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MPO presentation
by Frank Gmeindl 06 Sep '09

06 Sep '09

Bicycle Board Members, I have accepted an invitation to make a 20 minute presentation "on bicycle planning and how it can be included in MPO planning efforts" to the Greater Morgantown Metropolitan Planning Organization and Star City Mayor next Thursday at 9:30 am at the MPO offices in the airport. All members of the MPO including the Policy Board, Technical Advisory Committee and Citizen Advisory Committee are invited to attend. So are 3 members of the WVDOH and a member of the Federal Highway Administration. Personally, I would like the presentation to result in the participants: * seeing bicycling as a valid means of transportation and an integral component of our transportation mix; * considering bicycling in any and all future transportation decisions; * looking to the Bicycle Board as valued bicycling consultants. I would appreciate your thoughts and especially any recommendations and data for the presentation. Please reply-all and maybe we can get some synergy going :-) Frank /Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles/

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Morgantown Bicycling Ordinance
by Frank Gmeindl 05 Sep '09

05 Sep '09

Bicycle Board Members, At last night's Bicycle Board meeting, I quoted from the City code about where you're allowed to park your bike. If you're interested, I've attached the article 373 of the Morgantown Code. It contains the laws governing bicycling in Morgantown. Our procedural guidelines require us to "review and support the implementation of Article 373 on Bicycles of the Morgantown Municipal Code". In the attached, I used Track Changes and marked up article 373 to show changes that I think should be made to it. I'd appreciate any comments you have. FYI, Article 373.09 says, "No person shall park a bicycle upon a street other than upon the roadway against the curb, or upon the sidewalk in a rack to support the bicycle, or against a building in such a manner as to afford the least obstruction to pedestrian traffic." Frank /Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles/

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Thursday's Bicycle Board Meeting
by Frank Gmeindl 30 Aug '09

30 Aug '09

Bicycle Board Members, Please find attached 3 documents: 1. The agenda for our meeting this coming Thursday; 2. The minutes from our last meeting; 3. Preliminary Bicycle Board report to the Traffic Commission. If you'd like to make any changes to the agenda, just let me know and I'll make them and issue an update. Since the Traffic Commission meeting is the day before our meeting, I need your feedback on the Bicycle Board report to the Traffic Commission by Tuesday morning so I can submit it to the Traffic Commission Secretary. I'm sorry that that only gives you 1 day to review it and give me feedback. Great weather this week! Hope we all get in some good rides:) Frank /Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles/

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Utah: texting drivers up to 15 years in prison
by Frank Gmeindl 30 Aug '09

