Dana Hobart's Boondoggle

 © Thomas Kohn, 2016
Revised 28 August and 6 September, 2016

Here's this month's word from Rancho Mirage occasional mayor Dana Hobart published in his opinion piece for the Desert Sun in their Valley Voice page. Mr. Hobart has harped on the same complaints before, notably in an online article of 14 July 2016. Hobart is not a lone voice on the Rancho Mirage city council. Member Ted Weill also lends his website to Hobart's criticism.

Hobart's many "misrepresentations" include: 

1. That the CV-Link funding is included in the Transportation Prioritization Plan Study (TPPS) as an "under-the-radar scheme." FALSE.

• Actually, the 27 June 2016 Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) meeting and vote to approve the TPPS were public.
• The vote was reported in the Desert Sun the next day.

2. An implied assertion that alternative transportation cannot be funded from Measure A regional budgeting. FALSE.

• The TPPS (pp. s-1 to s-2) of 25 June 2016 addresses the legal standing to use Measure A funds for "all or a portion of the cost of public facilities" [to include] "transportation purposes including … the construction ... maintenance and operation of streets, roads, highways …” [ellipses in the report].
• The TPPS also cites CVAG Executive Committee authorization as of 2000 to use regional transportation funds to reimburse costs associated with locating bicycle lanes in the street and with right of way and construction costs incurred to provide a paved bicycle lane adjacent to the motor vehicle travel way.
• In regard to the Regional Transportation Plan, the TPPS cites state guidelines in preparing the RTP to integrate multimodal transportation network policies into transportation plans and consider accelerating programming for projects that retrofit existing roads to provide safe and convenient travel by all users. The TPPS further cites Assembly Bill 1358 (California Complete Streets Act), Senate Bill 99 (Chapter 359, Statutes of 2013), and Assembly Bill 101 (Chapter 354, Statutes of 2013) to include active modes of transportation, such as biking and walking.

3. An implication that the two negative votes (Indian Wells and Rancho Mirage) regarding the TPPS approval must prevail, while eleven votes in favor must lose. FALSE.

• How is it that 2 out of 13 votes is a majority? I hear echoes of Donald J. Trump, speaking long in advance of his election: "We was robbed!"
• What is it about Indian Wells and Rancho Mirage that positions these cities as the voices that should prevail? I believe thsee two cities exhibit a sense of privilege based on affluence—and I don't mean affluence of culture.
• Let's also examine what the negative votes mean. Since this vote was to approve the entire TPPS, which ranks the priority of more than 500 transportation improvements across the valley, including important improvements in streets of Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells. Were the representatives of Indian Wells and Rancho Mirage truly serving the interests of their communities? For if a majority of representatives had voted not to accept the TPPS, the report would have to be rewritten and priorities reassessed. Would the winning TPPS then have slashed all budgets for transportation projects? Would Indian Wells and Rancho Mirage vote in favor of only the TPPS that sends most construction to their cities?

4. An implication that the Measure A funds are the sole means of funding the CV-Link, and perhaps also the sole funding source for all transportation spending in the region. FALSE.

• The TPPS states clearly, "CVAG has assembled more than $75 million to pay for CV Link, with much of the funding coming from outside of the Coachella Valley. The diverse funding sources reflect the air quality, public health and transportation benefits of the project."
• As an example of the source of funding, the CVAG Transportation Committee identified plans for constructing the initial CV Link segment. "The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) awarded CVAG $17,400,000 in Sentinel Mitigation (AB 1318) funds for construction of CV Link. CVAG’s agreement with SCAQMD identifies $2,495,000 for an 'early action segment.' CVAG proposes to allocate the designated early action segment funds for construction of the Cathedral City Bike Path. This project will be built to CV Link standards and will be incorporated into CV Link if constructed. The City will contribute an additional $405,000 of Caltrans BTA grant funds for construction. ... CVAG presented this proposal to the SCAQMD and received preliminary approval."
• This initial segment of 2.39 miles uses non-Measure A funds that total $2.9M, representing a paid-for cost of $1.21M per mile.

5. A presumption that the current mish-mash of Class II bikeways (a completely separated right of way for the exclusive use of bicycles and pedestrians with crossflow by motorists minimized), Class III bikeways (shared use with pedestrian or motor vehicle traffic), and bike use of unmarked streets, feeders, arterials, and major throughfares is NOT deserving of a ranking "in order of greatest public danger." FALSE.

• The California Office of Traffic Safety lists 637 pedestrians and cyclists killed or injured in Riverside County in 2013. Of these, 165 deaths or injuries occurred in the Coachella Valley.

• 32 in Cathedral City,
• 8 in Coachella,
• 14 in Desert Hot Springs,
• 3 in Indian Wells,
• 33 in Indio,
• 4 in La Quinta,
• 30 in Palm Desert,
• 34 in Palm Springs,
• 7 in Rancho Mirage.

• A cross-valley dedicated (Class I) path for pedestrians, cyclists, and NEVs (Neighborhood Electric Vehicles) could vastly improve the odds of surviving a trip using alternative transportation.
• Ameliorating the deaths and injuries of 165 pedestrians and cyclists should be a higher priority than "[the improvement of] dangerous roads and unfilled potholes" that Hobart prefers.
• Apparently the legal system agrees that the cities in the Coachella Valley are responsible for pedestrian and cyclist safety, and one can cite the judgment against Indian Wells for $5.8M in the death of cyclist Dr. Gerald Brett Weiss. Although the judgment may have been paid from a liability pool, in which numerous California cities lump their finances together to protect each other from costly lawsuits, Indian Wells will be responsible for re-paying the pool over time.
• The numbers reveal something in the favor of Indian Wells, La Quinta, and Rancho Mirage, by the way.  Something deserving of study. Either the low numbers in their statistics indicate some positive steps the cities have taken that other cities might emulate, or the numbers are a fluke tied to the relatively affluent lifestyles available to the residents.

6. A citation of two proposed costs for the CV-Link. The first ($99.4 million) is true; the second ($193.6 million) is FALSE.

