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It is always interesting to me the ire that bike lanes spark in people.
Fundamentally, it is just a space where a person riding a bike can safely travel from point A-to-point B, much like anyone else in a vehicle (under California vehicle code a bike is classified as such) but figuratively, they always seem to represent so much more.
Last week, George Hostetter posted a blog at Fresnobee.com questioning if bike lanes are a “quality of life issue” or the city trying to socially engineer it’s citizens. The blog was in response to a District 3 community meeting being held tonight* by Fresno Council member, Oliver Baines.
The rub is that Fresno Street, between California Avenue on the southwest and C Street on the northeast, is due for road diet, which will add bike lanes, in accordance with the City’s Bicycle Master Plan. Based on Baines’ actions, it seems he is convinced his District would not want the road diet.
It is a frustrating blog post to say the least. I take umbrage with Hostetter’s snarky, aggressive tone but I am going to try and contain this to only addressing some of the post’s ignorance.
(Okay, that was a little aggressive.)
Let’s say I walked up to you and said, “Would you like me to take your main four lane road and make it a two lane road?”
When I present it like that of course your response is going to be, “NO!”
That even sounds terrible to me and I like bike lanes.
It’s less lanes, that can only be bad right? Even the word diet sounds negative. But a road diet is more than that, it is about making the road safe for all forms of transportation.
A road diet forms what is called a “complete street.” It takes 4 lanes of two-way traffic and creates, in order, from curb-to-curb:
1) Parking Lane
2) Bike Lane
3) Vehicle Lane
4) Two-way left turn lane
5) Vehicle Lane
6) Bike Lane
7) Parking Lane
It creates a safe place to park. It creates a safe place to bike. It creates a safe place for cars to exit traffic. It has been proven that road diets make it safer for cars, bikes and pedestrians.
One simple way it makes it safer for cars; when a car has to make a left turn from a 4-lane road it must stop in the left traveling lane and block the traffic behind it. This can cause rear end collisions because drivers don’t usually anticipate cars stopping in the left lane. With the addition of a “two-way left turn lane” a vehicle can safely move out of traffic to make a left turn.
I could go on about other ways that road diets are effective but if you would like to learn more about how they make streets safer, there is lots of great information available on the City’s website.
But the ire of bike lanes and road diets doesn't only come from a lack of education. If you ever read a comment thread under a bike lane post it seems to tap into a deeper place. It’s like something sacred is being taken away from drivers. Something is invading a space they feel is for only for them and their automobile.
When I read these I always wonder, “Do drivers ever stop to think that a bike lane is also available to them?”
On any given day, you could choose to either be a driver or a bicyclist. You don’t have to only choose one or the other. (You also could choose to be a pedestrian. But for our purposes here, we will stick with the two.)
Did you know that 40% of your trips are within two miles of your house? 50% are within three miles. Two miles is a perfect biking distance for most people. When most of your trips are so close, your car doesn’t have to be the necessity for every excursion.
And what about those that cannot afford to operate a motor vehicle? Do they not have the option of getting around their city safely? Are we saying that you only have the right to move about the city if you can afford a vehicle?
One argument Hostetter makes is why do we need bike lanes when only 1% of Fresno’s population bikes? But one of the main reasons people choose to use their bike for transportation and utility is because there is infrastructure available that lets them feel safe doing it. Improved infrastructure means more people on bikes.
Hostetter also seems to imply one should just ride their bike on the sidewalk. While technically legal in Fresno, riding a bike on the sidewalk is illegal in many areas of the state and not as safe as riding in a bike lane. The sidewalk presents a whole gamut of bicycle obstacles. People, bus stops, fire hydrants, telephone poles, newspaper dispensers and the worst one...cars.
When exciting a parking lot, drivers rarely stop before the sidewalk. They typically stop at the edge of the road. When this happens, they are never looking out for pedestrians or cyclists they are only looking to the lane they want to merge into. If you are riding on the sidewalk, you could very easily find yourself on the hood of one of these cars.
But a bike lane puts you into the drivers field of vision, you are part of traffic and well out of range of their fast approaching hood ornament. (Do they even offer those anymore?)
