A few things combined prompted this.
Below: a rectangle that contains some of the gnarliest highway interchanges in our community.
To me, these represent serious barriers to alternative transportation use. There are five "islands" in that diminutive 12 square mile chunk represented above. Getting from one island to another is often a daunting task. There are only a few roads that cut through without forcing cyclists and pedestrians to "share the road" with a 3 or 4 lane interchange riddled with on-ramps and off-ramps and often no sidewalks, wide lanes, or even shoulders to work with.
This is my neighborhood, folks. I don't live in this rectangle, but I'm just north of it and I do a good chunk of my riding in this area. My job is in this rectangle. I may be participating in a focus group for the Johnson County Gateway Corridor project. While I certainly have my own opinions and thoughts on what could be done to improve the accessibility of this area, I wouldn't mind some opinions from my peers. I see a lot of people riding these streets. Speak up!
What are your suggestions for making things better for alternative transportation, if you had to focus your effort on this little slice of our community?
The annual JCBC banquet will be held at 75 Cafe in Shawnee. It starts at 6:30PM on Saturday, Feb. 20th.
Last month, The Johnson County Bicycle Club asked me to speak about bicycle commuting and utility cycling at the banquet. I took them up on it, but given that commuterDude is the one whose site provided me with the inspiration to jump straight into all-season bicycling just a few months after riding my bike for the first time in about a decade, I wanted to drag him along for the fun. Seriously, I know of none more qualified to talk about this stuff than him.
So, if you're a member of JCBC, come on out and enjoy some good food and good discussion with your bicycling friends. The banquet should be a good time. I expect there to be some Q&A time as well.
Update: Link to more info (PDF)
Even though temperatures were in the 40s yesterday, I kept the jacket off, left the gloves on, and made sure my ears were covered. My hands, ears, and toes always seem to be the most sensitive to cold. For some reason, though, I really don't care how cold my arms get. They acted like radiators for my back, which was burning up the whole ride home, since I was using my backpack yesterday instead of the panniers. All of this is from yesterday.
Blurry but fun on the Turkey Creek Trail. Lots of joggers out, too.
Near my apartment complex:
A different kind of fall, no I didn't eat it. This was on Main Street southbound from River Market. I hit River Market Cyclery around lunch time to get the mounting tab for my Take-A-Look mirror.
This is corrugated plastic that's actually been zip-tied into place. Also, a lot of the deadly storm drains have spraypaint markings leading up to them. Most of this stuff looks very, very unofficial, so I'm guessing it's vigilante activism. This storm drain is not much different than the one I ruined my rear wheel on just 3 days after getting The Twelve. No, I didn't fall, but these drainage grates are a serious hazard.
Random Tunage:
Chemical Brothers - It Doesn't Matter
Paul Van Dyk ft. David Byrne - Fall With Me
I'd never heard that there was an official day for it. PARK(ing) spots are little miniature parks set up in parking spaces, and the BNIM folks set one up in front of Souperman on Friday. I heard about it from Eric and decided to check it out myself. I got there while they were still setting up.
The spot was barricaded by plants and rope. Park benches and games were set up for participants.
They had organic, veggies and snacks grown in urban community and container gardens, and a demo unit of an electric windmill.
A windmill of this size wouldn't do anything at all for home energy generation, though -- it was meant to be mounted on a boat. This company makes much larger models for home use. The representative on site noted that wind power is barely viable unless you're in a windy rural area.
PARK(ing) Day materials. The small flyers included recipes for snacks made using mostly veggies that one could grow in Kansas City's climate. I thought it was a nice touch.
Eric pulled up just as I was leaving.
Another subtle change I noticed lately is that all the crosswalks downtown are "WALK" by default when parallel traffic has a green light. I heard about it a while ago, just haven't been paying attention. Basically, the "push for walk" buttons are obsolete when there's traffic. I'd imagine that you'd still need to press it to let the system know you want to cross a busy street with no traffic in queue, though. Many intersections downtown are using motion-sensing cameras to trigger lights, as opposed to purely timer-based or underground hall-effect loop sensors. These won't likely sense pedestrians waiting to cross.
Random Tunage:
Tchaikovsky - Pas De Deux
Sarah Brightman - La Califfa
With two jobs, a family and a busy summer, commuterDude hasn't gotten around to drumming up funds for the MS150. He hasn't posted it on his site yet, but I know he could use some help. If he doesn't get enough pledges in the next 10 days, he isn't able to ride. Period. I personally don't want to see that happen. The National MS Society is a worthy cause, and it hits close to home for my family. If you have the means and the desire for even $5, pledge to the National MS Society on his behalf. Don't forget to see if your company will match your contribution on the pledge page.
