Bikeboard September 2007

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9 participants
22 discussions

Interesting Article - What can you do with an MPO
by director 28 Sep '07

28 Sep '07

Good afternoon, I came across this article on one of the lists I read.... http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070927/NRSTAFF/7092… It's about the education and planning efforts of Greensboro, NC residents and their MPO to increase bike/pedestrian transportation through "Share the Road" education. They specifically mention that their roadbuilding is underfunded so they need to reduce motor vehicle use to live within the available resources. Nick

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Road I
by Frank Gmeindl 28 Sep '07

28 Sep '07

Bicycle Board Members, Starting Saturday, October 20 and every Saturday through the winter, I will be delivering the League of American Bicyclists Effective Cycling Road I course 8:00 - 10:00 am in the Training Room at the Morgantown Public Safety Center at the corner of Spruce and Walnut. The complete Road I course takes approximately 9 hours. Therefore, I will be delivering the course in 3 week cycles. The class consists of lecture, parking lot exercises and road work. After each session, anyone who wants can join in a ride who's route, pace, etc. will depend on the participants and the weather. I have the training room reserved until 2 pm every Saturday so we can leave our civies there until we return from the ride. To register or for additional information, call me on me at 304-376-0446 or send me an e-mail: fgmeindl(a)verizon.net. The fee is $10/session. Every single penny of the fee goes to Effective Cycling Education in the Morgantown area. At the end of each year, any unused revenue will be returned to the participants. The last Sat-Sun class is Oct 13-14. To register for it, call BOPARC at 304-296-8356. Frank

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Next Thursday's BB meeting
by Frank Gmeindl 27 Sep '07

27 Sep '07

Bicycle Board Members, Next Thursday, 4-Oct is our next regular meeting. By this Sunday night, please send me items that you would like put on the agenda. Please include topic, discussion leader, desired outcome of the discussion and the amount of time required. Frank

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September Bike Board Meeting Minutes
by Elizabeth Shogren 26 Sep '07

26 Sep '07

Attached, please find the minutes for the September meeting of the Bike Board. Thank you, and have a nice day further, BETSY SHOGREN

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Re: [Bikeboard] Funny bike safety posters (that I wouldn't recommend using)
by director 24 Sep '07