30 Aug '09

Bicycle Board Members, If you're interested in the texting and driving issue, you may find this somewhat long but also comprehensive NY Times article interesting.. Frank Published Saturday, August 29, 2009, by the New York Times DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION Utah Gets Tough With Texting Drivers By Matt Richtel LOGAN, Utah -- In most states, if somebody is texting behind the wheel and causes a crash that injures or kills someone, the penalty can be as light as a fine. Utah is much tougher. After a crash here that killed two scientists -- and prompted a dogged investigation by a police officer and local victim's advocate -- Utah passed the nation's toughest law to crack down on texting behind the wheel. Offenders now face up to 15 years in prison. The new law, which took effect in May, penalizes a texting driver who causes a fatality as harshly as a drunken driver who kills someone. In effect, a crash caused by such a multitasking motorist is no longer considered an "accident" like one caused by a driver who, say, runs into another car because he nodded off at the wheel. Instead, such a crash would now be considered inherently reckless. "It's a willful act," said Lyle Hillyard, a Republican state senator and a big supporter of the new measure. "If you choose to drink and drive or if you choose to text and drive, you're assuming the same risk." The Utah law represents a concrete new response in an evolving debate among legislators around the country about how to reduce the widespread practice of multitasking behind the wheel -- a topic to be discussed at a national conference about the dangers of distracted driving that is being organized by the Transportation Department for this fall. Studies show that talking on a cellphone while driving is as risky as driving with a .08 blood alcohol level -- generally the standard for drunken driving -- and that the risk of driving while texting is at least twice that dangerous. Research also shows that many people are aware that the behavior is risky, but they assume others are the problem. Treating texting behind the wheel like drunken driving raises complex legal questions. Drunken drivers can be identified using a Breathalyzer. But there is no immediate test for driving while texting; such drivers could deny they were doing so, or claim to have been dialing a phone number. (Many legislators have thus far made a distinction between texting and dialing, though researchers say dialing creates many of the same risks.) If an officer or prosecutor wants to confiscate a phone or phone records to determine whether a driver was texting at the time of the crash, such efforts can be thwarted by search-and-seizure and privacy defenses, lawyers said. Prosecutors and judges in other states already have the latitude to use more general reckless-driving laws to penalize multitasking drivers who cause injury and death. In California, for instance, where texting while driving is banned but the only deterrent is a $20 fine, a driver in April received a six-year prison sentence for gross vehicular manslaughter when, speeding and texting, she slammed into a line of cars waiting at a construction zone, killing another driver. But if those prosecutors want to charge a texting driver with recklessness, they must prove the driver knew of the risks before sending texts from behind the wheel. In Utah, the law now assumes people understand the risks. The law "is very noteworthy," said Anne Teigen, a policy specialist with the National Conference of State Legislatures, an organization of state legislators. "They have raised the bar and said texting while driving is not just irresponsible, and it's not just a bad idea -- it is negligent." Ms. Teigen said legislators throughout the country were struggling with how to address threats created by new technology, just as they once debated how to handle drunken driving. Ray LaHood, the transportation secretary, has said drivers should not text behind the wheel, and several United States senators recently introduced legislation to force states to ban texting while driving. Utah, governed by a Republican legislature with a libertarian bent, may seem an unlikely state to pursue particularly tough penalties governing driver behavior. But the issue forced itself onto the legislative agenda here because of what occurred on the rainy morning of Sept. 22, 2006. The accident occurred on a two-lane highway just west of Logan, in a verdant valley in Utah's northernmost county. Reggie Shaw, a 19-year-old college student working as a house painter, was driving west to work in a Chevrolet Tahoe SUV Approaching him, in a Saturn sedan, was James Furaro, 38, and his passenger, Keith P. O'Dell, 50. The senior scientists were commuting to ATK Launch Systems, where they were helping to design and build rocket boosters. Mr. Shaw crossed the yellow dividing line on the two-lane road and clipped the Saturn. It spun across the highway and was struck by a pickup truck hauling a trailer filled with two tons of horseshoes and related equipment. The two scientists were killed instantly. At the scene, the investigating officer, Bart Rindlisbacher of the Utah Highway Patrol, said he could not pinpoint the cause of the crash. Mr. Shaw said he could not remember doing anything out of the ordinary. The trooper figured it was an unfortunate case of "left of center," a catch-all for a traffic offense that involves crossing the yellow divider. But a witness told the police he had seen Mr. Shaw swerving several times just before the accident, raising Mr. Rindlisbacher's suspicions. The trooper's concerns grew as he drove Mr. Shaw to the hospital. He saw Mr. Shaw, in the passenger seat, pull out his phone and start texting. "Were you texting while you were driving?" Mr. Rindlisbacher recalled asking. "No," he recalled Mr. Shaw responding. (Mr. Shaw said he did not remember the conversation or much about the accident.) The trooper was deeply skeptical. He figured out how to subpoena Mr. Shaw's phone records. Six months later, with help from a state public safety investigator, they got the records and their proof: Mr. Shaw and his girlfriend had sent 11 text messages to each other in the 30 minutes before the crash, the last one at 6:47 a.m., a minute before Mr. Shaw called 911. Investigators concluded he sent that last text when he crossed the yellow line. Still, county prosecutors thought they were unable to charge Mr. Shaw with something other than "left of center." For instance, if they wanted to prove Mr. Shaw guilty of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, they would need to show he knew of the dangers or should have known of the dangers of texting while driving. Mr. Shaw, who had retained a lawyer, would not discuss the issue with law enforcement or prosecutors. Then Terryl Warner, a victim's advocate in the county where the accident occurred, got involved. Ms. Warner had a personal interest in the case because she knew the family of one of the scientists. In July 2007, Ms. Warner, convinced by the trooper's evidence, wrote to prosecutors arguing for a vehicular manslaughter charge. She said the dangers of texting and driving were broadly known, therefore Mr. Shaw should have known better. Mr. Shaw had just started a Mormon mission in Canada when he was called home to face charges of negligent homicide. The trial was set for early 2009. Then, just before Thanksgiving in 2008, at a hearing, Mr. Shaw looked at the families of the two dead scientists and decided he could no longer keep dismissing the phone records that showed he was texting, even though his lawyers advised him to remain quiet. "It hit me that I was being selfish dragging this on," he said. "I decided I've got to do whatever it takes to make this come to an end. If there was anything I could do -- spend a year in jail, two years in jail, whatever -- I'd do it." He pleaded guilty to two counts of negligent homicide, but his record will be cleared if he fulfills the sentence imposed by the judge. It included 30 days in jail, 200 hours of community service, and a requirement that he read "Les Misérables" to learn, like the book's character Jean Valjean, how to make a contribution to society. Last February, Mr. Shaw spoke to the state House Subcommittee on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, which was considering a ban on texting for motorists. The measure seemed likely to fail given the legislature's lack of interest in previous such efforts. Then Mr. Shaw stood to talk about his crash and started sobbing. "I was the one driving and texting," Mr. Shaw said through tears. "Excuse me. I apologize. I didn't know the dangers." Ms. Warner, the victim's advocate, said that moment was a turning point. "Before he spoke, some legislators were talking and texting," she recalled. "After he started talking, there wasn't a dry eye in the room." Under Utah's law, someone caught texting and driving now faces up to three months in jail and up to a $750 fine, a misdemeanor. If they cause injury or death, the punishment can grow to a felony and up to a $10,000 fine and 15 years in prison. Alaska is the only other state that takes a similarly tough approach to electronic distraction, said Ms. Teigen of the National Conference of State Legislators. A law passed there in 2007 makes it a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison if a driver causes a fatal accident when a television, video monitor or computer is on inside the car and in the driver's field of vision. (The law applies to phones used for texting, but not to phones used exclusively for calling or to some other devices, like GPS devices.) The law, which is less focused on texting than Utah's, resulted from a 2003 accident in which a driver, who prosecutors said was watching a movie on a video monitor perched on his dashboard, killed two motorists. These tougher penalties can lead to prickly legal questions. John Wesley Hall, who just stepped down as president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said the police might have difficulty proving a driver suspected of texting wasn't merely dialing a phone. And, he said, there are serious privacy and search issues raised when an officer wants to confiscate a phone. "The police have no business going into my phone," he said. James Swink, the Cache County attorney, expects such challenges, but says that the police in some cases could simply get phone records later, as in the Shaw case. More broadly, Mr. Swink said, drivers in Utah are now on notice that texting while driving is inherently reckless. And as drivers across the nation become more aware of that notion, he said, judges and prosecutors will feel more comfortable asking for big penalties. He said the Shaw case helped to pave the way. "Once the word is out there," he said, "it will become easier for judges to lower the big boom."

