January 1997 Newsletter
- Calendar
- BURA
- Announcements
- Bike Week
- In The Street (Winter)
- In The Street (Traffic Calming)
- Traffic Circles
- Good Baseline News - Bike lane project finished
- Night Driving Glasses
- BBC Literature Available
- Facts from APM
- Tales from the Trails
Monday, 1/13/97 - January General Meeting - Guest Speaker - Faye Ignatowski on BURA
The meeting will be held at the main Boulder Library at 1000 Canyon Blvd. The meeting will start at 7:00 pm and end at 9:00 pm. Food and drink are not permitted.
Thursday, 1/16/97 - Regional Transportation Task Force
This meeting will be held from 7-9 pm on the third floor of the Boulder County Courthouse at 13th & Pearl in Boulder. Presentation of draft report of Six Corridor Study. Call BBC representative Dave Allured at 499-7466 for more information.
Wednesday, 1/22/97 - BURA board meeting
Review plan. Faye Ignatowski, 441-4278.
Monday, 2/10/97 - February General Meeting
The meeting will be held at the main Boulder Library at 1000 Canyon Blvd. The meeting will start at 7:00 pm and end at 9:00 pm. Food and drink are not permitted.
Thursday, 2/13/97 - Transportation Advisory Board
Review BURA plan. 441-4243.
Wednesday, 2/19/97 (tentative date) - BURA board meeting
Final adoption of plan. 441-4278.
Crossroads Bike/Pedestrian Plan:
Cyclists' Comments Needed!
Dave Allured and John Militzer
The Boulder Urban Renewal Authority (BURA) and the Boulder Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) are entering the final decision-making stages for a bicycle/pedestrian plan for the Crossroads area. Please see the November 1996 BBC newsletter for an overview of the plan.
Issues of concern identified so far by our club include: on-street bicycling; bikeway on 26th Street; bike parking and storage lockers; auto parking and parking fees; delivery services; bike lane widths; improving bikeway details; bike connectors through parking lots; and legalizing bicycling on sidewalks.
On-street bicycling will be very controversial. The city in the past has always opted for the less effective off-street facilities in the Crossroads area, or has done nothing at all. Public input will be critical to change this!
At the January 13th BBC meeting, Faye Ignatowski of BURA will give us a presentation of the current bike/ped plan. Then we will revise our list of recommendations on the overall plan. We will also discuss some of BURA's early proposals for construction in the next year or two. These proposals include:
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Study of 30th Street bike lanes or paths, Arapahoe to Pearl
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Improvement of East-West multi-use path between Crossroads & Target
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Study of east-west link through Crossroads area
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Bike lanes on Walnut from Folsom to 26th
Your help in getting quality bike facilities in the Crossroads area is needed now! We urge you to come to the January 13th BBC meeting and help shape official club recommendations. Please try to attend one or more of the following board meetings and voice your support for effective bicycle improvements. Comments made at earlier meetings may get better results than at the final one.
Monday, January 13, 1997 - BBC meeting, review plan and adopt final BBC recommendations. 7 PM, Boulder Public Library.
Wednesday, January 22, 1997 - BURA board meeting, review plan. Faye Ignatowski, 441-4278.
Thursday, February 13, 1997 - (tentative date) - Transportation Advisory Board meeting, review plan. 441-4243.
Wednesday, February 19, 1997 - (tentative date) - BURA board meeting, final adoption of plan. 441-4278.
Please call the phone numbers shown for confirmation of meeting date, time, and location. You may also call BBC officers Dave Allured at 499-7466 and John Militzer at 494-8219 for the latest information. Please get involved!
John Militzer
The 1997 Bike Week will be held from June 21st through 28th. This year, the city is changing its focus somewhat to incorporate a new effort that they hope will increase the amount of 'walking trips' per year to 1,000,000. As a result, the event is going to be renamed to "Ped/Bike Week" to reflect this change. What this means for example is that the Corporate Challenge may include counting walkers and possibly those who 'take the bus' in addition to the riders. New and expanded event activities will be offered to support the pedestrian aspects.
