Feel free to ride whatever you have. Ride your cargo bike, pull a trailer, use racks, bags, baskets, panniers, or hang a plastic bag from the handlebars. It’s all good. Everyone is welcome to come. Bring your kid, your dog, your insignificant other, or come by yourself. If you are new, you’ll know everyone within a few minutes.

Date: Sunday, January 29, 2012

Time: We’ll meet up at 10:00 AM.

Meet up place: in the parking lot of the Cady Way Trailhead behind Fashion Square Mall

Destination: Maitland Farmers Market on the shore of beautiful Lake Lily

Come join the fun! Carry home a bag of peppers, some fruit, a big bunch of greens, a jar of exotic marmalade, a gourmet cupcake or two, or whatever you please, all transported by you and your bicycle. It’s the best way to go.

We will be joined by John Schubert of Adventure Cycling Magazine and videographer Scott Murrish who will be shooting footage for (R)Evolutions per Minute: Cargo Bikes in the US.

Ride your bike to Veg Fest! Bike/Walk Central Florida is providing a free bike valet this weekend. Below are some quiet-street routes from various directions to get you to the park.

Veg Fest is Saturday, Oct. 22 from 10 AM to 6 PM at Loch Haven Park.

Central Park - New York City

Business travel offers the opportunity to visit many wonderful cities. Often, however, that simply means flying in, taking a taxi to a hotel, and “touring” the inside of yet again another all too familiar lobby and set of meeting rooms. Then it’s a quick dash back to the airport in another cab and jetting off to the next destination.

The “spirit” and philosophy of “Bike Speed” is to make a conscious effort to carve out time for yourself to actually participate in the environment where your travel takes you. Your company paid for you to attend the event and expects you to devote your efforts to meeting with clients and learning from presentations. The conference agenda may be jam packed, but with a bit of advance planning or flexibility, it is possible to make the trip much more meaningful. You can get your work done and still find time to enjoy the hidden gems in the surrounding area.

From October 8-10, 2011, I was in New York City to attend a customer’s annual convention. Their theme was “Taking the Stage” and the backdrop for the general sessions resembled a look down Times Square and marquees from all the famous plays. Broadway performers provided a break between speakers and they had marvelous voices. One entertainer had performed the role of Mustafa in the Lion KIng over 3,000 times – he sang the Impossible Dream and everyone had goose bumps.

Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band

Entertainment after dinner one evening was provided by Gary Sinise and the Lieutenant Dan Band (yup, the same person who played Lt. Dan in Forrest Gump and is now starring in CSI – New York.) The band performs about 50 – 75 shows per year for the troops around the world and here at home. They covered a wide range of songs and were a lot of fun to see in person.

Central Park Bicycle Shop / 315 W. 57th St.

When I checked into the hotel, I saw a sign for bike rentals. I was staying at the New York Hilton which was only a few blocks south of Central Park. I gathered some information and made plans to return the following day. Unfortunately, when I went back about 4:00 pm on Sunday, the counter was closed for the day. I grabbed my iPad and quickly Googled up bike rentals in the area and found the Central Park Bicycle Shop, which was just five blocks away. I quickly made a reservation and earned a discount for booking online – paying just $8.00 for a one hour rental. The shop was two blocks south of Central Park. I should have taken more time selecting the bike, since it wasn’t the greatest ride. I’ve experienced that problem in the past, so I should create a “checklist” to guarantee a better experience. Sure wish I could use my own bike when I travel – may have to invest in a folding travel bike one day!

I started off by heading east on 57th Street, then turning north on 8th Avenue. That took me to Columbus Circle (built in 1905), a major New York City landmark. I used the techiniques learned in my Cycling Savvy class and easily navigated this four lane round-about. Traffic was reasonably light since it was a Sunday afternoon. But nonetheless, it was still “Columbus Circle” – that was “crazy exciting!” Here’s a view that I snagged from Wikipedia of a photo taken of the Circle from within the Time Warner Building. For those who watch “Anderson” (Anderson Cooper’s new show), his set looks out on this same view.

Central Park West Entrance

I then proceeded north up Central Park West in the bike lane with taxis whizzing by on my left. I entered Central Park at 67th Street. If I’d done a bit more advance research, I would have gone on to the 72nd Street entrance instead, which leads directly to “Strawberry Fields,” the garden containing the Imagine mosaic honoring John Lennon – after all, the day of my ride was October 9th, John Lennon’s birthday.