24 Sep '07

Frank, Gunnar, I was walking past the Augusta Square apartments (on Willow Run) last Wednesday and noticed the striped lane. I only saw the word "bike" in one rather unnoticeable location so I consoled myself that it looks like the striped lanes on all the other streets which are NOT bike lanes. Have they put in any more markings? I haven't gotten around to riding up Willow Run yet so I haven't noticed. Nick ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: "gunn4r Shogren" <gshogren(a)gmail.com> Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 22:29:35 -0400 >Where's the Augusta? > >On 9/23/07, Frank Gmeindl <fgmeindl(a)verizon.net> wrote: >> Nick, >> >> Those are great! They make a good point and the humor seems weirdly >> appropriate. >> >> I was in Pittsburgh all this week and had an opportunity to walk down >> Liberty Avenue from Bloomfield. That's the stretch upon which the City >> put the bike lanes. Further up the hill through Bloomfield and >> Friendship Hill is where they put the bike-and-chevron markings without >> striping them in. >> >> Here's the layout for the bike lanes: >> >> Total roadway width: 36 feet >> Right hand bike lane stripe distance from curb: 6 feet >> Left hand bike lane strip distance from curb: 10 feet. Bike lane width: >> 4 feet. (Note: 10 + 4 = 14 = wide lane!) >> Remaining motor lane width: 8 feet. >> >> That stretch of Liberty Avenue is a straight hill all the way down to >> Penn Avenue. Achieving speeds of 35 mph just coasting down on your bike >> is easy. There is a bike lane on both sides of the road. Cars park on >> both sides of the road. The bike lanes are right in the door zones! >> That's almost tolerable on the up hill where cyclists can't go fast. >> However, when I saw the bike lane on the downhill side, I cringed. >> While I was walking down the hill, I saw 3 cyclists come up the bike >> lane. One, following a bus, got hemmed in behind it and cars on his >> left at every bus stop. I watched him speed up and then have to wait at >> every intersection until the bus let out and took on passengers and then >> moved on. Without the bike lane, the cyclist could have been in the >> roadway and proceeded on his merry way. >> >> As I walked along, I didn't see a cyclist coming down the hill and I was >> relieved. Then, as I was about to cross the street at a corner, it >> happened. A college age kid on a mountain bike with a book bag on his >> back came cruising down the hill in the bike lane. I'd guess he was >> going about 25 mph. A big car came from a side street (37th) to the >> intersection, slowed down, looked both ways, and pulled out right in the >> path of the cyclist. I could see that he didn't see the cyclist coming >> from his left because the cyclist was in the bike lane and obscured by >> parked cars. If he had been out in the lane, he might have been seen. >> My heart was in my throat. Fortunately, the kid's reflexes were good. >> He locked up the rear brake and slid a good 20 feet and would have hit >> the car if the car hadn't cleared the bike lane by the time the cyclist >> slid into the intersection. I was impressed that he didn't go down. In >> my opinion, the bike lane caused that catastrophe and had the cyclist >> hit the car, the City of Pgh was liable. >> >> BTW, who's seen the new bike lane in front of the Augusta? I'm >> wondering how that got there when we've been waiting since February to >> see a bike-and-chevron appear on any Morgantown street. >> >> Frank >> >> director wrote: >> > Good evening, >> > I came across these links on one of the HPV forums where I lurk. They are probably funny to a NYC sense of humor, but I also think they drive home the perils of bike lanes. My own preference is that we campaign for 14ft wide curb lanes, these can be paid for with regular road funds and would probably garner support from all road-users. >> > >> > http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/poster2.pdf >> > >> > http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/poster1.pdf >> > >> > Nick Hein >> > >> > >> > >> > _______________________________________________ >> > Bikeboard mailing list >> > Bikeboard(a)cheat.org >> > http://cheat.org/mailman/listinfo/bikeboard >> > >> > >> > >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Bikeboard mailing list >> Bikeboard(a)cheat.org >> http://cheat.org/mailman/listinfo/bikeboard >> >

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PSAs
by Frank Gmeindl 24 Sep '07

24 Sep '07

Bicycle Board Members, A friend sent me this link http://www.bikemaine.org/share_the_road.htm to Maine Public Service Announcements with the theme: Same Roads, Same Rules, Same Rights. I wonder if we could get our state bicycle coordinator to support something like this. Watching them myself, I found them educational. Frank

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Wednesday night
by Frank Gmeindl 24 Sep '07

24 Sep '07

Bicycle Board Members, This Wednesday night at 7:00 PM, I will be leading a 1-hour talk with the Morgantown Multi-Sport club at the WVU Recreation Center. Attached are the notes that I will use. For those of you who haven't taken the Road I course yet, this is an opportunity to get a preview since the attached material is from the Road I course. The Morgantown Multi-Sport club organizes the annual Morgantown half-iron man triathlon as well as other triathlons. This could also present an opportunity for Bicycle Board members to form some alliances with members of another like-minded and influential group in Morgantown. The meeting is free and open to the public. Although it will be dark by the time the indoor meeting is over, if people bring their bikes, we can ride over to the Prete Building parking lot and practice some of the crash avoidance maneuvers that we will discuss in the meeting. Frank

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Funny bike safety posters (that I wouldn't recommend using)
by director 23 Sep '07

23 Sep '07

Good evening, I came across these links on one of the HPV forums where I lurk. They are probably funny to a NYC sense of humor, but I also think they drive home the perils of bike lanes. My own preference is that we campaign for 14ft wide curb lanes, these can be paid for with regular road funds and would probably garner support from all road-users. http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/poster2.pdf http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/poster1.pdf Nick Hein

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Re: [Bikeboard] Bike-share programs
by director 22 Sep '07