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Mon. Blvd. speed limit = 45
by Frank Gmeindl 29 Aug '09

29 Aug '09

Bicycle Board Members, I a reply to Jake Brown, I stated that the speed limit on Monongahela Blvd. is 40 mph. I was mistaken. The speed limit is 45 mph. I apologize for misleading you! This stuff is so complex already, we don't need to make it worse with incorrect data. Sorry! Frank / Same Roads Same Rights Same Rules /

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Cyclist's Manifesto
by Frank Gmeindl 25 Aug '09

25 Aug '09

The complete title of Robert Hurst's book is The Cyclist's Manifesto: The Case For Riding On Two Wheels Instead of Four. Frank /Same Roads Same Rights Same Rules/

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[Fwd: Re: WV DOH Response to Letter Concerning Closing of Rail Trail]
by Frank Gmeindl 25 Aug '09

25 Aug '09

Bicycle Board Members, Please review the Mon Blvd Bike Lane recommendations that I provided to Bill Austin below and let me know if anything is wrong. Frank /Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles/ -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: WV DOH Response to Letter Concerning Closing of Rail Trail Date: Sun, 23 Aug 2009 23:06:03 -0400 From: Frank Gmeindl <fgmeindl(a)verizon.net> To: 'Bill Austin' <baustin(a)moncpc.org> CC: Don Spencer <dspencer36(a)comcast.net> References: <!&!AAAAAAAAAAAYAAAAAAAAAAuYcVxyjk9GhP69k7n4dyXCgAAAEAAAAPz1QKWjjAhOgGPhxq7u/noBAAAAAA==(a)moncpc.org> <8A27568BD739443A9C65CB9FB9D21F9C@donhome> Bill, It might help me to understand what we're trying to do if you shared with me the WVDOH letter to which you and Don are referring. I was not aware of it until I received Don's message below. Does the MPO have a plan drawing of the existing Monongahela Blvd. between Eighth Street and Patteson Drive? If so, could I get a copy and mark it up to show the bike lane? I would use the 1999 AASHTO Guide to the Development of Bicycle Facilities ( http://www.sccrtc.org/bikes/AASHTO_1999_BikeBook.pdf ) and the 2003 Manual of Uniform Guidelines for Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) Part 9 Traffic Controls for Bicycle Facilities ( http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/htm/2003/part9/part9-toc.htm ) for guidance for the markup. Pages 22-32 of the AASHTO Guide deal with bike lanes. *Stripe width* Page 23 explains that a 6-inch solid stripe is common but some jurisdictions have used an 8-inch stripe "for added distinction". I would recommend a 6-inch stripe to minimize resistance from the WVDOH. All markings on the bike lane should be white. *Lane width* Page 23 and Figure 6 on page 24 indicate that we should designate a 5-foot wide bike lane since parking is prohibited and there is a gutter and curb. *Marking Symbols* Clearly marking the bike lane as one-way is imperative. Figure 13 on page 31 provides templates for typical one-way arrows and bike lane symbols. The arrow symbol and the bicycle symbol should be sufficient to communicate to both motorists and cyclists that this is a bike lane and that bicycles are to travel up it. *Symbol locations* Figure 14 on page 32 shows recommended locations for the symbols with respect to intersections. The text on page 31 also says, "additional stencils may be placed on long uninterrupted sections of roadway". I would recommend placing the bicycle symbol and arrow symbol as shown in Figure 14 beginning 6-feet from the north end of the driveway north of Advance Auto. Because of the traffic volume entering and exiting Advance Auto and the Exxon station, starting the bike lane further south would jeopardize cyclists' safety and may present liability to the state and those businesses. I would recommend repeating the bicycle symbol and arrow symbol every 250 feet after their initial location. 250 feet spacing is consistent with MUTCD guidelines for other markings and signs and will provide a frequent reminder to motorists that there's a bike lane to their right. *Where to end the bike lane* Figure 10 on page 28 depicts typical bicycle and auto movements at major intersections. This figure clearly makes the points I was trying to make to you and Don when we were discussing where the bike lane should end near Evansdale Drive. Page 29 shows preferred treatments for the bike lane when it comes to a right turn lane as at the intersection of Mon Blvd. and Evansdale Drive. I believe the treatment that is most likely to get WVDOH buy-in is represented in Figure 10-d. This treatment requires no changes to the existing markings. It is also least likely to discourage cyclists from selecting correct lane positioning when going straight through or making left turns. The AASHTO Guide provides limited guidance on where the bike lane should end. Fortunately, the MUTCD provides some guidance. The MUTCD Section 9C.04 Markings For Bicycle Lanes states, "When the right through lane is dropped to become a right turn only lane, the bicycle lane markings should stop at least 100 feet before the beginning of the right turn lane." While in our case, the right through lane is not "dropped" to become a right turn only lane, the intent of this guideline is to provide sufficient distance, 100 feet, for the bicyclist to merge into the right through lane before autos begin to turn right. Therefore, I would recommend that bike lane end 100 feet before the beginning of the right turn lane from Mon Blvd. onto Evansdale Drive. *Signage* The MUTCD Section 9B.04 Bicycle Lane Signs also provides valuable guidance on signage. I would recommend placing the following signs at the following locations (the letters and numbers in parentheses after the sign text designate the specific sign number that can be found in the MUTCD): 1. BIKE LANE (R3-17) AHEAD (R3-17aP) 6 feet after the intersection of Eighth Street and Mon Blvd.; 2. BIKE LANE (R3-17) at the beginning of the bike lane and every 1000 feet thereafter (the MUTCD requires BIKE LANE signs to accompany bike lane markings but "the signs need not be adjacent to every symbol to avoid overuse of the signs"; 3. BIKE LANE (R3-17) ENDS (R3-17bP) at the end of the bike lane; 4. BEGIN RIGHT TURN LANE, YIELD TO BIKES (R4-4) at the beginning of the right turn lane; 5. SHARE THE ROAD signs (SHARE THE ROAD (W16-1) plaque in conjunction with the W11-1 (bicycle in diamond shaped sign) sign every 250 feet on both sides along Don Knotts Blvd., Beechurst Av., the west side of Mon Blvd. between Eighth St. and Evansdale Drive, both sides of Mon Blvd. between Evansdale Dr. and the Edith Barrill (Star City) Bridge. (Please note that the Bicycle Board recommended and the Traffic Commission approved these share the road signs at the same time that the Bicycle Board recommended and the Traffic Commission approved the Mon Blvd. bike lane.) I'm sure I overlooked some things. I hope you've discovered and noted them as you read the above. I look forward to the next step. Frank /Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles/ On 8/23/2009 1:48 AM, Don Spencer wrote: > > Bill -- Sorry to be absent from my computer so much this week. I > appreciate your meeting with us last Monday to work on the bike lane. > I promise to stay out of your way on this issue - as far as the MPO > structure is concerned. > > > > If a local drawing is needed, I would rather have the Bicycle Board > create the drawing first and then have it taken to the City Manager > and Engineer for their review and action. The Bicycle Board has more > experience in understanding cycling issues than do the Engineering > personnel -- even though they have resources which they can use to > check out and confirm standards. The DOH will have their own opinion > too, but it is important for us to say what we proposed...first. > > > > Frank Gmeindl needs to be the point person -- in my opinion. > > > > Don > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > *From:* Bill Austin [mailto:baustin@moncpc.org] > *Sent:* Friday, August 21, 2009 2:24 PM > *To:* 'Bill Austin'; dspencer36(a)comcast.net > *Subject:* RE: WV DOH Response to Letter Concerning Closing of Rail Trail > > > > Don, > > > > I wasn't sure you got this the last time I sent it. One key question I > have is *will the City be able to provide a drawing of the typical > section we are proposing*? Do you need to have the City Manager > request it from the City Engineer? I will be happy to work with the > appropriate person on the specifications. Please let me know who that is. > > > > Thanks, > > > > Bill > > > > *From:* Bill Austin [mailto:baustin@moncpc.org] > *Sent:* Tuesday, August 18, 2009 9:52 AM > *To:* 'dspencer36(a)comcast.net' > *Subject:* FW: WV DOH Response to Letter Concerning Closing of Rail Trail > > > > Don, > > > > Thanks for meeting with me yesterday. I was rereading the attached > response from DOH this morning and had several thoughts. Please take a > look at the next to last paragraph and the last paragraph on the first > page. We need to do several things, first we need to note the City > Managers commitment to placing the striping. Secondly, we need a > drawing of THE typical cross-section of the striping that needs to be > installed. It should probably be based on an ASHTO standard facility > that has been constructed in West Virginia. I am looking into that > now. We will need a draft engineering level product to share with the > new technical committee by mid-September. > > > > > > Please let me know your thoughts. > > > > Thanks, > > > > Bill > > > > *From:* Bill Austin [mailto:baustin@moncpc.org] > *Sent:* Monday, July 27, 2009 4:18 PM > *To:* 'Bellcom21(a)aol.com'; 'David Bruffy'; 'dspencer36(a)comcast.net'; > 'gvmayor(a)comcast.net'; 'jlgoodwi(a)access.k12.wv.us'; 'Joe Fisher'; > 'dulaneyoil(a)comcast.net'; 'Keller, Perry J'; 'bill(a)byrnehedges.com'; > 'scmayor(a)comcast.net'; 'Moncom(a)aol.com'; 'djhstarcity(a)hotmail.com'; > 'dulaneyoil(a)comcast.net'; 'statler4board(a)hotmail.com' > *Cc:* Mike Paugh > *Subject:* WV DOH Response to Letter Concerning Closing of Rail Trail > > > > Board Members, > > > > Please find attached a letter from Robert Pennington of the West > Virginia Department of Highways responding to the MPO's recent > correspondence concerning the closing of the Rail Trail. We will > continue to work to coordinate with DOH on this issue. > > > > Regards, > > > > Bill Austin, AICP > > Executive Director > > Morgantown Monongalia MPO > > 180 Hart Field Road > > Morgantown, WVA 26508 > > 304-291-9571 > > 304-692-7225 Mobile > > > > >