I joined the parade of horse drawn carriages, cyclists, roller bladers, and pedestrians on the one way loop around the park. While it was slightly “organized chaos,” everyone was in a great mood due to the perfect Indian Summer day – not a cloud in the sky, temperature in the high ’70′s to low ’80′s. With my interest in stopping here and there to take pictures, I was probably criss-crossing traffic more than most. Every level of rider was represented from true novices, to families crusing along together, to “serious” cyclists in full kit. It was a fantastic, and eclectic, gathering. The picnic areas and public lawns were full of people sitting on a blanket and simply enjoying each other’s company. The mood and merriment evident throughout the park’s 843 acres that day must have been exactly what the designers had in mind when they first opened it back in 1857.

Carousel in Central Park

Rolling along Center Drive, I passed the Carousel. The original carousel burned in a fire, but was replaced by the current one in 1950 – a year before I was even born – now that’s old! I manuevered my way to the side of the road and took a photo. After reading more about the carousel and the park, in general upon my return, I wish that I had taken more time to investigate this classic piece of artwork more closely. On a previous trip to New York, I had purchased a book entitled “Central Park, An American Masterpiece” by Sara Cedar Miller. It would have been well worth my time to study up a bit more prior to my visit to Central Park. Yet, I only had an hour, so I pressed on.

Loeb Boathouse / San Remo Building

I made a stop at the Loeb Boathouse, a popular spot for lunch and renting boats. While I was reviewing the menu, I looked up the lane and an entire wedding party was making their way around the boathouse to pose for photos. In spite of all the people in the park that day, I’m sure that their photographer was able to capture some beatiful images since the park looked fantastic and the lighting was perfect. Off in the distance were the twin towers of the San Remo Buidling, a 27-story luxury apartment building. The names of some of its past and present residents would be rather familiar – Stephen Sondheim, Donna Karan, Stephen Spielberg, Steve Jobs, Demi Moore, Glenn Close, Dustin Hoffman, Bono, Steve Martin, Eddie Cantor, Hedy Lamarr, and Rita Hayworth. Nice neighborhood.

While I didn’t have time to stay for dinner, the menu at the Loeb Boathouse was rather enticing with dishes such as Heirloom Tomato Salad, Boathouse Steak Tartare, Oxtail and Leek Terrine, Kabocha Pumpkin Raviolis, Roasted Scottish Salmon, Muscovy Duck Breast, and Pepper Seared Loin of Venison to name a few of the delicious offerings. Instead, I pressed on and continued my loop around the park.

I passed the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir and turned west above the North Meadow, rejoining the West Drive headed south. Even though it was approaching dusk, plenty of people were still enjoying their ride on rented boats or strolling along the water’s edge. Over the course of a single hour, the light had changed the atmosphere from midday to the promise of a romantic evening setting.

Controlling my lane on 7th Avenue approaching 57th Street

It was getting close to the time to return my rented bike, so I exited the magic of Central Park onto 7th Avenue. I rode two blocks and turned right back onto 57th Street, crossed Broadway and cruised up to the Central Park Bike Shop. I was right on time. Even though I’d only been out for an hour, I’d taken in so much in that short period of time.

New York City’s motto is “I Love New York.” I was fortunate to snap this photo from my hotel room on the 27th floor looking down onto the Avenue of the Americas and catch this statue framed in a sunbeam. It perfectly captured my feeling about this trip and the wonderful city that I had the privilege of visiting.

Next trip I might spend a bit more time planning the area where I will be riding to make sure that I don’t miss anything. I will also be more selective about the bike that I choose for my journey – and welcome any suggestions from my readers on how to do just that. But most of all, I am so very glad that I took one hour out of an active business trip to see Central Park – at Bike Speed. I hope that you get to do the same one day.

Tall bikes, also known as High Wheelers on the Seminole Wekiva Trail

Saturday – July 9, 2011

The last thing I expected to see on the Seminole Wekiva Trail was two tall bikes, but there they were. The passed us on our southbound ride and approaching us again on the return. In the best spirit of “Bike Speed”, I stopped and snapped a photo with my Blackberry (sad, but true, I don’t own an iPhone). The picture turned out fairly well in spite of the need to access the phone quickly and simply point and shoot. No sooner had I posted this on Facebook, I received a comment from Keri Caffrey stating, “Diane Blake and her daughter, Michelle. Diane builds bikes – http://www.victorybicycles​.com/ .” So feel free to look them up, perhaps you could invest in one, or better yet – get two so you and a friend could ride together in style. I’m still scratching my head trying to figure out how they get on and off those bikes. The vintage bikes are mighty stylish. Congratulations Diane and Michelle for mastering these nostalgic rides.

