Tuesday, July 29, 2008

critical mass cyclist knocked off bike

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080728.wcyclist0728/BNStory/Front/home

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/28/critical-mass-bicyclist-a_n_115390.html

D: I was considering attending the local one in September. Mostly to show off my then-new Cruzbike recumbent bicycle to the like-minded.

Local bylaw is an issue, though. It doesn't allow side-by-side bicycling.
I admit clogging 2 lanes of traffic one way is just obnoxious!

http://www.cordweekly.com/cordweekly/myweb.php?hls=10034&news_id=935

"Bikes took over local streets on Friday afternoon, making their way from Waterloo Park down to Kitchener’s Victoria Park.

Riders did not avoid the main streets as they made their way through the city, with some carrying signs that read, “We’re not blocking traffic, we are traffic.”
This ride was not the first of its kind, but with over 200 people participating, it had much higher attendance than previous rides that have occurred in Kitchener-Waterloo.

Critical mass rides have been held in many other cities around the world to mark "Car Free Days" since 1994. They typically occur on the last Friday of the month and have been taking place in Waterloo for the past five years."

D: OK I wanna see the new frosh undergrads on bikes too. <:
But September has the highest turnout.

There is one guy in town that has built a frame around his bicycle. The bars handle about a foot on each side. A car closer than that is a danger to the cyclist.

Another fellow has dozens of reflectors on the back of his bike.
I'm not sure why he doesn't have a rear light though...

Yet another has ties a pole to his bike frame which sticks out 1' forward.
I thought something metal on a spring might be nice for scratching paint.

Cruzbike update: only Canadian Tire has Y-frame bikes any more. I hope to find out with a replaceable suspension bushing, or else I am doomed to a POS paperweight in 1-2 years, when the warranty expires. I think certain new style frames may also be able to take a Cruzbike mod.
http://cruzbike.blogspot.com/ (pic)

Friday, July 25, 2008

5000 stolen bikes found in T-O. lock advice.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourbeststuff/2008/07/your_top_5_bicycle_theft_tips.html

D: you can weld on cast iron 3/4" T-joints onto a U-lock.
It makes the joints hard to get at.

D: I also have a 'screamer' cable lock.
Cables are easy to cut. BUT this one will at least make alotta noise.
I thought embedding the siren unit in a composite frame could work.

D: In the Toronto Star yesterday, one comment (paraphrased) was, "even if a bicycle costs
10,000 bux- more than many cars- police still treat it like a toy for recovery purposes."

http://unorthodox-recumbent-bicycles.blogspot.com/
D: I have some ideas for a partial top/bottom fairing on a 'bent bike.
If the seat bar and handlebars fold down, then one could use a pivot point and matching top/bottom shape to have a clamshell. Assuming the tire axles are covered, and only accessible from the inside, the result is an all-weather theft-deterring design.
Once again, bolting that scream box from the siren cable lock to yer bike frame makes discreet theft difficult.

Aside: I'm looking at ordering a Cruzbike. I'm looking for under-seating steering for it.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

tax break on bicycles

D: pic from Rebel Cycles/Kitchener. Jeff helpfully suggested I could retrofit a 26/20" wheeled bent with dual 26"s if only it takes a standard 1" fork at the front.

http://www.rev.gov.on.ca/english/notices/rst/61.html

"In the 2008 Ontario Budget, the government proposed to extend the point-of-sale exemption from RST for bicycles, as defined under the Highway Traffic Act, and related safety equipment. This measure was included in Bill 44, Budget Measures and Interim Appropriation Act 2008, and having received Royal Assent on May 14, 2008, is now law. As a result of this extension, the point-of-sale exemption from RST includes bicycles and related safety equipment purchased on or after December 1, 2007, and on or before December 31, 2010. The exemption is available on the purchase of new or used bicycles that have a purchase price of $1,000 or less."

D: his 'bents are ideal entry level SWB versions.
His pricing puts the price
1) above $1000
2) but includes a whole lot of accessories.
D: the problem is, this qualifies the 'basic' (not) bike for a PST tax.
For example, a 1100 all-inclusive bike would be hit by a ??? 77 dollar PST tax.
Also, the stuff that is tax-exempt includes safety equipment.
So including reflectors/horns/bells/a helmet/ and lights might be ideal.
Of course, this would leave such stuff as fenders and luggage rack as optional.
My point is that keeping the basic price below pays dividends.

The economies-of-scale are simply not there for recumbent bicycles.

Aside: my ideal touring bike is the Optima Orca.

Cheers.

