Getting There is Half the Fun!

oilfreeandhappy said:

Getting There is Half the Fun! This new commuting art design
embroidered patch is now available! It incorporates the social
aspects, health, and vitality of many of the creative modes of
Alternative Transportation. Encourage others to LEAVE THE CAR
AT HOME! The 4"W x 5-1/2"H size is great for a shirt, jacket,
purse,pannier, sleeve, etc. See all the Alternative
Transportation Make-a-Statement products at:

http://home.comcast.net/~oil_free_and_happy/
----
Jim Gagnepain

Not trying to be pissy Jim, but what are you doing to make riding
safer, road/lane/path wise? Always the #1 reason people don't ride
more is no safe place to ride. Saying leave the car home is fine but
if it's one vs many on the roadway with cars, don't expect many to
ride a bike.

Quoted message said:

Not trying to be pissy Jim, but what are you doing to make riding
safer, road/lane/path wise? Always the #1 reason people don't ride
more is no safe place to ride. Saying leave the car home is fine but
if it's one vs many on the roadway with cars, don't expect many to
ride a bike.

No problem. It's a good question, and a fair one. However, I don't
believe
this is the number one reason. I believe that convenience (or
laziness,
depending on your outlook), may be a bigger reason. I've had people
tell
me that safety is their excuse for not cycling, but when I press the
issue,
I find out they've never even tried road cycling or commuting.
They're
hopelessly addicted to their cars.

As far as safety goes, however, it's number ONE in my book. I've
spoken
to 3 different riders in the last 2 days, who came on the Metrolink in
St. Louis with their
bikes. It was dark, and none of them had any lights. One of them
mentioned that
he was riding the Ragbrai this summer. Crazy - you'd think he knows
better. I told
each of them that they should have a reflector, as a minimum.

I always look for opportunities to talk SAFETY to riders. The more
people who
see cyclists riding safely, the more people who will consider cycling.

I'm also a member of Bike Fort Collins and PEDAL (Loveland). I
volunteer for
activities, and occassionally attend City Council meetings to talk
bicycle
infrastructure, etc.

I am currently on work assignment in St. Louis for a few weeks. I'm
riding a folder
down a busy street (Broadway) each morning, and using the new bike
lane in a
correct manner - I see so many who don't use it properly. So that
would be a
3rd response - examplary riding.
-----
Jim Gagnepain
http://home.comcast.net/~oil_free_and_happy/

"oilfreeandhappy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

As far as safety goes, however, it's number ONE in my book. I've
spoken
to 3 different riders in the last 2 days, who came on the Metrolink in
St. Louis with their
bikes. It was dark, and none of them had any lights. One of them
mentioned that
he was riding the Ragbrai this summer. Crazy - you'd think he knows
better. I told
each of them that they should have a reflector, as a minimum.

Please NEVER tell someone that a reflector is good for anything. Reflectors
and almost always out of the line of headlights and especially now that
headlights are far more accurately focused on the road and not on the
shoulder.

Night riding is NEVER good without battery or generator powered lights and
today's LED lamps are extremely cheap, efficient and long battery life.

If you want to be dead - ride at night without lights. I believe that
something like 80% of all bicycle fatalities occur in reduced visibility
conditions.

oilfreeandhappy said:

Quoted message said:

Not trying to be pissy Jim, but what are you doing to make riding
safer, road/lane/path wise? Always the #1 reason people don't ride
more is no safe place to ride. Saying leave the car home is fine but
if it's one vs many on the roadway with cars, don't expect many to
ride a bike.

No problem. It's a good question, and a fair one. However, I don't
believe
this is the number one reason. I believe that convenience (or
laziness,
depending on your outlook), may be a bigger reason. I've had people
tell
me that safety is their excuse for not cycling, but when I press the
issue,
I find out they've never even tried road cycling or commuting.
They're
hopelessly addicted to their cars.

As far as safety goes, however, it's number ONE in my book. I've
spoken
to 3 different riders in the last 2 days, who came on the Metrolink in
St. Louis with their
bikes. It was dark, and none of them had any lights. One of them
mentioned that
he was riding the Ragbrai this summer. Crazy - you'd think he knows
better. I told
each of them that they should have a reflector, as a minimum.

I always look for opportunities to talk SAFETY to riders. The more
people who
see cyclists riding safely, the more people who will consider cycling.

I'm also a member of Bike Fort Collins and PEDAL (Loveland). I
volunteer for
activities, and occassionally attend City Council meetings to talk
bicycle
infrastructure, etc.

I am currently on work assignment in St. Louis for a few weeks. I'm
riding a folder
down a busy street (Broadway) each morning, and using the new bike
lane in a
correct manner - I see so many who don't use it properly. So that
would be a
3rd response - examplary riding.
-----
Jim Gagnepainhttp://home.comcast.net/~oil_free_and_happy/

I didn't think so either but Ray Keener, who owns GrowthCycle showed
me a study that ranked lack of a safe place to ride as the number 1 of
10 reasons people don't ride more or at all. Some places have ways to
co habitate with autos but mostly it's just a share proposition. Cycle
lanes is what is needed(NOT multiuse paths), on all paved streets in
the US, but that ain'y gonna happen. Ain't gonna happen even with $6-
$8 per gallon gas. Multiuse paths are easier to sell to get the $, but
as a bicycle transportation 'system' it fails.

What is going to make these things happen? I sure don't know.

I wholeheartedly agree. I did mean a battery powered reflector
light. Excuse me for not mentioning
this. I had 2 LED lights with me at the time, and demonstrated them
to the other riders, so they
knew what I meant.

Tom Kunich' cyclintom@yahoo. com said:

"oilfreeandhappy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

As far as safety goes, however, it's number ONE in my book. I've
spoken
to 3 different riders in the last 2 days, who came on the Metrolink in
St. Louis with their
bikes. It was dark, and none of them had any lights. One of them
mentioned that
he was riding the Ragbrai this summer. Crazy - you'd think he knows
better. I told
each of them that they should have a reflector, as a minimum.

Please NEVER tell someone that a reflector is good for anything. Reflectors
and almost always out of the line of headlights and especially now that
headlights are far more accurately focused on the road and not on the
shoulder.

Night riding is NEVER good without battery or generator powered lights and
today's LED lamps are extremely cheap, efficient and long battery life.

If you want to be dead - ride at night without lights. I believe that
something like 80% of all bicycle fatalities occur in reduced visibility
conditions.