Ride Boldly!

Bikes, bicycling, and road safety.

October 1, 2009
by julie
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Boosting Urban Bicycling

This month’s Scientific American has a very interesting article on how to boost urban bicycling. Their conclusion? Figure out what will get more women on bicycles!

The articles references comparisons between male/female bicycle trip ratios in the US (2:1) and in Germany and the Netherlands (close to 1:1). Referencing prior studies on gender roles, the article suggests that women are more risk averse, and generally responsible for a greater share of child care and household shopping – necessitating safe bicycle infrastructure that connects practical urban destinations. Most bike paths are intended for recreational use and don’t help with fetching household staples.

It’s an interesting article, and given the proportionality of male/female trips by bicycle in the US, one that is worthy of consideration by transit planners and urban designers.

September 3, 2009
by julie
Comments Off on Update on Bloomington Path Fatality

Update on Bloomington Path Fatality

The Star-Tribune has posted an article about the specific tunnel in which the recent bike path fatality in Bloomington occurred. A few points:

  • A curve and downhill leads up to the tunnel.
  • Prior accidents have occurred in or near the tunnel, although they have not necessarily been well-tracked by Three Rivers Park District.
  • Kids like to play in the tunnel.
  • The lane has a dashed line, not a solid, which suggests to people that using either lane is ok.

The issues with the sight lines leading to the tunnel is almost undoubtedly an engineering issue. But issues like kids playing in the tunnel on a bike path, and the discussion of making the lane line solid not dashed so people know to stay in the lane? Those aren’t engineering issues. I would argue those to be inherent issues of bicycle paths. People should KNOW to stay in their lane and use caution if needing to go around someone in their lane – this is just common sense. And of course kids like to play in tunnels. Tunnels are FUN. I suspect all the signage in the world isn’t going to change that tendency – or cause parents to police their kids much better.

I’ve said it 3.2 billion times: People want to act as those bicycle trails conform to different traffic rules than roads – and they do, in the sense that there are likely to be MORE hazards, rather than fewer. Lane placement and visibility remain key, as does bicycle control.

Knowing what I do of legal issues, I smell an upcoming lawsuit for facility deficiency leading to wrongful death, due to the engineering issues. But the bulk of issues identified in the Star-Tribune article aren’t engineering issues – they’re just reality.

September 1, 2009
by julie
1 Comment

Bike Path Fatality in Bloomington

I’ve said repeatedly that bike paths are not the magical safety zone that many would believe them to be. We have a tragic example of that from Bloomington, Minnesota, today. MPR reports a bicycle-related fatality as two cyclists collided head-on at a tunnel intersection on a bike path near 86th and Bush Lake Road.

MPR focuses on the helmets, but this really isn’t about helmets. Even the most strident and yelping helmet advocate will admit (if forced) that helmets are not magical. They help, certainly, in the event of impact, but they’re still plastic and styrofoam.

A more important factor in this accident, I think, is that one rider came out of their lane while turning, creating the head-on situation. Head-on crashes – whether cars or bikes or anything else – have greater consequences than rear-end collisions, because both objects have momentum towards each other. This is elementary physics.

I don’t know this tunnel well, and don’t know if there’s really design flaw or if it was user error. Following rules of lane usage – on roads and on trails – is really critical for the safety of all users of a throughway.

My sympathy goes out to the family of the victim, as well as to the other rider involved.

August 27, 2009
by julie
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Keys To Family-Friendly Routes

While I don’t have a lot of experience in the topic, I think regular exposure is one of the keys to bringing up a child to like being outdoors and to like cycling. I am attempting to test this on my own child, who is really the child of two cyclists – so perhaps there’s pre-bias in our favor, I don’t know.

Right now, the littlest cyclist rides in a trailer. He gets a bit bigger, we may use a child seat for a while before graduating to tag-a-longs and eventually a tandem. With any of these options, I think routing is a key to making the experience good for parent and child. here are key elements I’d want in any route used for family cycling:

    zonk

  • Reasonable distance: Distance is both a factor of parental fitness (especially with a trailer!) and child willingness. Know your kid, and plan accordingly. Toddlers require input and diversion. This can either be built in as stops to allow for longer mileage, or shorter mileage can be planned to accommodate the kiddo.

  • Destination/Rest stop: As above, where will you be stopping? With a toddler, a chance to play and run about a little is nearly essential. Ice cream or a tasty snack – either carried along or purchased on route – is also a big plus. My kid loves the ice cream stops – a genetic predisposition, to be sure.

  • Terrain: With any sort of extended trailer, trail-a-bike, etc., be sure to avoid anything especially technical. The idea of taking the downhill next to Fort Snelling, which is steep and has a sharp left turn at the bottom? Just say no. If the kid is an active participant, ease into hills.
  • Timing: We like to time rides such that they coincide with Natty’s nap. The gentle rhythm of the trailer puts him straight into zonk-zone.

This last weekend we rode 18 miles, mostly via trail or trail-option routing. We stopped at DQ. It was flat and shady, and Natty got Blizzard and hot fudge. Happiness.

Ice Cream Sundae – 18 miles (jpg)

July 3, 2009
by julie
1 Comment

July 4 by Bike

As you light up your bike and make your way to fireworks via two wheels, a few gentle reminders:

  • Motorists trying to leave fireworks tend to be cranky about the traffic.

  • The Stone Arch Bridge is closed to bicycles during the fireworks and after.
  • Traffic patterns and bicycle routing near Harriet Island in St. Paul will be odd, and they usually close part of the river path for fireworks.

Get some friends and go down to the Big Rivers Trail near the confluence, sez me. You can watch fireworks from about 6 shows there, and it’s quieter for the escape.