I usually ride the Seminole Wekeiva Trail by myself. My standard route is from the Peach Valley Cafe / Panera Bread off Lake Mary Blvd. to 434. I’ve gotten that down to about an hour round trip ride. I had extended an invitation to Doug and June Murray to join me on the trail months ago. They have recently returned to cycling. This particular Saturday, our calendars matched up.

Before we started, Doug mentioned that his bike was making a “funny noise.” He spun the rear tire and it looked a bit wobbly. He wasn’t too concerned, saying that it had been that way for a while. As we rode, the wheel gave off quite a bit of noise. I suggested that we stop by a bike shop that is located along the trail for a consultation. No Limit Cycles is located on E. E. Williamson Rd. and is only about 100 yards from the trail. They were glad to look at the wheel and suggested that the bearings were shot. Their recommendation was a new wheel for about $ 35 and $ 15 in labor. They said that it wouldn’t hurt to ride the bike, but to get the work done fairly soon.

By the way, Doug got a second opinion on his wheel at the Spin City bike shop at the Apopka Outpost on the West Orange Trail . It was, in fact, the bearings and that he didn’tneed to replace the entire wheel. The new bearing will only only run about $ 3.50. With labors, adjustments to both wheels, brakes, and an overall inspection, it came out to about $ 65. Probably worked out the same for either bike shop. Certainly more reasonable than car repairs. Glad that Doug will have his bike in tip top shape. That is bound to make his rides safer and more enjoyable.

In continuing CommuteOrlando’s celebration of National Bike Month, let’s rally the gang once more for Bike n Bowl, for what may be our final HooRah for Bike Month.

The destination for this ride is Aloma Bowling Center.  You can view their game pricing and shoe rental here.   We will meet up at the Cady Way Trailhead, near Fashion Square Mall, use portions of Cady Way Trail and Winter Park neighborhoods to complete our route.

Here’s is the plan:

• 8:00AM – Meet at the Cady Way Trailhead
• 8:30AM – Depart for Aloma Bowling Center
• 9:00AM – Doors Open upon our arrival
• 11:00AM – Finish Bowling
• 11:00AM – Optional ride to local eatery as group

Use comments to RSVP if attending. Thanks and see you there!

Driving a bike is the best way to get to downtown Orlando on an average day. It’s no contest when there is an event. You do not want to try to park a car downtown tomorrow! Besides, downtown Orlando is one of the easiest places to ride a bike! So, here is a map with a few routes to get you started. The map is public, feel free to add your own routes.

It’s a really fun event. Leu Gardens is a beautiful place and you can find super values on plants.

I live in a condo with a postage-stamp porch, but I did buy some more herbs. Diana bought a banana tree and some herbs. Lisa bought an olive tree, flowers, herbs, blackberries and a blueberry bush. Here is a little slide show of photos from the morning:

Mount Cady

I have great admiration for people who make a regular long-distance commute. The longest commute I’ve had was about 11 miles and I didn’t bike it every day. In the last few years, my commute shrunk to 3.5 miles, then to the length of my condo. Now I use the bike for utility trips and some meetings. My radius is roughly 6 miles, with most trips being under 3. I feel very fortunate to be living in close proximity to almost everything I need. In most cases the bike is the most convenient means of transportation to get there. Determining factors are time/distance and trip quality. Cleaner, greener and cheaper are secondary considerations (not necessarily in that order). Oh, and difficulty parking the car is a deterrent to driving it, even if I don’t really feel like riding the bike.

Sunday I planned to make a trip well outside my normal range. My destination in Tuscawilla is ~15 miles away. By car it would be about 25-30 minutes (off-peak) and fairly frustrating—car trips are time wasted in between what I was doing and what I want to do next. By bike it was an hour and 20 minutes… into an 18mph headwind/crosswind. But I was outside, getting exercise, so I didn’t regard it as lost time. It was a weekend, and I had time to spare.