The actual CV-Link estimated cost is $99.4 million.

• The TPPS estimates $99.4 million for building the 50-mile route from Desert Hot Springs to Mecca and the Salton Sea. This amount is less than 3% of the total budge of $3.433 billion for all transportation improvements planned for the next 5 to 10 years.
• The estimated cost for CV-Link is $1.98 million per mile. Let's compare this estimate to building city streets. Smart Growth America estimates the cost of implementing Complete Streets to be "as little as $6 million per mile or double that" [page 13], while "new arterials can cost the city $5 million per mile or up to twice that amount." Though his figures are presented in cost per foot, Andrew Alexander Price cites an equivalent cost of $5 million per mile. The American Road & Transportation Builders Association agrees with these estimates generally. Their FAQ says that to construct a "new 2-lane undivided road [costs] about $2 million to $3 million per mile in rural areas, about $3 million to $5 million [per mile] in urban areas."
• It's more difficult to find similar information for building mult-iuse paths similar to CV-Link. The largest part of the problem is in the use of the term "multi-use paths," which can cover anything from a cinder path to a highly designed and landscaped system of paths, bridges, and interchanges. The City of Detroit planned to spend a total of about $35.4M to build a 25-mile path ($1.41M per mile). Jefferson County WI planned to spend $5.1M to build 10.76 miles of multiuse trail ($0.47M per mile). Los Angeles plans to develop a 51-mile multiuse path in the Los Angeles River, and is beginning feasibility studies and design (no cost estimate published).

It is the Regional Active Transportation Projects that have an estimated cost is $193.6 million.

• The Regional Active Transportation Projects identified in the TPPS are not part of the CV-Link, except for three Indio projects that total $225,509. (These are a connector along Golf Center Pkwy from Indio Springs Dr to I-10 at $15,840 [PDF p 30]; buffered bike lanes along Monroe St from Ave 40 to I-10 at $150,480 [PDF p 36]; and buffered bike lanes along Monroe St from the Whitewater River to Fred Waring Dr at $59,189 [PDF p 36]. 
• The Active Transportation program was established by the state legislature through the Complete Streets Act. The program "plan for a balanced, multimodal transportation network that meets the needs of all users of streets, roads, and highways, defined to include motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, children, persons with disabilities, seniors, movers of commercial goods, and users of public transportation, in a manner that is suitable to the rural, suburban, or urban context of the general plan."
• The TPPS lists 384 projects that meet the requirements of the Complete Streets Act. None of these projects are part of the CV-Link route. Instead, the projects are improvements to existing streets that promote pedestrian, NEV, and cyclist safety on the city streets.
• The estimated cost of all the RAT projects is indeed a total of $193.6 million. But these projects do not include CV Link itself.

7. His statement, "there are only 286 of these NEVs/LSEVs registered in the Coachella Valley – and unlike golf carts (which are ineligible on CV Link), these vehicles must have a capacity of 25 MPH, be registered, carry insurance and driven only by licensed drivers." CONFUSED at least, but essentially FALSE.

• California Department of Vehicles defines Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) as vehicles that must be registered to operate on streets at speeds up to 25 mph.
• The DOV does not require registration of golf carts or NEVs that operate at or below 15 mph.
• The CV Link Conceptual Master Plan succinctly defines the link: "CV Link will initially connect eight of the nine cities in the Coachella Valley and three tribal land reservations. Bicycles, pedestrians, and low-speed electric vehicles (LSEVs) will use the corridor to access employment, shopping, schools, friends, and recreational opportunities. LSEVs include golf carts and Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) that can travel up to 25 mph." 
• The actual number of registered NEVs is immaterial, then, to arguments for or against building CV Link. 
• Truly material is that state and federal law mandate that transportation planning should include alternative transportation, including cyclists and pedestrians.

9. Cherrypicking the opinion of a favored lawyer, city counsel Steve Quintanilla against use of Measure A funds and representing the opinion as a legal certainty. FALSE.

• Hobart quotes Steve Quintanilla, city counsel for Rancho Mirage, Desert Hot Springs, and Moreno Valley, who opines: “…after thoroughly reviewing the plain language of Measure A, the Preamble to Ordinance No. 02-001 … is that the voters who approved Measure A did not intend that the special tax revenue produced by Measure A could be or would be used for any aspect, part, portion or component of CV Link…”
• In point of fact, the preamble refers generally to "transportation" and makes no stipulation to focus funding on motorized traffic. The preamble does, however, cite a need for "improvements to relieve congestion." Providing alternative routing for pedestrians, cyclists, and electric vehicles creates such an improvement.
• Citing a preferred attorney's reading, not a court ruling, has no actionable merit, though. Only rulings by the court system can define the intent and effect of law, if in dispute. 
• Hobart also attempts to set the case as one of normal transportation. To do so, he quotes CVAG attorneys Best, Best and Krieger: “Although CV Link is not a typical regional road improvement, a strong argument can be made that its LSEV Component qualifies as a regional road improvement under Measure A  because the LSEV lane is a roadway that would connect eight cities in the Coachella Valley…”
• In point of fact, CV Link is part of Alternative Transportation Planning, Regional Active Transportation, and Complete Streets programs that are required by state and federal law.

Finally, after raising so many erroneous assertions, Hobart suggests a valley-wide vote as an alternative to accepting the majority (11 of 13) vote, and he threatens legal action in Superior Court.

Perhaps Hobart expects to use a contentious valley-wide vote as a stalling tactic to derail CV Link in endless processes. And yet, a county-wide vote could also favor CV Link, especially if its future is to join the Coachella Valley to Banning Pass and the Riverside superpolis. Of course, costs are involved here as well. Estimates for preparing ballot issues rise to $500,000 for a county, not including persuasion activities on each side of a yes/no proposition.

A judicial decision could, I believe, strengthen the case for CV Link. The question to be answered, then, is whether the citizens of Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells want their city taxes to be spent in litigation that could cost more than building the CV Link through their communities? (Their combined paths amount to about 7.5 miles, with an estimated cost of $15.5 million.) If their residents support such use of funds, perhaps the real issue is that Hobart believes the Indian Wells and Rancho Mirage residents just don't want cyclists or pedestrians or NEVs anywhere near their communities? We could expect lawn placards there reading, "Not In My Back Yard!"