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WV DOH letter regarding BB recommendation
by Frank Gmeindl 24 Aug '09

24 Aug '09

Bicycle Board Members, Attached is the letter that the WV DOH sent the MPO Director regarding our recommendations for the Bike Lane and Share the Road signs. Gives you an idea of what we're up against. Frank /Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles/

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FWD: bicycle item
by director 23 Aug '09

23 Aug '09

Good morning, John Lozier passed on this interesting bike link. I forward it for your viewing enjoyment. Nick http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/8/22/770982/-London-Paramedics- Forced-to-Use-Bicycles -- Nick Hein LCI# 1705 Director, Positive Spin 2567 Univ Ave Ste 6000L Morgantown, WV ph 304-276-0213 --

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Fwd: August BB Minutes
by Elizabeth Shogren 18 Aug '09

18 Aug '09

Attached, please find the August minutes. Thank you, BETSY SHOGREN

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Ebike share program at University of Washington, Seattle
by director 18 Aug '09

18 Aug '09

Good afternoon, I just came across this article on one of the science sites I read. I'll be in Seattle next month again and be sure to look at the bikes in this program. If anyone is interested in a report let me know. http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/11/27/bike Nick -- Nick Hein LCI# 1705 Director, Positive Spin 2567 Univ Ave Ste 6000L Morgantown, WV ph 304-276-0213 --

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GIS progress...
by Derek Springston 18 Aug '09

18 Aug '09

Hey guys, I worked a bit last night on the GIS route mapping, but it's going to take a while to get all of your routes on the map. I thought I could get them all uploaded in a week or so, but that isn't going to happen. My goal now is to get them finished up before the next Bike Board meeting. Then we can discuss the symbology for each route. Big thanks go to Frank, Jacob, Jonathan, Alice, Jim, Aira, Adam, and anyone else who put their routes on the mapping for our last meeting. Did I forget anyone? If so, please let me know because I appreciate those of you who've pitched in. Now, I just have to finish mapping everything! Thanks! ~Derek “Every time I see an adult on a bicycle I no longer despair for the future of the human race.” -H.G. Wells _________________________________________________________________ Get back to school stuff for them and cashback for you. http://www.bing.com/cashback?form=MSHYCB&publ=WLHMTAG&crea=TEXT_MSHYCB_Back…

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Bike sharing increases ridership, ridership decreases crashes
by director 17 Aug '09

17 Aug '09

Good evening, Thought I'd pass on this article from Atlantic Monthly today... http://business.theatlantic.com/2009/08/why_bike-sharing_programs_are_reall… Nick -- Nick Hein LCI# 1705 Director, Positive Spin 2567 Univ Ave Ste 6000L Morgantown, WV ph 304-276-0213 --

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Main Street Morgantown is putting bikes downtown!
by director 07 Aug '09

