How was your ride today? Week of May 10th, 2010

Submitted by pinkrobe on

Coming up to the middle of the month, we seem to be getting a reprieve from winter. Hopefully. Please post up your daily dose of cycling...

Forums: 

ICE on brifters

Submitted by majchers on

ICE BUILD UP ON MY BRIFTERS !!! Geee! What a weather this morning (in NE)!
Otherwise quite a nice ride. Sun is up and sky is clear so I am awaiting nice smooth return home.

beautiful morning, bright

Submitted by Julie Gregg on

beautiful morning, bright sunshine and lots more goslings close to the path, need to keep an eye out for the little creatures. Is this it? Is it officially spring now and we can put our mittens away?

Still foggy (not weather related)

Submitted by fastlayne on

I slept in, decided on a easy pace for my first ride after a week off. I was casually passing a deer on the path, not looking where I was going, front tire dropped off the pavement. This turned into a 5 point landing and some choice words. Still had a good ride.

Summer weather starts this week.

Couldn't find my long pants this morning

Submitted by gyrospanner on

So I rode in with shorts. Not too bad!

I went to my energy pit stop station from friday's BTWD to retrieve the 2 sidewalk signs I forgot and found that a car had driven over one of them! Probably a Hummer or an F150 with oversized tires?

Looking forward to riding home in the sun with a bit of a tailwind!

Frustrating ride

Submitted by pinkrobe on

The long and the short of it - we hit every light on the way in, and people kept stopping and waving us across intersections. It was ridiculous - this lady driving a minivan was yelling at us to go, despite the fact that we had a stop sign, she did not, and her silliness had 8 cars backed up behind her. If we would have gone, we would have been squished by 3 SUVs coming up the hill that she couldn't see. "You have to go!" No, lady, YOU have to go.

Facepalm.
___________________
Who causes accidents?
Fancy Pants

no kidding

Submitted by olivier on

Irritates me to no end... I've had that happen a few times, a car in one direction stops, then the car in the direction decides to stop, then traffic backs up and some drivers start honking. I'm straddling my bike right beside the stop sign, thinking YOU have the right of way, TAKE IT! If you wait long enough, one driver finally decides to go, then others follow, but I usually get a salute as they go by. Uh, drivers.

duh

Submitted by RichieRich on

I got yelled at for using my bell.... saw a mom, about 4 kids milling around the middle of the pathway, rang twice, no acknowledgement at all and kids were not getting out of the way (think: herding cats), next thing she's hollaring at me "alright I heard your damn bell you don't have to keep ringing it" etc etc...

sigh...

even though there is a bylaw

Submitted by denimjeff on

even though there is a bylaw in place i took the bell off this spring. no one listens to it. most runners are wearing ipods and they don't even hear you, while casual walkers/pathway yahoo's get upset when you ding it! its a lose lose situation. i feel that a nice loud verbal notification is more effective! i will usually give a "heads up" or a "passing on the left" well in advance. if they don't hear me i slow myself a bit and give them another warning. you have to watch your tone because some people are pretty touchy about being talked to in public. obviously there is just a major lack of awareness on the public's part about cycling, commuting and shared pathway use. its a bummer...

simple solution

Submitted by umgray on

Here is a simple summer solution, cut out cardboard or platic board (old election signs are great for this),

In marker make sign that states:

1) When passing other bikers or pedestrians please ring bell and or call out "passing on Left"

2) Pass slower than the speed of light

3) Ride and walk on the right, pass on the left.

4) Be polite and remember - we ALL share the pathways

5) Pathways are ON LEASH (even in off leash areas)

Enjoy you day

If each of us made these signs and posted a couple on our pathways the message would get out. How long they will last - I dunno but at least we can say we are trying as getting signs up by the city is impossible.

i also know there is a contingent here on the board that say niet to more signs on the pathway but these temporary signs could remind everyone that we all have to work together on this issue.