Rebuilding the Heart

Saturday, 13 August 2016

After a week of lazing about, it was time to get some heart pumping. So I took El Cielo Road, the East Palm Canyon bikeway, and streets through the Backstreet Arts district to Ridgecrest Plaza and the entrance to the Goat Trails.

My passage on The Ramp was a bit less than optimal, but I didn't stop until I was on the low part of the second climb. I was really winded on that climb and hike-biked several parts. Just below the top, I took off on a side trail to check out another trail alternative that I hadn't noticed before. (It turned out to be much less used, blocked by several large stones.)

Back on the doubletrack, I took the northwest half of the Merry-Go-Round and headed up Gene Autrey Hook to Lone Heart Overlook. Recent rework of the doubletrack trail by heavy equipment had obliterated this landmark, and I took about half an hour to re-establish the outline of the heart marker. I repositioned it to be a bit more off the trail, so emergency vehicles could still pass easily onto the next stretch of doubletrack.

I headed up the trail again, and took the sixth right-hand singletrack back to the Merry-Go-Round and then down the doubletrack to Ridgecrest Plaza and home.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 111°F at 17:15
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 10 mph from the north
Clothing: Two-piece MTB shorts, shortsleeve teeshirt, ankle socks, quilted full-finger gloves
Bike: Trek Fuel/EX mountain bike
Time: 51:55 for 7.96 miles
Heart rate: 128 bpm HRave, 156 bpm HRmax
Other users: no cyclists, 3 pedestrians on the trails
Playback of the ride

Warmup and gym

Tuesday, 9 August 2016

Just a quick ride to warm up before a gym workout. I would like to develop a few 30-minute and 45-minute routes for this purpose.

This route takes Baristo Road west to Avenida Caballeros, then north to Tahquitz Canyon Road and through the airport access roads. Generally a pretty good route that is mostly flat.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 102°F at 16:04
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm 
Clothing: Teeshirt, gym shorts, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Serotta Colorado fixed 48x15
Time: 24:24 for 7.24 miles
Heart rate: 103 bpm HRave, 153 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: uncounted
Playback of the ride

Drugs and gym

Friday, 5 August 2016

Not all my route was recorded well by the Garmin. From home, I ran an errand at the Walgreens pharmacy on East Palm Canyon, then headed to the gym for weight training. Afterward, I rode through Little Beverly Hills to check whether some construction work was happening with heavy equipment I saw being trucked in the evening before. (None in evidence.)

Ride conditions
Temperature: 106°F at 14:26
Precipitation: none
Winds: not recorded
Clothing: Teeshirt, ankle socks, double shorts, quilted full-finger gloves
Bike: Trek Fuel/EX mountain bike 
Time: 21:27 for 5.74 miles
Heart rate: 141 bpm HRave, "208" bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: not recorded
Playback of the ride

Up to the Stone Man, now destroyed

Thursday, 4 August 2016

In more temperate locations, I typically rode a "birthday ride" today. That meant a mile for each year of my age. But 65 miles isn't something I'm ready for today, even at 90°F this morning. So I'm expecting that ride to take place six months from now, in February. Today I took a morning ride into the Goat Trails, and I started at 8 a.m. to the trail head through the golf course up to Gene Autrey Trail, then south to Rimrock Plaza.

This ride had a sense of exploration, a chance to see how much additional trail had been attacked by heavy equipment. I hoped that the Lone Heart and Stone Man monuments were unaffected, but my hopes were undone. The grading has obliterated both monuments and smoothed out some of the climbs as well as leaving a dirt layer on most of the trail. I only looked up the doubletrack east and west of the Stone Man, and even those sections may have been graded, though more lightly. It seems to me that the doubletrack is now less fun uphll and more treacherous downhill.

I hope to organize a maintenance group from the regular riders of these trails, and I'll begin to gather their names from the Strava.com statistics of the trails.

My way back on the Goat Trails stayed on the doubletrack until I got to the Merry-Go-Round. From its southeast corner, I took off on a short singletrack that drops to a mid-point of the Second Climb. After reaching the roads, I followed the bikeway that parallels East Palm Canyon to El Cielo Road.


Ride conditions
Temperature: 90°F at 8:28
Precipitation: none
Winds: not recorded
Clothing: Teeshirt, ankle socks, double shorts, quilted full-finger gloves
Bike: Trek Fuel/EX mountain bike 
Time: 1:02:04 for 9.61 miles
Heart rate: 129 bpm HRave, 154 bpm HRmax
Bikeway users: not recorded
Playback of the ride

New tire setup for Fury

Saturday, 30 April 2016

I finally converted my Trek Fuel/EX mountain bike to tubeless tires. I chose two different tires for their response: a Continental Trail King on the front, a Maxxis Minion DHF on the rear. I bought both from Competitive Cyclist, and I called Mike Dartt at http://mikesbiketruck.com/ for his at-your-door service to do the conversion. (Supposedly the conversion can be pretty easy to do, but my arthritic wrists say otherwise, even for getting a well-stretched tire onto my rims.)

For the front tire, I expect confident cornering grip and enough stability to track the riding line correctly. A reinforced sidewall can improve support for riding on rocky terrain, although too stiff a sidewall can lessen feel and suppleness from the ride. The correct tire pressure and suspension set-up play their parts in the front-end performance as speed increases on rougher, drier tracks. Finally, well-balanced weight distribution and correctly-tuned bar height aid the grip. Reviews lead me to believe that the Continental Trail King meets these needs.

On the back tire, some riders advise a slightly narrower tire with a lower profile center tread or a closely spaced tread pattern. These attributes should result in a faster rolling wheel on dry and rocky ground. Since I'm still new at riding the hills, I chose a wider tire (2.4 inches) and a fairly open tread pattern, to help slow the roll. Cornering tread is still important, and I want plenty of traction in the turns. So I followed reviews to choose the Maxxis Minion DHF that is 0.1 inch wider than my front tire.

