3 Feet Please

I found this today (click on the picture to visit the website) while looking around various cycling websites. I wish I was paying more attention so I could give credit to whoever called my attention to it. It seems like a pretty good idea. I don't really believe that most motorists want to do us harm. Maybe a little visual reminder will help.

Check out the media section of the website. I am surprised by how closely the cars pass him in the video. Personally, I think that video should be used to show why you should not ride on the shoulder, but I do not know the specifics of the route. He may have a good reason for doing so.

I'll probably get one once the weather gets a bit warmer here. There's really no point in me getting on now. It will be covered by a jacket for the next three months. Plus, I blew my cycling budget on a rain cape earlier this morning.

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Whodunnit?

A while back, the moon walking bear was all over the internet. It made a great point about missing the obvious. The folks that brought us that have brought us another installment.



I wonder if more people would pass this test if hi-vis yellow and Planet Bike's Superflashes were used.

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Mea Culpa

Sigh... Yesterday I got all crabby about the impending doom all the news people were forcasting. Then, I wake up this morning to pictures of the massive back-ups on 270 because of the slippery roads.

Should I just apologize for taking the dire warnings lightly, or should I complain that where there are constand warnings about the weather, people begin to take them lightly?

From the Columbus Dispatch

A light coating of snow combined with freezing temperatures to turn freeway bridges throughout Franklin County into sheets of ice last night, causing crashes everywhere.

There was a chain-reaction crash on a bridge in the eastbound lanes of I-270 north, about a quarter-mile west of I-71. About 20 vehicles were scattered over the highway in pinball fashion, as one after another hit ice and spun out, hitting other vehicles.

"It was ice and I just could not stop," said Pat Shirp, whose SUV rammed the back of a car driven by Aaron Hurney, who slowed when he saw the crash.

A second set of cars crashed less than a half-mile away, on the Outerbelt at I-71.

Southbound Rt. 315 had multiple crashes, including one south of Kinnear Road, one at Ackerman Road and another at the Riverside Methodist Hospital curve. And westbound I-670 near Downtown was covered with wrecked cars.

There were no serious injuries reported.

Mary Carran Webster, Columbus' assistant director of public service, said city salt crews went out about 10 p.m., though she said many of the overpasses on Rt. 315 had been treated with brine earlier in the afternoon. The Ohio Department of Transportation is responsible for salting most of the freeways in central Ohio.

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A much needed update

It's been a while. Well, there are a couple of reasons...

First, I was off the bike almost all of last week. I wasn't very careful with a hoe last weekend and cut my foot pretty good. It's a dumb story with dumber actions, so I won't go into gory details.

Second, school has been kicking my ass. I am not sure how many of you are parents. If you are a parent, please rest assured that your child's teachers have much better things to do with their time than make up stories just to get your precious child in trouble. Chances are, your kid is lying, not the teacher.

Third, my overly hopped homebrew IPA tasted pretty good. I have a personal rule about staying off the internets when I have been drinking. I had a bad experience once with eBay and a credit card.

So there you have it. Three lame excuses as to why I have not written.

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Back to school

The past couple of weeks have been a mix of vacation and getting reading for the new school year.  In the downtime, I have been writing a little bit, but I keep finding myself side tracked after a while.  That happens when there is a bunch of stuff to do.

Bike Commuters has a great post about getting off your duff and walking/biking to school.  These types of plea often result in someone saying that children can walk/bike to school because of a busy road.  When I was in middle school, I rode a bus because the only way to get to school was to go down a state route.  

As most middle schoolers do, I ended up getting a detention.  I think it was for throwing paper in the classroom, but that really is not that important.  When I was dismissed from the detention, I grabbed my stuff and began to walk out the door.  Ms. G., the teacher, stopped me and asked me where I was going.  I told her that my dad was making me walk home as a punishment.  Ms. G. was shocked that someone could be so mean as to make a middle school kid walk home. Ms. G. got on the telephone with my dad and said told him to pick me up.  She told him how dangerous it was to have me walking.  

My dad lost the debate with Ms. G.  He would have to pick me up.  I was conflicted.  I was getting out of having to walk home, but my dad was the master of creative punishments.  

When my dad showed up, I opened the door to hop in his truck.  He looked at me and asked, "What are you doing?"  I stared for a second.  He continued, "You punishment is that you have to walk home, get walking."  He turned to Ms. G. and promised to keep me safe.  