Anybody interested, we could easily have beer induced sign making BBQ?

asking who(m) the bell tolls for

Submitted by theorangejacket on

Im confused as well. By law, one is supposed to ring the bell whenever passing _anyone_. However, the MUP are sometimes so busy that it would be a veritable cacophony (and thus driving myself and others to madness). I too have been yelled at for ringing. I've also had walkers/joggers. upon being alert of my presence by bell, jump INTO my way in a mistaken believe that this somehow helps.

I will NOT ring if the person I'm passing looks as though they don't need it. For example, an adult jogger or pedestrian staying resolutely in line. I WILL ring it on children (they are unpredictable) dogs on leash (so as not to surprise them) or people who seem to be wishy washy about where on the path they traveling. I will also ring it if passing in narrow area or if there are hazards around or intersections or whatever.

While I am on the peeve path here, I just want to add how much I hate it when people walk on the wrong side of the path (or on the bike section of the path), big happy smile, deep in giggly conversation, blissfully unaware of the pedestrian path not 30 feet away, arms waving, dogs and/or kids trailing etc etc.

More bells

Submitted by vonbergm on

Cleary that's the reasonable way to use the bell. My attitude is that the bylaw people really have no idea when it omes to legislating bikes, but what you describe is what they would have wanted if they had just spent some time on the pathway, as a pedestrian and as a cyclist, before making the law. I have a bell on my bike, but only use it when i feel it would help. And while i know that people get fined if they don't have a bell (after all, there are situations when a bell is quite useful), i have never heard of anyone getting fined for not using a bell.

nice morning

Submitted by olivier on

A nice morning, the temperature is slowing improving day over day. Being a rider from the boonies, I hardly see anyone on the first half of my commute, but met a fellow deep south dweller this morning at a traffic light in Sundance. Made for a great ride, chatting the whole way in. If you're reading this, thanks for the great ride!

The shenanigans begin...

Submitted by bclark on

The pathways were pretty busy yesterday and it's become a bit more stop...sprint...slow...spring...slow...slow...sprint...cruise...slow...stop...cruise as I try to wind my way out of downtown.

Of course there's the kamikazee's out too. On my way home two riders passed me then passed the two slower riders ahead of me into a corner. The second guy appeared to be tucked in drafting off the first and they both narrowly squeezed by the slower riders, forcing an oncoming jogger to jump off the path! Any of us can make a judgement error on our bikes but I think we should really try not to cause people to have to evacuate the pathway.

There were also few sidewalk/crosswalk riders out there this morning confusing the cars.

Aside from that, it's nice to see the weather finally starting to pick up.

duh2

Submitted by RichieRich on

yesterday morning a saw a narrowly missed head-on between 2 cyclists (1 on road bike going fast plus guy behind him drafting too close and being an @$$hole cutting people off) and an oncoming cyclist towing a chariot kid-trailer. Needless to say the Chariot guy was extremely p*ssed off. Come on people, we ride to stay mellow and enjoy the morning, not to put others at risk. Of course from the comments on this site the last year or so I think 99% of forum contributors are relatively polite, but it's the seasonal noobs (who don't read this site) that dont' get it. I'm pretty much terrified of bringing my 6yr old onto the paths as a result.

no more pathway crap

Submitted by vonbergm on

I am one of those people who like to go fast in the morning. And on the pathways, you really can't do that, at least if you do care about other people. But there is a simple solution to this. I completely avoid the pathways and just use roads. Just have the playground zones to worry about, but I don't have to slow down much for those and there is only one on my commute.

I really don't get why those pathway rambos don't just do the same and move the road. Or those people on the weekend with their fancy road bikes and their training costumes. Training on your road bike on the multi use pathways? Really?

Yesterday

Submitted by juliea on

I was thinking the exact same thing on my way home last night. On the south side of the river near crowchild, I go to pass a jogger and some guy coming up behind me passes me (very closely) at the same time. Really you can't wait 5 seconds for me to finish passing. This kind of crap is just unexeptable, why are people in such a rush that they put others in danger.

