2009 archive

Cyclists and pedestrians cross the Hudson River

A newly opened pedestrian walkway crosses the Hudson River. Photo by caboose_rodeo at flickr.com

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/10/05/cyclists-and-pedestrians-cross-the-hudson-river/

Bellevue trying to meet the needs of bike riders

Motor Pool BikeFriday morning I biked down to City Hall to help tabulate the results of a bicycle-pedestrian count made earlier in the week.

Instead of planting volunteers on street-corners with clipboards and pencils, the Bellevue transportation planners had downloaded footage from the city's wide-ranging network of traffic cams to cover the locations they wanted to count.

So, after keypunching some survey results, I sat there for an hour in climate-controlled comfort watching cars and figures passing through the videostream on the computer screen. During the 7 to 8 a.m. time period on Tuesday, I counted scores of pedestrians, and just one lone cyclist. And he was riding on the sidewalk. (The other volunteer, known on Twitter as VeloBusDriver, counted just one cyclist as well.)

Although this isn't a prime cross-town route for bicyclists, it kind of illustrated the problem for bike commuting and Bellevue: Most streets in Bellevue are not bike friendly. …..

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/10/02/bellevue-trying-to-meet-the-needs-of-bike-riders/

Follow the money at 2009 Tour of Missouri bike race

I don't know if this will make an impact on Missouri lawmakers, but it should: The half-million people who watched September's Tour of Missouri bike race spent $38.1 million in the state.

That sounds like a good return on the $1.5 million that the state had to kick in to ensure the 7-stage  bike race could go on this year.

Every year, that state infusion of money becomes a political football. In 2009, for instance, Gov. Jay Nixon included the Tour of Missouri funds in his millions of dollars of budget cuts to balance the state budget ….

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/10/01/follow-the-money-at-2009-tour-of-missouri-bike-race/

Hybrid cars: Silent and deadly for bike riders?

There are plenty of anecdotes from people who say they've been surprised by silent-running hybrid cars. I've even read where people say that crash victims may not have heard the hybrid coming.

Now here's a government report that has some statistics to back up those stories. The study issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration compares hybrid cars to internal combustion automobiles.

Essentially, the report finds that hybrids have a significantly higher rate of bicyclist and pedestrian crashes in low-speed conditions when compared with their noisier, internal combustion engine counterparts. ….

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/10/01/hybrid-cars-silent-and-deadly-for-bike-riders/

Bike commuting climbs in 2008; top bicycling states, metro areas

Bikes stretch across bridgeBike commuting rose in 2008. That's good news if you believe in the Virtuous Cycle — the theory that there's safety in numbers for bicycle riders.

An estimated 786,098 people rode their bicycles to work in 2008, or about 1/2 of one percent of the nation's workforce, according to data contained in the US Census Bureau's 2008 American Community Survey.

The Portland metropolitan area (which includes Beaverton, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington) once again led other metro areas for bike commuting and Oregon led the 50 states.

Comparing data with previous years, the League of American Bicyclists says that those bike commuters nationwide represent a 14.3% increase over 2007 and a 43.4% increase from the year 2000 ….

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/09/30/bike-commuting-climbs-in-2008-top-bicycling-states-metro-areas/

Bike travel and our national park system

The latest Ken Burns documentary, “The National Parks: America's Best Idea,” began airing on PBS on Sunday. It got me thinking about how the parks are wonderful destinations for bike touring.

The traffic at some of the most popular ones can be daunting; Yellowstone National Park warns about narrow roads and non-existent shoulders.

But in spite of cars and campers, bicycling up to the rim of the Grand Canyon, left, is an experience I'll never forget.

Here are links to some stories I've written over the years about bicycling in the national parks. There are stories about the best parks for bicycling, spring cycling in high-elevation parks, and a new bike route map from Adventure Cycling Association that will visit a half-dozen national parks in the Pacific Crest.

“10 best national parks for bicycling” — August 3, 2009:

National parks might seem like natural destinations for family car trips or RV excursions, but they also have many factors that make them ideal for bicycle travel. ..

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/09/28/bike-travel-and-our-national-park-system/

Progress in a bike-friendly midwestern city

When the cover of Parade magazine teased a story with “Bike Friendly City,” my wife asked me to guess the city.

I immediately guessed Portland, Oregon. Wrong.

Parade chose Columbia, Missouri, and its bicycling mayor Darwin Hindman, right, as a prime of example of what a city can do to rescue itself from motor vehicle addiction.

It's a good choice. Columbia was one of four US cities in 2005 to be granted $22.5 million in federal funds to become more bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly. The others were Minneapolis, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, and Marin County, California.

So far, the city has begun installing …

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/09/27/progress-in-a-bike-friendly-midwestern-city/

Cadel Evans wins road race at World Championships

Australia's Cadel Evans finished a disappointing year on a high note by winning the road race of the UCI Road World Championships on Sunday in Switzerland.

Evans, who started turning his pro cycling season around with a third place podium finish at the Vuelta a Espana a week ago, won the rainbow jersey in Mendrisio with a commanding solo charge across the finish line.

He finished 27 seconds ahead of Russian Alexandr Kolobnev and Spain's Joaquin Rodriguez and became Australia's first-ever road World Champion.

After the finish, Evans said he looked forward to defending his title on home soil ….

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/09/27/cadel-evans-wins-road-race-at-world-championships/

Big brass band on bicycles

Although bicycling is a major interest of mine, another is playing trumpet in a community concert band.

So you can probably understand my joy and amazement to see my two avocations combined in The Netherlands by the Trompetterkorps Bereden Wapens. It just makes me smile.

In addition to the fact that they're riding in formation as they play their instruments, they actually sound pretty good. And check out the snare drummer — no hands on the handlebars. (Larger version on jump)….

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/09/26/big-brass-band-on-bicycles/

Gold for Italy and France at World Championships in Switzerland

Elite men's road race is Sunday

Cyclists from Italy and France won gold medals in the women's and under-23 men's road race Saturday at the UCI Road World Championships at Medrisio, Switzerland.

Italy's Tatiana Guderzo won the women's road race in a solo attack from a four-woman breakaway that included the US's Kristin Armstrong in her last professional race.

The Boise, Idaho, pro cyclist finished with the group, but in fourth place, just missing out on a bronze in the road race to complement the gold medal she won Wednesday in the individual time trial ….

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/09/26/gold-for-italy-and-france-at-world-championships-in-switzerland/