Mary Huron, the Events Outreach Coordinator for Alternative Modes for the City of Boulder will be holding the first meeting to go over Bike Week on Thursday, Jan 16th from 4:30 to 5:30 at the Boulder Public Library. The agenda will include reviewing BikeWeek-96, discussion of the pedestrian aspects, and general brainstorming for event ideas, sponsorship, improvements, etc. After this initial meeting, Mary will hold monthly planning meetings.
For people who are interested in working on Bike Week, Mary can be reached at: 441-4259, or via email at (i believe): huronm@ci.boulder.co.us
Premena
Watch out for that liquid de-icer residue which gets greasy - It looks a bit oily and slips out suddenly. I know of four bike crashes on this stuff; all of them involved powering the rear wheel - so accelerate carefully if you think there's a possibility of slippery de-icer. I have talked with Parks [about creek path de-icer use] and city street maintenance.
A tip on riding in stormy times; I've found in my neighborhood the city cleans particular streets well; these seem to be bus routes and by schools mainly but not exclusively. These routes are more easily traversed after a storm. South facing hills are also clear faster from solar warming. Wearing a cheap paper dust mask can help greatly when it's cold; keeps your skin warmer and you re-breath in some of the heat you exhaled.
In The Street (Traffic Calming)
Premena
In the continuing saga of Neighborhood Traffic Mitigation Program [NTMP] new bumps seem to pop up daily. Closer observation and use of the two bumps on Edgewood has led me to give them a bad grade - On their northern end they have been made to slope to the curb pan _across_ the bike lane. This is not a safe design for the bike lane and I have told the city so. The problem doesn't occur on the south end of the bump as the bile lanes are away from the curb to allow car parking.
New experimental features have appeared mid-block on Spruce near 17th and further eastward. These are a combination of raised crosswalk [yet to be installed at this writing] and a short center island. Please take a look at them and tell the city what you think. There is no other place in Boulder that this design is used that I know of. My initial reaction is negative since they are effectively chokers bumped out from the middle rather than pinched in from the side. They are posted for no passing of bicycles in the structure.
The 4-way stop at University and 9th was installed and working OK last I went through there. Mainly I'm crossing east-west and it helps on that route.
I find it annoying that the pavement included in the new bike lanes on 13th street - mainly west side - is rough from past sewer work and often cars are parked in the bike lanes on the east side next to the school.
Happy & safe riding to you all....
Evan Ravitz
Note: This letter was voted on at a Bolder Bicycle Commuters meeting (November 1996) and approved. It was sent to the editors of the four newspapers by Gwen Ecks.
Bolder Bicycle Commuters urges the City to stop using traffic circles, as well as medians and neckdowns, as traffic "mitigation". The test circle at 17th and Pine is now the most dangerous intersection in town, as measured by calls to the Close Call Hotline (441-4272). The circle at 15th and Pine is 3rd most dangerous. This alone justifies banning them.
Some say the circles can be fixed. History shows how: In 1988, North 9th Street residents asked for several 4-way stops to slow traffic. The City's Transportation Division said they wouldn't work, although the 4-way at Maxwell and 9th worked fine. After 6 years and over $10,000 of studies, reports and acrimonious meetings, 9th Street finally got a circle, a median and a set of neckdowns, costing some $120,000. Some go the wrong way around the circle and accidents have increased. Last month 4-way stops were installed on 9th at Dellwood and Forest, finally solving the problem!
It's time for The City to stop divisively and expensively "mitigating" problems and start simply and cheaply solving them. Traffic circles are the most dangerous and expensive method, costing some $40,000 each, plus upkeep on the standard high-maintenance landscaping and sprinkler systems. The Camera's front page story 10/30/96 says "disputes over traffic circles have pitted neighbor against neighbor in an escalating public brawl."
We prefer photo radar or other speed law enforcement, gentle speed humps, timed traffic lights, or raised crosswalks to slow traffic. With Fort Collins' success in cutting accidents in half with photo radar at no cost to taxpayers (Daily Camera front page, December 3), this should be tried first.