Pathways

Submitted by RichieRich on

I'll admit that I'm one of the "swifter" riders out there, but really there is a time and a place for everything. At least a few commutes a week I choose to go a slower pace and I'm amazed at the number of people who...
1) don't announce that they're tailgating/wheelsucking;
2) don't announce their intentions to pass (verbal or bell), 3) wait until they're less than 1/4-second from hitting someone before swerving out to do their pass... or move into the passing lane 15seconds before they actually pass;
4) don't actually do a shoulder check before swinging into the other lane
5) Most of all it really ticks me off when people (any user) insists on occupying the middle of the entire path (ie centerline) and then gets upset when they get "buzzed".
6) Don't even get me started on the headphone-wearing dufus'
rant over, for now.

warp speed

Submitted by RichieRich on

... I realize you're playing devils advocate here... and the fact that you apparantly are aware that headphones have volume control puts you in the category of blissfully aware.

...but the bell/horn/voice should not have to be 12 inches from the music-lovers ear in order for the bell to be heard. So if I'm moving along briskly at ~20km/hr I typically am ringing ~25m to 10m behind the person. I realize along Memorial the cars are quite noisy, and there are other exceptions.

Blissfully aware

Submitted by fastlayne on

I do my part (ring bell), if they can't hear me it's not my problem. As for me, I keep to the right, shoulder check before passing (or disposing of nose matter) and generally try not to draw attention.

Some of us can't

Submitted by BCDon on

really use just roads. I live in the SW and ride along Heritage and by the Rocky View. My alternative "road" route would be to take 14th Street and Glenmore. While I don't mind riding in traffic from time to time I have NO plans to take that route every day.

Although I do end up on a number of "on road" bike routes which for me are perfect. Then drop into the river valley and I go along the Pathway by the Bow (West) as there isn't anyway from the pathway to get onto Memorial until I cross Memorial.

Pathways

Submitted by mike runs on

I'm one of the faster ones out there as well.

But time and place, people. Its one thing to be doing 30k at 6:30 am when you're the only one out there, another thing to be doing 30k coming up on Eau Claire on a Saturday afternoon.

I always call "passing on your left". Nobody seems to know what to do with the bell anymore. And it doesn't cost me anything to let someone know I'm passing, even if they're not listening.

When I run, I keep to the far right, I never wear headphones, and I appreciate it when I get a heads up from a cyclist. A well-maintained bike is amazingly quiet.

I've never thought for a second that roads were less stressful than pathways. It occurs to me when I'm riding on the road that I'm essentially at the mercy of every single driver, most of whom aren't paying attention and/or are drinking coffee and/or playing with their iPhones and/or looking at their GPS. I find that way more stressful.

Dog walkers

Submitted by litui on

I wouldn't say I'm a fast cyclist, but I've found for the most part the bell does the job. When people move to the right and leave room, I thank them as I pass (positive reinforcement?).

Occasionally when someone is on the left I'll instead shout "passing on the right" and go by.

Today I had to slow down (from my moderate sub-20km speed) for a guy walking his dog in the middle of the path (and taking up 80% of the path) by Talisman. My co-worker was cycling ahead of me and had to pass the guy in the grass. I rang my bell and got a dumb look but no action and slowed to cut around him.

Great morning

Submitted by sherryrunswest on

The sunrise was quite a sight this morning, it was an intense pink against a clear blue back drop (finally!). Nothing better than that view on the ride in, and of course the pathway to myself.

slower

Submitted by RichieRich on

dude sure was wearing a lot of stuff. probably sweating off 10 lbs this morning alone. Some folks didn't know whether or not to pass him. I figure some training chasing some speeders would be to his benefit!! tee hee...

ohhhhhhhh

Submitted by umgray on

Got the speedy Kona Kapu out today (lots of looks from other bikers - yellow bikes must be rare?) and it feels great to have skinny slicks under me. Lots O Teens biking to western highschool today for their bike to school day so was great to see so many making the attempt (fashin before function was the theme today).