I walked the  four miles to my house that day.  My dad drove behind me the entire way.  

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$600

What could I buy for almost $600? I could buy a a Jamis Coda Sport. I have been saving for the Jamis Aurora, but I would settle for the Sport to get through the winter.

What did I buy for almost $600? An oil change, new brakes and calipers, and a tie-rod for my car.

Yippie...

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What's that on my car?

What's that on my car? Dust! The thing has sat around for so long, it was covered in a thin layer of dust.

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Riding past an accident

I went to a ball game tonight. On my way home, there was an accident. I asked a couple of the people standing around about what happened. I was told that a truck rear-ended a bus. I rode past without thinking twice about it.

Then, I get home and read that two people were killed and nine were injured.

Please, if you are in a car, pay attention to what is happening around you.

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Today's column by Ann Fisher

For those of you who are not from Columbus, Ann writes a column for the Dispatch. Generally, I like her writing. Maybe sometime, I will give her a call and buy her a beer.

Today's column was about how people just do not know the laws regarding cycling. Should bikes be on the sidewalk? Can cyclists pass cars stopped at a red light? Do cyclists have to ride on the shoulder? It was pretty interesting because average Joe does not know the answers.

Then we read along a little further and find Upper Arlington Police Officer Heather Galli's thoughts. "Some bicyclists don't follow all the rules, but they want special treatment," she says.

Why do people use bicyclists who break the law as an example as to why cyclists need to be trained or taken off the road? Cyclists want special treatment? Nope, we just don't want to be road kill. That's all. Let me live long enough to see my children grow up. That's pretty special treatment.

How about the website that sells these windshield stickers: They are breaking the law, and wanting people to move out of their way. That's special treatment. But that is different, right? It's a car breaking the law. In that case, it is just fine.

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Cars to be afraid of

Yes, I know I am stereotyping. I am sure that there are one or two people in the world who do not fit these statements. To you, I apologize.

In general, I have found that the scary drivers typical have a few things in common. Unfortunately, most of them are bumper stickers, so you don't know until it is too late.

The first one is the classic Calvin peeing on something.

What better way to show your thoughts than taking a cartoon character who embodies the innocence of youth and make him take a wizz on something? I've seen Calvin peeing on Chevy logos, Ford logos, Toyota logos, and Honda logos. I guess Calvin hates all cars.

The girl peeing Calvin stickers are even more creepy.

EDIT: Thanks to Jason, I now have a link to various Calvin peeing on things pictures.

I laughed out loud when I saw Calvin peeing on the words, "copyright infringement."

The next type of car to be afraid of is the pick-up truck with the Confederate flag.


Usually, the bigger the flag, the bigger the jerk. A small sticker is nothing compared to the people who plaster this on the back window of the pick-up truck.

I realize that this might be different in the south, but I'm not sure how Ohio fits into the confederacy.

The new car that I am afraid of is the Kia Amante.

The people who drive these cars want to look like they have a lot of money, but they don't. I'm not sure what it is, but the mount of run-ins has landed them of the list of cars I am afraid of.

You might have thought I was above picking the low-hanging fruit of Hummers. Nope, they are jerks too. Here is a mildly NSFW video from fuh2.com (also NSFW).

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Good drivers

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. ~Herm Albright

I spend a great deal of time writing and thinking about the bad drivers. You know the ones... they blow through the stop sign at Walgreen's and almost hit you you despite three lights on the front of the bike. I'm not going to talk about that idiot today. Today I am going to be positive. Here is a list of some of the good drivers in Columbus.

Probably the nicest drivers I have come across has been the fleet of Majestic Drywall trucks. Their shop is on my commute to school, so I am passed by three or four trucks each morning. I have never had a problem with any of them. I'm not sure if they are so nice because my neighbor works there, or they are genuinely nice. Personally, I don't care why they are nice to me. It's just nice that they are.

Team Fishel has another set of good drivers. They do something in construction also. I'm not exactly sure what, but judging by the size of their trucks, it is something big.

Although I can point a finger at these drivers, there are an overwhelming majority of drivers who will share the road without any hesitation. Just today, a guy in a green Ford Explorer passed me. Then, he pulled off the road. I got a good look at him because I was stopped at a stop light. He waited the entire time I was stopped. As I rode past, he shouted out that I was dragging straps off the back of the Xtracycle.

A few weeks ago, I stopped for a break while I was on a trip. I found a nice shady spot and pulled off the road. Some guy in a white car stopped to see if everything was OK.