Monday, July 21, 2008

how the nations stack up for bikes


http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/07/mayor-of-london-announces-summer-of-cycling.php


D: contrast that with the mocking the Dems received from 'Pubs about bicycles are part of a green transit strategy!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_bicycle_program
D: Portland is considering a bike-rental program.
Some European cities already have it.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14429468

D: I went to Michigan's Saint Joseph Venetian Festival this weekend.
I was a bit bewildered, since they kept the car show but stopped the lighted ship contest.
For a festival named after Venice... as in canals, boats.
Anyway, we saw some pedestrian overpasses over the bigger highways.
We also saw a few but very wide bike lanes.

Food for thought: imagine a car-shaped area. That is about 5x10' or 50 foot square.
In that space, we could fit 4-6 bikes. Or ?12 pedestrians.
For each car driver who is now walking (assuming a single-person commute to work), we have that much space freed up on the highway.
We do so by -yes- sacrificing some multi-lane lanes. Perhaps we even designate some streets as pedestrian-only areas.
http://picasaweb.google.com/ejbj73/Ottawa/photo#5199984722474975826
Well, at first drivers think bike/walk lanes/walks mean simply less road for them.
Not true. As other means of transit become easier, some fence-sitters switch away from driving.
The result is, counter-intuitively, the remaining drivers also benefit from less traffic congestion.
But this means building good walks/trails/bike lanes and maintaining them.
Enough to cross the entire city. I am not talking about on every street.
But I am talking in every neighbourhood.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

when is disobeying traffic signs OK?

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/07/bikes-and-stop-signs-quote.php

Uptown Waterloo, there is a short street connecting King to Caroline by the mall.
Inexplicably, the parking lot does not have a stop sign. The street does.
There is very little traffic.
Maybe it is for pedestrians?
Actually, they have a crosswalk a mere 50 feet away by the mall.
Uptown just cruising, I move 10-20kph.
Visibility is terrific.
I think there is a bit of a hill there. Keep in mind I use muscle power.
So yup, I use a rolling stop through it.
It may be illegal, but it is not unsafe.

I volunteered for the Waterloo Jazz Festival. I met a young lady who had been struck on the Iron Horse Trail at Victoria. The traffic is killer, and often never lets up.
There is NO CROSSWALK of any sort.
Cars go first. Everybody else can wait.

Near my place, at Westmount and Westcourt Place, there is a traffic light.
The 5 lanes and bad visibility makes jaywalking a risky affair unless one runs.
The walk signal takes so long that I thought it was broken.
This is true of the University UW student one and the Northfield by work one too.

I just imagine the conversation of city planners.
"Well we cannot slow down traffic!"
WHY NOT?

There is a new ?cloverleaf? going in around Bridge Street.
It is already nearly impossible to cross on foot, and is the route to school for school-kids.
It will be worse after.

Themes?
1) too MANY crosswalk options
2) too FEW
3) too SLOW

Friday, July 4, 2008

transcanada highway is a death trap

D: a couple of cyclists were finally killed on the highway.
It was overdue, by the sound of things.

The advice given was that we need to pave the edge.
Well, yes and no.
The only bicycle to cross a country on is a narrow-tired racer.
However, they are unstable when on gravel.
Ergo, unless there is a paved edge, they are not practical.
Leaving no practical bicycle at all.
There is a problem with the proposal to pave the edge.

A very heavy truck, loaded with an uneven load, can have the trailer gyrate up to a couple feet on each side. Meaning it can clip a cyclist who is on the right hand side of the white line.

http://www.johnforester.com/Articles/Safety/NatBSMotorists.htm
D: this article touches on something. Bicycles are somehow seen as the illegitimate off-spring of a pedestrian and automobile, with no rights to either world.

http://www.cars-suck.org/littera-scripta/ntsb.html
D: bike lanes adjacent to road-side parking are death traps.
Unless the lane is a full metre wide, there is little chance to react and evade.
If there are 2 lanes on each side, I feel within my rights to ride in the CENTRE of the right-most lane. Hugging the side just makes for dooring, or worse, a sudden shift to the left to avoid a door.
Uptown Waterloo is a night-mare that way.
I choose the compromise of moving at pedestrian speed on the sidewalk.
I stay away from store doors. I am surprised by how many people don't look before stepping out of a store. I certainly don't approve of gunning it at high speeds on low-visibility sidewalks.

Highway riding reminds me of the need for rules about side guards on big trucks.
http://spacing.ca/wire/2007/10/31/a-day-for-remembering/
Our gov't was dismissive of it.
Some European nations mandate them, I think.
http://biketoronto.ca/topic/show/540.htm
!!! c. 1/3 of cyclist deaths are due to heavy trucks.

For long-distance hauls, trucks are 1/3 as energy efficient as trains.
A pollution and/or a carbon tax would render them cost ineffective in most situations.
I look forward to the day.
For that matter, cars don't like to share highways with them.
It reminds me of what Trudeau said about being a mouse beside an elephant.

D.