Bikes as Transportation

Complete Streets refers to the concept of designing and operating roadways with all users in mind - including bicyclists, public transportation vehicles and riders, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.

Yesterday I was leafing through hundreds of pages of documentation about the U.S. 27 renovation through Richmond, and the importance of this hit home.

The documentation showed the many kinds of coordination and considerations that the state must go through to complete something which to some could appear to routine maintenance. During the “Early Coordination Phase” there are required considerations for hazardous waste, air quality, water quality, wildlife, historic homes, social justice, and the list goes on.

Incredibly, although the project at hand is for transportation, there were not signs of due consideration given how the road update could impact other kinds of road uses besides driving cars. A “Complete Streets” policy would require this basic consideration.

This message is a public comment on INDOT’s proposed renovations of U.S. 27 as it it passes through Richmond, a project budgeted at $21 million.

The message is currently in draft form. You are welcome to comment below, but to count as a formal comment, you need to send it to INDOT by e-mailing mjackman@indot.in.gov by March 18th, 2010.

I’m grateful that we have the opportunity to have these state funds at work in our community. They come at a time when we badly need transportation improvements and our local funds are depleted. I’m encouraged that the proposed work will improve pedestrian facilities by updating sidewalks and adding more crosswalk signals.

Still, the preliminary plan I saw has major room for improvement if it is to best address Richmond’s needs along the U.S. 27 corridor for decades to come.

Dottie commutes by bike with style through winter in Chicago, and she's put together this great video on how to dress for winter bike commuting:

So I had this crazy idea to take a heavy, hundred pound bike on a 5 day, 220 mile bike trip through the rolling hills of Southeastern Indiana. To make the trip more interesting, my 18-month old, 30-pound daughter would ride in the bike I peddled, with my wife and retired father riding their own bikes along side us. My friend Kurt would also join us on a homemade recumbent bike he finished welding the night before departure.

We rode from Richmond, Indiana to Clifty Falls State Park over two days, camped and rested for a day, and rode back. Rather than journaling a day-by-day account of the trip, I’ve gathered some reflections on different aspects of the trip.

My family has acquired a new Bikes at Work cargo trailer and we’re starting to put it to use.

A significant deterrent to everyday bike riding is the prospect of getting chain grease on your clothing. European city bikes generally solve this problem with internal hub gears and partial or full or chainguards. The internal hub gearing also reduces the maintenance.

But here in the US, most bikes now have both front and rear derailleurs. And it’s just about impossible to find a chainguard that works in combination with derailleurs. But the new SKS Chainboard seems to be just that.

Read Patrick’s review of the SKS Chainboard on the Velocouture blog for a full review.

Here’s what’s new in the bike world as I see it from here in Richmond, Indiana.

Upcoming Local Events

Reid Hospital is having their first Reid Ride this year. It’s a 24 mile ride from the eastern border of Wayne County to the Eastern side. It’s $10 per peddler, and they ask that peddlers be at least 12 years old. Passengers under 12 years old are welcome in trailers, box bikes, etc. The ride starts at 7:30 AM on July 25th and mostly follows Route 40 across the county, after taking Main St through Richmond. There are checkpoints at 6 mile intervals if you don’t want do the whole thing.

The ride is billed as “Family Friendly” and the logo curiously shows a family on European commuting bikes, including light kits and fully enclosed chainguards.

Seen Around Town

Kurt Ritchie got his back-to-back tandem recumbent back on the road:

Although, the last time I saw the bike it was back in the shop to repair a weak weld in the steering column. I wish the Beast a speedy recovery and hope it see it more around town this summer.

Becky and Matt McKimmy bringing a little vélocouture to Richmond with their inspiring bike style:

For more inspirational bike culture, see these videos of Copenhagen as a Cycling City and Charleston Cycle Chic.

Around the State

Earlier this year, we are discussing and help to shape updated bike laws for Indiana. The final bill, Senate Bill 553, did not pass. Bike Michiana has the details. Paul Taylor is already leading a renewed efforts for an updated proposal for 2010. Contact him if you’d like to collaborate directly on this.

Volunteering Opportunties

You may recall our announcement of a Bicycle Safety class back in January. The project is currently in need of one or more volunteer instructors to move forward. I believe the Townsend Center is still interested to offer this, and we will have an excellent, easy-to-use curriculum to teach from.

If you are looking for a one-time volunteering opportunity, considering organizing a themed ride around town. This can involve as little as picking a time and place to start the ride from, and promoting the ride through Bike Richmond. I’d like to see a “Cycle Chic” ride like the Charleston Cycle Chic ride mentioned earlier. Or perhaps a dapper and dashing tweed ride would more your cup of tea, modelled after Tweed rides in San Francisco.

Bike Touring Hospitality

Every year a number of transcontinental cyclists come through Richmond. If you’d like to meet some of these adventurous souls, you can join Warm Showers, a mutual hospitality network for bicycle tourists. I recently met Evan Heidtmann (below) this way while Chris hosted a traveling band of bike polo players.

Charleston's got the right idea:




That's what I'd like bikes-as-transportation to look like more cities in the US.

Embedded in the video you may see some mentions of Pedal to Properties, a real estate designation system based around realtors showing homes by bike. That's another idea I love, I agree with their pitch that it could just the thing to help a realtor stand out in a challenging market. I know I certainly would have gravitated to such a realtor if one was using the program here in Indiana.

In this excellent three minute video, glimpse into the cycling culture of Copenhagen, a city that gets it right:

This week I lowered the gear on my bakfiets to prepare it for use on longer trips with steeper hills and bigger loads. It was shipped to me with a 17 tooth (17t) rear cog. Lowering the gear range involved purchasing and installing a 20t rear cog.

I found the 20 tooth cog online through Niagara Cycles, refered to as the “Shimano Nexus 20 tooth cog”. The product doesn’t seem to be listed on the site now. Perhaps it is temporarily out of stock. The part was about $6 plus shipping. My local bike shop charged me about $25 to install it for me, which seems like a good deal.

I was quite concerned that I wouldn’t like the change, that it would be too drastic. I had read online that people made this modification for “hilly areas”, almost as if there would be no good gears to use on level ground. My experience has been the change is no compromise at all. In fact, I think it would be sensible to sell them like this in the first place. On flat ground, I am more likely to be able to use the most efficient direct-drive gear. Before, the direct drive gear was set to high for my common use. The lower gearing is welcome on hills, allowing me to spin at a higher cadence. I doubt I’ll miss the lack of gears at the top end of the range. I rarely used them. As a cargo and kid bike, getting up to 20 mph sometimes is plenty, and the adjusted gearing still allows me to do that.

While I’ve only had a few days to test the new gearing, it already seems like a clear upgrade from the 17 tooth cog the bike shipped with.

Already this spring I’ve made a successful 20 mile trip with my 13 month old daughter, and she seems to love bike rides, even as long as that two hour trip. This summer I hope to try full day tours, with 50 or 60 mile distances. At this point, my primary concern is working out a shade solution for her.