http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress Encouragement, Education & Advocacy for Bicycling in the Real World Thu, 24 May 2012 19:12:54 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Encouragement, Education & Advocacy for Bicycling in the Real World Commute Orlando no Encouragement, Education & Advocacy for Bicycling in the Real World http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/rss_default.jpg http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/category/vehicular-cycling/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/04/02/a-quiet-revolution-in-bicycles-recapturing-a-role-as-utilitarian-people-movers/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/04/02/a-quiet-revolution-in-bicycles-recapturing-a-role-as-utilitarian-people-movers/#comments Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:14:59 +0000 Bill http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=15092 I ran across this article written by Dr. Morgan Giddings recently, and while it’s been out there a while, many of you, like me, may not have seen it. Dr. Giddings writes of the use of bicycles for utilitarian purposes, taking the place of the automobile, and how this phenomena is becoming increasingly relevant and popular with rising fuel prices and concern for the environment. Two main topics are explored.  One is the evolution of cargo bikes, and two, the use of electrical motor assists.  I’ll be very interested to hear reader experiences and opinions on both.  Especially thought provoking is the idea that using electrical motor assists may not be “pure bicycling”, and does that really matter. Here are a couple quotes: “Every innovation has its place and time. Some innovations happen before the market is ready for them and wither on the vine. Others miss the boat, being too late. Ross Evans’ Xtracycle was in the right place and time to help people in poorer areas of the world make more practical use of a bicycle – especially if the only alternative is traveling on foot. But in the late 1990‘s, the richer countries weren’t ready for this kind [...]]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/04/02/a-quiet-revolution-in-bicycles-recapturing-a-role-as-utilitarian-people-movers/feed/ 11 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/03/03/cars-bikes-and-trojan-horses/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/03/03/cars-bikes-and-trojan-horses/#comments Sat, 03 Mar 2012 18:22:21 +0000 John Brooking http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=14846 Question: What do the following two quotes have in common? Well-planned, well-designed, context-based streets are an integral part of a comprehensive transportation network that safely supports the needs of the communities and the traveling public, no matter how they are traveling. and The motor vehicle zone is generally considered the paved travel way of a street. Motor vehicle zone elements include the travel lanes, turn lanes and tapers, and channelized or striped pavement areas, and, in some circumstances, the gutter pans. Travel lanes are important for vehicular movement and capacity along a corridor. Answer: They are both from the June 2011 draft of the North Caroline DOT Complete Streets policy, pages 7 and 56, respectively. Here’s another quote from earlier on page 7: Even before the founding of the Interstate Highway System, transportation planning and design was focused on the safe movement of cars and trucks from point A to point B, alleviating bottlenecks along the way, and increasing access and capacity in response to increasing traffic. It didn’t matter whether the facility was an interstate highway, a freeway, a community main street, or a rural road, the automobile was an emerging mode of transportation and getting it from its [...]]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/03/03/cars-bikes-and-trojan-horses/feed/ 12 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/01/14/too-complicated/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/01/14/too-complicated/#comments Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:21:02 +0000 Eric http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=14517 I think I am on pretty safe ground when I say that eleven pages shouldn’t be necessary to explain a single, tiny aspect of traffic design to drivers. Yet, that is exactly how many pages the City of Minneapolis used when they published “Bike Lane Basics” complete with diagrams just in case the text doesn’t do it for you. Here are all the different types of bike lanes a driver is likely to encounter in Minneapolis. Nine different types of lanes. Nine different rules. Tons of ways to get a ticket. It gets better. At intersections, they have something called “shared space” where the cars are supposed to yield to a cylist on his right when making a turn. Yet, the cyclist is instructed to, “use caution and assume turning or merging motorists do not see you.” Gee, I wonder why they wouldn’t see you. After all, you are in the bike lane which is supposed to make you safe from those evil cars that are trying to kill you. I can assure you that motorists have absolutely no trouble seeing me when I am in the middle of the lane and crossing the intersection with the cars rather than [...]]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/01/14/too-complicated/feed/ 19 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/01/04/because-she-can/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/01/04/because-she-can/#comments Wed, 04 Jan 2012 23:45:35 +0000 Keri http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=14414 Here is a beautiful, poetic description of what makes The Dance work… and why it’s so easy for a self-assured woman. From the new blog, own the road: Role-models of distinction Confidence in their own status enables them to claim a share of the common land we call streets. They know they own the road. Their cheerful conduct is easy for others to interpret and react to. Before you can share something, you need to possess it. When you travel by bike owning the road is what allows you to be generous to those less fortunate or imaginative than yourself. Read the rest here.]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/01/04/because-she-can/feed/ 2 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/01/01/here-is-a-column-i-never-thought-i-would-read/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/01/01/here-is-a-column-i-never-thought-i-would-read/#comments Sun, 01 Jan 2012 16:51:14 +0000 Eric http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=14411 Not in my lifetime, anyway. From the “Road Warrior” column in the The Morning Call (Allentown, PA 12/29/11 by Dan Hartzell I have nothing to add.]