References

Dry trail riding advice.
Different needs for front and rear tires.
Continental Trail King.
Maxxis Minion DHF.
Competitive Cyclist.

This morning I took Fury out for some trial on the roads, going to the Farmers' Market and on a ride with Chuck over his favorite route. The front tire had lost some pressure overnight, and it had a lot of rolling resistance for the ride to the market. I pumped it up to 35 pounds before I rode with Chuck, and it rode really well at that pressure. I might reduce the pressure to 25 pounds when I hit the trails.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 75°F at 08:30,  79°F at 12:40
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 early, then about 15 mph with gusts from the north and west
Clothing: Casual MTB shorts, shortsleeve tee, open-finger gloves
Bike: Trek Fuel/EX mountain bike
Time: 23:12 for 4.0 miles, 1:08:12 for 8.7 miles
Heart rate: 111 and 89 bpm HRave, 140 and 128 bpm HRmax Playbacks of the rides: Farmers' Market, With Chuck

Biking in Joshua Tree National Park

The Joshua Tree

I've ridden the roads of Joshua Tree National Park twice so far. My first visit to the park was several years ago with Chuck and a couple friends from Vancouver to view the wildflowers in late March. We entered the park from the southeast at the Cottonwood Springs/Box Canyon exit of Interstate 10. Our route took us gradually up from the Sonoran Desert (1700 ft above sea level) to the Mojave Desert (at 3650 ft), along which you can perceive several micro-climates that encourage varying groups of cactus and agave. This drive can take about six hours, and it is only in the last half of the drive that you begin to see the piles of weather-rounded boulders that are popular with rock climbers.

During that drive, I had begun to think of the national park as a destination for a cycling excursion, although the route we took promised several hours of unrelenting climbing. My next trip to the park was with a friend who is an avid hiker. We drove 20 minutes from the northwest park entrance on relatively flatter roads to hike up Ryan Mountain. My appetite for cycling in the park was tantalized with this closer access and less challenging climbs.

Getting there

We drove 45 minutes north from Palm Springs and entered the park at its northwest gate.

North from Palm Springs

North and east on Highway 62

1. North from Palm Springs on North Indian Canyon Drive.
2. Indian Canyon Drive crosses Interstate 10 and continues along the west side of Desert Hot Springs. 
3. North Indian Canyon Drive curves west and ends at an intersection with Highway 62 (also signed as 29 Palms Highway).
4. Turn right onto Highway 62, on which you continue north and northeast through a pass to the community Morongo Valley.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
5. Stay on Highway 62 through the communities of Palm Wells, Little Morongo Heights, and up a long pass to the town of Joshua Tree.
6. Turn right at Park Road, for which there is one brown national parks sign on the right. 
7. You can buy a Senior Pass at the Visitor Center, which is on the right about a block after your turn.
8. Continue on Park Boulevard as its name changes to Quail Springs Road.
9. After about 4 miles, stop at the Gatehouse to pay entrance or show your Senior Pass.
10. The first opportunity for parking and unloading bikes is a gravel turnout, about 1.5 miles from the Gatehouse, on the left side of the road.

 From Los Angeles or other desert cities, use the Highway 62 exit from Interstate 10 to replace steps 1 through 4.

8 March 2015

My first return to the park for cycling was with a group of visiting cyclists from New York's OutCycling (Wallace, Graham, Conrad, and Mike). We each rode at our own pace and distance, and I was plagued with three flats. So I was on my own, riding Deep Forest, my Serotta Colorado 48x15 fixie.

I had a flat in the first mile, and I returned to the car to use a floor pump. I flatted again at about 14 miles, and flatted again shortly after replacing the tube. It was then that I found a cactus needle that had been flexible enough to bend and be undetected with finger movement inside the tire. My frame pump left my tire a bit soft, and I flagged down Mike and others as they passed, who supplied a CO2 cartridge for full pressure.

26-mile out-and-back road ride beyond Ryan Mountain

Although the flats were a letdown, I still rode about 27 miles over fairly flat terrain that included 1200 ft climbing.
Playback of the ride

10 February 2016

More recently I rode with John Sickel, who is living here for the winter. He seems to be game for any new location for a ride, and he's as willing as I to try something new. I rode Blue, my Lotus Legend 48x16 fixie.

We toured most of the turn-offs for attractions in the park, including a long slog uphill to view Keys' Point. But after about 25 miles, John turned back while I explored further toward the 29 Palms gatehouse. I hoped to bike a metric century, and I calculated my turnaround to achieve close to that.

61-mile road ride out-and-back Y

The view from Keys' Point

The leg to Keys' Point was a slight incline for the first few miles, which became gradually steeper and steeper. The leg starts at mile 12.7 : 4251 ft, reaches mile 15.6 : 4466 ft at Lost Horse Mine Road, becomes aggressive at mile 17.1 : 4908 ft, and then finishes with two extreme 16.9% grades at the end, mile 18.6 : 5126 ft. Of course, the descent back made for a quick and exhilarating ride.

John Sickel at the portion of Pleasant Valley

We headed around Ryan Mountain and came to a sand plain filled with Joshua trees of huge size. John decided to turn back, as he neared 27 miles. I continued on, and a couple miles later I turned into the Jumbo Rocks campground, which was packed with RVs and tent campers for its mile length. On returning to the road (mile 30.6 : 4417 ft), I continued ever downhill along Park Boulevard, past the intersection with Pinto Basin Road (mile 35.6 : 3685 ft), and to turn around at a distance that I thought would make for a 100-km ride (mile 37.8 : 3250 ft).

My return was dogged at best, though I arrived at the car only a few minutes after John. But my calculations were off, so I asked John to follow me with the car and to pick me up after surpassing 61 miles of riding. (As it was, my conversion from miles to kilometers was off, and my ride still was 2 km short of a metric century.)
Playback of the ride

It's now four years later since my last post on this blog. I no longer commute by bike to work. For a while, my work was at home, and I am now retired. So there seemed to be no need for entries about commuting by bike.