Bike Calgary Board meeting tonight - will update you all later of what the board is up to.

lots of riders

Submitted by Julie Gregg on

I can see the bike path from my bedroom window, so this morning just before heading out, I actually tried to count the number of cyclists going by. In about a minute and a half I counted 25 - 27, sorry, I got a little mixed up at that number. Suffice to say the pleasant weather has brought many more bikes out of storage and on to the pathway. Good to see.

It'll be busy

Submitted by fastlayne on

It'll be extra busy leaving the core today, the morning commute seems to be spread out over about 3 hours but the afternoon commute home always hits at 4.

hard couple of days

Submitted by critninja on

on my monday day off ride i rode the pathway loop from edworthy -> south through weaselhead -> all the way to fish creek -> east through fissh creek all the way back to edworthy on the fixed gear. all told, including stops it was a nice 3hrs ride. for the last hour all i could think about was eating burgers!

yesterday, i decided to add to the pain and take part in the tuesday night races at the research park. ouch! i forgot how fast crits are! fun all the same.

now looking forward to a few days of simple commuting.

www.bikebike.ca

Fantastic morning

Submitted by InglewoodGuy on

Was in Ft. McMurray to start the week, then had class yesterday so today was my first ride of the week. Tooling along in shirtsleeves in this nice weather was so worth the wait. And all the road closures in the East Village actually make riding through there downright pleasant.

Funny...

Submitted by sherryrunswest on

I came across more riders this morning, busier on the pathway at my usual time. When I say busier, that's relatively speaking, I usually only see 1 other rider, this morning there were at least 5. I'm gonna have to watch my speed too, I was passing everyone, my new bike is serving me well!

Definitely less people

Submitted by ggdub on

The pattern is the same every year. The first few days of the first really nice week in May people come out in droves. By Thursday of said week, numbers start to drop dramatically as people either find the ride too tiring or the pathways too crazy or the mornings too cold.

Next week, Monday to Wednesday it'll be a bit crazy again (provided it doesn't rain) and Thursday and Friday will be relatively quiet. Then June will hit and with the rain, the pathways will be empty again, but when the rain quits and the craziness will return briefly, until vacation season officially kicks off. By the time vacation season's done, it'll be fall and too cold for a lot of people.

This is why I never really get worked up about the amount of people on the pathway, its always temporary. Best just to go with the flow.

it's a good day

Submitted by Julie Gregg on

this morning I traded in my capri pants for real shorts, and also went "bare handed"....lots of bikes in the bike room now....good to see more ppl on bikes.

Calgary's Finest

Submitted by RichieRich on

Anyone get a "velocity award" from the police going home yesterday? Quite a few "hanging out" by the 10th St bridge with their laser-guns, and a number of tickets being handed out. Not sure if it was actually police or bylaw. Still, a little sneaky considering most folks are coming down a hill and yesterday a slight easterly breeze so even coasting 20km/hr was common. I got by with a "keep it slow please" comment. Feel bad that most of those getting tickets are likely the nice-weather-only-riders.

Eastbound

Submitted by fastlayne on

I didn't see any enforcement eastbound thru Eau Claire, mind you the path was so packed at 5PM you couldn't speed. Now I know why I get to work at 6AM and try to head home @ 4PM.

Tomorrow it'll be shorts and short sleeves.

By-laws blitz

Submitted by umgray on

seems to be they were out on mass yesterday afternoon. Be careful out there, they tend to hit the 10kms spots more often.

Also Joes garage is back in his spot on the pathway for quicky repairs and bike related conversation. He now has a website

http://joesgarage.mobi/

BYLAW BLITZ

Submitted by gyrospanner on

What's really nauseating is that within the next couple of weeks, you will see waaaay too much about it on the TV and in the papers.

hmmm, I have mixed feelings

Submitted by Julie Gregg on

hmmm, I have mixed feelings about your comment....I too hate to see anything discourage new or seasonal riders but alas, we all have to be respectful of the pathway limitations. Evan if an individual rides occassionally, they might as well learn early, the high traffic areas are also high risk and we all have to be accountable for preventing injury to other cyclists and pedestrians. Just my 2 cents. Yes, that location is tricky, but still a good place for reminders to be aware of other pathway users. My wish would be pedestrians have similar warnings for unintelligent moves!

mixed feelings?

