Davis California

While out west, Quint and I took in a trip to Davis, California. Davis has the highest bike tranportation rate of the nation (25%). We had to check it out. We weren't disappointed.

They had everything needed to encourage people to bike. They had picturesque bike paths:

Where there were highways they built overpaths: and under paths:

Some intersections were so busy the count could be as much as 1000 bicycles PER HOUR! To faciltate all that bike traffic they got creative. Here is a bike roundabout:

And special bike lights:

Bike parking lots were full:

Not detail was over looked. Scattered around town were bike air stations.

It was totally amazing. We went to Sacramento from Davis, riding on a bikeway alongside the interstate the whole way. Living there, it might be possible to never get in a car.

Which makes me wonder why the biking rate isn't higher then 25%. It is very flat out there, almost always sunny weather, doesn't get too cold in winter, and as the Bike director told us, most people live within four miles of town. It is easy to ride bikes to surrounding towns,(Sacramento was only 11 miles away on totaly flat bikeway) and there are trains for furthur commute.

With all the encouragement with facilities and perfect terrain, I would think bike ridership would be up to 75%. I would love to talk to a car driver there and ask why the car? Almost all the reasons that people here give are not valid out there.

Even though the ridership is not as high as the conditions seggest they could be, it was still good to see bike numbers totally unimagined here. I would love to see a 25% ridership here!

Davis

Hills of San Francisco

I tried to prepare for the hills of San Fancisco. For those who saw me riding around with big jugs of water in my panniers, I wasn't being crazy. I was trying to get in shape. I would load my bike down and go home by way of Missionary Ridge. Surely there couldn't be anything steeper then Oak Street going up the side of the ridge.

So what did my training get me? This is me on the first hill I came to in San Francisco:

Yep, that is me pushing up the hill. I got into the city, having been met by Quint who had biked down from Portland, Oregon and we had to get something to eat first. We found a wonderful place called the Stinking Rose, where they serve a little bit of food with garlic. I thought it was impossible to eat too much garlic.

But hitting the hill immediately after garlic gouging, I found out different. At this point, I am starting to wonder if I was going to throw up. I didn't. And that was the only hill I pushed up. But that queasy feeling from climbing a hill immediately after eating was repeated frequently through out our stay in San Francisco.

Good food, steep hills and stomach turnover- the three together will always say San Francisco to me!

Watch out!

I am going to tell on Jim Farmer.

I was going to work the other day going down Tremont, when a car, pulling out of a parking lot, pulled out right in front of me. I had to hit my brakes to keep from hitting it. Luckily, I wasn't going too fast.
I caught up with the car in the traffic stop ahead and looked inside. Who should it be? Jim Farmer, his biker self! And he was even coming out of the bike shop parking lot1

I knocked on his window and he rolled it down "Hey, Colleen, how are you doing?"

"Well, I'm fine, considering you pulled out right in front of me."

"Hey, I didn't see you!"

"Yeah, that's the point."

Jim got a look of horror on his face. "You mean I really did pull out in front of you?"

I took that look as an apology. Jim was horrified that he had pulled out in front of a cyclist. But it was a reminder. Even the best intentioned of us can get into our little world and not pay attention. As we go through this high cycling season, watch out for bicycles!

Bike2Work

Bike2Work continues Friday, June 6th7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. at the Walnut Street Square, south end of the Walnut Street Bridge at the First Street Steps and Holmberg Bridge. Join us for breakfast from Out of the Blue Cafe and Greenlife Grocery, and special prizes courtesy of Owen Cyclery.

Bike2Work is the best deal around! And it is free! Just show up on your bike! Have a great time while you get a little exercise and save some gas money. Why wouldn't you want to come?

Here are some pictures from last month's Bike2Work:

The Martians are coming!

This group has been some of our most faithful and long term supporters

Kenny and kids

Developing good habits

Jimmy enjoying the great

breakfast from Out of the Blue

Ben hanging up his bike. What a lot of bikes!




Our neighborhood bike policeman, Officer Keith. Even the police are are bicycles!

Linda Bennet, city council member. She has been a long time supporter of Bike2Work. We need more like her!

For Whom the Bell Tolls

The bells start ringing and I am only on Georgia Ave. If I don't hurry I will be late. In my morning bike ride I go through the UTC campus and if my timing is right, I am serenaded by a recording of bells ringing out the alma mater. If I am hitting the chained barrier (it still has not been changed, see Yellow Tape Wars or My Small Act of Civil Disobedience post) at the start of this music accompaniment, I know I will arrive on time to work. But being on Georgia Avenue when it starts or even worse, too late to catch it at all, I know I am going to be late. Great time to see how I can fly on the bike!

For Whom the Bell tolls,? It tolls for me telling me I better get a move on to work!

Thar' She Blows!

Anyone outside last Sunday was treated to a wind here in Chattanooga that is rarely felt, at least not without a horrendous storm accompanying it. What a day for kite flying! And what a day for bike riding!

