Monday, 11 July 2011.
Last Friday was a drive day. You'd think it was a loss. But no, I drove across all the intersections with my commute over the bikeway. I had an amazing revelation: not one of the crossings was well-enough marked to make the crossing safe.
I had started my posting for the Thursday commute home as a well-modulated rant about the obstructions to viewing traffic from the bikeway or viewing cyclists from the approaching roadways. That was appropriate but also—at least now with the drive on Friday—off-target. So expect something more for the Thursday posting, still on its way.
Ride conditions
Temperature: 70 to 75°F at 07:15
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves.
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:43:43 for 11.92 miles
Heart rate: 121 bpm HRave, 140 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 2 cyclists, 7 pedestrians, 2 dogs
Here is a playback of the ride.
Showing posts with label crosswalk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crosswalk. Show all posts
11 July 2011
01 July 2011
Bike-commute day 47—to work
Friday, 1 July 2011.
What an experience today! I had stopped at the crossing of Linden Avenue and then entered the crossing, after I had seen a car at least 150 feet east—plenty of space for him to stop or even to allow my crossing with just a slow down. Instead, the car sped up—or perhaps just didn't slow down at all. I raised my hand to him, he continued. He pulled into the left lane for opposite-direction traffic, and I slowed to another stop before reaching the middle of the street, where he passed in front of me. His license plate: EIE 1916.
Further down the way, I saw Gladys walking alone today. Her neighbor Millie was holding a yard sale, and Ethel was helping her. I pulled out my camera and photographed her in the dappled light. Then along came Paul (Double-dog-Jason) trailing his two dogs. They wouldn't let him pause for a photo, but I tried to capture his passing. Pictures to come.
Much earlier in my commute, I had passed Gary and Amy going in the opposite direction, toward downtown. No pictures for them.
This morning I had lots of energy on the commute, especially in comparison to my commutes on Wednesday and Thursday. But three hours later, I was lacking the pump. So I've been replenishing my fluids since then, to improve my hydration.
Ride conditions
Temperature: 67 to 72°F at 07:35, 76 to 80°F at 09:35
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves.
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:40:47 for 11.96 miles
Heart rate: 137 bpm HRave, 160 bpm* HRmax
Bikeway users: 13 cyclists, 8 pedestrians, 4 dogs
Here is a playback of the ride.
There is a series of HR spikes to 193 bpm around the crossing of Springfield Street and to 170 bpm at the crossing of extreme north Smithville. I've been checking other playbacks for similar data, to figure out what's happening.
What an experience today! I had stopped at the crossing of Linden Avenue and then entered the crossing, after I had seen a car at least 150 feet east—plenty of space for him to stop or even to allow my crossing with just a slow down. Instead, the car sped up—or perhaps just didn't slow down at all. I raised my hand to him, he continued. He pulled into the left lane for opposite-direction traffic, and I slowed to another stop before reaching the middle of the street, where he passed in front of me. His license plate: EIE 1916.
Further down the way, I saw Gladys walking alone today. Her neighbor Millie was holding a yard sale, and Ethel was helping her. I pulled out my camera and photographed her in the dappled light. Then along came Paul (Double-dog-Jason) trailing his two dogs. They wouldn't let him pause for a photo, but I tried to capture his passing. Pictures to come.
Much earlier in my commute, I had passed Gary and Amy going in the opposite direction, toward downtown. No pictures for them.
This morning I had lots of energy on the commute, especially in comparison to my commutes on Wednesday and Thursday. But three hours later, I was lacking the pump. So I've been replenishing my fluids since then, to improve my hydration.
Ride conditions
Temperature: 67 to 72°F at 07:35, 76 to 80°F at 09:35
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves.
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:40:47 for 11.96 miles
Heart rate: 137 bpm HRave, 160 bpm* HRmax
Bikeway users: 13 cyclists, 8 pedestrians, 4 dogs
Here is a playback of the ride.
There is a series of HR spikes to 193 bpm around the crossing of Springfield Street and to 170 bpm at the crossing of extreme north Smithville. I've been checking other playbacks for similar data, to figure out what's happening.
