Thursday, 22 September 2011
The bikeway was very sparely used this morning. That was good, since I had energy to spare for the ride and not much to devote to counting the users. I first sensed the spare energy as I approached the Findlay underswoop, out of which I climbed to a sprint on the plateau and scattered the geese snacking on the greens.
I also made pushes at the former Multi-Service plant and under the canopies north and south of Burkhardt.And mentioning Burkhardt reminds me of how bad that intersection is. From a driver's perspective, the crossing is as good as unmarked. The paint markings on the pavement are at the high point of a rise that prevents their observation from a car. The crossing signs that should alert drivers from each direction are so distant from the crossing and so mixed into the confusion of foliage and signage that a driver can easily miss them completely. From a cyclist's perspective, the wild growth of weeds and shrubs is never contained, and the sight lines to the west are always obstructed. At least the sight lines to the east are open.
This morning's crossing proved my point for fully stopping there. A driver of a Pepsi truck must have been distracted as he approached from the west, because—even though I had stopped—he stomped on his brakes when he caught full sight of me at the crossing. I heard his load crunch against the inside of the cabin as the brakes took hold.
His stop wasn't perfectly timed to keep a person in the crossing safe, by perhaps 2 feet. Since he was obstructing the path, I saluted his hard stop, pointed at the crossing marks, and waved him on past.
Ride conditions
Temperature: 53 to 59°F at 07:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:41:16 for 11.93 miles
Heart rate: 138 bpm HRave, 153 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 2 cyclists, 9 pedestrians, 2 dogs
Playback of the ride
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