Before the Xtracycle, I bought too much at the grocery store. I was struggling with getting everything on the rack. Someone came out and helped tie everything down on my rack.

Most people are good people.

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But, at least... it's not on my bike

I saw this commercial last night while watching the Columbus Destroyers get beat by the Cleveland Gladiators.



So some kid finds a POS car on the side of the road and decides to fix it up. It takes his entire summer and a bunch of money, but heck, it's worth it as long as he does not have to suffer the humiliation of riding a bike, right?

Streetsblog has a much better (and funnier) write-up on this commercial.

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Great Commute Race - Columbus Version

I have read quite a bit lately about a bike beating a car in a commute race.  I have even talked about the time it takes in a car vs. bike on my own route here.  Still, I have been involved with a race with my neighbor during the past month.  

Typically, I will leave for work a few minutes before him.  He'll usually pass me right before I turn on the the bike trail.    We'll meet again once I turn onto the main road.  Nine times out of ten, I will be ahead of him.  I head towards the highway overpass and then turn onto the main road of my commute.  Then I ride for two or three minutes, waiting for the familiar honk.  My neighbor pulls up next to me, honks his horn, give me the "you owe me a beer" sign, then pulls away.  There was always a little comfort in the thought that he just barely beat me the train yard where he works.

Today, with two days of school left, I beat him.  Maybe he'll buy me a beer this weekend.  I'm in the mood for Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout.

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Good-bye Hummer

I just read this on MotorTrend's website:

In one of its smartest moves in recent years, General Motors is looking to dump Hummer, or "everything from a complete revamp of the product lineup to partial or complete sale of the brand," according to Rick Wagoner. The chairman and CEO also says the new Chevy compact will begin production in Lordstown, Ohio in mid-2010 (not 2009, as reported in my last post and at Automotive News), and that GM will close four big-truck plants. The era of the big truck/SUV clearly is over. And so, too, is the Hummer brand as an albatross, as perhaps the last vestige of Ron Zarrella-era GM malaise.

Read the complete article here.

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You ride a bike for an hour?!?

Well, not really. It's somewhere between 40 and 50 minutes. Usually, it is closer to 50 minutes, but a nice tail wind can give the my coveted 40 minute commute.

Because of a nasty head cold, I drove today. On the way home, I decided to take the same route (excluding the half mile of bike path) I use to commute. I wanted to compare the difference in time between driving and riding. I'm not a scientist. I realize that one trip is not data. Even so, here are the results.

If I leave school at 4:00 on my bike, I get home at 4:45.
If I leave school at 4:00 in my car, I get home at 4:45.

Stop lights, school buses and trains kept everything equal. On a bike, I am not stopped by the buses. They are far enough ahead of me that I can see them, but I never really catch up with them. I can almost count on hearing the train's whistle as I turn into the apartment complex by my house. Traffic is always clearing up as I pop out of the bike trail.

In my car, I am delayed by a bunch of little things. On a bike, I seem to go just slow enough to avoid them.

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It's not me, it's you

According to a AAA report, George Carlin (and my grandfather) were right.  No one knows how to drive except me.   Again, I am getting information from the Columbus Dispatch.  If you doubt that this is real, take a look at the comments in the "Hot Issue" area.  Look at all of the people who claim, "I can talk on my cell phone while driving without a problem.  It's everyone who is the problem."

Or, if you do not feel like clicking, look at the chart to the left.  (Sorry about the quality.)   75% of people feel they are more careful than anyone else on the road.  I had pictures of Lake Wobegon in my head when I read that.  

I am happy to see my personal pet peeve addressed.  Fifty percent of people admit to speeding up to beat a red light.  At the same time, 70% admit it is dangerous.  At a minimum, 20% of people are saying, "screw being safe.  I have to be first."

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With whom do we share the road?

An actual letter to the editor from the Columbus Dispatch

This is a letter to the car full of teenagers (and others just like you) that ran right through a stop sign in front of the Mall at Tuttle Crossing and laughed like idiots when I almost ran into you. Yes, isn't it funny that you could have ended up dead! Yes, isn't it funny that I could have destroyed my vehicle! Personally, I don't care what happens to you, but I certainly don't intend on ruining my vehicle that is worth more than any of you will ever earn in your lifetime. Nor do I want to waste my time waiting for emergency personnel to arrive and pronounce you dead. By judging from your actions and obvious inability to read street signs, my guess is that you did not complete the 8th grade and are probably not a decent contributing member of society, so please get your parole officer to read this letter to you! Next time, maybe I won't be able to stop my vehicle in time, or maybe I won't even try.