27 June 2011
Bike-commute day 43—to work
Monday, 27 June 2011.
So is that person ahead walking toward me or away? I wondered as I crossed the Monument Avenue bridge this morning. As I approached, I could tell her direction and called out loudly "On your right" from about 100 feet away. No sign of hearing me. Then again, less of a loud call, from 50 feet. Still no sign. Then louder than conversationally, my outdoor voice, from 15 feet, "On your right." She looked to her left, pivoted almost 270 degrees before she saw me. And jumped at the surprise of a passing cyclist.
Was she wearing earbuds? I don't think so. Was she in her own world? I think clearly yes. Should I have given my shrill whistle instead of calling out from 100 feet away? Perhaps, but on a sidewalk along a roadway, I think a whistle is threatening instead of warning. And it provides no detail, just an approaching presence. Especially on streets and sidwalk crossings, a voice warning is better. I think.
On the bikeway, though, I tend to announce my approach first with a whistle from about 500 feet, a tenth of a mile. If the pedestrian (or cyclist) gives no acknowledgement, I whistle again at about 250 feet. Then it's verbal information if necessary. These biekway users who need two, three, four announcements of my approach are frequently the ones who turn to the left when I call out, "On your right!" What gives with the confusion of left and right, I wonder?
When I pass a walker with earbuds, I wonder how safe they think they are, shutting out contact with others on the way. Drowning out all traffic noise, too. And ignoring nature.
I have no patience at all with cyclists who do the same. Too much can happen in the quick traverse of 18 feet per second (12 mph). When I pass a cyclist who's obliterating his aural connection with the road, I have a strong desire to yank the buds out of their place. But I exercise restraint. And enjoy watching them jerk to attentiveness as I pass, after they had several audible signals of my approach. Audible to everyone but them.
I've been seeing more of the tandem cyclists, the father and daughter Gary and Amy, in the last couple weeks. Today I saw them in Eastwood Park, riding toward downtown. I hope I soon see them riding the same direction, so we can catch up on what's happened since we talked last year. Last year, Gary proudly announced as they passed me the number of consecutive riding days they had reached. He hasn't done that yet this year. Maybe he's saving up for some record number to announce.
At Airway Road, I let two cars from the east pass the crossing before I moved to the island. A car from the west, though she had 300 feet of approach, whizzed on through the crossing without a hesitation. Her license plate reads EQN 8226, for those of you who can check the Ohio vehicle registrations online.
As I crossed Linden Avenue, I saw Gledys & Millie coming toward me on their morning constitutional, and I greeted them with "Happy Monday" as I rode by.
The weather forecast for today gives a 50% chance of rain today. Based on the radar animations, the day will have a period of light to heavy rain from 10:45 through 13:00, followed by about 2:15 of no rain, and an evening of moderate to heavy rain. I'll either call Chuck to pick me up in time for getting to the film or actually leave work early enough to arrive home before the second line of heavy rain arrives—it's too early now to predict from the radar, but possibly as early as 15:30 or as late as 17:30.
Ride conditions
Temperature: 60 to 63°F at 07:15
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the southwest
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves.
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:42:31 for 11.98 miles
Heart rate: 133 bpm HRave, 153 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 4 cyclists, 18 pedestrians
Here is a playback of the ride.
So is that person ahead walking toward me or away? I wondered as I crossed the Monument Avenue bridge this morning. As I approached, I could tell her direction and called out loudly "On your right" from about 100 feet away. No sign of hearing me. Then again, less of a loud call, from 50 feet. Still no sign. Then louder than conversationally, my outdoor voice, from 15 feet, "On your right." She looked to her left, pivoted almost 270 degrees before she saw me. And jumped at the surprise of a passing cyclist.
Was she wearing earbuds? I don't think so. Was she in her own world? I think clearly yes. Should I have given my shrill whistle instead of calling out from 100 feet away? Perhaps, but on a sidewalk along a roadway, I think a whistle is threatening instead of warning. And it provides no detail, just an approaching presence. Especially on streets and sidwalk crossings, a voice warning is better. I think.