... and I hope that's how he spells his name.
Anyhow, I got out a little early this morning, and saw a cyclist carrying a good pace up ahead of me. Being 5:30ish in the morning, I figured it had to be Grey. If that's the case, I probably wasn't going to catch up with him, but it didn't keep me from trying.
Sure enough, though, as I was pulling up to Johnson Drive on Merriam, I saw him bombing down the hill and turning in front of me. I'd closed in on him, but only because I took the easier route. I think he takes Quivira to 75th, then Nieman to Johnson Drive, whereas I take 67th east to get on Merriam Lane.
He was racing cyclocross yesterday, so was taking it easy this morning. Grey's version of "taking it easy" is somewhere toward the upper end of the speed I can maintain for the distance of my commute. Still, it was nice to run into him. I only see him a few times per year, and it's usually not for very long. In fact, this might be the only time I've actually commuted WITH him versus just seeing him in passing along the way. I bid him farewell as we turned onto Main, mostly because I just couldn't keep up the pace anymore. I took it easy up the hill into Downtown KCMO and used it as a bit of cool-down time.
Hen House Bike Parking
I've been in communication with a few different people from the company that runs the Hen House Market stores, and they've been a real pleasure to work with, asking for suggestions on where and how to mount their new bike rack. My suggestions were:
I had to stop somewhere after work on the way home, and I'm testing some new stuff out on my mountain bike this week. Actually, just today. I think I found out what I needed to know after one day of use.
On my way out, a guy was on break, standing next to my bike. We talked for a bit while I unlocked it and got things situated. He asked how far I have to ride to get home. I said "Not too far, only 2 miles."
He repeated: "HAH! 'Only' two miles."
I think a lot of people have this recollection of "Running the mile" in gym class more than a decade ago on their high-school 400-meter ovals. When it comes to cycling, they fail to comprehend how oddly efficient it is -- likely because many people haven't ridden a bicycle nor walked very far in quite some time.
I haven't ever sat down to do the math, but I've heard experts say you can travel 4 times faster, 4 times further in the same amount of time given equal effort between cycling and non-mechanized transportation. I didn't break out into Wikipedia mode on this poor fellow, but I did explain that it's faster and easier than walking the two miles before I bid him farewell.
I think this kind of confusion is one of the biggest barriers to getting people out of their cars and onto bikes for short errands.
The former local bicycle commuter known as Limited Warren T has a new site up with daily quick bicycle news updates. He's using a sweeper/intro that I made for a tech podcast that never got off the ground. Give it a listen!
I got this note from Laurie Chipman this morning, and I thought I'd share. She makes some valid points for signing up if you ride your bike, car pool, use transit, or walk to get around the greater KC area -- Even if it's part of your daily routine and you aren't changing a thing during Bike Week!
Hi all, I just want to point up something that even I had hardly thought about.We may just think the Car-free Challenge is just a pleasant diversion for those who participate but it can have serious beneficial consequences for those of us who want a better walking, biking and transit environment.http://kcbike.info/bikeweek/We can use these numbers to justify asking for biking, walking/running and transit improvement funding.Here are the statistics as of today, Wednesday.* Total Miles: 9,738* People Registered: 554* People who have logged trips: 354* Teams: 50* Solo Commuters: 69* First-timers: 21* Carbon Dioxide saved: 9,231 pounds* Gasoline saved: 541 gallons, $1,028The numbers are down from last year but we know there are more people walking, bicycling and using transit. Please join a team and login your miles so we can prove to officials that we are out there and need to be counted!Laurie ChipmanLet's Go KC, Alliance for Transportation Choice, representing 26,500 peopleKansas City Bicycle Club Advocate
I'm not sure who did it or when, but somehow the bike advocacy community in Kansas City pulled together and made Bike Week work! Check out the Calendar of Events, and see how many car trips you can replace with a bike ride next week (or all summer long, if it tickles your fancy!)
In 2007, bike week kind of threw the switch for me. I'd say that was probably the point where I started looking at my bike as my primary vehicle. Before then, I would ask "is it really logical to use my bike for this?" and afterward, I found myself reaching for the bike first unless there was a compelling reason to drive because in my situation, it really is more logical to ride my bike most places.
I rode home along with Karen last night, and we saw a few other cyclists on the road, including one guy in textbook commuter regalia (polo shirt, khaki pants, big backpack) riding along Southwest Boulevard. It was a bit windy out, but an excellent afternoon to be on a bike. When I got home, my wife and I took supper to Shawnee Mission Park to enjoy the evening.