I ride my bike now for the enjoyment itself. To enjoy the activity. To enjoy my new hometown, Palm Springs CA. I ride often for errands, and I ride often in the hills to the south of Highway 111.

It's time to rethink what this blog is about. So bear with me as I try new topics, new approaches.

My most recent rides are documented on Strava:

• Quick climb before cooking dinner 
•  Out to G. Ford-Sinatra, Cook to Kurt's and 111
•  After 4 p.m. Indian Cyn and Tuscany
•  Toward the Trading Post with John S
•  Tooling around after the gym
•  Long short way to the gym 
•  Joshua Tree NP with John S 
•  Goat Trail Dbltrk at end of day

May the wind be at your back, even after the turn-around to go home!

In Memorium—what cyclists must do

Monday, 10 February 2014

Saturday I took part in the annual Tour de Palm Springs. The event has never had a fatality for its previous 13 years of rides, but this year's ride was tragic for one cyclist's family. The cyclist was identified as La Vonne Koester of Alta Loma. She was an experienced cyclist who devoted a lot of time to longer rides, including the 475-mile RAGBRAI (the DesMoines Register Annual Bicycle Ride Across Iowa). Her husband of 36 years, Ron, found great comfort in Christianity and bicycled with La Vonne on occasion. Ron, however, has been recovering from health issues that began late 2012. Their son Scott is also a cyclist, who has neared or exceeded the avid interest in long-distance rides. La Vonne's other son Shawn does not seem to have strong cycling interests. 

The loss of an active, supportive, and loving woman must be given more than a mere moment of silence.


And we must understand how such a tragedy can be avoided. Will Fuller, President of the Desert Bicycle Club wrote about the accident:

"Saturday, a fellow bicyclist ...died after a tragic accident at the intersection of Avenue 60th and Harrison in Thermal. ... Fellow DBC member, Dave Hilts was in a peloton of around 60 riders. According to Dave, the front of the peloton stopped at the stop sign, to cross Harrison and continue west on Avenue 60. and then proceeded through. The large peloton continued crossing Harrison [even] when it became unsafe to do so. Dave, who was near the back of the peloton, noticed traffic coming down Harrison at a high rate of speed and realized it had become dangerous. Dave yelled out and came to a stop and the rider in back of him almost crashed into him. According to Dave, the truck with a trailer, who hit La Vonne, had no way to stop.

Intersection of Avenue 60 (horizontal) and Harrison

"The intersection of Avenue 60 and Harrison can be dangerous if not crossed thoughtfully (coming to a stop and looking both ways). It is a two way stop, not four way. Vehicles on Harrison have the right of way and are not required to come to a stop. I believe the speed limit is 55+ on that stretch. (It could be marked otherwise).

"From the facts I currently have, it sounds like this accident never had to happen. Riding in pelotons can be safe and dangerous at the same time. If you don't know the riding styles and habits of those around you, anything is possible. One of the things to be conscious of is a pack mentality. Just because the person in front of you crossed an intersection doesn't mean it's safe for you to proceed. As Dave Cooper reminds us, we are all on the safety committee. We lookout for each other (the peloton, fellow riders) and ourselves all at the same time. On the plus side, riding in a peloton, the likelihood of being seen by traffic is much higher.

"...I share these details to keep you aware of what happened and to remind each of us to remain vigilant for each other and yourself. Even though I did not know La Vonne Koester, my thoughts and prayers go out to her and La Vonne Koester's family and friends. A tragic loss and a sad day for the cycling community during an event special to so many."

Other sources have reported that a vehicle on Harrison from the north had stopped, despite having right-of-way, to allow the peloton to cross without breaking up. The truck also approached the intersection and the stopped car from the north and passed the car in the middle lane, without awareness of the peloton of bicyclists. However, this report does not come from eye witnesses. One Facebook contributor described the accident.

"The incident occurred at a right angled intersection in a very rural area, there were no buildings in the area and the terrain was flat. All roads were one lane in each direction.
Cyclists approaching the intersection had a stop sign, traffic approaching from the left or the right did not have a stop sign. There were trees on the near right side as the cyclists were approaching the intersection obscuring traffic approaching from the right until the riders were very close to the intersection. The trees also obscured the view of the cyclists by automobile traffic. 

"On the road to the right of the cyclists, automobile “A” had stopped to motion the cyclists to go forward through the intersection. As the cyclist who was hit was going through the intersection, automobile “B” passed automobile "A" in the intersection using the lane intended for vehicles going in the opposite direction and struck the cyclist. 

"As a cyclist it is easy to simply follow others through an intersection thinking that it must be safe for you if it is safe for them. It is also easy to just look at the first automobile in the only traffic lane approaching the cyclist, not the cars behind. Vehicles in ‘the wrong lane’ on a 2 lane bidirectional road, that is, a vehicle approaching from the north in a lane intended for traffic going to the north are rare but must be looked for.

"For a cyclist approaching this intersection, it would be very difficult to see and properly interpret this situation unless the cyclist came to a full stop at the stop sign and took the time to assess the circumstances in both directions."

Television report on the accident.En español

The accident occurred perhaps a half hour before I passed through the intersection. Some 30 cyclists were stopped, the intersection was clear of any debris, perhaps the vehicles involved were already removed, and an emergency vehicle was still on the scene—but no ambulance.

Beyond the needless death of a cyclist and the psychological effects on the driver who killed her, it is important that the local law enforcement, event management, and participants learn from this event.

• Local law enforcement must be present throughout the event to encourage cooperative use of the roads and polite share of the rights of way. 
• The organizers of the event must redouble their efforts to assure compliance with traffic signals and signage. 
• Of course, also that each cyclist know that safety is, first and foremost, your primary responsibility. Not speed. Not time. Not the team. Even not the convenience of keeping up your momentum.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 52 to 85°F
Precipitation: none
Winds: 10 to 15 mph from the west
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Serotta Colorado fixed 48x15
Time: 7:18:52 for 109.04 miles
Heart rate: 132 bpm HRave, 155 bpm HRmax
Playback of the ride

Windy ride to Miamisburg

Sunday, 10 March 2013

I started out an hour later than I planned, but that was no problem. The late departure meant that I met Martie Moseman on the trail—and met her friend (Mark?) and saw the runner Mike Nedeff long enough say hello. I had stopped at the rise to East River Road to remove my undershirt; the temperature was so warm today.