Although it may not seem like it, the bike lane is far safer than the sidewalk and once you have experienced the uninterrupted flow of the bike lane it is impossible to go back to the obstacle laden course that is the sidewalk.
Regardless of what side of the political spectrum you stand on.
Regardless of what side of the environmental debate you stand on.
Regardless of where you currently stand on bicycles.
We are all going to have to make tough choices about how we get around in the coming future.
Gas isn’t getting any cheaper. Oil isn’t getting any more abundant. The economy isn’t throwing good paying jobs at people. We all need options so that we can make decisions about how we each choose to get from point A-to-point B.
This isn’t “social engineering.” It’s long overdue.
*If you would like to attend the community meeting tonight (Tuesday, Nov 8th), it is being held at Edison High School and starts at 5:30. The roads in District 3 are used by everyone, not just District 3. We would love to see you there in support.
If you haven't ridden your bike to our Friday Night, Clovis Farmers Market bike valet you are missing out. It is a great excuse to get that bike out of the garage and have a night of fun and local food. Every week some awesome/amazing volunteers watch your bike so you don't have to worry about it. I took some pictures of the July 1st crew and setup last week and thought it would be fun to share.
For more info on Clovis Farmers Market Bike Valet click here.
Check out our awesome new setup! That is our fancy I Bike Fresno EZ-UP. This is where you check-in.
This is Kendall. He's the man that checks you in and makes sure you get your wrist band. He rides his bike every Friday from Downtown, then back to Downtown when it's over. He is a bike commuting machine.
This is Larry. And while he might look supiscious he has a great passion for getting people on bikes.
He so passionate about it, he doesn't even own a car!
Always wearing a funny t-shirt, he keeps a watchful eye on your bikes.
This is Mike. Mike rides his bike EVERYWHERE. He helps me load and haul the gear to make bike valet happen. And while he seems to be spitting at me, he is always there to retrieve your bike when you return.
This is our A-frame. It directs you where to bring your bike. Without it you would have no idea what we are doing.
So keep riding and we will keep parking!
So I carrried the first large cargo load on the Xtracycle. It was a box of I Bike Fresno stuff that weighed about 45 lbs. Then in the panniers I carried my laptop bag, some clothes and another grocery bag of stuff.
The box attached easily with a cam strap and held tight the entire time. I tried adding two bungie cords but they were a bit big and did not pull very tight so I dont think they really did much.
When I wasnt riding, the box would pull the bike left and right a bit but I never felt like the bike was hard to keep upright. Once I was pedaling it never really felt like the box was controling the bike. Total distance was about seven miles and it took me exactly 30 minutes.
It was honestly much easier than I thought it was going to be. When I first plopped the box on top I was thinking, "This is never going to work." I was picturing myself on the side of the road picking up scattered contents. But the bike rode great and having only two wheels instead of four made taking off easy and getting up to speed quick.
So I got this totally cool new bike toy. I am so excited. It is called an Xtracycle and it is an aftermarket attachment that will affix to any 26" bicycle. It turns your bicycle into a longtail bike and it makes it much easier to carry large and heavy loads. I love commuting to work and using my bike for utility but I always run into an issue when I have something that is too large to carry on my bike.
Not anymore! The Xtracycle is rated up to 200 lbs. and the longer wheel base is supposed to make loads easier to carry and distribute them more evenly. I have seen some crazy pictures of giant loads people have gotten on their Xtracycles.
I bought it used this last weekend from Chris at Tower Velo. I had been looking at them for awhile but I was unsure if it was the option I wanted. When I found out Chris had one used for a good price I went ahead and made the leap.
I decided to attach it to my old mountain bike. I have had the bike five or six years and paid about $350 for it when I bought it new. I have been primarily using my commuter bike so the mountain bike has seen little use as of late. I bought some new smooth road tires to replace the old knobby ones then Joe from the Fresno Bike Kitchen helped me get it all attached.
It rides really nice and smooth. While the turns are wider, I don't feel like it slows the bike down at all. I have hauled a two-wheeled kid trailer before and didn't like the experience much but this seems like it will ride great. On Memorial Day I carried my seven year old son about seven miles to Riverpark. He sat on the wood deck part and had a great time. His first time out he couldn't stop laughing.