Although it was near freezing this morning when I left, it was also the first time in months that I've seen a sliver of the sun above the horizon as I left home. That means that "bicycle season" is upon us, and I won't seem so crazy anymore.
With the looming economic woes, many folks are looking at ways to cut back the budget, either to make ends meet or to increase the size of their nest-egg. Now is a great time to break out that bike and take it for a spin to work. It's the fun, healthy, and cheap way to travel relatively short distances!
The Facts
From Let's Go KC via Eric Rogers:
City Manager Wayne Cauthen’s proposed 2008-2009 KCMO budget cuts many servies to deal with declining revenue brought on by the current recession. One of the big cuts is to the city’s funding of the bus system. Cauthen is proposing a cut of $7 million, or 15% of the city’s transit funding. That translates to about 10% of the KC Area Transportation Authority’s total budget.What a novel idea! One of the first places they're cutting funds will make it more difficult for Kansas Citians to easily get to places where they spend money that generates tax revenue. Brilliant. Read more.
I don't often flip through Urban Times, but I saw it while I was out today and the cover grabbed my attention. The feature article: The Pedestrian Experience [PDF Download] This issue's already a few months old, but the article is worth a read. Although I suspect its message applies directly to most urban areas, it's directly relevant to Kansas City.
It goes without saying that most of the benefits that apply to walking for transportation apply to utility cycling as well. A great many of the things said in this article line up quite nicely with reasons that I often eschew my car or SUV for my bike: Scenery, people, and culture that still exists beyond the superficial glitz of whatever KC's latest shiny object is (currently, the Power & Light District)
Granted, my wife and I still have two motorized vehicles, but I find myself driving less and less -- You don't have to be a radical, a hippie or a rebel to ditch your car.
Image credit: Urban Times, Front Cover, September 2008.
It looks like KCMO is gearing up to start the construction that's referenced in this press release sometime soon. Southbound Broadway between 6th and 14th is getting torn up, and it could last well into December. The city's been doing the same thing to 10th St, and that's apparently close to being done. Broadway, however, is a much different beast. If you have to get out of downtown and rely on Broadway, I might suggest cutting over to Wyandotte or Baltimore. Baltimore is one-way (north only) north of 11th Street or so, but I often use Wyandotte to get down to 14th before cutting to Baltimore. Both roads are lightly trafficked in comparison to Main and Broadway.
I must say that I like the new streetscape aesthetically, but I'll have to see what effect it has on traffic.
Photo: unrelated construction on Turkey Creek seen on my way home Thursday evening.
Speaking of Turkey Creek, the Turkey Creek trail is getting extended from Antioch to Metcalf by City of Overland Park, then being taken further by City of Mission. I can't find all the details yet, but it looks like Turkey Creek Trail will eventually become a thoroughfare that stretches from 75th and King's Cove all the way to Kansas City, MO.
I like the fact that the trails are going in, and that they're becoming popular among bike commuters as a way to get around. The longer ones in the area (Particularly Indian Creek Trail) often make up the majority of bike commuters' journeys. I have mixed feelings about riding on the trails, but as you can often see from my commuting photos, I do ride Turkey Creek Trail frequently.
Reasons to ride the trails are numerous. To name a few:
Well, okay, I'm sure someone's parked in these places, but when there aren't any bike racks, you improvise!
Case and point: Power & Light District. I went and snagged some lunch with Clem. Yes, there's a ring and post a block away. I was feeling lazy. Besides, it gave me an excuse to do a cyclocross rolling dismount and run up the stairs with my bike over my shoulder while people in general thought "what the heck?!"
Things are changing for the better (and quite quickly, I may add) in KCMO. Next month, we'll get a real grocery store downtown. This is huge, and I personally think will do more for urban revitalization than any amount of upscale madness. From a sustainability and urban planning perspective, this means people living in the urban core will have one less reason to rely on their car or take a bus trip. Basic necessities will be easily accessible without the trip to Westport or North KC.
Then, I got this exciting Let's Go KC e-mail from Laurie Chipman (recently featured as KC's best outdoor activist by Pitch):
Some good things have been happening in our fair city. Hazard mitigation is going on every day. If you don't know what hazard mitigation is, it is new grates that don't eat your tires. The BikeKC plan is getting done at last! I even saw a new grate in my own neighborhood and several around town!Really, KC is showing some serious effort to make good on their promise to become a bicycle friendly community. Let's just hope that the successors to KC's mayoral throne don't mess it up.The other cool thing I found out about is a bike parking rack at our beloved midtown Costco at Linwood and Gillham. I was talking with the check out guy there and he said they had just put one in. Some of their regular customers had been asking for one. I was trying to stuff the suggestion box myself but I was glad to hear that other people were way ahead of me.I also heard that there is bike parking at the midtown Home Depot but I have not seen it.Just want you to know that requests are being heard so keep asking!