Martie stopped, said hello and mentioned her need to suggest a hike or bike activity for the Five Rivers Metroparks volunteers. I suggested a hike in Taylorsville Reserve, perhaps to include a guided history lesson on Tadmor and the aquaduct over the Miami River. It turned out that her ride partner Mark knows the area and its history well, and we had a good Q&A session on the area to clarify my understanding of what I had seen yesterday.

I continued south, into a windy and slow ride to Miamisburg. Tired of the wind, I decided to turn back instead of going to the trail's end in Franklin. I took a breather with a short tour of downtown Miamisburg, photographing many buildings along South Main Street. I wondered if Miamisburg is among the best examples in Ohio of an original, commercial area from before 1900? Just in the commercial area is a 3-block length of buildings that were built roughly from 1875 to 1895. A few are derelict, but most have an active storefront and occupants in the upper floors.

1875 map of Miami township

On my wind-sail return, I had energy to spare and could observe the course of the Miami and Erie Canal on the east side of South Dixie Drive, just to the west of the active railway. As the bikeway heads more northerly at the edge of West Carrollton, I noticed rough-hewn stones underneath a bridge, apparently where a canal lock had allowed the Hydraulic Canal to wind around the towns known in 1875 as Alexanderville and Carrollton. I lost track of the canal as the modern-day sewage treatment plant overtook its former routing before it joined with the Great Miami River.

Meanwhile, the Miami and Erie Canal was also overtaken by the growing city. Where it had neared the Miami River and turned north toward Dayton, now Alex Road, East Dixie Drive, and Interstate 75 have overtaken its path. And in what had been Van Buren township, the canal may have been disguised by a series of lakes that are bounded by the bikeway and East River Road. As I passed the lakes going north, 

1875 map of Van Buren township

I wondered if they had been built to supply canal water. But the 1875 township map reveals that the lakes did not exist back then and that the canal had flowed unimpeded through the area between the river and the hills to the east. Then finally the river and canal near each other where there is now a low dam and the Interstate 75 overpass. From there, the canal enters what is now Carillon Historical Park, where you can see a fully restored lock and a good segment of restored canal. 

Back some four miles, I had passed a cyclist going the opposite direction who was wearing a 1994 jersey from the old Dayton Cycling Club. I had yelled a hello as we met, though I didn't recognize the rider. But as I descended from East River Road to the flood plain, that rider caught me and introduced himself as Scott Weber. Sometime before the crash that had stopped my bike racing, I had sold him some special rims, and he had recognized me from that transaction. We rode together to Veterans' Park, where he dropped down to the river and I bypassed the closed bikeway to head home along clearer paths.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 60 to 67°F from 15:15 to 17:55 
Precipitation: none
Winds: 18 to 22 mph, gusts to 28 from the south-southeast
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed 48x16 
Time: 02:10 for 30.19 miles
Heart rate: no data
Bikeway users: 20+ cyclists, 12+ pedestrians

Found: the National Road

Saturday, 9 March 2013

My ride today started with errands to mail a package—getting there only a minute before the office closed—and to drop off a CD at the library.

Then I took the Great Miami River Trail north toward Taylorsville Reserve, thinking of Troy as my turnaround point. When I crossed the Miami River from Harrison township to Wayne township, I noticed a small farm building that was clearly from the 19th century, so I crossed over to Powell Road and rang the bell at the owner's house.

When he opened the door, I pulled out my 1938 map and asked, "Are you perhaps Mr. Spahn?" He answered, "No, but I bought this house from the Spahn family in the 1970s." I asked about the barn and whether there still are remnants of the lock on the Miami and Erie Canal that passed just east of their home. He invited me in to talk with his wife, who has a much greater range of information about the location. We three had a great time talking about the locks, distillery, former owners, and old buildings that still stand nearby.

His notes on the 1938 map helped clarify where Johnson's Station had been. Where today Little York Road passes underneath the railway through a large tube is where Johnson Station had been. Today, the area is home to several businesses, including Butler Asphalt and the Miami Valley Shooting Grounds. A modern bridge has replaced the crossing that existed even as early as 1875, and a new bridge has been built at the north end of Rip Rap Road Park as part of the Great Miami River Bikeway.

Remnants of the National Road, at the end
of Silvan Cliff Road, Vandalia Ohio

Back on the bikeway, I headed north again, more cognizant now of the canal that parallels the bikeway and the Miami River, until the canal crossed over the river where Taylorsville Dam is now. About a mile north of the dam, I took an abandoned road up out of the park, over two sets of active railway, and up a ravine to the Cassel Hills Golf Course. I spoke with a manager near the clubhouse, who mentioned a toll house monument just outside the golf course entrance. Just beyond that monument was a rolling bluff-top neighborhood and an old cut into the hill, curving down toward the river. It was the remaining excavations for the National Road curving up from the river to Vandalia. The former village of Tadmor lay along this part of the trail. In 1875, the village may have had only three houses, owned then by W. Crook and M.S., and J. Sunderland.

I left exploring this trail for another day, when I could walk the area with hiking shoes rather than cycling cleats.

Remnants of National Trail bridge across the Miami and Erie Canal, just outside Tadmor Ohio

I returned to the bikeway along the same abandoned road, and headed further north to photograph the remains of a bridge that crossed the canal, near the former location of Tadmor. I descended to the river, hoping to find remnants of a bridge crossing. But I was disappointed in that hope. Instead, what looks like a stream outlet to the river is so gradual—and serves no actual stream from the surrounding forest—that it seems to be an engineered exit for fording the river.