Submitted by RichieRich on

I think I understand what you mean... let me put it this way: if it was done fairly (ie impossible) then those who speed most frequently or exceed the speed limit by the greatest amount, would be ticketed most frequently. In this case, the more frequent riders are more aware of these blitz's and so avoid ticketing, whereas the newbies tend to get nailed thus the ratio of tickets issued does not represent reality. That said there are likely quite a few of us that would be dead-broke if this was the case.

yep

Submitted by Julie Gregg on

same as when driving QE 2 (for example) and see the RCMP with someone pulled over, thought is "glad they caught that guy....glad they didn't catch me"

Oh Ick.

Submitted by BCDon on

I didn't know "they" were out ticketing speeding riders. Good to know.

Nothing to worry about on my commute in as I leave home at 6:30 and get to work by 7:30. I suspect far too early for them. Also I go from South to North.

I'll have to pay a little more attention heading home as I pass through about 5 or 6 "10 KPH" zones. And, if this North West wind keeps up I'll be "sitting up and sailing".

Which brings me to - the ride in was real nice except for the vehicle who couldn't understand that when my left arm is out and I'm in the left side of the right lane I'm "likely" going to move over to the left lane. We all managed OK but the driver didn't seem real attentive at 6:40 this morning.

First morning wearing shorts without any tights or leg warmers. Worked fine. But, had to keep a couple of layers on top. Would have been warmer except for that NW wind (which I'm now looking forward to having on the way home).

Rocky

Submitted by umgray on

Don, I have the feeling they will be setting up the speed traps at the 10 kms zone behind the Rocky hospital again soon. Stay sharp on the ride home!

If they are at Rocky

Submitted by BCDon on

I'll ask if they have ticketed any Runners as they are faster than 10KPH. But, if they were there before it makes sense to slow down to check for them.

There are also 10KPH zones along Heritage park, in front of the park; of course behind Rocky View, then the twisty section after Rocky View (North Bound) is also 10KPH and finally, in that same section, the dam is 10KPH. So, need to be on the outlook, especially with a North Wind.

Now the next question is, what happens if I ignore their request to pull over? Do they have someone who can sprint really well waiting to pull me over? :). Not that they'd really have to be all that strong to catch me.

bypassing Stanley Park...

Submitted by olivier on

'They' should trade in their laser guns for a shovel and build a proper pathway that can accommodate higher cycling speeds than 10 kph. Better use of our tax money. :-)

I firmly believe in riding to the conditions. If it is busy, slow down to whatever is necessary (Eau Claire = 3 kph, or just about to fall over). If no one is around and visibility is good, 'they' should get off our backs.

With a cruise speed closer to 30 kph, I stick mostly to roads. Now if only I could find a bypass for the last section of pathway I use. Anyone have suggestions for getting around Stanley Park without going down Elbow Drive?

Abysmal Waste!

Submitted by Orange on

Every year I get so angry when they start up this speed trap nonsense. It makes me want to break out my black coloured cycling gear and a race gear and give these folks some exercise.

At 10 km’s an hour I hope they were ticketing runners as well as this limit is actually below jogging pace (even I can run a 10k in under an hour).

It’s a bike path people not a sidewalk … you should expect to see bikes on it!

I think they should run a story in the Herald showing the herd Keystone Cops ticketing cyclist followed by a story about how they can’t afford to properly police the C-train.

And can someone explain to me why this organization isn't lobbying to stop this waste and is instead lobbying for more on-road (read collision prone) lanes? You're fighting a lossing battle folks!