Good Baseline News - Bike lane project finished
John Militzer
The Baseline bike lane project from 55th to Cherryvale is essentially finished. Last night (1/8/97) I rode it on the way home. There are good 6' lanes on either side from Cherryvale to Meadow-Glenn. Even though it was dark and there was quite a bit of traffic and gravel on the pavement, I felt safe riding there. Before these lanes were put in, I would never would have considered riding that route under those considerations.
However, from Meadow-Glenn to 55th the lane narrows to 4' on the north side, including the curb. It was too dark to tell what the width and configuration of the lane on the south side is. My opinion is that having a 4' lane is definitely better than having nothing at all, but it is still tricky. This is especially true because of an approximate 2" lip between the pavement and curb. Although that problem will be rectified when the City is able to overlay the road in the next several months, for now I still consider the segment dicey, bordering on dangerous for most riders, especially given the amount of traffic and the fact that the curb blocks your 'escape route.'
Given that qualification, let me offer my sincere thanks and kudos to the crew who finally built in this much needed bike lane. It will truly help and they deserve recognition and our appreciation for it. But now don't forget, Cherryvale all the way!
John Militzer
I may have finally found something that'll help you eyes with the headlights during night driving - Night driving glasses. They are much better than sunglasses or clear goggles for those after dark commutes. 'Ambervue' is the name; with high qualifications you'll instantly know from its proud broadcast on the box: 'as seen on TV.' But hey, they only cost $10 so what the heck. I got mine at a truck stop in Minnesota so I don't know where you'll find them around here. With a decent light, you can still see quite nicely, and they really take that painful edge out of the headlight assault one gets this time of year. I cannot yet say about the fogging issue while wearing scarf or filter mask. I tried this once, but the dew-point was a bit high that night, so I didn't have any problems. Perhaps the 'conventional' glasses form factor may help allow enough aspiration to keep the fog down, combined with a good 'No Fog' treatment (which is also available at your nearest truck stop). Tonight, hopefully it'll be crispy enough (and certainly polluted enough) to give the pair a better test. More later....
Gwen Ecks
I have a filing cabinet drawer in my house filled with BBC related literature, and the literature is not doing anyone any good sitting there. To remedy this situation I will put whatever literature anyone wants in the mail to them. Here's a list of what's available.
"Get Into The Helmet Habit", Outdoor Empire Publishing, Inc. This is a four color brochure describing some of the basic helmet benefits and bicycle tips. Unfortunately, the only picture in the brochure describing a helmet pictures the helmet incorrectly positioned on the head of the cyclist. I have about 75 of these.
"Boulder/Boulder County Transit/RTD", GO Boulder. These are the full colored maps you can buy from RTD. I have approximately 100 of them.
"Driver Responsibilities & Cyclist Rights", Bolder Bicycle Commuters. This is a half page leaflet the BBC made a few years back to place on the windshields of cars. The leaflet contains tips on passing cyclists and laws.
"The Business of Bicycling: An Employer's Guide to Bicycle Commuting Programs", GO Boulder. This is a twelve page booklet. I have about a dozen of these.
"Colorado State Statues & Bicycles, Boulder Revised Code & Bicycles", Bolder Bicycle Commuters. This is a one page flyer (double sided.) I have about 150 of these.
The November 1996 issue of Consumer Reports has a one-page (p.24) report on bike locks. Their "best buy" is Rhode Gear Citadel bike lock for $25. There is also a report on children's bikes. (This is the annual holiday issue.)
I pulled the following statistics from "Fact Sheets" distributed by the Alliance for a Paving Moratorium (APM). I will send copies of these Fact Sheets to anyone who requests them. Gwen Ecks, 494-7698
Traffic calming - Traffic calming - utilizing speed bumps, narrower streets and [reduced field of vision] have contributed to a 50% reduction in pedestrian vehicle accidents in Europe. Canadians imported a Danish program, Safe Routes to Schools, installing traffic calming to slow speeds on key streets and reduced accidents by 85%.
Life - Under 100 human lives have been lost in AMTRAK accidents since its creation in 1971.
Energy - Car commuters use over 7,200 British thermal units (BTU)/passenger mile; rail commuters use as little as 1,146 BTU/passenger mile. Freight carried by truck uses nearly 1,900 BTU/Ton-Mile; freight carried by train uses less than one-fourth that amount - 443 BTU/Ton-Mile.
