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Well looks like we need to go from monthly to quarterly ride reports??
Question is: how can we reinvigorate these message boards? ideas?Hey Rich. My observation is that there’s been a significant cohort that’s migrated to Twitter to share information about pathway and street conditions. This may be because it’s a quicker and easier way to do so, particularly if sharing images.
Raising awareness of the forums, ensuring it’s easy to comment on/create content (including adding images) and improving the visual structure might help reinvigorate.
Good suggestion @bclark. Maybe Tweeting a link to the forum, or sharing the address and info would help drive a few of the Twitter users to the website forum. I’ll try this on a few of my tweets and responses.
The site was offline for a long period of time. It takes a lot to regain traction once it’s lost. My recommendation would be to start writing some more in depth forum posts with length and photos, or discussing new areas of development with the same, as they’re not exactly easy to have on Twitter.
For example someone used to make a thread for each street discussion on revamps and routing possibilities regarding infrastructure.
Maybe you can start with a description of your winter riding gear? 😉
I was tempted to do a post for the cold snap this week, but unfortunately I’m sick and won’t be venturing out in the -30 this year. Bundle up, don’t have skin exposed.Hey Crivak… yah I’m skipping this cold snap too thanks to some lower lumbar spasm issues which won’t play nice with this amount of cold. I managed to ride all of last Febs nastyness every work day (ok it was from Homeroad parking lot to/from DT). Hope to get back on the bike next week again.
Sadly when BC migrated from the old forum to the new one a couple years ago we lost a LOT of history and reference material. seem some folks got traumatized and didn’t continue.
As for Twitter… I’m still avoid that social platform. It’s too much already for me with Facebook and LinkedIn and FacedIn and Linkbook and however they mix each other.
I’m still waiting for Canadian Tires next sale on their snowmobile lobster gloves… hope I didn’t leave it too late. My old pair is all packed out and imminently failing and now is cold below -15 whereas they used to be good riding down to -25’ish. some finger liners kinda helphttps://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/men-s-kombi-two-finger-snowmobile-gloves-0872127p.0872130.html#Clearance
I’ve unfortunately not been riding this week either and I think my drivetrain needs some TLC before I can get back at it as things thaw. I can’t believe how rusty it’s been getting…to the point I’ve been carrying a small bottle of lube at all times! I think it just needs a really good degrease/derust treatment.
While I did promote Twitter as an option, I agree, it can sometimes be a challenging platform to handle. I’ve found people’s expressions of their views can be very polarized! Still, a useful way of finding out information.
Crivak, maybe you are talking about the pages that used to include information about and solicit feedback on various cycling infrastructure projects? If so, those were often ones that I’d kicked off when I had a more formal involvement with Bike Calgary.
I would also love to see more posts on BikeCalgary.
I think main subject this time of year should be pathways conditions.
Southland pathway next to off-leash area had been covered with layer of snow turning into ice sheets.
The problem is:
contractor use plow instead of brush.
sidewalks are typically brushed NOT plowed.
plowing leaves layers of snow which next turns into ice sheets.
how many people bother to report to 311 or on Internet reporting?
few bother.
result is contractor and Calgary Parks do what they want.
it is so hard to understand? – you brush to black asphalt on first snowfall .Agree with the above and I’m guilty of it.
There’s an active hashtag on Twitter (#yycbike) that usually offers up people’s trail reports, including my own. But, today I learned that I could report stuff like that to 311–I didn’t know.The paths have been much worse this year overall. It seems that the city switched contractors and they’re still figuring it out. I’ll be filing 311 reports in addition to the Twitter stuff to try and shift change.
if you dont feel comfortable to call 311 you can report on CofCalgary web site.
and include pictures.
I got response from Calgary Parks supervisor,it was last year.
Seems they cannot get it
Calgary Parks must have requirment from contractor, simple like that: brush
simply pathway is so uneven asphalt so contractor leaves layer of snow and you know what next, right?I thought this years plowing was really well done. It’s tough to manage when we get that week of -30 directly into +10 that solidified a lot of ice. I’d say it was A+ for 90% of winter, and it only got dodgy recently with the freeze thaw cycle.
So in total for me there was 1 day that was not plowed on time (it snowed all day and there was a foot of snow or more on the ride home). And about 1 week of icy conditions. The worst of it in Bowmont on “that” hill–apparently the bobcat also had troubles and spun out off the pathway and down the cliff. In case anyone was wondering what those snapped trees were about…
All in all very happy with it.Had my first “American” experience a few weeks ago with a black pickup truck rolling a CDN-1888 license plate. Was coming down 3rd which narrows a whole car width space past 2nd so I took the lane to discourage passing. This idiot comes blaring down at +60kmh from two blocks away, gets stuck behind me at a red light then starts honking and yells to get off the road when he can’t instantly pass me at the green. Wound up passing within a spitball length. Sucks because I haven’t updated my camera system on the new bike yet so the paint licker gets away with it. Hopefully the next time he does it he gets the sharp end of a gopro/police report and doesn’t send anyone to the hospital.
Enjoying the warmer weather a ton.
Crivak – perhaps there’s some “recency effect” going on there!!? I recall a not-so-rosy start to winter with some poor clearing that turned to ice. Then a few other delays and not clearing to bare pavement that also left some icyness about. Then for a while there they didn’t clear wide enough but thankfully they came back and pushed snow further away from the path and that was about a month back I think. The last couple weeks of freeze/thaw was pretty aggressive resulting in many sketchy mornings but that’s not the fault of the plowing IMHO. So to your 90% I’m going to vote a solid 70% which is about average’ish. Yes the pathway hills have sure been evil for many.
My other annoyance is how eagerly and quickly people have removed their bike lights. Too many saying they can still see well enough yet can’t be seen. And now with the time change here we go again. This milder afternoon weather has certainly brought out quite a few riders.
With the meltwaters it’s also made commuting via neighborhood roads a bit sketchy like Crivak says especially when one has to own the lane to avoid ice patches. Fortunately no drivers have been meenies to me.
Lets hope this weekends snowfall becomes a letdown… ie not much and it melts fast.
Maybe. I definitely remember better when I have a video archive and I have not been recording as much since swapping from backpack (where my gopro was mounted) to pannier. Been trying to think of a way to get the session5 on the front of my helmet without being weird or off balance but no luck.
That said the days I do remember were definitely just that one major day in November. I have some great clips from that because I pre-preemptively brought the camera knowing it wouldn’t get cleared well. 70% still is above average so we’re mostly in agreement 🙂
Fast forwarded a bit, right around here is where I get onto the bow river path and we get to watch some squirrely riding: https://youtu.be/aqn5ohFZ2eM?t=468With lights, I think those are people who saw the nice weather and came out to play a bit too early. Don’t think they put lights away, more that they never had them…
Here’s to another weekend of snow! Second winter! I’m staying indoors of course. Participating in all that self isolation goodness.
Riding from Downtown to Home Road area yesterday (16 Mar) after work…. after being told that I would be working from home… after most others had already been told this end of prior week… SO so so many people out walking on the paths. Kids, parents, etc… all happy to be outside, away from people and hopefully CoVid19. Nice to see… but too bad so many are clueless about other path users. So keep your head up, anticipate random moves (ie cover your brakes), and watch for varying path conditions as we start the spring thaw/freeze cycles.
Also have figure out that my work commuting is what keeps me fit and motivated… hardly motivated to work out at home despite having treadmill, trainer, and a big screen TV in the basement rec-room.
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