Well, really

Submitted by BCDon on

the pathways are MUPs (Multi Use Pathways) and therein lies the problem. There is NO bicycling commuting infrastructure in Calgary. There are the MUPs and then the "on street" sharrow kinda stuff.

But as per an earlier post, I follow the "go the speed of the traffic around you" (well assuming I can keep up but that's a different subject). So, in crowded areas, slow down BUT, the area behind the Rocky View is a perfect example, not only can it have a number of people but they are more unpredictable than most can imagine and so they penalize the rest of us because the Rocky View Smokers aimlessly wander across the path without looking.

BUT, I do have to say, I at least have a way into work that does NOT involved me cycling up and down 14th Street and Crowchild which would be my "street" options. And while I've cycled both before, I just find it much more relaxing on the MUPs and designated roads (or other back roads).

Common sense

Submitted by theorangejacket on

It can't be legislated (Common sense I mean) Calgary (and Alberta) often seems quite heavy handed in it's a approach to these things. This is a huge issue in my mind. A few people will get ticketed, most offenders won't, a stink will be raised and nothing really will change.

In my work commute or if I'm running errands on bike, I try to use MUP wherever possible (for the more relaxed reason you've mentioned Don). I actually don't mind the on-street segregated paths (like the one on 26th ave SW or on 5th/6th ave NW) They seem to work, when they are there, and I wish there was more of them. Not ideal but I'm guessing they are cheaper to create than MUPs. I just slow down in congested areas in a common sense way and boot it if there's no one around.

Regarding the on street segragated paths. I wish the city would get the gravel off of them!! Now that would be common sense to do those roads first!

Bikers only targeted?

Submitted by RichieRich on

I must confess that this was around 545'ish last night that I saw "them". There were at least 4-5 cyclists getting their "award". Did not see any runners or 'bladers. In general I make it a habit to ring my bell through there.

That 10th Street underpass area is a real clusterbump as you have multiple converging pathways (~5-6 if you count all the little offshoots within 50m), plus downhill from every direction except the underpass.

So, as mentioned, I got a "slow down buddy" comment and that was it... despite being on my road bike dressed up as a "speed weenie". Given that tailwind yesterday I pretty much effortlessly maintained 30km/hr all the way to Bowness (I'm not going to admit if I was on the path or adjacent road). How effortless? yes, weenie alert here... I had my heart-rate monitor on for reference only and didn't crack 125bpm. That tells me that even our least fit Alderperson would have been in violation of speed limits. At that time there were less folks out and pathways were far less crowded, so riding paths safely (in spite of speed) and with consideration would be easy.

5th Ave is for scorchers

Submitted by mercator on

I've been using fifth ave nw for the trip home for the last week or so and it's great, no crowds, lots of room, and the traffic is slow. Yesterday I think I averaged about 40km/h with that lovely tail wind.

Third Avenue

Submitted by gyrospanner on

That's what I've been using, but you still end up in the dragnet....

Tonight I did go on the N. side of the river. I looked over at tenth and there were a lot of Bylaw Officers!

The problem with that route, however, is dealing with the detours around the Piece (of?) Bridge construction, where I almost clipped a jogger tonight. Not to mention that there are other parts of the Detour that are barely wide enough for 2 oncoming bikes!!

I know it's just a temporary thing, so I'll suck it up. BTW - I notice that 90%+ of commuters are willing to just "suck it up," unlike most motorists who just "go ballistic" over the little inconveniences.

Cheers to Y'all

Pathways...

Submitted by bclark on

I agree with Olivier, what we need is pathways that built to a higher standard so that multiple user groups can be accomodated safely. Think of wide (maybe one lane width), straight, smooth and relatively flat pathways with plentiful and standardized markings indicating the rules and location-routes. Walkers and joggers could have designated lanes on the outside, while cyclists and skaters would use inside lanes. Again, think similar to a roadway with adjacent sidwalks (minus the parking). There could be enough room to allow for a "passing" lane of some sort up the middle so that faster cyclists could pass slower cyclsist and/or skaters. Thus a reasonable 20-30km/h speed could apply to cyclists (and skaters...because I know they can get moving too), even in busy areas.