Finally back in riding mode, I continued on the new bikeway into Tipp City. I had used a lot of time in my explorations, so I turned around here for a bonk-tinged ride back home. I'll leave for another Spring day a ride to Troy, which was my planned turnaround for the ride.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 53 to 56°F late afternoon
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 5 mph from the southeast
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed 48x16
Time: 14:40 to 19:30 for 44.95 miles
Heart rate: no data
Bikeway users: 9 cyclists, 25+ pedestrians, 6 dogs

Ride to Taylorsville Dam

Monday, 25 February 2013

Bikeway (red) from Dayton
to Taylorsville Dam

Because tomorrow's weather forecast includes rain and sleet, I felt today's sunny skies beckoning. And I felt I had enough time to extend yesterday's trip all the way to Taylorsville Dam. On my way, I stopped at the closed steel bridge that had crossed to Johnson Station. I glimpsed momentary bits of a little community that forms a sub-suburb to Huber Heights. I climbed the serpentine bikeway to just underneath Highway 40, and descended to Taylorsville Reserve. At my turnaround, I read the National Trail Association's memorial board that describes Tadmore and Taylorsville. The gist of it: poor little Tadmore, once at the crossings of an important railway, a canal system, and the National Road, it was doomed to oblivion because of the advance of the highway system.

Butler township (left) and Wayne
township as illustrated in 1874

I've been taking this route as a sort of genealogical research project. My focus is the National Road, on which my great-grandparents Robert and Leopolinda Ohnsat traveled between 1877 and March 1878. Though the National Road was in greatest use from about 1840 through 1860, a family anecdote describes their trip by Conestoga wagon from Pittsburgh PA to Tipton KS. (Whether true is another matter, since the railway system was a well-developed and more-reliable means of travel by 1877.)

And the National Road passes just north of Dayton, crossing through Vandalia and Englewood. An 1875 map I have shows the National Road and a bridge at Tadmer, just east of Vandalia. (When I find one, I will add a map of Bethel township from Miami county.) There are several other intriguing points:

• The Miami Canal that passes over the Miami River halfway between Johnson's Station and Tadmer
• The little town of Orsville that would become known as Taylorsville within 50 years
• The Dayton & Michigan Railroad that has a modern-day parallel that also passes underneath Taylorsville Dam

Butler and Wayne townships as
illustrated in 1838

Today, U.S. Highway 40 takes nearly the same route as the National Road. But not always, as Highway 40 drops 1.5 miles south to cross Taylorsville Dam. A 1938 map shows U.S. 40. (When I find one, I will add a map of Bethel township from Miami county.) The river crossing at Tadmor (with a slight name change) is still present in 1938, though it no longer exists. There are other notable changes:

• The renamed Miami & Erie Canal no longer crosses the river
• Taylorsville has some platted homesteads
• The renamed Baltimore & Ohio Railroad follows nearly the same route

Perhaps this spring, I can trek through the park system and find remnants of the old road. In the meantime, I plan to ride the bikeways near the National Road where it drops 0.8 mile south to cross Englewood Dam at Englewood, at the west side of Butler township. These two diversions between the National Road and U.S. 40 are among the few. The next diversion west is at Knightstown-Raysville-Ogden IN, the next east is at Cambridge OH (east of Zanesville).

Ride conditions
Temperature: 39 to 44°F at 16:24 to 18:30
Precipitation: none
Winds: 10 to 15 mph from the east
Clothing: Skinsuit, cotton undershirt, longsleeve undershirt, ankle socks, tights, light jacket, full-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed 48x16
Time: 02:06 for 26.0 miles
Bikeway users: 2 cyclists, 8 pedestrians, 3 dogs

Sunday before the Oscars

Sunday, 24 February 2013

A chilly ride up into Butler township on the Great Miami Bikeway. I went a bit north of the underpass of Needmore, and explored the short roads that intersect the path at Birch: to the right to find a small, neighborhood of run-down homes near the river, then to the left past a mobile home park and up to the intersection with Wagner-Ford Road.

I wondered if this area was once Johnson's Station that was east of Chambersburg (as known in 1875, map shown). But looking again at the map, I think my ride actually missed reaching Butler township. Dayton township abuts Butler township at its southern edge, and Wayne township reaches a bit more north, on the east side of the river. Just south of this three-township junction, in a swansneck of the river is the little settlement I explored.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 39°F at 16:40
Precipitation: none

Winds: calm to 5 to 8 mph from the southwest
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, contton undershirt, ankle socks, tights, light jacket, full-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed 48x16
Time: 01:25 for 20.16 miles
Bikeway users: 5 cyclists, 3 pedestrians, 2 dogs

The Huffman Connector

Monday, 18 February 2013

Today was a slog, riding my trail bike on the bikeway so I could explore the Huffman Connector.

 The bikeway in Eastwood Park has a rough layer of asphalt that stretches from the lagoon, east through the park, and under Harshman Road along the Mad River.

After the Mad River underpass, the rough asphalt layer climbs to the entrance to the Dayton Well Fields.

 The path is dug to an existing underpass of the railway, though the whole area is water logged from seepage from underneath Harshman Road. I suspect this will be a problem that requires further engineering to answer the wet conditions before applying underlayment and asphalt to the path.

The underpass was built in 1918, as attested by a date on the south approach. I guess that it was built by the railway company to allow higher speeds and eliminate infringement of auto traffic.

The connector work is in progress on the segment that closely parallels Springfield Pike and skirts the west and south edges of old Harshmanville. Almost the entire reach is in various stages from the Harshman Mansion to the railway underpass near the merge of Springfield Pike and Highway 444.



A few segments have a well-rolled rock underlayment, 

some segments have the top layers of dirt scraped away, other segments have a loose dressing of crushed rock, and others have a lightly compacted rock. The next coating of a rough asphalt will not be laid until all the path is at the same readiness.

The digging stops neatly at the boundary marker of Riverside, just a dozen feet from crossing into Greene County.


Inside Greene County, much detail work awaits final surveys and on-the-ground planning. Construction will include rerouting Springfield Pike into a two-lane underpass of the railway. The west arch of the underpass will be reserved for bike traffic, the east for auto.