The latest edition of INK Magazine is devoted to bicycling in Kansas City. There are two different covers, one of a pro-level womens crit racer and the other of a local urban utility cyclist. Other articles include vintage bikes, tallbikes, and other miscellaneous "bike culture" stuff, mostly of the art-inspired and fixed gear variety. Apparently, most of the articles from INK are online so out-of-towners can read, too. Fair warning: INK may be a little racy, potentially not safe for work.
Also, you may remember more than a month ago when the chaps from BBC's One Planet were in town... Well, the podcast is live for the listening, as pointed out by metalcommuter in my comments from a recent post.
I forgot to post this photo this morning. It seems that pigeons have made the old Lane building their home. A large crack in the facade (not visible) makes for a great nesting place.
Brent Hugh (Director, MO Bicycle Federation) and I met up with a reporter and camera crew from NBC Action News (KSHB 41 in Kansas City) after work. The last time they covered bicycle commuting, it was more of a "Whoa, people actually do this?" kind of thing.
This time, they wanted street-level video. A camera man tapes a pinhole camera to Brent's helmet light. 
They also set my bike up with a camera on the handlebars:
Their goal this time around is to cover bicycle commuting safety, what kinds of challenges bike commuters face, and what bike commuters can do to make things easier on themselves. We'll see how many of our answers they use.
I was running almost a full hour behind schedule today because of the setup, which means a lot more traffic. On the ride out of downtown, Brent and I experienced traffic that's pretty typical of Kansas City's evening rush hour. This was complete with a few motorists taking wide right turns a little too close for comfort across our path, lane crowding, and a few honks. Both of us were diligent with hand signals and traffic laws, and I think the video that was gathered should turn out well. the reporter doing this piece is a recreational cyclist, but those are the very same people who seem to be adopting bike commuting right now.
I don't know exactly when the piece will air, but it sounds like it's part of a bigger story that will hit the local news early-to-mid September. Having Brent there was a big help. He's got a lot more experience than I do. He's also an LCI whereas I have learned most of what I know from making mistakes and learning from them without having ever taken any classes. The rest of what I know comes from other cyclists both local and in online communities. I'm sure plenty more learning opportunities exist in my future. Hopefully not too many of them result in things like a stolen bike, missing teeth and a broken face. I can do without those learning experiences, but sometimes that's what it takes.
In April, Trek Bicycle Stores of KC, Omaha and St. Louis picked winners for the 2008 Go By Bike Challenge. Here, applicants signed up to win one of two bikes in each of the three cities. Two champions from the KC Metro area stepped up to the plate. I know a lot of people entered.
Now, we're at it again with two brand new opportunities!
For Kansas City Area residents only:
KCMO and Localcycling.com have partnered choose2bike.com with several bike shops in the area and are offering a similar challenge. The catch? You only have until July 25th, 2008 to check out the rules and get registered! Four bikes are up for grabs to KC Area residents (this includes Johnson County, the Northland, even Belton). I know for certain there's a Gary Fisher and a Breezer in the mix, as well as the basic essentials for commuting: A lock, helmet, lights and personal assistance choosing routes around town.
Anywhere in the US (possibly Continental US only?)
Hot on the heels of that news, I also see that Trek, via 1 World 2 Wheels, is launching a different (NATION WIDE!) variation of it's Go By Bike Challenge where they're giving away a mind-blowing FORTY SIX Brand new Trek 7.2FX bikes, one a day between July 17th and August 31st. Check out the rules.
As far as I know, even those who are currently using their bikes for transportation are allowed in both contests. I would hope that established bike commuters would leave the odds to those who really need it. If you're just starting, though, and riding a bike that's in a state of disrepair or would just like to pledge miles and/or apply for either of these contests, I can't see why anyone would shun you.
Likewise, If you're on the fence about bike commuting, these are great opportunities to get right into bike commuting without the significant initial investment. I know with the price of fuel right now, two months of daily commuting in my Explorer would consume enough fuel to have purchased one of those Trek FX bikes. Take advantage of these two opportunities while you can. Hopefully, I'll see you on the road in KC soon on your shiny, new bike!
This is being posted in advance of my appearance on KCUR's Up To Date radio show in a little more than an hour. I may add more stuff here over the next couple of hours.
Shameless Plugs:
While I mostly use this place to share my pictures and carry on and on about my personal adventures in getting around the Greater Kansas City Area, I do actually have some useful information for bicycle commuters here:
