I organized a cargo bike picnic ride last Sunday. I wanted to promote the utilitarian aspect of bicycles so people can supplement some of their car trips on a bicycle.

Seven people showed up, including me. The excellent company made up for the lack of participation by far.

The ride was promoted paper free. No posters and leaflets. In the age of blogs, RSS feeds and feed readers, it is pointless to print posters. Ride information was shared on Urban Core and Bikejax, both very  popular websites. I also created a facebook event where 30 or more people agreed to attend in spite of the Tour de Cure going on. Lakshore Shwinn, a local bike shop that carries xtracycles also sent messages on twitter and facebook.

Many people who missed the bicycle ride are probably at work watch oil spewing out of the extraction site on bp’s live feed. They shake their heads in disappointment to bp’s lack of proper oil spill containment and to the damage done to sea life and beaches. They may even shed a tear at the sight of oil drenched birds. They prepare to end their work day and make their way home in the comfort of their gasoline powered cars. Over the weekend, they will probably make their way to the grocery store or a restaurant in their cars, run into friends and talk about boycotting bp, then drive their cars back home.

I like to hope that people would do something to lessen their usage of gasoline. It causes pollution, spills and war. It also supports the car tax. I hope they replace some of their trips with a bicycle. Even a short trip.

I have been riding two days to work and am upping it to three. I am supplementing my bicycle commute to work with my motorcycle. 14 miles is quite long.

I am also drooling on the pictures from the Cargo Bike Race in Copenhagen.

Things to notice are the traffic lights, car parking, car traffic and intersections on this road.

A majority of complaints made against this segregated type of infrastructure is the dynamics of intersections  between bicycle path and motorised traffic. Remember that due to this infrastructure, a majority of people are on bicycles, not in cars, thereby reducing the volume of cars on the roads that lead to the supposedly friction at intersections. Moreover, there are laws in place to reduce this friction leading to one of the lower bicycle accident rates in the world.

Another complaint made by some Vehicular Cyclists is that this system gives cars and wealthy car owners more superiority. I dont know if car owners feel superior in this video but a substantially large and growing number bicyclists seemed to be enjoying a high quality commute involving zero emissions, absymally low financial burdens and a healthy body.

Note a woman with a small child on her bicycle pedaling down the street with no worries. This sight is almost never visible in USA where Vehicular Cyclists demand we rightfully take our position on existing roads with traffic. I have asked this question before (link) and continue to wonder why a mother would not ride her bicycle on car-traffic-laden-infrastructure-less streets with her new born!

Calling a much slower instrument a vehicle and placing it on the road with much larger vehicles only with a thin shear blanket of a law is lazy. I am of the opinion that the definition of bicycles as vehicles is flawed. If the law and motorist’s courtesy is all that sufficiently protects a cyclist on a road, then let’s remove sidewalks and place the pedestrians on the road as well. They can use the shoulder and save bucket loads of money on concrete sidewalks.

Projecting a vehicular cyclist logic forward, cars, motorcycles, buses, trucks, tractor-trailers, bicycles, wheel chair bound disabled people, pedestrians etc. will all be called ‘widgets’ and all widgets will share the road with each other. Why should pedestrians be separated from the road to make it easier for vehicles to travel safely? Why support vehicular superiority? Vehicular Cyclists do not aggressively support Shared Space (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_space), making their arguments hypocritic and selfish.

Living in any sprawled area with no infrastructure but the blind principles of John Forrester makes life friction-full. Yells and honks start becoming an itch that wouldn’t cease so much that you would wish to cut off your limb to ease the pain. Initially, optimism and gumption help overcome the constant reminder that you as a bicyclist are unwanted and unwelcome on the road. The hammering does not stop, not till a large organization (Eg. a government) recognizes it and makes plans to stop it. Such efforts are usually graced with positive and constructive outcomes as seen in the cities of Portland OR, Davis CA and New York City NY.

I have decided to stop getting hammered. I am buying a motorcycle and moving to a bicycle-friendly neighborhood further away from work. I am moving from the top of a pile of bicycle commuters to the bottom of the pile of motor-vehicle commuters. In my efforts to latch on to a higher dynamic quality, namely car-free bicycle commuting, I am degenerating to an activity of lower quality, namely motorcycle ownership for commuting. I have kept gas bills, insurance and depreciation on the motorcycle to a frugal low of $100 a month, which used to be my taxi fare budget.

Lastly, the people who continue to bicycle commute here, Jonathan, Jose, Rebekah and the couple others who I haven’t met, are bigger people than I am. They are true heroes.

“What is Bikejax?” we get asked numerous times at the bike valet. Newbies at the Riverside Arts Market (link) wonder if we are a shop or a club. “Neither” we reply.

