Ride Boldly!

Bikes, bicycling, and road safety.

July 15, 2008
by julie
Comments Off on Mythbusting by the Minneapolis Police

Mythbusting by the Minneapolis Police

In a move that may surprise some, the Minneapolis police department put out a press release concerning bicycle myths. Naturally, I can’t find it (or any recent public relations) on the City website, but the Star-Tribune‘s Roadguy reprints it en toto: Bikes vs. cars: Here’s what the police say

I’ve found that the city police (both Minneapolis and Saint Paul) are very aware of the traffic rules as they apply to cyclists. When cleaning up an accident on Summit Avenue once, I had a Saint Paul police officer lament the poorly designed bike lane (which was a direct contributor to the injury accident in question; I was not the accident victim but a witness).

If only some of the suburban departments would learn from them. But that’s a different lament for another day.

June 27, 2008
by julie
Comments Off on Fake Speed Bumps For Traffic Calming

Fake Speed Bumps For Traffic Calming

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are trying a new tactic to discourage speeding and calm traffic in some corridors: Fake speed bumps.

The optical illusion is described as “a flat piece of blue, white and orange plastic that is designed to look like a 3-D pyramid from afar when applied to the pavement.” There is a claim that they require little maintenance after application, but none of the tests have been run in places like Buffalo or Minneapolis, where winter is rough on roads and road markings.

I have no idea how the illusion varies from different vehicular cockpit positions, or from a bicycle of any kind.

It is also noted that as motorists realize the fake bump is there, the calming effect wears off for regular users of a route. Still, NTHSA are continuing tests, because they require no engineering and are really cheap, thus I have a feeling they really want to see data that justifies using them.

June 24, 2008
by julie
Comments Off on Winona Bridge is falling down, falling down…

Winona Bridge is falling down, falling down…

Sing it with me, everyone!

City of Winona has put up some close-up shots of decaying gusset plates in action on the MN43 bridge over the Mississippi River. Closing the sidewalk is clearly justified by these images.

Clickable for detail:

There are several others on the City of Winona web site.

However, bikes STILL don’t belong on sidewalks, so they STILL could easily be allowed in the traffic lane. The bridge was never signed that bicycles could only use the sidepath (like on the Mendota Bridge of MN55), and MN43 was never a prohibited route (like most interstate highways). The restriction on cyclists appears to be a categorization failure – those making this rule are classifying bicyclists with pedestrians as sidewalk users, rather than as vehicles making shared use of the road as permitted under Minnesota Statute 169.222.

June 23, 2008
by julie
Comments Off on Beware Cars With Bumper Stickers – Study

Beware Cars With Bumper Stickers – Study

A study from Colorado State University suggests that drivers who personalize their cars – think bumper stickers, air fresheners, personalized plates, hula girls on the dashboard – are more prone to road rage. While bicyclists should always watch the traffic around them, this may provide another clue to prompt defensive vehicular cycling behaviors.

The personalization is considered a territorial marker. Boundaries between the personal space and the public space occur. As a result, these drivers are more prone to defend their right-of-way, and are far more prone to name-calling, tailgating, getting out of the vehicle to argue or using their car to block or ram another.

The study also says that it doesn’t matter WHAT the personalization is – so even people who have Wellstone stickers or ‘SLOW DOWN – Respect People & Neighborhoods!’ stickers are potential road ragers.

I can’t say I’m surprised by this, given that I’ve experienced having a hybrid with world peace stickers try to run me off the road near the U of M.