07 Aug '09

Good morning, In a rather ironic twist I found out this morning that Arts in the Park has made and painted a bunch of bike-art silhouettes to put on the downtown lampposts starting this Fall when the plants come down. After some discussion with the artist doing the work (Debbie and Sonda) it turns out that everybody wants REAL bikes downtown too - with one exception. The bikes are 1/8" aluminum sheet with whimsical scenes painted on them. The good that could come from this would be if seeing art-bikes downtown gets everybody excited enough to overcome the resistance to real bikes. In fact there is a company that makes a bike parking fixture that hauls bikes up a pole. Nick -- Nick Hein LCI# 1705 Director, Positive Spin 2567 Univ Ave Ste 6000L Morgantown, WV ph 304-276-0213 --

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FW: Commuter/ bike route mapping...
by Derek Springston 07 Aug '09

07 Aug '09

Hey guys, Below is my conversation with John from CyclePath. We're ok to use the same symbols. It looks like we'll have to just create our own definitions under each symbol type. I'll create that and get your approval soon. Thanks! ~Derek “Every time I see an adult on a bicycle I no longer despair for the future of the human race.” -H.G. Wells Date: Fri, 7 Aug 2009 10:43:46 -0400 From: path(a)frognet.net To: guitardeek(a)hotmail.com Subject: Re: Commuter/ bike route mapping... Derek, I see no problem with you replicating the symbols. If possible, give me a small line of credit on your map/brochure somewhere. If not, no big deal. The way I determined the road hierarchy was by taking a current map and marking the roads the way I thought they should be marked with felt tip markers. I then showed it to several other cyclist for editing. I figured that the perceptions of the more experienced cyclists in our community was a better resource than trying to set up some kind of stricter criteria such as vehicle counting or road width. I also suggest including a disclaimer of some type on the map that "conditions can vary.....every attempt was made to make the map accurate.....that the map is "as is" and .....you are not responsible for any liability associated with the content......etc. etc." Hope this helps and let me know if you need more information. Also, let me know when your map is done and ready for viewing. John Lefelhocz Derek Springston wrote: John, I spoke with you over a month ago concerning the Cyclepath Athens, Ohio Bicycle Commuter Map that you were involved with. We are interested in using the same symbols for our paths (Highly Recommended Road, Suggested Road, Bike Friendly Side Street, etc....). Would it bother you if we did that? If so, please let us know. IF you're ok with us adopting the same symbology, I believe it could be beneficial for us discuss how we can get ours to have the same criteria for these determinations as you used. Please contact me ASAP. Thanks and have a wonderful day! ~Derek Springston “Every time I see an adult on a bicycle I no longer despair for the future of the human race.” -H.G. Wells Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:41:10 -0400 From: path(a)frognet.net To: guitardeek(a)hotmail.com Subject: Re: Commuter/ bike route mapping... Derek, The person you are looking for would be me. I'm an artist and I also own Cycle Path. https://www.athenscyclepath.com/AthensCommuterMap.pdf is the newest version of this map. Discussing via email is easiest for me. If you need a more in depth conversation I can set up a time to consult via the phone. John Lefelhocz (owner) Cycle Path Bike Shop 104 W. Union St. Athens, Ohio 45701 740 593 8482 http://www.athenscyclepath.com "Cycle Your Path" Derek Springston wrote: Hi, I am a member of the Morgantown, WV Bike Board, which is part of the city's Traffic Commission. We are planning on creating a Bike Route Map for our community that will help potentially motivate folks to ride more. One of our previous Bike Board members left us with a map that shows the routes of downtown Athens, OH with a Cycle Path symbol on the bottom right corner. We really liked the symbology and labelling of the routes on your map. They're green and red and start with Highly Recommended Road, Suggested Road, etc, etc. We would like to find the primary contact who was involved with creating this map to discuss different options for our map and potentially gain some new insights. Give me a name and phone number if possible. Thanks and have a wonderful day! ~Derek Windows Live™ SkyDrive™: Get 25 GB of free online storage. Get it on your BlackBerry or iPhone. -- Max,John & Katsu Cycle Path Bike Shop 104 W. Union St. Athens, Ohio 45701 740 593 8482 http://www.athenscyclepath.com "Cycle Your Path" Get back to school stuff for them and cashback for you. Try Bing now. -- Max,John & Katsu Cycle Path Bike Shop 104 W. Union St. Athens, Ohio 45701 740 593 8482 http://www.athenscyclepath.com "Cycle Your Path" _________________________________________________________________ Get back to school stuff for them and cashback for you. http://www.bing.com/cashback?form=MSHYCB&publ=WLHMTAG&crea=TEXT_MSHYCB_Back…

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Bike Route Mapping, GIS, and Google..
by Derek Springston 07 Aug '09