Bikejax started as a blog that talked about bicycling in Jacksonville. It mirrored the likes of BikePortland.org by putting a spyglass on the almost invisible community of bicyclists. Bikejax caters to a specific community of cyclists, namely the utilitarian kind. ‘People on bikes’ is what we like to call them. They are not ‘Bicycle Lifestylists’ or ‘City cyclists’. There is no hint of consumerism attached to the definition of this community.

The aim of Bikejax has been to promote bicycles as transportation. Soon after getting tired of bitching about the deplorable conditions of bicycling in Jacksonville, Matt Uhrig decided to ruffle some feathers. The phenomenal success of the night ride (link) was a beginning. Then came the ghost bikes, the MPO meeting participations, Vision 2035 participations etc. Only a year after its inception, Bikejax has been on TV (link)(youtube link), raised awareness on bicyclist deaths through ghost bikes(link)(link), participated in and organized one of the most fun rides in the history of Jacksonville (link)(link)(link) and finally started and consistently maintained a successful and free Bike Valet service (link) which has few rivals in the entire USA.

The informal saying goes, “Bikejax has achieved more in one year than most formal bicycling clubs have in decades”. Though all these tasks have been possible through the support and dedication of countless volunteers, merchants, City officials and FDOT officials, the one man that needs to be thanked is Matt Uhrig for his idea, relentless gumption and perseverance.

What 10 Questions Would You Ask?

written by Bike Jax at Thursday, August 13, 2009

Bike Jax thought it would nice to learn more about where these candidates stand and what their thoughts are when it comes to transportation. We are compiling what we think are the 10 most important questions on the current and future state of transportation for these candidates and thought we should gather your input also.

Read the full post here: http://www.bikejax.org/2009/08/what-10-questions-would-ask.html

Posted via email from shek’s posterous

Lets assume that most people with an 18 mpg clunker “upgraded” to an SUV achieving 5 mpg more. They received $3500 from the $1,000,000,000 allocated funding. Some simple division later, approximately 285,000 clunkers were pulled off the streets (1,000,000,000 / 3500). Therefore, there are now 285,000 people or families on the road saving 5mpg (or saving 0.012 gallons per mile) more than they usually were.

An average family drives around 15,000 miles a year. This leads to 180 gallons of gasoline saved per family per year. For the 285,000 clunkers replaced, we save 51,300,000 gallons of gasoline every year. Increase the federal funding to $3 billion and we will save a little over 153 million gallons of gasoline every year.

If the average clunker is replaced by a vehicle achieving 7.5 mpg higher, with a $3 billion stimulus, America will save almost 205,200,000 gallons of gasoline every year.

The total consumption of Finished Motor Gasoline is 137,801,370,000 gallons (approximately 8,989,000 barrels per day in 2008. Data from http://www.eia.doe.gov/basics/quickoil.html). Hence, a $3 billion funding, by saving 205,200,000 gallons of gasoline, saves only 0.1489% of total consumption. Not too significant in my opinion.

To achieve a 1% reduction in nationwide motor gasoline usage, around $20 billion (that is $20,000,000,000) needs to be pumped into the new-car market replacing over 5.7 million vehicles with a new vehicle achieving 7.5 mpg higher.

I wonder if gasoline consumption can be reduced by 1% by utilizing only $3 billion in bicycle infrastructure and alternate energy driven mass transit and rail infrastructure? The budget for this year’s Mass Transit infrastructure is $8 billion, $5 billion more each year for the next 5 years, not including operating costs. The Cash-for-Clunker’s $3 billion will be a nice addition to the mass transit budget and shave off 8 months from the 5 year proposal.

Further, evaluating the impact on a family, and assuming $3 billion in funding, these 857,000 families (285,000 X 3, assuming one clunker per family though there is no such rule) will save around 180 gallons of motor gasoline related expenses. At an average cost of $2.50 per gallon of gasoline, each family saves a measly $450 a year and gains $15,000 or more debt on a depreciating asset. With $3 billion in funding towards overhauling the streets to make bicycling actually and subjectively safe, families may be able to reduce from two cars to one, saving upwards of $4000 annually in car payments, insurance and gas.

My 50 year old mass produced dutch city bike, a text book definition of clunker, needs no replacement. At the most, it needs $50 of TLC. The next time someone tells me to get a registration for my bicycle, I’ll tell them at least I don’t need Cash for my Clunker!

More people start using bicycles as transportation when they have the option to use it to go to a place of business such as movie theaters, restaurants etc. Families prefer to visit such businesses with their family members. Workers such as bartenders, waiting staff, movie theater staff can save more if they incur less car-related expenses: gas, insurance, maintenance.