Riding my bike doesn't even compare to being in my car. Being outside, breathing the air and just enjoying myself. This is a perfect excuse to do it more and challenge myself in the process.
I will keep you updated on how the experience is going and will post pictures of some of the loads I am able to haul.
I removed the rear wheel and the derailleur. The original brakes detach and are connected to the Xtracycle.
This is it all attached. The system mounts into the original tire dropouts and attaches to where the kickstand
would mount. The original rear tire is moved back into the Xtracycle's dropouts.
They call the bags/panniers "Freeloaders". They are rated to carry 50lbs each.
The wood deck on the top can snap quickly in and out of place. It adds rigidity to the frame and it is
rated to carry 200lbs to the front of the rear axle and 50lbs to the rear of the axle.
The shelf on the left is called a Wideloader and it is removable so you can carry larger items.
There is one for each side and they are rated to carry 60 lbs each.
Bike Month is winding down and today is projected to be a beautiful day. Sounds like a perfect excuse for a bike ride! Maybe try riding to that BBQ you are probably most likely having today. Or get the family together afterwards and ride one of our amazing trails. Whatever you are doing it is a great day for a bike ride.
We're drawing for that new bike soon...have you logged your miles?
It is also the last day to submit pictures for the Picture Fresno Bike Month Contest. So when you are out riding today be sure to take a picture! Submission deadline is 2pm.
Hope to see you out riding!
We parked almost 70 bikes tonight! It was awesome. If you missed us we will be out every Friday at the Clovis Farmers Market parking bikes for FREE. It is the perfect excuse to ride your bike.
This is funny. It's probably one of those things we shouldn't laugh at but it was made just so darn fun.
36 Bicycles from Ian Fraser on Vimeo.
If you haven't been commuting by bike the last week or so you have missed a lot of wonderful things. There is something about having the time to take in your surroundings while biking that can produce some interesting finds.
Here is my list from approximately the last seven days:
- 11:30 PM. Three girls digging around with flashlights in a large bush in the middle of the median. I have no idea.
- 6:45 AM. A man setting up to beg for money on a street corner drawing an elaborate picture of a buxom bikini girl on his square of cardboard. How this increases earnings, I am unsure.
- 7:55 AM. A man who was also riding his bike had gotten off his bike, parking it temporarily via kickstand in the middle of the sidewalk. He was on his cell phone and he was either; A.) Yelling at someone on the other end, or B.) Rapping.
- 10:20 PM. A man yelling at me from across the parking lot screaming, "HEY! Are you one of them church dudes?!"
- 5:43 PM. Two guys in a Honda Civic hatchback completely baffed that I was making a left turn using the left turn lane. I quote, "WHHHHHHAAAAAAAATTTTTTTT!!!!! That dude is using a car turn lane on his bike!"
- Everyday this last week. Really wonderful weather that has made being outside and commuting by bike the perfect choice.
What are some wonderful things you have seen on your bike?
They say you should stop to smell the roses, but maybe you just need to ride your bike to smell the roses. You see, as I was riding my bike home from breakfast this morning (yes, I ride my bike to eat breakfast sometimes – the bike ride offsets carbon emissions and calories, after all, duh), I was overwhelmed by a smell. Being overwhelmed by a smell is not always a good thing, but this time it was very pleasant.
“What is that?” I thought.
I looked around and quickly scanned my surroundings to see what the source of such a lovely scent could be. I was riding under a freeway overpass and had just ridden through a mess of wind-blown trash, so I was even more curious about the source of the sweet aroma teasing me. Finally, using all the deductive reasoning skills I acquired in college, I realized the pleasing fragrance was coming from the rose bushes lining the median. I have driven past these and similar rose bushes countless times and while I may have noted their beauty, I have never noticed their beautiful scent. It took riding by them on a bicycle and being overwhelmed by their perfume to appreciate their full loveliness. Which all made me think – what else am I missing by driving in a car? Fortunately, May is Bike Month and I’ve pledged 650 miles in the Million Mile Challenge, so I’ll have plenty of opportunity to find out! So…what are you missing while you’re stuck in the car?
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