A great asset

I live near the South end of the Cady Way Trail. It turns out that using Cady Way for a little over half of the way is actually the shortest and fastest route. During the day, this makes for a pleasant ride with few traffic lights. Using Beach St. instead of the trail eliminates the stretch of stop sign hell. Mount Cady adds some topography to the ride, while crossing 436 without delay. I seldom have to wait to cross Forsyth and Goldenrod, the median refuges make that pretty easy. I avoid some delay and risk at Hall by doing a jughandle turn to the right northbound lane to get to the trail on the other side. Heading westbound there, I get a gap on Aloma and ride into the left turn lane for Hall (you can see what I mean if you zoom in on the satellite). I was pleased to see two other cyclists doing that Sunday. That’s much safer and quicker than using the crosswalks. Someday, they plan to build a bridge there.

All-in-all, my ride north was uneventful. I was hoping for some tailwind reward on the trip home, but I didn’t head home until after 9PM. By then the winds had died down to 6mph and moved from East to Southeast.

A different route home

After dark, the trail is not an option for me. It may seem odd, but I feel much safer on the road. The features that make the Cady Way Trail a quality ride during the day — isolation on its own right-of-way — scare me at night. There are several stretches of that trail where there is no escape, no lighting and no one around to hear you scream. There have been robberies and assaults on it as recently as last month.

The road route home from Tuscawilla is a little over a mile longer than the trail route, but it is mostly low-volume streets. There’s a short stint on Tuscawilla Rd that can’t be avoided, and a short stint on 436 that can be by adding extra miles. I’m comfortable controlling the lane on 436 (day or night), so I opted for the shorter distance. I did add a few tenths of a mile avoiding most of the bike lane on Lakemont and all of it on Glenridge — both of those are notorious for glass, which I can’t see in the dark.

I had a really nice ride home.

What makes a long trip worth biking

I didn’t experience any incivility in either direction. That is something that always enters my mind when I’m planning a bike trip to the burbs. Ugly behavior is more prevalent out there than it is in town. This trip was free of negative energy.

Though it took 3 times longer than driving a car, it was much more enjoyable. Still, the equation to determine whether to drive the bike or car always includes time available. The decision also includes my level of energy and ambition at the time. I suspect I may be more physically ambitious than the average Central Floridian, but nowhere near as ambitious as many of our readers.

On the way home, I was thinking about what made my bike trip worthwhile and how that fits into strategies for promoting bicycling.

• First and foremost was the confidence and empowerment to choose the best route without fear of any road. Without that, reaching my destination would not have been possible. I prefer trails and low volume roads because I don’t care for traffic noise, but I can connect them or opt for more direct routes because fear is not a barrier. The ability to choose any road has nothing to with speed, strength or elite talents. It is available to anyone who wants it. It simply involves gaining a better understanding of how the roadway works and using it to your advantage. You can do that here.
• On the way out, the trail was a great asset. It provided a shorter route and fewer traffic light delays than a road route. I am grateful that our community has invested in it and other trails like it. Unfortunately, it did not offer me the social safety I need to ride home at night. But having the confidence to use the roads, day or night, allowed me to chose a better route home.
• Luxury of time. Generally, I have found that when my life is not hectic or rushed, I’m more inclined to chose the bike vs the car. As soon as I feel stressed for time, I have a hard time getting my head around an extra 15 or 20 minutes of travel time, let alone adding an hour or two.
• Physical energy. Short trips don’t take much energy. I tend to operate at very low speeds because hammering a 2 mile trip doesn’t save any time over moseying. Short trip time is mostly determined by traffic lights. Longer trips require more effort, especially covering the distance into a headwind. I still don’t hammer, but I pick a speed that is sustainable and offers enough time gain to be worth the energy. My trip to Tuscawilla was an hour and 20 minutes (including stopped time), and, except for a short, congested area on the trail, I rode at a higher aerobic output than I usually muster for a 15-minute trip downtown.
• Did I mention it was a lovely spring day? Yeah. 78°.

Even though I prefer to use my bike, and do use it for more trips than I use the car, my decisions are rooted in practical considerations that have little to do with infrastructure. I suspect that’s the same for 99% of the population.

After completing CyclingSavvy in July, Kitzzy and Jason approached me about starting a bike bus on University Blvd. This is the perfect place to begin the bike bus commute concept since so many people live in Orlando or Winter Park and commute to UCF or the many Research Park employers. With its 3 narrow lanes in each direction, University has the perfect configuration for assertive cycling and safe group cycling.