On the bikeway, though, I tend to announce my approach first with a whistle from about 500 feet, a tenth of a mile. If the pedestrian (or cyclist) gives no acknowledgement, I whistle again at about 250 feet. Then it's verbal information if necessary. These biekway users who need two, three, four announcements of my approach are frequently the ones who turn to the left when I call out, "On your right!" What gives with the confusion of left and right, I wonder?
When I pass a walker with earbuds, I wonder how safe they think they are, shutting out contact with others on the way. Drowning out all traffic noise, too. And ignoring nature.
I have no patience at all with cyclists who do the same. Too much can happen in the quick traverse of 18 feet per second (12 mph). When I pass a cyclist who's obliterating his aural connection with the road, I have a strong desire to yank the buds out of their place. But I exercise restraint. And enjoy watching them jerk to attentiveness as I pass, after they had several audible signals of my approach. Audible to everyone but them.
I've been seeing more of the tandem cyclists, the father and daughter Gary and Amy, in the last couple weeks. Today I saw them in Eastwood Park, riding toward downtown. I hope I soon see them riding the same direction, so we can catch up on what's happened since we talked last year. Last year, Gary proudly announced as they passed me the number of consecutive riding days they had reached. He hasn't done that yet this year. Maybe he's saving up for some record number to announce.
At Airway Road, I let two cars from the east pass the crossing before I moved to the island. A car from the west, though she had 300 feet of approach, whizzed on through the crossing without a hesitation. Her license plate reads EQN 8226, for those of you who can check the Ohio vehicle registrations online.
As I crossed Linden Avenue, I saw Gledys & Millie coming toward me on their morning constitutional, and I greeted them with "Happy Monday" as I rode by.
The weather forecast for today gives a 50% chance of rain today. Based on the radar animations, the day will have a period of light to heavy rain from 10:45 through 13:00, followed by about 2:15 of no rain, and an evening of moderate to heavy rain. I'll either call Chuck to pick me up in time for getting to the film or actually leave work early enough to arrive home before the second line of heavy rain arrives—it's too early now to predict from the radar, but possibly as early as 15:30 or as late as 17:30.
Ride conditions
Temperature: 60 to 63°F at 07:15
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the southwest
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves.
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:42:31 for 11.98 miles
Heart rate: 133 bpm HRave, 153 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: 4 cyclists, 18 pedestrians
Here is a playback of the ride.
15 June 2011
Bike-commute day 38—to work
Wednesday, 15 June 2011.
My start today was the latest ever to get to work: 08:13. Usually I've decided to drive when I have too much to do and can't leave by 8 o'clock. But today was different: Chuck's car is in the drive, and that would mean a bit of musical chairs with the garage. So I decided to bike, no matter what, and pulled out whatever reserves I had to keep intensity up throughout the ride.
A FiveRivers Parks truck was exiting the maintenance compound as I passed out of Eastwood Park, and I stopped them to mention the need to sweep loose twigs on the corner a bit east of the yellow gate. While I'm at it, there are other housekeeping tasks for the bikeway segments that are part of my commute.
Ride conditions
Temperature: 59 to 61°F at 07:55, 63 to 66°F at 09:30
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves.
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:42:58 for 11.99 miles
Heart rate: 132 bpm average, 156 bpm maximum
Bikeway users: 6 cyclists, 6 pedestrians, 1 dog
Here is a playback of the ride.
My start today was the latest ever to get to work: 08:13. Usually I've decided to drive when I have too much to do and can't leave by 8 o'clock. But today was different: Chuck's car is in the drive, and that would mean a bit of musical chairs with the garage. So I decided to bike, no matter what, and pulled out whatever reserves I had to keep intensity up throughout the ride.
A FiveRivers Parks truck was exiting the maintenance compound as I passed out of Eastwood Park, and I stopped them to mention the need to sweep loose twigs on the corner a bit east of the yellow gate. While I'm at it, there are other housekeeping tasks for the bikeway segments that are part of my commute.
