Archive for the 'Segregationists Musings' Category

Cycling Amsterdamsestraatweg, Utrecht, Netherlands

Published on September 7, 2009 in Advocacy, Segregationists Musings and Vehicular Cyclists. 0 Comments

This video has been on my ‘to watch’ list for a while. It showes a bicycle path on the street of Amsterdamsestraatweg in Utrecht, Netherlands. It was posted on David Hembrow’s blog here: link

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!

The Nail

Published on August 28, 2009 in Advocacy, Commuting, Harassment, Motorcycle, Segregationists Musings and Vehicular Cyclists. 3 Comments

The nail that stands out gets hammered the most.

Nail

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.

Family Friendly Biking

Published on July 20, 2009 in Car Light, Commuting, Segregationists Musings and roadways. 3 Comments

Last year, I attempted riding on Southside Blvd between Deerwood Park Blvd and Touchton Rd. Twice. Being on the same road as cars traveling at excess of 50 mph seriously questions ones safety. I don’t mean to target Southside but it is the only road within easy reach of me and tends to portray a healthy mix of demography representative of the Jacksonville suburbs. The argument made below with Southside Blvd in perspective may be made for all major connecting roads.

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.

Map - Southside to Tinseltown

Southside Blvd

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:

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Dancing with Velomobiles

Published on July 11, 2009 in Bicycling Advocacy, Commuting, Segregationists Musings and roadways. 0 Comments

Laws governing cyclists are sometimes loosely imposed. We see a lot of cyclists riding in the dark with no reflectors or lights. We see well dressed cyclists with headphones or riding against the flow of traffic or both! These are just some examples where a cyclist is being inconsiderate of the law and safety. When a cyclist does follow the law, occasionally, a law enforcement officer questions the interpretation of the law. This leads to unnecessary agony and irritation on the part of the cyclist.

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,

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