10:47 PM

Saturday, March 08, 2008

Arrest made in St. Louis hit-and-run

On Jan. 28, a hit-and-run driver struck a bicyclist in downtown St. Louis, prompting the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation to offer rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of motorists who injure or kill cyclists.

Earlier this week, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran a brief about an arrest in the accident. Here's what the Post-Dispatch reported:

Levelle C. Rose, 38, of East St. Louis, (Ill.) has been charged with felony leaving the scene of an accident regarding a collision that seriously injured a bicyclist Jan. 28.

Authorities said Rose's vehicle struck the cyclist, a downtown resident, at Third and Cole streets about 5:23 p.m. The cyclist, 48, was hospitalized for nearly a month and is now recuperating at his sister's home, a friend said Wednesday.

The story did not make mention of the Federation's reward or an additional $500 reward that St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay offered in the downtown accident, and neither the Federation's nor Slay's Web sites mention the recent arrest, at least as of this morning. Obviously no payout would be made until a conviction is made.

KMOV-TV, Channel 4, in St. Louis reported the accident shortly after it happened, and a brief story and raw video still are available online.

The Federation still is collecting money for future rewards, and you can make online donations there.

Labels: accidents, St. Louis, St. Louis Regional Bicycle Fedreration

Roger 0 comments 1:34 AM

Friday, March 07, 2008

Belleville to develop new bicycle trail

In case you didn't read about it in today's Belleville News-Democrat, the city of Belleville, Ill., is planning to build a new bicycle trail.

The West Belleville Bikeway would connect Citizens Park with Dapron Drive near Memorial Hospital. By my calculations, that's only about a mile and a half, but the city hopes the trail eventually extends north and south to allow people to ride their bikes from one side of town to the other.

The News-Democrat also reported that the neighboring community Swansea also applied for a state grant for the second phase of its bike trail, extending the trail from Centennial Park to the MetroLink Trail and East Belleville Bikeway in Belleville. Village leaders had put the phase on hold last year while they waited for Metro, the St. Louis mass transit agency that operates the MetroLink light-rail system, to complete plans for a second phase of its trail so the two could connect.

Angela Fletcher, a spokeswoman for Metro, stated in an e-mail to the News-Democrat that the next phase of Metro's trail is planned to run three miles from North End Park, where it connects with the East Belleville Bikeway, to the Memorial Hospital MetroLink station.

Even with the proposed trails, we have a long ways to go. Our neighbors to the north, Madison County, has about 100 miles of trails. St. Clair County only has about 15 miles.

The News-Democrat article also includes a quote from Jim Klenn, the co-producer and director of the documentary "Tour de Donut: Gluttons for Punishment." Not surprisingly, Jim is in favor of extending the Belleville area's trail system.

Labels: Belleville, St. Clair County, trails

Roger 0 comments 1:43 PM

Monday, March 03, 2008

Reunited and it feels so good

I know the hardy souls who are able to ride their bicycles all year long won't be impressed, but I got around to getting in my first 14 outdoor cycling miles of 2008 on Sunday.

Even with the strong, steady winds that usually go along with unseasonably warm days in Midwest -- we were up in the 70s -- I had to get out Sunday. I rode from my house to lunch at the St. Louis Bread Co. restaurant in downtown Belleville, then I rode the MetroLink Trail to Southwestern Illinois College.

There were a lot of families and kids on the trail, which I think it is a good thing. It's good to see people using what few trails we have here in St. Clair County, and I hope someday officials in this county will learn something from our neighbors to the north, Madison County, and build more trails here.

Dave Luecking, who writes the 10 Speed blog for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, also hit the trails Sunday, and he offers a few tips in trail etiquette in Part 1 of his Bicycling Survival Guide. I agree with Dave with the points he makes about cyclists, but my experience on trails also is that a few non-cycling users of trails also can be less than courteous.

I blew a few chances this winter to get some decent miles in because of work on the Tour de Stooges and The Gerry Frierdich Road to Recovery Ride. I tried being a winter cyclist years ago, but my lungs get too sore, no matter what I did, because of residual effects from my childhood asthma.

It looks like it may be a while before I get back outside on the bike. We're expecting about 7 inches of snow tonight and Tuesday and cold temperatures the rest of week.

Labels: Belleville, cycling, trails

Roger 0 comments 11:33 AM

Sunday, March 02, 2008

Help sought on bicycle bills

The League of Illinois Bicyclists is seeking help on its state bills to improve the state’s handling of federal Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School dollars. A big result from the bill will be more completed bike trails in Illinois, LIB contends.

Illinois cyclists are asked to leave a quick voice mail message with both your state representative and state senator. Ask for a YES vote on House Bill 4757 (for Representatives) and on Senate Bill 2311 (for Senators). Calls are most needed by early Tuesday morning, March 4. Find your state legislators’ district phone numbers at http://www.elections.il.gov/DistrictLocator/AddressSearch.aspx

LIB has a PDF document that explains the purposes of the bills, and you may want to give them a read.

Labels: advocacy, League of Illinois Bicyclists

Roger 0 comments 12:38 AM

Take the pledge

The Matt's Law Coalition is still at work attempting to create the stiffer penalties for distracted drivers involved in fatal accidents in Illinois.

The Coalition fell short last year in getting the Illinois General Assembly into creating the offense of Negligent Vehicular Homicide, which would provide stronger penalties than what are not available under Illinois traffic law.

The image above is of a billboard the Coalition put up near Gibson City, Ill., and more are expected to be put up in the Champaign-Urbana area.

The Coalition is named for Matt Wilhelm, who died in September 2006 of injuries suffered when a woman downloading a cell phone ringtone struck his bicycle.

Because Illinois does not have a Negligent Vehicular Homicide law similar to 35 other states, the driver was only charged with improper lane usage, a petty offense with a maximum fine of $1,000. Champaign County prosecutors determined that it would have been difficult to charge the driver with Reckless Homicide because the circumstances did not fit the legal definition of that offense under current Illinois law.

The Coalition is calling on drivers to take a pledge that reads:

I pledge that . . .

• I will not talk on my cell phone while driving.
• I will not converse with someone who calls me on a cell phone while driving.
• By my actions and influence, I will encourage others to drive safely.

My individual choices, when multiplied by those of others, will make the roads safer for all. By honoring this pledge, we will save lives together.

The Coalition has posted a PDF version of the pledge on its Web site, and its encouraging people to sign it and post it where others can see it.

It also has a petition for people living in the Champaign-Urbana area calling for a ban on cell phone usage. The Urbana City Council Study Committee is expected to consider the ban March 24, with action by the full council expected April 7.

Labels: fatal accidents, Illinois

Roger 0 comments 12:04 AM