More Energy - Bicycles are a highly effective alternative to cars. Bicycles require only 22 calories per passenger kilometer, compared to rail at 549 calories per passenger kilometer and cars at a staggering 1,153 calories per passenger kilometer.
Inner City - Studies show that banning cars from city centers and increasing pedestrian access increase business revenues. This is the trend in Europe today, where more efficient use of energy and space clearly benefits economic health.
Time - Due to time required to buy, maintain and pay to insure cars, etc., in addition to sitting in cars, the U.S. motorist actually average only five miles per hour, according to cultural revolutionary/author Ivan Illich. Primitive walking cultures can provide for more efficient transportation and without the pollution, pavement and thralldom to corporate interests.
Trains - One fully occupied train car can remove as many as 100 passenger cars from the road during rush hour. While car traffic accommodates about 750 passengers per meter-width of lane per hour, surface rapid will carry 9,000. In locations without rail service, bicycles can carry 1,500 persons per meter-width of lane, at least twice as many as cars.
Europe Vs. U.S. - Public transport trips represent about 25% of all urban trips in Europe, but only 4% in the United States.
Animals - Approximately one million animals per day are killed on U.S. roads. Cars are the leading cause of death of endangered species such as the mountain lion in Southern California.
Logged miles - In 1994 U.S. drivers motored 2.3 trillion miles, up from "only" 603 billion miles in 1955.
John Militzer
Ah, is there anything so splendid as those cold clear winter nights with a bit of wind to scrub away the plume of people's automotive weakness? Have you seen the stars stare back from atop Vale Pass at mid-night! But on those majestic cold clear winter rides after the din diminished, it is magical. Especially around the winter solstice, that sacred time of year. It was many years ago, back when we always fasted at least once a day per week. That not for health (a side benefit), not to strengthen will (a side benefactor), and not from need (a side straggler). But rather from sense to feel false need; so many who want, how to know something of what they feel; and remember.
That was the first year Alfalfa's served meals for the needy and distributed coats for those nights of cold: and indeed under the ever present spirit of a Daddy Bruce Brilliant. It was to be held at "The Good Earth" before "The Harvest." It was to be Christmas Eve as I recall, and they were looking for volunteers. What opportunity it was. True privilege. So we signed on, joined in and then on the appointed eve, rode in to do what little we could.
Now as it was, you'd expect a true bicycle commuter to jump at jobs such as waiting tables, sorting / handing-out coats, washing dishes or preparing food, clean-up, and more (but hey, not to fear, self-same did a bit of that real-work too). Nay, instead I chose the road, driving the van to deliver good souls for the feast and taking plates to those who could not come. And it certainly must have been the Christmas conjunct alive for I truly don't remember even a whimper of temptation to run any other car off the road J
When the feast was done and warmth filled the belly's of so many, it was time to depart in the approaching midnight. But what to do with so much energy, being so alive? A ride, a ride? Hey what an idea, we took a ride. To Baseline and out on that crisp crystal night. None of the traffic, or din. Just of quiet and somber reflect on the privileges given.
That was before the East Boulder Community Parking Center was poured. Before the Bob-o-Link trail was even hinted as an issue of inverted times. When the few who used it could get along and be courteous to each person's right. Before the 3-trail beltway was deemed needed. Back when there was only 1 small trail, with so less perceptible damage to creek and meadow. Back when bikes were allowed and we dismounted aside for horse drawn riders; and chatted with strollers or paced runners too. But not that night. That night, the trail had itself unto itself, and yet was kind enough to permit two a contemplative walk along its hallway.
And it was there, in the middle night eve's quiet. When a deeper inner warmth compliented the cold air purify. We both saw. At once and without word. The brilliant long held sky flash traveling forward with clear intent, driven as it flew higher above than the night-silent-transit delivery jets; which weren't there. No doubt in my mind at least, what it was with its red/white sentient glow. Now you-all may say write Virginia to tell her modern, grown up truth. But I for one have my list ready, stamp at hand, and envelope labeled. Now lets see....what was that zip-code for the North Pole again