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Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Interesting cycling stuff from the Statesman
There’s lots of interesting stuff regarding cycling in today’s American-Statesman. Here’s some brief versions with links for the complete stories. …
BICYCLE BOULEVARD
The City of Austin by late spring plans to turn Nueces Street downtown into a “bicycle boulevard,” a two-wheel haven that would have still unspecified devices to slow down or even discourage car traffic on Nueces between Third Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Those devices could include so-called bollards, short posts spaced a few feet apart that would allow bicycles to pass through but block cars. The bollards could be placed every few blocks and would serve to make the street a throughway for bicycles only, while still allowing limited car access.
For the rest of this story, click here.
MANOR CLOSING ROAD TO CYCLISTS
MANOR - Avid cyclist and Manor resident Sajeewa Chandrasoma occasionally does group rides on Brenham Street, also known as Blake Manor Road. But soon, he won’t be able to.
Chandrasoma is among the local cyclists who oppose a City of Manor ordinance that prohibits bicycles on the road, arguing that bicyclists have rights, too. City officials, meanwhile, say the ordinance addresses concerns they had about safety and liability. “To me, it’s very discriminatory,” said Chandrasoma, adding that he has been on worse roads. “They just singled out cyclist.”
Chandrasoma showed up at a city council meeting Wednesday evening to protest the ordinance, but the meeting was canceled because there was no quorum.
Other bicyclists say the ordinance sets a bad precedent and the city is moving in the wrong direction.
The right direction, said Mark Stine, of BikeTexas, would be to put in place infrastructure, signs and education so that bicycles and cars can share the road.
“It ends up treating bicyclists as second-class citizens if they don’t have access to go where they need to go,” said Tom Wald, executive director of League of Bicycling Voters. “It’s a free country. It’s a public road.”
For the rest of this story, click here.
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A Cooter encounter in Creedmoor
Today while riding through Creedmoor on a beautiful fall afternoon, I encountered many things; a goat, a bunny, cows, white tail deer, wildebeest, an ostrage, black buck antelope, an angry German Shepherd, a white crane, several black caterpillars waiting to be squashed on the road and a Cooter.
At least that’s what was stitched on the oval patch clinging to his blue work shirt. I was enjoying a mid-ride snack of salted peanuts and a Gatorade outside a gas station when we crossed paths. He was proud of his rural roots, and through his thick Texas drawl he made it clear that anything other than work trucks was not welcome in his neck of the woods. “You gotta watch out for them bicycleeests,” he said. “They got no right on the road. I ain’t lyin’. They’s dangerous.”
He said it rather loudly to his buddy as they were walking into the store, and both giggled as they glanced at my outfit. It’s OK, I’m used to it. Roadies do look like dorks. This is especially the case in rural areas where jeans and boots are the dominate attire.
But what got me about this whole scene was they were cracking open beers as they were getting into the truck. And bicyclists are dangerous?
This has happened twice in Creedmoor. Now to be fair, most folks out there are friendly and welcoming. But every now and then, a Cooter rolls up and spoils the mood. But as roadies, we have to develop thick skin. If it’s not insults being hurled in our direction, then it’s beer cans or worse. Which is fine. Just don’t label me dangerous as you sip you Bud behind the wheel.