Not to dog on Dave's Turf but seriously, what the hell are people thinking? Welcome to Edgewood Boulevard.
I am riding illegally in the oncoming lane in this photo. It's a separated boulevard, with barely one lane of width on each side of the island, but it's actually a pair of two-way roads separated by... an island? Meh. Whatever.
Retrospect.
Rust and snow.
Transition.
Knobbz.
Jimmy John's.
Highway Abstractness.
Random Tunage
Lisa Loeb - I Do
Garbage - Stupid Girl
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The most asinine quarter mile in Johnson County
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7 comments:
Oh, I assure you, no offense taken. This little stretch of road never ceases to confuse, and always provides just enough difficulty in providing directions to my house to make it annoying. "Then you turn left on Edgewood... but you have to take the 2nd Edgewood... Yes, that's right, the 2nd one. Right. There are two, but they're the same. Uh huh, it's legal, just take the 2nd one."
Sorry i couldn't find your e-mail....I am just getting into biking and have some questions for you.
1. Do you ever just lock your bike to a lightpole or something at the bus stop? I live in Blue Springs and I'm thinking about doing this so i don't have to cart it to work with me. Do you think or have you had any experiences with people messing with your bike if you leave it someplace locked up for the day?
2. I live 5 miles from the bus stop. From reading your posts it seems feasible to be able to ride 5 miles each way, everyday. Do you have any thoughts on that? How long does it take you to ride 5 miles on your mountain bike?
3. I haven't purchased a bike yet, but I'm thinking about the Next 26inch (link below). I'm no pro biker, just starting and need something to get me from point A (the house) to point B (the bus stop) and home everyday. Any problems with this bike for that basic purpose? No major hills in my stretch, and i will drive when it's cold or raining.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4231518
1) No, I always bring the bike to work with me downtown, because it's nice having a bike downtown and because I don't trust people to leave it alone all day. If your bus stop has bike lockers nearby like some of the Johnson County bus stops do, that's a good option.
2) 5 miles each way is a great ride. I usually average 10-15 MPH on my mountain bike when I'm commuting, depending on wind and how spunky I'm feeling. Starting out, I'd budget for 20-30 minutes to ride your 5-mile trip to the bus just to be on the safe side. You'll eventually figure out how long it really takes and can adjust your departure time accordingly.
3) Read my first post. I broke my Next 26" bike in six weeks, and after that, I found a great used bike for $100 at Bike America. That $100 bike is the one I rode to the bus this morning. It's been a great bike. The $70 I spent on the cheap Wal-Mart bike was waste. I sold it for $25 on Craigslist.
Please, do yourself a favor and try to find a good used bike. Bike shops can help you find a good bike that will fit you properly and does what you need it to do. They also usually tune-up and refurbish bikes before they sell them, unlike most craigslist sellers. These are things that more experienced cyclists can do themselves, but I'd recommend going to a bike shop for a cheap used bike if you're just starting.
Thanks for the info. I'm going to start keeping my eyes open for a nice used bike. I won't start riding till March probably when it warms up, so I might have time to find a good one around $100 to $150.
My car has 150k miles so i ride the bus everyday to try to preserve it (and the environment and my money) anyways. This would just take it to the next level if i could ride a bike to the stop. The car would hardly leave the garage. wouldn't that be sweet!
Anywho, thanks for running this site, and providing all the information and excitement on biking that you do. I'll definately be following your blog going forward.
I'm also a software architect working in downtown (crown center) KC. Maybe I'll pass you on a bike sometime!
Thanks again.
Anonymous,
Do yourself a favor and find a course from the League of American Bicyclists.
Its the #1 think you can do to learn how to ride safely. I would not ride 3 miles without taking that course.
There is a huge difference between what a new rider feels comfortable doing and what is actually the safest thing to do.
Yo, why are you dissing on Edgewood? I always liked that road when I did the Monday night rides along there. But, you are right, it's "odd" in a town that doesn't have a lot of wacky street setups. OK, 87th and I-35 is even weirder but you know what I mean.
You need to ride with me on the last day of BAK this year. It's Paola to Louisburg...
I know this is a very old post, but I just wanted to make a quick comment about Edgewood. It frustrates passersby, but is a great amenity for people in the neighborhood. I run on that center island a few times a week, and I'm hardly alone. It gives me a chance to observe people honking and yelling, because they think people are going the wrong way.
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