Now, I'm not saying the whole network needs to be built to such a high standard but the busy areas, i.e. along the river, should be considered. Of course there would also have to be proper signage at roadway-pathway junctions, whereby cyclists are considered as vehicles entering the road network...not pedestrians.

Maybe I'm in La-la land on this one (i.e. haven't really thought of the practical application) but who knows...maybe something along those lines will come into being one day?

9 St. ped. bridge

Submitted by DD on

The 9 St. pedestrian bridge connection (south side) where bylaw has been putting on their overwhelming display the past couple of days would be a great place to pilot directional signage and pathway markings. I imagine that 75% of the confusion in that area is caused by people not knowing where to/who should go.

I'm reluctant to get caught

Submitted by Julie Gregg on

I'm reluctant to get caught up in this discussion but here goes, my knee jerk reaction to this is "sure, just cut down all the trees and tear up all the grass and put asphalt everywhere with lines on it to keep the people in their rows"...of course that's an extreme response and I do get where you are coming from......for me personally a huge part of the appeal of riding on the pathway is to enjoy urban nature and get away from concrete and pavement....as frustrating as the pathway traffic can be and it's limitations, most days I am willing to make that comprimise to enjoy the benefits. For me it's not just a way to get from A to B, but an experience to enjoy....just once again my 2 cents (if I keep this up I'll be broke!)

Julie, I agree

Submitted by BCDon on

I too like the "country in the city" where I can end up in a park on a pathway surrounded by trees and "somewhat" away from it all even though I'm still in the city.

I'm fortunate enough that I have a South / North route on my commute so don't end up downtown and so far haven't seen the velocity patrol while commuting (although I did let someone else go ahead of me through the Rocky View Hospital area last night :)). I won't mention that they were faster than me anyway.

I do really enjoy taking a more leisurely approach on the weekend and riding the pathways. I start down in fish creek and wind my way downtown, end up around the Zoo, may go up the pathway along Nose Creek for awhile but I think my favorite part is going slowly along areas like Eau Clair.

Ride home was great.

Submitted by BCDon on

No problems, didn't see any radar behind Rocky View or anywhere else. Just verified the weather and it says I was going into a South wind (13KPH). Sure didn't feel like the nice N wind I hoped to get :(. Still, it wasn't very strong and nice ride home.

Blitz...WOW.

Submitted by bclark on

After all that talk of the blitz I was still surprised by the number of bylaw officers they had out at the 10th street bridge. Of course the pathway was absolute chaos because cyclists were getting pulled over, pedestrians were forced to walk out more in centre to get around them and oncoming cyclists then had to swerve around the pedestrians. Add to this all the distraction due to rubber-necking and my first impression was that it almost seemed to create more of a hazard than it mitigated. I even heard someone call out something about going to fast. While I don't think it was directed at me, as I was going pretty slow at the time due to the traffic pile-up, it still distracted me because my attention was still drawn to the shout, as opposed to remaining focused on the pathway.

Anyway, the rest of the ride home was good and I suppose enforcement is a necessary evil so long as it's done at the appropriate time and place.

That aside, what was the deal with the sedan parked under the Louise Bridge?

Glad I wasn't the only one

Submitted by ggdub on

Glad I wasn't the only one that thought was complete overkill. I get they want to enforce the limit in high traffic areas, but they turned a high traffic area into sh!tshow by showing up in the numbers they did.

The best part is they told me to slow down after I was already barely moving forward and in fact was being passed by someone jogging. Classic.

jogger

Submitted by RichieRich on

did the jogger get the warning or you? After all that jogger put you at risk didn't they? did the jogger "ring their bell" to announce their intentions? oh this is getting more fun...

Not the slightest bit surprised

Submitted by mike runs on

Bylaw cops pick the low hanging fruit. Why would you set up radar where the limit is 20 when you can set it up where it's 10?