After the railway underpass, the bikeway will curve into a 3-turn zig-zag down to an existing rough trail. This trail will be upgraded to bikeway standards, and it will climb Huffman Dam in another zig-zag.

Perhaps in late spring, the full routing from Eastwood Park to Huffman Dam will receive the final smooth coat.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 50 to 56.7°F at 13:57 to 16:09
Precipitation: none
Winds: 5 to 16 mph from the southwest
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Mongoose MGX-D40 trail
Time: 02:12 for 18.6 miles
Heart rate: no data
Bikeway users: 13 cyclists, 23 pedestrians

Brrrrr

Sunday, 17 February 2013

I knew it was cold before I went for the ride today, even pulled on another layer in plan for it. By the twelfth mile, my fingers were getting a bit cold. Otherwise, I was pretty comfortable.

At Eastwood park on my way back, I stopped to talk to a park ranger who was watching the traffic—a lonely, cold job for a Sunday afternoon.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 30 to 28.1°F at 15:15 to 18:00
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, cotton undershirt, two pairs ankle socks, quilted tights, light Gore-Tex jacket, quilted full-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed 48x16 
Time: 01:35 for 19.71 miles
Heart rate: no data
Bikeway users: 3 pedestrians

Thursday, 14 February 2013

After a day of honing a sales proposal and making bunches of sales calls, I was able to break away for errands and a ride at 3 p.m. First to the library to drop off some CDs that were due today, then a visit with Lucy Siefker at FiveRivers MetroParks to talk about volunteer plans for the season.

Before 4, I was on the Mad River Bikeway, flowing with the gusty winds from the southwest. At Eastwood, I crossed the lagoon and zipped up the rough underlayment for the new bike path toward Huffman Dam.Though the paving carried me only to the well field overlook of the Harshman Mansion, I saw significant developments.

• The tunnel underneath the active railway is fully excavated and all the obstructing wiring had been relocated.
• The 20-ft descent to the tunnel is cut away into a flowing curve that flows down into the embankment.
• The descent has its final sloping, though it is still a slowly drying, clay layer. Perhaps in the next month a rough asphalt underlayment can be placed.

My next visit to the trail has to be with my trail bike or the hybrid bike, so I can explore the trail between the railway underpass and Harshmanville, and from Harshmanville up to Huffman Dam. Doug Schauer reported that the underpass on Springfield Street has already been divided into one lane for bicycles and the other for autos.

On my way back, fighting the wind and winning, I met Lucy Siefker running the trail with her bud, Jorge Sanchez.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 46°F at 16:45
Precipitation: none
Winds: 17 to 22 mph (gusts to 31) from the west southwest
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed 48x16
Time: 00:55:00 (15:45 to 16:40) for 15.33 miles
Heart rate: no data
Bikeway users: 7 cyclists, 4 pedestrians

Monday, 11 February 2013

I spent much of the morning packing up a Valentine's present, and then headed off to the post office to mail it, along with another book we sold from our Amazon storefront. This was the first chance I had for exercise for quite a while, and I planned to make use of the bike ride to run some errands beyond the post office.
So on to FiveRivers MetroPark to visit Lucy Siefker, who wasn't expecting me and was away.
So up the Mad River, then south to Linden Avenue. I stopped at my favorite laundry to check on some lost slacks, which they did find. The proprietor knew that I wouldn't take them with me when he saw my bike and my tiny backpack.
So back on the Iron Horse Trail, with a short excursion to Carla Mann's home to drop off a brochure. She wasn't home, so I left the brochure and card in her mailbox.
So then—on a whim since I was already so close—to the Kodak plant to see the empty parking lots at the flailing Fafner.  The north lot was nearly full, which is typical because it serves the wing of service and training staff, as well as those attending training. The engineering lot had isolated empty slots, perhaps some taking a long time at errands over lunch. The south lot was 80% full in the parts close in, but the extended lots were completely empty. Clear evidence that no rehiring has occurred, and that more layoffs had occurred since my last news in August.
So then to EveryBody Fitness for an abdominal workout, just a few sets at each machine.
So then to Patterson-Chase to check out the cost of repairing a framed painting, and their willingness to take on the project. The answers were at a reasonable cost and yes!
So next to Press for a cortado and pound cake, just to fend off the energy wall until I got home.
And, finally, after just over 22 miles, home before 3 o'clock.


Ride conditions
Temperature: 42°F at 12 noon
Precipitation: none
Winds: 25 to 33 mph (gusts to 43) from the southwest
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, ankle socks, open-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed 48x16
Time: 02:30 for 22.24 miles
Heart rate: no data
Bikeway users: none others

Errands as commuting

Thursday, 17 January 2013

With a sunny day in January, overnight sales in our Amazon storefront, and receipt of a check from Nova Creative, today was perfect for taking the bike for my errands. And the bonus was the relative warmth today—fifteen degrees warmer than yesterday.

This is what commuting means for a work-from-home business. Take the opportunity to perform errands by bike. Where possible, group the errands so the ride can take you along the most efficient path that also provides something more than just a tour through the neighborhood.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 40 (end) to 44°F at 15:05 to 16:33
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm to 10 variable
Clothing: Skinsuit, longsleeve undershirt, ankle socks, tights, light jacket, full-finger gloves
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed 48x16 
Time: 01:28 for 15.61 miles
Heart rate: not available
Bikeway users: 1 cyclists, 8 pedestrians, 2 dogs
Playback of the ride

Tuesday, 18 December 2012

A gentle, abbreviated ride today on Chuck's route with Jeff. We started out shortly after nine, and I begged off half-way through to have enough time to shower and shave before a business meeting scheduled for 10:30.

Ride conditions
Temperature: 57°F at 11:30
Precipitation: none
Winds: 5 mph from the south-southeast
Clothing: jeans, longsleeve undershirt, hoodie
Bike: Trek trail
Time: 00:29:35 for 4.73 miles
Heart rate: 128 bpm HRave, 142 bpm HRmax
Playback of the ride