07 Aug '09

Hey guys, I successfully converted the Morgantown Bike Route file, which was yellow on the my aerial map last night, from a shapefile (.shp) which is used by my ArcGIS software to a KML or KMZ file, which is used by Google Earth. It overlayed correctly in Google Earth. My next step is to figure out how we can post this on Google Earth and Google Maps for future use by a broader audience. However, in the meantime, if you regularly create routes by using Google Earth, Google Maps, MapMyRide, etc please continue to do so. I'm confident that if I could convert from a shapefile to KML or KMZ, then I could use your KML or KMZ files. Please send me your routes via KML or KMZ files, and I'll let you know if I succesfully bring them into my mapping. Then we'll proceed from there. Those of you who are more comfortable with paper maps, please feel free to mark those up as well. I'll do a good job of copying your routes onto our mapping. I promise! Please get me your routes ASAP. I would like to have them in by next week. If you're busy, I understand, but let's not take any longer than 2 weeks. That will give me a few weeks to map all of your routes before the next Bike Board meeting so that we can, as a Bike Board, begin assigning symbology to each route. I will map the routes given to me last night and email a PDF to all. I will try to finish this up by Sunday (8-9-09). I will attempt to make the file size small and manageable, but maintain enough quality so you can easily view it and make decisions while drawing your routes. I already have an email in to John Lefelhocz, owner of CyclePath who was key in creating the Athens, OH Commuter Map concerning use of their symbols. I will also email him and find out if he can give us a synopsis on their criteria or a copy of their definitions of each symbol if possible. Then, I'll use part of our definitions and road examples from last night with his, create a legend with definitions, and get it approved by the Bike Board to be ready for choosing the symbols for each route we pick at the next meeting. Sounds ambitious, but I think it's possible if you guys can get me your routes in the next 1-2 weeks. Have a nice weekend. Hope to see you out on the roads! ~Derek P.S. Aira and Adam, thanks for your attendance and input. Come again! “Every time I see an adult on a bicycle I no longer despair for the future of the human race.” -H.G. Wells _________________________________________________________________ Get back to school stuff for them and cashback for you. http://www.bing.com/cashback?form=MSHYCB&publ=WLHMTAG&crea=TEXT_MSHYCB_Back…

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This Thursday's Bike Board meeting
by Frank Gmeindl 03 Aug '09

03 Aug '09

Bicycle Board Members, *Agenda and Read-Aheads* Attached is a suggested agenda for this Thursday's meeting. Also attached are the minutes of our last meeting and a copy of Athens Ohio bike route map. *Bike Route Map* In preparation for our meeting, please go to the Morgantown Visitor's Center (68 Donley Street, Wharf District) or see me to get a free copy of their newly printed Morgantown City street map. Mark up the map to indicate preferred bike routes. If possible, use the legend that's on the Athens map (at least mark the highly recommended roads): * Highly Recommended Road (thick green line) * Suggested Road (medium green line) * Bike Friendly Side Street (thin green line) * Strategic Shortcut (dashed green line) * Neutral Road (neither good nor bad) (thin orange line) * Road to Avoid at Peak Hours (thin red line) * Road Advised Against Using (medium red line) * Road to Avoid Whenever Possible (thick red line) On Thursday, with Derek's leadership, we will develop a Morgantown Bicycle Route map. If we all mark up the same City map using the same legend, we can simply transfer our marks to a master map at the next meeting and minimize "babel". Frank /Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles/

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main streat board meeting
by Chip Wamsley 16 Jul '09

16 Jul '09

Hey all, I met with the board of Main Street Morgantown this morning to discuss our plans for bike racks on High street. They are still concerned about the urban clutter that the racks will add to the downtown. Furthermore, they would like to remove the curbing around the trees, which will make the rack placement in those spots a new obstruction. Their questions were: 1) did we have other options? 2) could we put all bikes in the parking garages? 3) could we use a mixture of parking? 4) could we put the bikes on side streets? 5) would there be a time limit on parking? 6) who would police the racks? 7) how would abandoned bikes be dealt with? 8) why weren't all of the property owners and merchants contacted about the rack placement? I told them that we could do bike corrals at the expense of losing a parking space. Not only would they not be as convenient, but they are less attractive. I discussed the options of some secure parking in the parking garages, but the loss of on street parking would lower the the use of downtown by cyclists. I proposed a mix of one side of High street with post and rings and a bicycle corral possibly near the Blue Moose as a pilot project. I told them that side streets had been considered but the existence already of the bump outs and trees gave us an out of the way placement of racks. Dan Borhoff commented on questions 5,6 and 7 by saying that a city ordinance would have to be passed by city council. My response to question 8 was that we were working with organizations like main street and the design committee who represent these individuals and that it was not practical for us to contact every merchant and property owner. The Main Street board wants to discuss it further and have us meet with the design committee again (they meet the second Thursday of the month). We will need to develop a more definitive plan for bike corral style parking. There will be several problems to consider: 1) working with the parking authority to obtain spaces. 2) working with the state DOH as most street downtown are also state roads. 3) dealing with more underground utility issues in the street with regard to mounting bollards and racks. Lots more stuff to work on before the next design committee meeting August 13. Chip

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July Meeting Concern
by Gunnar Shogren 08 Jul '09

