Ride Boldly! » bike to work week

Good Question on WCCO – What Are Minnesota’s Bike Laws?

julie — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:12:01 +0000

Last night’s Good Question on WCCO was about bicycle law. I and a member of the Minneapolis Bicycle Ambassadors spoke to WCCO on the topic.

The coverage is pretty reasonable (although they did spell my name wrong online, ooga booga). It hit two of the things I emphasized, although some of the quote was me, some from the BA, and some from the reporter — bikes are legal on the roads, and the 3-foot-passing rule.

There is also good emphasis on the importance of riding/driving predictably, which is another thing I mentioned in my interview, although that footage was not used.

My classic post on the core Minnesota bicycle statute (169.222) remains accurate today for the legal responsibilities of cyclists. Several additional statutes also apply, but 169.222 hits most of the high points.

And for anyone interested in learning more road skills, the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota offers a variety of educational bicycle courses based on the League of American Bicyclists curriculum, and are a good resource to find other quality courses.

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Bike to Work Day Safety Tips

julie — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 02:30:26 +0000

Thursday is Bike to Work Day in Minneapolis, and whether it’s your first time bike commuting or you’re a regular, here are some tips to make your commute safer:

Try to pick streets with reasonable speed limits of 20-35 mph when possible, with a wide lane or dedicated bicycle infrastructure like a bike lane. On faster roads, look for a good shoulder or an extra-wide lane.
Stop at stop signs. Bikers who are seen blowing stop signs give all of us a bad name. Knockitoff, ‘kay?
Signal your turns. This is typically done left-handed, for greatest motorist visibility.
Avoid getting to the right of a right turning car when you’re planning to go straight in those tricky Straight-Right Turn Option lanes.
Wear visible clothing. Reflective strips may not be on the runways in Milan, but hospital gowns are really un-chic. Bright colors are also a good plan.
If you’re planning a maiden voyage tomorrow, check your bike out before you go. Is the chain tight, the tires inflated, the seatpost raised so that you get full leg extension when pedaling? Yeah, get that all done. If you miss Bike to Work Day tomorrow, you can declare another one any time you want, and it’s more fun with a functional bicycle.
Have a plan. Do you sweat? Do your coworkers not want to smell you? Have a plan for how you’ll make yourself pleasant and office-appropriate. (Seriously, even in casual offices, people don’t like you if you smell.)
Don’t use your phone or text while riding. Sheesh.

The League of American Bicyclists offers additional sage advice for riding better. The Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota often offer various courses throughout Minnesota to encourage Minnesotans to have fun on their bikes.

There are several events for Bike to Work Day tomorrow, with celebrations at REI Bloomington for Bloomington strip commuters, Hennepin County Center in downtown Minneapolis, and Rice Park in Saint Paul. These are several additional celebration locations for smaller events noted on the Bike Walk Week web site.

WCCO To Cover Bicycle Safety

julie — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 22:29:59 +0000

Tonight’s Good Question with Jason Derusha on WCCO News at 10 will be on the subject of bicycle safety, specifically the laws for bicycle-car interaction.

I will be a part of the segment, talking about bike laws and bicycle safety. Given my feelings about media coverage of bicycles, this is a moment in which I’m trying to do the right thing and make the coverage better. I gave an extended interview, which will be chopped down to fit the segment. Jason will also be talking to a Minneapolis police officer.

I’ll share a recap after it airs.

Nice Ride MN Announces New Station Locations

julie — Fri, 20 May 2011 14:10:20 +0000

To cap off 2011 Bike to Work Week, Nice Ride MN has announced the locations of 40 new bike-share stations to be located in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

A printable map of station locations is available online, along with an interactive online map that offers real-time information about station status, and, when open, bike availability.

Key new stations include several stops in North and Northeast Minneapolis — currently not well served by the network — as well as the Lake Street YMCA and light rail station. Funded stations in St. Paul will be near several of the colleges in St. Paul — Concordia, University of St. Thomas, Macalester College and Hamline, plus along Marshall Avenue and Summit/Grand, and several stations near/on University Avenue. The perky press release claims that “if you want to avoid congestion during the Central Corridor construction, Nice Ride will get you to your University Avenue destination fast!” but let’s all view that as publicity propaganda, because no one is getting anywhere on University fast via any mode of transport for some time. (Also, bring a breathing mask for the construction dust, gak.)

