Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Blog is moving!
I'm moving my blog over to Tumblr. Needed a change and I think it will suit me well! Follow me here: http://notabigspender.tumblr.com/
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Ride 'til you slide... off your bike
I like to bike. Biking is fun. It allows me to get an hour of exercise a day just getting to work and back. And although I fully support using public transportation, it is faster to bike. And it's free.
It's also sometimes terrifying. You have to be vigilant because it can be dangerous if you don't pay attention or obey the rules. I wouldn't recommend copying this crazy dude:
Common sense also plays a part. I had an accident (my only serious one so far) last December that I felt could have been avoided by common sense. I was biking on H Street, the only street in DC with streetcar tracks installed. It was raining and I was trying to keep up with traffic. I felt uncomfortable being so close to the cars, so I tried to move over, thinking I could bike in the middle of the tracks. My tire didn't like this idea as much as I did, and jammed unfortunately well into the track, causing me to fly off my bike and take a hard fall on my knee.
I was lucky I didn't hurtle into traffic, but my banged-up knee cost me a doctor's visit and lots of pain and annoyance. I still have a scar and don't have much feeling in my kneecap now.
So, like I said, I felt like common sense should have guided me better. But then I read this article on DCist that comments on the frequency of this happening to other bikers. It says, "unless you're riding a mountain bike or a Capital Bikeshare bike, it's bound to happen to everyone."
What a relief! It's not me being an idiot, it's poor planning. There is no option for the biker who doesn't feel comfortable riding in a car lane- the tracks are directly beside the car lane followed by car parking on the other side with no room in between. And not to mention there isn't a single sign warning of potential danger.
I can avoid H Street easily enough, even though I live four blocks from it, but there are plans to build a lot more of these streetcars in the future. City planners can't ignore the fact that they could be making a lot of streets in this city un-bikeable.
According to the DCist article, Councilmember Mary Cheh wants to look into it, which I appreciate. Also, the inital report by the DC Office of Planning does make some suggestions.
Biking is enough of a thrill without the poorly thought-out obstacle courses built into our path. And come on, us bikers need our Sticky Rice.
It's also sometimes terrifying. You have to be vigilant because it can be dangerous if you don't pay attention or obey the rules. I wouldn't recommend copying this crazy dude:
Common sense also plays a part. I had an accident (my only serious one so far) last December that I felt could have been avoided by common sense. I was biking on H Street, the only street in DC with streetcar tracks installed. It was raining and I was trying to keep up with traffic. I felt uncomfortable being so close to the cars, so I tried to move over, thinking I could bike in the middle of the tracks. My tire didn't like this idea as much as I did, and jammed unfortunately well into the track, causing me to fly off my bike and take a hard fall on my knee.
I was lucky I didn't hurtle into traffic, but my banged-up knee cost me a doctor's visit and lots of pain and annoyance. I still have a scar and don't have much feeling in my kneecap now.
So, like I said, I felt like common sense should have guided me better. But then I read this article on DCist that comments on the frequency of this happening to other bikers. It says, "unless you're riding a mountain bike or a Capital Bikeshare bike, it's bound to happen to everyone."
What a relief! It's not me being an idiot, it's poor planning. There is no option for the biker who doesn't feel comfortable riding in a car lane- the tracks are directly beside the car lane followed by car parking on the other side with no room in between. And not to mention there isn't a single sign warning of potential danger.
I can avoid H Street easily enough, even though I live four blocks from it, but there are plans to build a lot more of these streetcars in the future. City planners can't ignore the fact that they could be making a lot of streets in this city un-bikeable.
According to the DCist article, Councilmember Mary Cheh wants to look into it, which I appreciate. Also, the inital report by the DC Office of Planning does make some suggestions.
- One-way streets can accommodate bicycle lanes on one side of the street and streetcar tracks on the other.
- Bike routes can be designated on streets parallel to streetcar routes.
- Several cities have developed coordinated lane markings for bikes and streetcars that could serve as a model for the District.
Biking is enough of a thrill without the poorly thought-out obstacle courses built into our path. And come on, us bikers need our Sticky Rice.
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