08 Jul '09

Good day all, Don asked me to send this email, as he is currently... ah... doing field work for the Board (he's out cycling). His concern is that if enough folks aren't planning on coming to the meeting this Thursday, then he'd like to not worry about it and such what-not (it would be cancelled). But *if* there are enough folks that are planning on attending then by all means we will have it. So *please* reply to this and let Don know if you of your status. Thanks, gunnar. Don's PS

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Bike League Instructor Levels and Course Descriptions
by director 28 Jun '09

28 Jun '09

Good afternoon, My apologies for not getting this to you sooner, due to a combination of technical and cerebral difficulties. There is also course material on the LCI website, but it requires login with an LCI #. Positive Spin would be happy to order printed materials at cost if desired. We would keep them in our library where anyone can come read them anytime we're open. File is attached as a .pdf Nick -- Nick Hein LCI# 1705 Director, Positive Spin 2567 Univ Ave Ste 6000L Morgantown, WV ph 304-276-0213 --

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Seattle/Google Bikewise
by director 27 Jun '09

27 Jun '09

Good evening, More info about the new application developed by Seattle's Cascade Bike Club in this email I just received. I believe it addresses one of the concerns expressed about connecting this data to road maintenance authorities. btw It appears that it only accepts things in the Seattle area. My report for Morgantown (unresponsive light at Beechurst and 6th) didn't get mapped. Still, I think it's pretty cool. I mentioned it to a developer at Google that I met in San Jose. Hopefully it will spread soon. Nick ===================== snip ===================== Hello Bikewise! Since launching a month ago, nearly a thousand people have signed up and posted reports or registered bikes. We've gotten good media attention, from blogs to newspapers to TV news. Thanks to all of you (!), Bikewise now has crash, hazard, and theft reports from 25 U.S. states and 6 countries. But we're really just getting started. Here's what we're working on: Our top priority is making sure that the data you enter actually gets used to make streets safer and better for cycling. It's kind of amazing, but this is already happening. Here are some examples: * Kirkland, WA wants to integrate our hazard reporting system into its street maintenance operations. We're working with them to figure out how to do it. * Seattle, WA is also interested in integrating Bikewise reports into city operations. We're working with the head of traffic operations and road maintenance to make this happen. * A traffic engineer at the University of WA is starting research on using Bikewise crash data for street safety planning. Such planning normally relies solely on official police reports, which of course underreport bike crashes tremendously. Obviously, there's much more to come on all of this. It's not going to happen overnight, but it's happening. Our other top priority is making the Bikewise site useful and user-friendly. Since Bikewise went live, a lot of technical issues have been fixed and some new features have been added. In particular, you can now edit your own reports and you can set your default location. (So, if Google thinks you're in Poughkeepsie, you can tell it otherwise.) The big bug we fixed was photos - a setup issue on our production server was preventing photos from being saved. Sorry! If you uploaded a photo and it never appeared, give it another shot. Lots of other little bugs have also been fixed. Thanks to all who let us know about them! Last but not least, we've added some impressive bike safety content to our Resources pages. Please check it out ( http://www.bikewise.org/pub/simple/resources ) and let us know what you think. And remember to always Bike Wisely! Happy Cycling! Phil Mitchell and Tessa Greegor (Cascade Bicycle Club) -- Nick Hein LCI# 1705 Director, Positive Spin 2567 Univ Ave Ste 6000L Morgantown, WV ph 304-276-0213 --

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SF Bike Plan
by director 27 Jun '09

27 Jun '09

Good morning, In spite of some unfair political opposition San Francisco's city-wide bike plan passed yesterday with overwhelming city and community support. http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/06/26/sf-bike-plan-unanimously-approved-by-the… How do we get one of those? Nick -- Nick Hein LCI# 1705 Director, Positive Spin 2567 Univ Ave Ste 6000L Morgantown, WV ph 304-276-0213 --

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BOPARC Representative
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 25 Jun '09

25 Jun '09

An interesting development for another possible ex officio. I just attended a Neighborhood Association potluck in Suncrest, and Ralph LaRue said he would be interested in representing BOPARC at our meetings after August 1st. -Jonathan

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Bike Route Meeting 6-17-09 Minutes
by Derek Springston 25 Jun '09

25 Jun '09

Hey guys, Attached are the minutes to our GIS/ Bike Route Meeting that was held on 6-17-09. For those that attended, check the minutes to make sure you approve and agree with Action Items and due dates, etc and reply to me. For those who didn't attend, take a look to see what we did. Thanks, ~Derek Springston _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail® has ever-growing storage! Don’t worry about storage limits. http://windowslive.com/Tutorial/Hotmail/Storage?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_Tutori…

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Modular bikepark/shower units on Treehugger
by director 22 Jun '09

22 Jun '09

Good evening, I just came across this while reading the news on Treehugger... http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/06/solar-powered-bicycle-parking-pods-… Cool, huh? Nick -- Nick Hein LCI# 1705 Director, Positive Spin 2567 Univ Ave Ste 6000L Morgantown, WV ph 304-276-0213 --

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