- The ramp from the Monument Avenue bridge to the river-level bikeway has many loose stones and twigs, over its entire distance.
- The culvert crossing underneath the Main Street bridge has concrete washed away by the Spring flooding. Though a part of the washout has been filled with compacted dirt, the entire width needs attention with filler concrete or asphalt.
- A relatively small amount of stones litter the bikeway just west of the Findlay Street bridge.
- The intersection of the bikeway, North Smithville, and Springfield Street and the bikeway crossing of Smithville just a tenth mile south of that intersection still lack road markings for the crossing.
- Quite a few dropped walnuts litter the bikeway in several areas between Airway and Linden. I suspect the number will increase over the next two weeks.
- Almost all crossings would benefit from reapplication of paint and better approach signage at Airway, Burkhardt, Linden, Woodbine, Woodman, Spaulding north of the county waste treatment plant, and Spaulding at the crossing to Founders Drive
Ride conditions
Temperature: 59 to 61°F at 07:55, 63 to 66°F at 09:30
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves.
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:42:58 for 11.99 miles
Heart rate: 132 bpm average, 156 bpm maximum
Bikeway users: 6 cyclists, 6 pedestrians, 1 dog
Here is a playback of the ride.
02 June 2011
Bike-commute day 33—to gym and home
I got a reminder this afternoon on the unreliability of drivers. As I approached the bikeway crossing of Linden Avenue, a driver from the west graciously stopped for me. I slowed for the crossing, saluted a thanks to the driver, and then looked to the right. A driver was approaching from the east, obviously slowing. But not stopping, just slowing.
As she crossed in front of me, I saw inside the auto. The driver was busily fitting a supersize cup into the cup holder, oblivious of the marked crosswalk and the stopped vehicle in the approaching lane. Unaware that her slowing might have been understood as an invitation to cross in front of her.
The distracted driver is the greatest hazard presented to a cyclist who uses the roadways. And the cyclist who aims to use only the bikeways, since the bikeways intersect with roads, often at distances of less than a mile from one intersection to the next. The cellphone and texting are only the two more recent sources of distraction, joining many other sources that have been present almost as long as the automobile itself: lighting a cigarette, tuning the radio, opening and closing windows, conversing with a rider, eating and drinking at the wheel, responding to a nuisance insect, squinting from sun glare, daydreaming.
Ride conditions
Temperature: 77 to 81°F at 17:10
Precipitation: none, then a lot
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the northeast
Clothing: Skinsuit; ankle socks. Open-finger gloves.
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed-gear
Time: 00:58:03 for 15.82 miles
Heart rate: 123 bpm average, 142 bpm maximum
Bikeway users: 31 cyclists, 14 pedestrians, 3 dogs
Here is a playback of the ride.
As she crossed in front of me, I saw inside the auto. The driver was busily fitting a supersize cup into the cup holder, oblivious of the marked crosswalk and the stopped vehicle in the approaching lane. Unaware that her slowing might have been understood as an invitation to cross in front of her.
The distracted driver is the greatest hazard presented to a cyclist who uses the roadways. And the cyclist who aims to use only the bikeways, since the bikeways intersect with roads, often at distances of less than a mile from one intersection to the next. The cellphone and texting are only the two more recent sources of distraction, joining many other sources that have been present almost as long as the automobile itself: lighting a cigarette, tuning the radio, opening and closing windows, conversing with a rider, eating and drinking at the wheel, responding to a nuisance insect, squinting from sun glare, daydreaming.
Ride conditions
Temperature: 77 to 81°F at 17:10
Precipitation: none, then a lot
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the northeast
Clothing: Skinsuit; ankle socks. Open-finger gloves.
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed-gear
Time: 00:58:03 for 15.82 miles
Heart rate: 123 bpm average, 142 bpm maximum
Bikeway users: 31 cyclists, 14 pedestrians, 3 dogs
Here is a playback of the ride.
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