As expected, projected future St. Paul Nice Ride stations focus on downtown, the Macalester-Groveland area, and the Highland area. Aside from projected stations at the University of Minnesota St. Paul campus, stations are not presently planned for the Como and Phalen areas or Indian Mounds/Battle Creek, let alone the wilds of the North Side. Presumably in the longer term the park areas will be connected into the system, particularly Como.

It is good to watch this network expand, and it is to be hoped that future stations continue to reach into diverse neighborhoods and education centers.

May 11-15 is National Bike to Work Week

julie — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:00:45 +0000

Well, really, all of May is National Bike Month. May 11-15 is National Bike to Work week.

Your area may have events planned. Minneapolis-St. Paul are events are listed at http://www.bikewalkweek.org/.

However, if you’re thinking about using the week as an attempt to try biking to work yourself, start planning now.

Some questions to consider:

What route might be safest/most effective for your cyclecommute? Check out a few options in the next week or so. How’s the shoulder? Traffic volume? Intersections and crossings?
What’s your situation at work in regards to dress code? Some people find stocking their cube/office with a few changes into office-appropriate clothing keeps their baggage light for the bike commute, and can be done once a week or on days when driving is unavoidable for whatever reason.
Do you have other necessities to pull it off? May is a month of good light, but you might still wish to consider riding with a lightset, just in case. Do you have wipes or makeup or whatever else would be bueno to make you not an odor burden on your work plans?
What are your obligations? You might be able to get away with blocking early hours now on a date you want to try a first commute, so you don’t accidentally miss a morning meeting, piss off your boss, and end up never cycling to work again because you are a bum with a bike and no job.

Plan ahead, be safe, and be successful!

Bike 2 Benefits

julie — Thu, 15 May 2008 11:55:22 +0000

In honor of Ride to Work Week, which I am missing by not being at work and thus not riding there, I present up the new Metro Transit Bike 2 Benefits program. Commit to biking to work or transit once a week for 8 weeks before year-end, and they’ll give you a nice bike map, a personalized commuting route, and a reflective ankle strap.

They’ll also enter you for faboo prizes. If you commute more than the 8 times/8 weeks, there’s apparently more benefits available, but Metro Transit is vague.

5/18: Twin Cities Bike/Walk to Work

julie — Wed, 16 May 2007 17:23:07 +0000

The 2007 Commuter Challenge is on May 18th — this coming Friday.

One thing I always find aggravating about these events can be summed up in these two sentences from the promotional web site:

Bicycle parking will be provided for Twin Cities Bike/Walk to Work participants.
Bicycles parked at these racks must be picked up by 6:00p.m., Friday, May 18th.

That’s no way to promote doing this consistently. It’s very hard to state that this is a sustainable choice for an individual when a key facility to support the activity is only available one day of 365.

Generally, I’m very supportive of bike to work programs. I wish I could bike to work, but I don’t know that there’s any route to here that’s not uphill in both directions and 40 miles each way to boot.

Bike to Work Week 2007

julie — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 22:28:46 +0000

Bike to Work week is scheduled for May 14-18 nationally. Many communities have a specific day in which they encourage or celebrate cycle commuting.

However, it’s easy to cycle commute in May. Here in Minnesota, we’ve received 10-14 inches of snow in the last two days. With that in mind, I’d like to salute both the well-equipped guy on a mountain bike with tire chains I saw this morning on the roads, and the guy on the rusty 10-speed tentatively navigating the sidewalks on East 7th Street, Saint Paul.

Those guys both get full credit for dedication and need. It’s easy for we the spandex-clad and well-equipped to forget the people who need to cycle commute based on finances or legal issues (lack of ID, DUI conviction, etc.). Work for cycling-friendly communities benefits these ‘hidden’ workers of our economy just as much as it does families out for ice cream on a sunny summer Sunday, or the die-hards who will ride in any weather by choice, not necessity.