The map below shows residential neighborhoods in blue, Tinseltown with its movie theaters, bars and restaurants in pink and the direct route in red. The entire length of the red lined route is 4.4 miles, an easy ride.

The speed limit on this stretch is 45 mph. Cars usually travel here at 50 mph to 60 mph. There is some shoulder on this road. It is usually littered with debris and not very wide. Turning lanes at Baymeadows Rd, Deerwood Park Blvd, exit to JTB, entry from JTB, Gate Parkway etc cause a serious hazard for a cyclist in the shoulder.

The Challenge:

Lets assume that you are sold on the idea of bicycles as transportation. You are out with your family, kids on their bikes and are planning to visit a restaurant for dinner. Maybe you are single and are out with a date on your bicycles to Mellow Mushroom to catch the live band on Friday night. Maybe you want to attempt one less car trip to the movie theater to meet your friends for the new Harry Potter movie.

Here are two methods (A and B) of travel. Which one would you chose?

Method A:

The video below created by Keri from Commute Orlando shows how to ride on the road where the speed limit is 55 mph. The trick here is to not control the outside lane in the center but on the outer two thirds. Remember, you are not required to wear lycra or ride at +15 mph as is depicted in the video below. Normal clothes and a comfortable 10 mph on your beach cruiser is acceptable.

Pros:

1. Utilize existing road infrastructure for bicycle commutes. 92% of your Income Tax, Sales Tax and Property Tax pays for those roads anyway.

Cons:

1. Some of the cars switching lanes to overtake do so at a very close proximity to Keri’s bike. A slight oversight, miscalculation or distraction will lead to a crash that nobody wants. We all know how sparingly motorists use cell phones, radios and iPods.
2. During three minutes of the video, Keri gets yelled at only once. Firstly, this implies that Orlando traffic in that area is much much more civil than Jacksonville traffic in any area. Try riding on University Blvd or Southside Blvd to find out. Secondly, this questions the time of the day. Trying to ride like this in rush hour may not be as pleasant. Maybe the motorists could even see the video cameras strapped onto the helmets.
3. What we never see is cars once overtaken cutting back into the lane in an aggressive manner. That behavior is prevented by the presence of the second rider in front of Keri. Cutting in front of the cyclist aggressively is a dangerous move and is more prevalent in slower traffic.

These cons reduce what is called Subjective Safety: Are you near fast moving traffic ? Is it easy to make a turn across traffic ? Do you have to cycle "fast" in order to keep up ?

Method B:

Imagine if Southside Blvd and all similar roads with a speed limit of above 35 mph had a bike path separated from motorized traffic by a curb, a grassy shoulder and maybe even some trees. This, when complimented with appropriate forced yields at turning lane intersections and stop signs for the segregated bike path reduces any conflict with motorists.

Given such infrastructure, would you ride here with your children?

Would you let your children ride bikes to school?

Would you let your teenage son or daughter commute on these roads to visit after school programs, sports practice, friends etc?

Would you have a quality commute and in turn, a quality life?

For example, Fredrick Ungewitter (link), has a very well documented saga of mishaps faced due to police officers misinterpreting the law. He was riding his velomobile on a road of substandard width and was pulled over for impeding traffic. He was controlling the lane.

Read the excruciating debate that followed the traffic stop here: http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2009/02/17/impeding-traffic-the-audio/

Further,

In February, Fred was pulled over in Port Orange for controlling a narrow lane on a multi-lane road. He was informed by 2 officers that he was required to ride on the far right edge of the lane. The officers were not interested in actually reading the WHOLE statute which gives Fred the right to use the full lane. Instead they told him they would ticket him if they saw him controlling the lane again. They made good on the promise. Twice. And basically promised to continue citing him if he continued “testing” them. And it wasn’t just cops in the field, the impetus for this harassment was coming straight from the chief of police.

After consulting with Lawyers, the citation was eventually dismissed. See post here: http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2009/04/05/citation-dismissed/

When Fred is not being cited, he has to deal with impatient motorists on the road. I am sure all us bicyclists have seen this behavior.

When parked, his velomobile deals with members of his ‘fan club’!

I solemnly thank Fred for standing up for bicyclists. His videos and detailed records of encounters continue to advocate.

Fred’s story intrigues me and begs to ask if the above reactions are towards velomobiles specifically? They look like cars and the name sounds like what someone with a cape rides. I looked across the Atlantic to see what those Europeans do when they see a velomobile.

Here is a video of David Hembrow riding a velomobile through the streets of Assen.