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2012/01/01/here-is-a-column-i-never-thought-i-would-read/feed/ 5 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/11/24/1000-miles-the-victory-lap/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/11/24/1000-miles-the-victory-lap/#comments Thu, 24 Nov 2011 12:18:38 +0000 John Alexander http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=14134 Like most adults, I hadn’t ridden a bike in years. During a vacation to Mackinac Island in 2006, I rented a beach cruiser and took an eight mile ride around the perimeter of this “car free” getaway. After returning home, I researched bikes and selected an Electra Townie 7D. Not an electric bike, the “Electra Bicycle Company” is the manufacturer of this hybrid / comfort bicycle. I took it out for a spin now and then around the neighborhood; but unfortunately the bike stayed in the garage most of the time. In January, 2010 I received some news that was rather unsettling. I was informed that a tremor that in my left hand had been diagnosed as a symptom of Parkinson’s disease. It only seemed logical to make an effort to improve my level of fitness, so I began spending a bit more time on my bike. That was fun until I smacked my shoulder into a steel guard rail while attempting to make a sharp turn onto a narrow bridge. I told my neurologist about the accident and also shared the fact that narrow sidewalks made me uncomfortable. He recommended limiting my cycling to a stationary bike in a [...]]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/11/24/1000-miles-the-victory-lap/feed/ 4 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/10/18/central-park-in-fall/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/10/18/central-park-in-fall/#comments Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:45:33 +0000 John Alexander http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=13965 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. [...]]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/10/18/central-park-in-fall/feed/ 6 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/06/24/being-irrelevant/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/06/24/being-irrelevant/#comments Fri, 24 Jun 2011 12:37:51 +0000 Mighk http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=13123 I experienced a superb example this morning of how bike lanes can make cyclists irrelevant. Rosalind Avenue through downtown Orlando has a designated bike lane.  While it’s next to on-street parking, it is wide enough for a cyclist to stay out of the door zone, and in the morning there are very few cars parked there anyway.  Since Rosalind is one-way, there is no concern about left-cross conflicts and crashes. Relatively few motorists make right turns from Rosalind in the morning, as most of the large office buildings are on the left.  Still, I always keep an eye open for right-turners.  I’d have a very tough time making the case to a police officer or judge that staying in the bike lane at that time and place would put me at risk, and of course we now have a mandatory use law… As I approached Church Street this morning I saw a van coming up in my mirror, right turn signal flashing.  Seeing we would be reaching the intersection at about the same time, I placed all my attention on that vehicle.  The signal had been green a while, and wouldn’t be changing soon.  Moving out of the bike lane [...]]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/06/24/being-irrelevant/feed/ 24 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/05/24/who-wooda-thunkit/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/05/24/who-wooda-thunkit/#comments Tue, 24 May 2011 15:53:07 +0000 Eric http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=12908 So I open my Google News this morning and this headline catches my eye. Matt Reed: It’s time to let cyclists join traffic on Pineda Causeway I don’t think I have ever read anything like this in a newspaper before. Lacking a reasonable alternate route over the Indian River Lagoon, they risk tickets by disregarding a few small white signs that warn of a ban that makes no sense. Total bicycle fatalities on the four-mile span during 10 years, according to the state Department of Transportation: One (1). In 2002, a pair of 14-year-old boys were riding to the beach before dawn when they were run over by a drunken driver in a pickup truck. and  . . . To the press, people act like it doesn’t happen. But I watch it daily. The safety records say as much about today’s levelheaded drivers as it does the safe bicyclists. “We really don’t have any record of bike accidents on the Pineda,” said Leigh Holt, Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization program manager. So, by all means, let’s get on with a pilot project we already know will work. Did I get that right? Did he actually say that riding on a [...]]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/05/24/who-wooda-thunkit/feed/ 5 http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/04/29/this-wasnt-supposed-to-happen/ http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/04/29/this-wasnt-supposed-to-happen/#comments Fri, 29 Apr 2011 17:44:28 +0000 Rodney http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/?p=12509 Seriously! I didn’t intend to have a mindset change or get this involved.  All I wanted to do was ride my bicycle back and forth to work to save on fuel costs and ride for fun. My Beginning Flashback to my start, My Own Ignorance for those that may need the history.  This was a time of personal growth for me.   Bicycling  is fun, enjoyable, and liberating.  Finding the right people to show you how is the key element.  I’ve found quite a few here on this blog and more on many others.  What a GREAT community we have here on CommuteOrlando! There is an abundance of information to be had by surfing the internet or by simply asking.  Taking the initiative to overcome my perceived fear of cycling in the road, my self-education has helped me to gain a much better understanding of the dynamics of bicycle transport and created a lifestyle change for me. A Change in Thinking Being fortunate to work at the airport, I would ask coworkers to drop me at the terminal to catch a flight to visit my family in GA.  Having family working close to the Atlanta International Airport was great.  A ride [...]]]> http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2011/04/29/this-wasnt-supposed-to-happen/feed/ 1