Reconnaissance

To help scope out the ride and collect video evidence of how safe it is, Kathryn Moore of SFBC and I joined Kitzzy & Jason on Friday morning. University Blvd is 6 miles from 436 to Alafaya. It took us 25 minutes. We only had to stop at 2 red lights, all the others turned green as we arrived behind the cars that had passed us previously and were stopped there. Due to traffic platooning and upstream signal timing, we had the road to ourselves for over 3 minutes at two different times, and a couple other times for almost a minute. Traffic did get thicker as we got closer to UCF, but it wasn’t bad for us.

Watching the video, I counted almost 300 cars passing us safely or turning right to leave the road behind us. Special recognition to drivers of a Lynx bus and an Access Lynx van who demonstrated professional, safe passing (I mention this because I know people complain about them a lot). Of the cars that passed, very few even had to change lanes. We were honked at only twice (though one was notably vicious and caused all of us to jump). Neither of the drivers who honked were affected by us — neither had to change lanes. Both drivers used their horns in violation of the law:

FS 316.271 - Horns and Warning Devices

(3) The driver of a motor vehicle shall, when reasonably necessary to ensure safe operation, give audible warning with his or her horn, but shall not otherwise use such horn when upon a highway.

Just as when Brian DeSousa and I rode to UCF and back, there were no unsafe passes and no close calls. There is absolutely nothing alarming in the rearview video.

It’s bare view (no cyclist) because I was riding in the back, so it’s and kinda boring but you get a clear view of everything that went on behind us. Here is a compilation of a few sample clips from it:

Here’s a map of where the clips were shot:

Power and moral support in numbers

R4-11 Bikes May Use Full Lane

I hesitate to say there is safety in numbers because I know from experience that it is safe for a solo cyclist to ride assertively on a road like University. There could be an enhanced level of safety from (rare) physical aggression for a group of commuters vs a solo rider, or even a group of roadies. But, mostly, it’s the moral support, shared experience and companionship that makes the bike bus concept so powerful.

Also, the high visibility of a group traveling the same road at the same time on a regular basis send a powerful message to other drivers. It also has the potential to send a message to the county DOT. If we show demand, it gives us power to ask for assistance… like BMUFL signs, for starters.

Looking to the future

It may be a traffic sewer now, but I see potential for University to offer us a leap forward in cyclist accommodation/encouragement.

R3-11 bus/bike/RT Only

It is a is a perfect corridor for turning the right lane into a preferential use lane for bikes and transit (permitting merging for right-turning cars). It almost works that way now, as most drivers tend to use the inner lanes unless they are planning to turn. This has been done in other cities. It’s an infrastructure enhancement I support because it offers cyclists a full-sized lane, free of debris, allowing them to ride two-abreast, enjoy quality social interaction and get far better passing clearance than a 5ft gutter lane provides. Motorists would be required to safely merge into the lane before making turns, eliminating the right-hook aspect. Bus drivers are a captive audience for education. I suspect we’d need to educate cyclists about when it’s appropriate (or not) to pass stopped buses.

Bus/Bike/RT lane in Tuscon, AZ. Photo and R3-11 sign courtesy of Richard C. Moeur

I believe this is the way forward for arterial roads like University and Alafaya Trail. Both have high volumes of traffic going to UCF and Research Park. The potential for increasing bicycle traffic is untapped. FDOT has put undesignated 5ft lanes/shoulders on Alafaya. A study done for Metroplan in 2007 showed that less than 3% of the bicyclists actually use those. The rest are riding on the sidewalk. And it’s not a mystery why.

Starting with University Blvd, perhaps we can create a greater presence for bicyclists on all the roads leading to UCF and change the nature of cyclist accommodation to a whole lane.

Promoting the Bike Bus concept for Central Florida

This concept started with the Colonial Cycling Club—students at Colonial High School who wanted to ride to school. While hoping to inspire students at other schools to do the same, they’ve actually managed to inspire us!

Kitzzy & Jason are creating a microsite here at CommuteOrlando to promote the UCF bike bus and the concept for all of Central Florida. When they are ready, I will post a link and announcement. In the meantime, if you want to get involved—join their bus or help create one at another time or on another route—you can contact them at ucfbikebus@jasonbuckner.com. I’ll be joining them for another recon mission to set bus stop pick-up times tomorrow morning—leaving Fashion Square at 7AM. If you’re headed that way, join us. If you have nothing else to do, join us and keep me company on the ride back to town

Sorry, I’m too slammed to elaborate, I just wanted to get this up. But don’t hesitate to ask for route advice!