All was manageable until I was crossing Market Street Bridge and suddenly if found myself in a wrestling match. A large, invisible hand was pushing me, pushing me right into the curb. I was refusing to go! Back and forth, the wresting match continued. At times it seemed I would win but many times I knew I was going into the curb and tripping onto the sidewalk. At times it was strong enough I envisioned myself being taken right over the side railing and into the river.

But suddenly, at times during this match, that malevolent hand turned benevolent and ceased its attempt in pushing me over the side and instead pushed me ahead. Wheee! What a feeling! I know if biking always felt that way people would be paying for a chance to do it.

But before I could take that wonderful ride for granted, that hand would turn malevolent again. Wrestling time again! There I was alternately wrestling the wind and riding the wind all across the bridge.

What an adventure!

Early Morning Ride

Once a week I have to be at work at 6:00 in the morning and it is on these mornings that are my favorite ride in. Its very peaceful leaving my house at 5:30, Its dark, its quiet, its traffic free! I encounter few cars.

People complain to me. sometimes to my face and sometimes by the rude honking they do as they pass me, that they feel greatly inconvenienced by the couple of seconds that it takes to pass me safely. Heads up, people! It's cars that slow you down. Think how often you have to stop for traffic. Even I, going less then 20 miles an hour on my bike have to slow down and wait on cars. These mornings I ride in early my commute time is 20% shorter.

Not only is it faster to get around without cars getting in the way, it is much quieter. During the morning ride in I am accompanied the whole way by the songs of those early birds. It is music to my ears. It is a joy in life that everybody should have on a regular basis. But how do you convince people to get out and out'tem early but not in a car?

Imagine the ride-dark(of course you would have many lights on your bikes), sounds muted, few other souls out, and only an occasional car. Because of the light traffic, you are hitting stoplights in your favor. It is possible to get completely across town without taking your foot off the pedal. Its too early to have many formed thoughts, so your mind is still, just taking in information from all your senses. Ah, the smell of honeysuckles! The moon is a striking sliver crescent this morning. And accompanying you the whole way are the joyous sound of the birds greeting the morning.

There can't be a better way of starting the day!


This morning is Bike2Work. I hope to see you there! I will post pictures next week.

Dogwood Heaven

I was slowly making my way of a hill yesterday when a gentle breeze stirred through the trees. Suddenly I was in a swirl of dancing white petals from the dogwood tree on the side of the road. For a moment I was in the clouds! Seeing all white with touches of pink. It was beautiful! It was transcendent! It was...aargh... gagg..hack, hack! It was a petal blowing in my mouth and getting caught in my throat! By the time I got that cleared away the moment was over. But, I have that moment in my memory.

War Is Over!

Once the adventure with the yellow tape at UTC's Oak Street Walkway was over(see April 1, Yellow Tape Wars entry ), I started to really think about the issue of the blockage of pedestrian and bike traffic. Something seriously had to be done. So I decided to go straight to the top-I wrote an e-mail to Chancellor Roger Brown.
Today I got a reply. Judged by the e-mail path that was shown on this e-mail, my e-mail was forwarded to the appropriate department head, a meeting was held, and a solution was decided upon. The e-mail informed me of the impending implementation of the solution and I was asked for my feed back when it was completed.
WOW! I should write more often about things that bother me. No telling what problems can be solved! I am looking forward to the fixing of this problem. And I have to commend UTC for their responsiveness.
Though I still have to wonder why they were not able to see the problem until it was pointed out.

Left-hook, Right-hook

This morning an incident happened that I think is an indication that motorists in Chattanooga are trying to become more considerate but sometimes just totally don't get it.
I was coming down McCallie Avenue as usual, riding in the bike safe and legally allowed place of about 4 feet from the curb. As I was on a slight down hill, I was moving at a pretty good clip. But it wasn't fast enough for the driver of the white minivan behind me, who impatiently left hooked into the other lane to gun past me. Nothing unusual in that. There are always the drivers that act insulted that they have to make an adjustment for bicycles.
But this driver did a sudden right hook back into the lane for a right turn. Again this happens sometimes. This maneuver is dreaded by all cyclists and is probably the number one cause of bicycle/car accidents. Its the reason the Quick Right Turn defense move is taught in cycling safety classes. And the reason for bike placement of away from the curb.
But the driver suddenly turned polite and considerate to me. She slams on the brakes to stop in the middle of her right hook and then patiently waits for me to go by,blocking traffic in both lanes. Of course, by this time I was very wary of her. She had me trapped into forcing me to pass her on the right side, setting myself up to be creamed if she decided to change her mind. Not a very comforting situation! So I slowed down to allow response time to any more moves on her part as I passed her in the narrow passage she allowed me.
As I passed her, I wagged my finger at her to let her know that what she did was a no-no, Noticed I said I wagged my finger at her, I didn't give her the finger. I try to always be civil in my dealings with drivers. And I have to say she was being quite civil in her rudeness to me.
Which probably made my admonishment confusing. She probably thought I was telling her it was wrong to politely wait on me. I hope she was aware enough to know the left-hook, right-hook maneuver was the one I was telling her no to. What do you think?