My suggestions to everyone, LEARN HOW TO READ, be sure to STOP at Stop signs, and DON'T STOP when there aren't any stop signs. How difficult is that?

Diana Momeyer, Columbus

I have been debating about posting this since I saw it on Tuesday. My goal here is to convince people to ride a bike, not scare them away from it. Honestly, this is scary. I do not condone kids not paying attention while driving. But this lady cares more about her car than a group of teenagers. Read it again, "I don't care what happens to you, but I certainly don't intend on ruining my vehicle that is worth more than any of you will ever earn in your lifetime. " If that isn't unsettling enough, "Next time, maybe I won't be able to stop my vehicle in time, or maybe I won't even try." So, I guess a suitable punishment for running a stop sign is ramming another person's car.

How would you like to have her behind you while you are on a bicycle?

When I was learning to drive, my grandfather used to say, "There are three types of drivers on the road, idiots who drive slower than you, maniacs who drive faster than you, and the perfect driver, you."

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The 100 Mile Commute

It's been a while since I have posted.  A new baby in the house tends to take up quite a bit of time.  Minor things are taking a back seat to the major things.  

One of the things that is taking a lot of my time is the 100 mile round trip to school each day.  In order to help my wife and the new baby adjust to being at home, I agreed to take the other two kids to day care for two weeks.  We live almost half-way between our two schools.  My wife teaches 18 miles due west and I teach 15 miles due east.  The girls' day care is across the street from my wife's school.

Now, I am waking up at 5:30 so I can leave at 6:30 and make it to school by 8:00.  This time in the car does have it upside.  I have been able to introduce my girls to the finer aspects of Morrissey and Jack Johnson.  I am well on my way to listening to almost two years worth of Grammar Girl's podcasts.

Even so, if I hated driving before, I hate it even more now.  I am spending three hours a day in the car.  This week alone, I spent more in gas than I spent in all of March.   That's $100 I could not spend on beer.  

I wonder if the guy in the yellow Ford Escape realizes that, after all of his lane changes, speeding, tailgating, and unsafe driving, I have passed him every day about 30 miles down the road?  Do you think people will ever realize that following too closely and constantly tapping the brakes is what causes traffic backups?  When traffic is heavy, why don't other drivers let people merge?  

There is just one more week of this.  After that, I will be back on the bike.  I have to.  Driving gives me a headache.

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Fill 'er up!

Yesterday I had to fill up the gas tank. $45.25. It was a touch over 14 gallons at $3.21 each. The good news is that it has been more than three weeks between fill-ups. The bad news is that that with the new bouncing baby boy, I will be driving the other two kids to daycare for the next two weeks. That means I will be having these $45 fill-ups about once a week. Ouch!

This helps me to realize the importance of riding a bike for the short trips. I head to the grocery store at least twice a week. Each one of those trips is two miles. The weekly trips to church are a shade over 10 miles. Handel's Ice Cream is about a six mile round trip.

I plug the totals into The Bike Geek's calculator and come up with the following numbers:

Money not spent on gas: $42.84
CO2 not released into the atmosphere: 269.28 pounds

The money not spent on gas seems a bit low. The math works out perfectly when computing my average MPG. My problem is that before I made the conscious effort to park the car and ride the bike, I was filling up about every seven to ten days. Now, the time between fill-ups has doubled. I have heard that short trips use more gas. My totally unscientific findings here seem to have proven that.

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Today's commute

Today I did the 15 mile trip home in about an hour and fifteen minutes.  You would think that is a good thing, but it wasn't.  Today I did the trip in my car.

For the next month, I will be driving to school every day.  (Stay tuned next week to find out why!)  Today's trip reminded my why I just do not like to drive.  It's too frustrating and people are just plain rude.  What does it hurt if you let someone merge?  Why squeeze your giant car in a small space, then hit the brakes?  Why make several unsafe lane changes only to end up three car lengths ahead of where you started?  

I felt like Homer Simpson at times.  "Gas, brake, honk.  Gas, brake, honk.  Honk, honk, punch.  Gas, gas, gas."

Then, as my car crawled under the Wilson Road bridge, I looked up.  There was a cyclist.  She was smiling like I smile when I look at stopped traffic on the highway.  I was jealous.

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