Transportation Facts

Tonight I've been researching bike crash/ped stats on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website. The most recent data on crashes/fatalities is from 2008 and this document is fascinating. I recommend taking a look at both documents to educate yourself about who, where, why, what and when. I learned that most injuries happen between 5pm and 9 pm and during the months of June and September, occurring more frequently in urban areas and in non intersection locations.

This made me think that drivers may not be on the look out as much during summer break from school. It makes sense to me as a driver and a rider. I look forward to the breaks when I know kids won't be crossing or packed around the schools. It just makes for easier riding.

Things you can do to keep yourself safe: Be as bright and noticeable as possible. Wear a dayglo shirt, use a reflective vest, put lights on your wheels, on your handlebars and on your seat post. Keep those "uncool" reflectors on your wheels...they really do work. I know we cyclists want to show off our cool duds, tight jeans, swing tops, flip flops, stocking caps, ball caps, cute hats, fun hair, and everything else. Kind of like the kid who doesn't want to wear a coat to school when it's -10 cuz it just ain't cool. Really, what's cool is arriving alive and unscathed. Put on your brights, toot your "horn" so to speak and show that you want to be seen. Nothing screams "LOOK AT ME" like dayglo and reflective tape. You stick out like a sore thumb. That's much better than sticking out like a sore thumb under someone's bumper. I don't want that for myself and I certainly don't want it for my fellow riders OR drivers.

Let's all brighten up on these fall days. One worry about dayglo orange...you might call that urban camo right now with the colors of the leaves!

The Zombie Ride is coming up on October 31st (Happy Birthday MOM!) and plans are set to meet at Parilla Grill in Hyde Park(1512 N 13th St) at 11:30 for $1 Bloody Mary's. Dress up in your pretty zombie attire and get your freak on. I don't promise that it'll be super organized, but it will give you an excuse to get out with likeminded freaks and maybe scare some kids or something. This is a 21+ ride due to bar stops. Comment with any questions or visit the Boise Pretty Dress Ride Facebook page for more info.

Until we ride again, Ciao!

Road Runner, If he catches you...

Meep, meep! That's how I feel sometimes on my bike...small, sorta fast and almost invisible, even in my dayglo super reflective long sleeve shirt. I had six shirts on this morning. A record in my book, even from my coldest days on the bike before. I had forgotten to take off my work shirt before putting on my cycling clothes, then added my dayglo at the end for the hell of it. Poor work shirt...it was pretty sweaty when I arrived. Oh, and even in this shirt pictured here...which I really wear on the bike, people still have the damnedest time seeing me. I find that amazing.

So this day was a bad one for bikers in Boise, with another biker being hit out on State street in the Lake Harbor area. I looked for this bike/car crash on the Idaho Statesman, KTVB.com, KIVITV.com find no mention of it. I searched those sites for the accident that happened a few weeks ago at McMillan/Five Mile and find no mention of that either. I did find a story I missed about a cyclist being killed out in the far west part of Chinden back in August. Is anyone keeping a tally of these incidents? I did see where the founder of Penthouse mag died. Who gives a shit about that? Why can't we hear about what is happening to our peds and our riders?

It was a hairy day on the bike today and I feel like driving tomorrow. I had a nice encounter with a very new black Range Rover with a woman behind the wheel that doesn't understand how to use her rear view mirrors. Thank God I am looking for her. A white VW Jetta ran the red light at the four way ped cross at 8th/Bannock tonight. I heard him coming...being on the bike does this to your ears. Daren and I witnessed a high speed turn on a red light, just to get to another red light. Luckily no peds were stepping off the curb, no bikes were crossing. It was dark...they were lucky. I also had a very young cyclist cut me off...she's lucky I wasn't a car or she would have been run over.

I have a comment for my old pal from Craig's List: It turns out that there are plenty of "anus-faces" driving cars. I'm witnessing lack of use of turn signals, lack of headlights, broken taillights, failure to yield, excessive speed, running red lights, rolling through stops. Now, when I look at that list I see that I can do everything on that list with the exception of excessive speed.Turns out we are all anus faces if we don't follow the damn rules. Everybody, get a clue. Car driver, use your head and use your turn signal. I've been working on my intuition, but as of yet, I still have no clue what you are going to do. Also, when you wait for me to cross or yield to me near a crosswalk, I do appreciate that, but please do not do that. It pisses the drivers off behind you and I am prepared to wait until I can safely cross.

As usual, I'm posting pissed. I read the October 2010 National Geographic today about the Gulf spill. I'm sickened by our addiction to oil and petroleum products. Yes, I realize my tires, plastic parts, grease on my moving parts, etc, etc are from those products...but we've got to do something. When we have little straws all over the Gulf and in multiple places around the world, we look like hungry pigs sucking our planet dry. Can we each do one thing to reduce our need, our greed, our lust for oil? Name something you can do and do it. I challenge you.

Rain is on its way...we're running out of the last best days of this beautiful fall. Remember to slow down on these dark and dreary days, watch for bikes, motorcycles, kids going to school, peds and the purely clueless. They will appreciate it.

Until we ride again, Ciao!

Critical Mass 10/10/10

Ahh, after popular demand and like a bad rash, I'm back! Seems like life just took over and swept my writing under the carpet for a bit. I'll make no promises to be regular, just appropriate.

Today was a whirlwind of a day, starting out with a great ride to Big City Coffee for breakfast then home to prep for the Critical Mass ride celebrating 10/10/10 and 350.org world work party. There was a tree planted at Camels Back park and a bevy of bikes. We rode around downtown en masse which was fun and what I want to talk about today.

I've not been involved in any true critical mass bike rides, but thought I had read enough and heard enough to understand them so I was really looking forward to this ride. I learned a few things today and I'm not sure where I stand anymore. Being a huge bike safety advocate, I feel like a critical mass might not show the car drivers what we want them to see...riders who know how to share the road. When we're traveling down a three lane one way, I would expect us to stay in a clot for safety. Today there were several riders choosing to ride down any lane of the road and away from the main pack. This is just dangerous and makes drivers mad.

I researched critical mass on Wikipedia and learned the interesting term "corking" which is when one or more cyclists hold up traffic so that the pack can move through red lights and stop signs. Really I feel that it would be very powerful for a critical mass to move in a mass observing traffic laws and showing the car driver that we really do respect our DUAL right to the road. I'm conflicted. Do we stand up and shake our fists or sit down and just do the right thing, hoping for the best.

No one heard much about the cyclist that got hit two weeks ago. The rider was traveling westbound on McMillan and was hit by an eastbound car turning left. The rider suffered a broken neck and has spatial paralysis at this time. He does have some limited movement of the limbs but no one is sure of what will happen. Why wasn't this in the news?

This crash rattled me and I've been extra cautious on the road. If only we had eyes in the back of our head! Here's one thing that recently happened to me...I was riding south on Americana and have no recollection if I was passed by this car or came up on this car, but whatever the matter, I was on its left side when it stopped to allow peds to cross...but not me to scoot around. At first I was mad, then I realized, I might be wrong. If I were to come up on a car waiting to turn, I have to yield to the car, no matter that there's a bike lane there. If they came up on me, then of course they should yield to me. Some of us have probably experienced the rider coming up on the left when we are making a turn and have had them shake a fist or yell to watch out. But these cyclists, if they're coming up on a car waiting to turn, need to also wait for the car to turn...as you would if you were driving the car yourself. It is important to think these things...it will help you reach your destination safely.

You may not agree with me tonight and that's okay. I'm again enjoying my freedom of speech and you should too.

I made it in the Sunday paper today and you can find my article here.

Until we ride again, Ciao!