Not trying to be immodest, but I'm a reasonably fast runner. If I ever got a ticket on foot, I'd frame that thing in my office as a memento.

Tee-hee!

Submitted by pinkrobe on

Great ride in! It was warm, the sun was shining, I didn't have to wear a jacket, the traffic was mild. A kiss from my honey in the middle lane on 4th St. was the icing on the cake.

Tonight, it's cocktails at a friend's house, trail building on Saturday, mtn biking on Sunday. Life is sweet.
___________________
Who causes accidents?
Swrve!

Good News!

Submitted by Julie Gregg on

Another full time cyclist joins the ranks! A new female employee at out office is a dedicated bike commuter. Met her this morning in the locker room, she was excited to have obtained secure lock up for her bike and will be riding in to work now full time. Additionally, one of the fellows from our IT department came to me and said he wants to start communting by bike, awesome, his first move was to apply for lock up space and has just rec'd that this week. I think he'll start riding on Monday. Welcome aboard I say.

You're hired!

Submitted by gyrospanner on

You can be the Official Commuter Recruiter!

In contrast, one of the young guys at work saw me walk in "in full gear" the other day and he proclaimed "I think I'll start riding in every Friday." I am gonna' try to convert him into a full time rider.

good sign

Submitted by umgray on

Took my alternative route today on the south east leg of the bow river and saw a beautiful bald eagle fishing this morning at the rail bridge by the rail yards - a powerful sign that is not taken lightly. I wish so many people could experience the nature that Calgary bike commuters do on a daily basis - we would be such an amazing society!

On an interesting note, heard an interview with a democratic senator from california state that if every american who owned a car drove their normal patterns with the proper air pressure in their cars for 20 days that simple act would stop 100% america's dependancy on foreign oil!

It's the new math

Submitted by pinkrobe on

I love it when politicians try to explain something.

The US imports 57% of its oil, and the U.S. Department of Energy says that for every 1-psi drop in pressure, you can expect your gas mileage to lower by 0.4 percent. Most car tires run at 30-ish psi, and I can attest that running your tires at 10 psi under the recommended level is pretty sketchy, but doable. So, 10 psi difference accounts for 4% gap in fuel efficiency. Hmmm. That's a long way from a reduction of 57% of total US crude use, especially given the use of oil for things like industry and heating. If 'Mericans stopped driving entirely, they would probably be able to eliminate their dependence on foreign oil.

___________________
Who causes accidents?
Swrve!

Slight misquote

Submitted by mike runs on

The actual quote was that if they pressurized their tires properly for 20 days, there would be no need for drilling for oil off the US west coast (not foreign imports).

In any event, its nice to see the bald eagles back. I've seen a couple nesting in Fish Creek Park, they are amazing animals.

Lovin' the weather!

Submitted by gyrospanner on

It was a great week for riding!

But I was wondering, does anybody know what all that yellow steel structural stuff is at 14th Street on the south side of the river? Kinda close to Millenium Park...

Had a great ride

Submitted by litui on

Home from work last night. Took a "detour" around the reservoir.

Coming home through Sandy Beach, saw a guy riding on the thin "walk your bike" bridge with not one but 3 headlights (2 on bike, 1 on helmet), 3 flashing red tail lights (again, 2 on bike, 1 on helmet), and a full-on survey style reflective vest. I haven't taken many great strides toward visibility (still need to get a new jacket) but this was pretty flashy, I gotta say. Also, it wasn't the least bit dark yet. Still had about 2 hours of daylight left at that point.

Rules different in Quebec?

Submitted by bclark on

"Quebec provincial police suggested the cyclists may have been breaking the highway safety code as they opted not to ride on a gravel bike path that runs parallel to the highway."

""When there is a bike path you have to use it," said Denis..." (Sgt. Claude Denis)

So cyclists in Quebec need to ride on second-rate surfaces if that is all that is available? Someone explain this to me because I'm pretty sure that this guy is majorly wrong.

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