22 Sep '07

Jonathan, To be honest, my aspiration is to be director of vehicle research at Positive Spin. This would be a demotion from my current position as director, but it's a sacrifice I'd make gladly :-) Until that time I'm happy to provide information for the WVU committee. I don't feel like I've been a very effective committee member in any other capacity. Nick ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: Jonathan Rosenbaum <freesource(a)cheat.org> Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 00:22:07 -0400 >I saw this approach when I was doing research about bicycle libraries >about a month ago. This is a good example of why Morgantown and WVU >should work together. I imagine implementing a program like this would >not come cheaply. On the other hand, WVU's engineering departments >could utilize research grants to develop a similar system which could >become the next PRT type program for Morgantown. > >Nick, so are you interested in helping with the WVU Committee, or are >you still set on becoming the Bicycle Coordinator for WVU/Morgantown? > >Jonathan > >director wrote: >> Good morning, >> I came across this article this morning and I've asked the author if I could plagiarize it to draft a letter to our local authorities making a similar proposal. However, I have 2 questions... >> >> 1) Who should I send it to? >> I'm considering the Dominion Post, Daily Atheneum, MPO and traffic commission >> >> 2) Who should I send it as? >> Should I sign it as a concerned citizen, director of Positive Spin or Bicycle Board member? All of the above? >> >> I'd also appreciate any help in drafting it. I'd like to get it done this weekend before the user fee projects are finalized. Ideas, assistance? >> >> Thanks, >> Nick Hein >> >> >> ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- >> From: Ralph Fertig <sb-ralph(a)cox.net> >> Date: Thu, 20 Sep 2007 20:08:11 -0700 >> >> ========== >> The South Coast Needs Bikes! >> Santa Barbara Can Learn from European Cities >> >> By Ralph Fertig, president of the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition. >> Thursday, September 20, 2007 >> >> Last July 15, Parisians woke up to find 10,600 new bicycles available >> throughout the city for their use. The public/private initiative was >> crafted by Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë to propel the city toward a >> greener future. >> >> Where did this innovative program come from and what does it mean for us? >> Specifically, how might the South Coast benefit from a similar program? >> Judging from the success of programs already in Europe, it would reduce >> our traffic congestion, cut pollution, promote fitness, and be a popular >> means of travel for residents and visitors alike. How can we lose? >> >> Throughout Paris, there are bicycle stations every 300 yards. Each >> station has an electronic vending kiosk with instructions in eight >> languages. Using your credit card at the kiosk, you get a bike card to >> swipe over one of the waiting bicycles to release it. When you return >> your bike, you lock it into a smart post that identifies you, the >> bicycle, plus where and when the bike was rented. If you exceed your free >> 30 minutes, it bills your credit card. Diagnostic software automatically >> checks tire pressure, gears, lights, and brakes. If a bike fails the >> tests, it¹s locked out of service and a mechanic is directed to it. >> >> The bicycles are a custom design. Each one has a low step-through frame, >> adjustable seat height, roller brakes, always-on front and rear dynamo >> lights, front wire basket, three-speed hub gears, chain guard, cable >> lock, puncture-resistant tires with reflective sidewalls, and a kickstand >> that lifts the bike off its rear wheel. Every part of the bike has >> security bolts that require special tools to undo. >> >> Paris is joining other cities with new-generation bicycle rental >> services. They include Lyon, Stockholm, Vienna, Seville, Brussels, >> Barcelona, Córdoba, Singapore, and Copenhagen. >> >> Two years ago, Lyon, France, initiated a bike program similar to the one >> in Paris. They have 4,000 bicycles at 175 locations. The average number >> of rides per day is 15,000. Office workers account for 40 percent of the >> rentals. Ninety percent of all journeys on bikes last fewer than 30 >> minutes, which means they¹re free. Users who opt to keep them longer >> incur charges. Bikes which aren¹t returned within 24 hours are billed to >> the user¹s credit card, in the amount of 150 Euros. >> >> Lyon¹s Deputy Mayor Jean-Louis Touraine reported that bicycle use has >> increased 30 percent since the program began. At the same time, >> automobile traffic has declined by 4 percent, reversing Lyon¹s previous >> 1-3 percent annual increase in motor vehicle use. For those now renting >> bikes, 55 percent said they are driving less than before. The program has >> eliminated 3,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions during the past two >> years, and air quality has improved. Touraine observed that ³we¹re >> finding a city that is more humane, more convivial, less dangerous, less >> stressful, and less polluted.