Notice how motor vehicles stop for any one on the segregated bike path. It is a culture and a law that is enforced. The funny thing is, there is no misinterpreted language, no lost exceptions to rules [exception 3 to statuette 316.2065(5)], no gray areas (riding two abreast laws) and no doubts if a bicycle is a vehicle and has the same rights and responsibilities as other vehicles on the road. One rule: yield  to bikes. The segregated path keeps motorists out of cyclists way and vice versa. I am sure daily life in The Netherlands on a bicycle is not entirely friction-free but situations like the ones Fred was in never arise.

Moreover, there is a much higher quality of life when one can ride without having to carry laminated copies of official court documents (link). This logic isn’t rocket science.

Some people like to hypothesize that segregation implies motorist superiority. Repeated examples like priority to bikes at traffic lights prove the converse. I think they assume that once segregated paths are built, the city walks away. There is more science involved. For a detailed explanation, visit here: PDF link to Bicycle Policy, Cycling in The Netherlands 2009

Given a velomobile, where would you rather dance?

I occupied my week long business trip to ponder over my position on bicycle advocacy. Lately, I have felt like a martyr when advocating for bicycles, I hadn’t seen any difference made both in the minds of bicyclists and motorists. I have strongly considered moving out of this bicycle hating neighborhood and moving to the urban core where bicycles are more readily accepted. My views about pushing pedals in this part of town have been more and more pessimistic.

I have been commuting on my bicycle for a year. Over this year, I have evolved as a bicyclist, in both range of trips and attitude. During my beginning months, I had a lot more gumption that masked a significant volume of incoming motorist harassment. The gumption to ride is still alive, proven by the fact that I am not tempted to buy a motor vehicle to alleviate the pain. The masking powers of gumption has dwindled. There are stretches of road in which I feel nervous when controlling the lane. To some extent, rage has taken over and I have been known to flip a bird when honked at, yelled at, spat at and lit cigarettes thrown at. The reaction portraying a higher quality would be to ignore but is easier said than done. A bird-flip has more instantaneous fulfillment. I am working on a non-reactionary attitude.

The uncomfortable encounter with a police officer left a foul taste in my mouth about the protectors and upholders of law that I pay taxes to protect and uphold. Unfortunately, some police uniforms come with a cape and an external underwear. They are the unnecessary evils similar to belligerent motorists, except they are armed with mace, tasers and citation tickets.

Bikejax has successfully managed to influence people to ride their bikes, which in return makes more motorists aware. Starting off with the volunteer support at the Jazz Festival, we have uncovered a few people that deserve a mention. My goal would be to bring more people under the spot light for commuting in this part of town. In the form of commuter profiles on Bikejax, we will introduce Rebekah Wallis, Jose Falqez, Jonathan, Matt Bishop and Matt Martin. They have an infectious gumption which inspires me. I also noticed an older gentleman riding his bike on the dreaded service road; not on the sidewalk but the actual road! Kudos to you sir.

As I type the last paragraph and get ready to bike home for lunch, I can not ignore the tiny knot in my stomach from nervousness and anxiety. Some scars heal with time and patience used to be a strong virtue. The days do look brighter after the brief hiatus.

Later that day, a motorist barreling down my neck honked at me in an abusive and threatening manner to which I politely gave the finger. The passenger later was in my face ready to pick a fight.

Today, I returned home from the grocery store after numerous honks and abuses by inconsiderate pricks of motorists. I am usually good at letting their rude and abusive behavior pass as immaturity and lack of general intelligence quotient but my patience may have plateaued. I do not want to encourage anyone to be subjected to this kind of behavior on the road.

I started this website to log my efforts of being more environmentally conscious. My one large decision was to take up bicycling. It has rewarded me immensely, health and financially. So huge were the improvements to my quality of living that I decided to use this website as a part time advocacy channel for bicycles. Not any more. This city cares a fuck about bicycles. One council man with one plan on one road is a good start but does not even begin to change the face of bicycling. Jacksonville Florida is in the bicycling Paleolithic age, complete with square wheels and no fire, when compared to only a few more cities in USA. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee has been disbanded and the citizens are in charge of three thousand pounds of steel and maybe have an equally plateauing patience for me slowing their arses down from getting to their cul de sac turd holes.

I hereby stop advocating for bicycles as transportation in any part of a city other than its urban core. I will be involved with the bike valet service with bikejax only because it successfully continues to encourage more people to ride their bikes to events that usually occur in neighborhoods of a higher polupation density. I will respond to questions as a moderator on Bikejax forums.

Disclaimer: the comments stated above reflect the voice of the writer and are in no way influenced by any other source. It does not reflect the intentions and interests of Bikejax.org.