² >> >> So what is happening in the U.S.? As American cities contend with growing >> traffic congestion, they¹re paying attention and moving to adopt similar >> bicycle programs. Washington, D.C., will have rental bikes available >> later this year. Last month, Portland, Oregon, sent out a ³request for >> proposal² for a bicycle rental system of 500 bikes. New York, Chicago, >> and San Francisco are also investigating the possibilities of such a >> program. >> >> So why not do this on the South Coast? Campers at Carpinteria State Beach >> could bike into town. UCSB students could bike to the airport, Amtrak >> station, or Camino Real Marketplace. Campus visitors could use the bikes >> to get around without cars. Santa Barbara workers could pedal to >> restaurants for lunch, and tourists could go from hotels to popular >> destinations without adding to traffic. >> >> How would we pay for it? Paris is trading space on 1,600 billboards for >> the bikes. Some cities generate revenue with ads on the rental kiosks. >> Here, we could sell kiosk ad space or enter into agreements with major >> employers. It might be operated by the Santa Barbara Bikestation >> headquartered in the Granada Garage, or it could be an MTD transportation >> program. Maybe we could tap into part of the 2008 South Coast Measure D >> transportation tax. >> >> Teaming today¹s computer and bicycle technology to address the issues of >> traffic congestion, obesity, oil prices, climate change, and air >> pollution provide a timely solution for everybody. It¹s time to bring it >> here! >> ========== >> >> Ralph Fertig received this email from Harold & Karen Karabell on 9/20/07 >> 7:24 PM >> >> >>> Ralph, it says "page not found" when I tried to open the link below to your >>> op/ed piece. Can you cut and paste it into an email? >>> Thanks, >>> Karen Karabell >>> St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation >>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: "Ralph Fertig" <sb-ralph(a)cox.net> >>> To: "CBC" <cbc(a)topica.com>; "Thunderhead Alliance" >>> <thunderhead(a)thunderheadalliance.org> >>> Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2007 8:07 PM >>> Subject: [Thunderhead] bike-share programs >>> >>> >>> >>>> A local newspaper just published an op/ed article that I submitted to >>>> them about bike-sharing programs. After reading about what's happening >>>> in Europe & beginning to happen in the US, it seems to me that the >>>> technology is now mature enough to accelerate bicycle use at home. So I >>>> tossed out this challenge, not knowing what might come next: >>>> >>>> http://www.independent.com/news/2007/sep/20/santa-barbara-can-learn-europea >>>> n-cities/?print >>>> >>>> I do know that several places in the US have campus bike programs of >>>> different kinds, but the strategy of saturation of a city with kiosks and >>>> bikes seems to be the way to go. Will it work as well in the US? >>>> >>>> ~~ Ralph Fertig, President >>>> ~~ Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition >>>> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Bikeboard mailing list >> Bikeboard(a)cheat.org >> http://cheat.org/mailman/listinfo/bikeboard >> > > > > >

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Re: [Bikeboard] PSAs
by director 22 Sep '07

22 Sep '07

Frank, Back in May (Bike month) the League of American Bicyclsts made PSAs available and I did some initial checks about getting them broadcast locally. WCLG said they would probably air them during off-peak times. I got busy with other things and didn't follow through on it. Here is the link, they would allow us to put our own name on them I think. http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bikemonth/psas.php Nick ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: Frank Gmeindl <fgmeindl(a)verizon.net> Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2007 22:35:25 -0400 >Bicycle Board Members, > >A friend sent me this link http://www.bikemaine.org/share_the_road.htm >to Maine Public Service Announcements with the theme: Same Roads, Same >Rules, Same Rights. I wonder if we could get our state bicycle >coordinator to support something like this. Watching them myself, I >found them educational. > >Frank > > >_______________________________________________ >Bikeboard mailing list >Bikeboard(a)cheat.org >http://cheat.org/mailman/listinfo/bikeboard >

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Bikeboard September 2007