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Route Finder!

I just discovered a new bike route finder! http://www.ridethecity.com/dc#
It is specifically designed for DC.It points out actual bike lanes. This one just goes to the College Park zip code but I am going to explore more specific directions.

Winter Cycling Tips from the commuters in Fairbanks, Alaska

Winter Cycling Tips from the commuters in Fairbanks, Alaska
http://www.fairbankscycleclub.org/Winter/

With snow piled high from the blizzard last weekend, it is important to remember that visibility is terrible right now. Assume motorists cannot see you. And keep in mind that ice often lurks under slush.

On the up side, winter is a great time to bike. A good pair of gloves and a facemask keeps your extremities warm and you don't have to worry about sweating.  Morning frost often thaws by the afternoon and you get an especially fresh ride. When you get inside you can curl up with the cat or a hot coca and feel really great.

I have commuted in lots of different weather. From a personal side, I usually walked across intersections unless I could clearly see the pavement. I have seen more than one biker slide across an intersection with their bike still between their legs but laid completely down.

Recently I read about stubbed tires. I actually hadn't heard of them but  here is a link: http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp
And another one about making them yourself: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?369227-Studded-Tires-Make-your-own-in-7-easy-steps

These are both from the Fairbanks site by the way: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?369227-Studded-Tires-Make-your-own-in-7-easy-steps

Oh! One last thing, in the winter, it is especially important to wear a properly fitting helmet. I know that it isn't against the law to go without but be smart and be safe.

New drain grates to be installed to replace old "bike killers"

These new grates will replace the old ones along Presidential drive by UMUC. These reduce the chance of a "diversion" crash where bikers topple over due to immobilization of the wheel. This new pattern has holes small enough for even a street bike to ride over while still allowed proper water flow.

Here are photos of the ones slated to be replaced.

Be sure to thank Facilities Management webmaster@fm.umd.edu

TIP for a Multi-Mode Road( #1) - Open Car Doors with your Right hand

One of the dangers for a multi-mode road is something called "dooring". There is a 4 foot or so door zone of danger where a cyclist can collide with parked car when the door suddenly opens. Alternatively you may be forced to swerve into traffic or you may fall into traffic trying to avoid the door.

Image source: http://reference.findtarget.com/search/Door%20zone/

Driver Tip: When parked on the street, always open your door with your right hand. This reminds you to look back before you open the door.

Bike Tip: Bike 5 feet away from parked cars, keep an eye out for occupied cars and slow down.

Together we can make our bike commute safer.

High School Bike Bus from Keri Caffrey on Vimeo.

This is one way to make our bike commute safer. This is a video of a "bike bus". These are high schoolers in Orlando. They have a scheduled time that the "bus" goes by every day and people hop on at their stop.

Local data on why cycling is safer.

The Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Problem

In 2007, 4,654 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in the United States — a decrease of 13 percent from the 5,321 pedestrians killed in 1997. 70,000 pedestrians were injured.

Nationally, pedestrians account for 11% of motor vehicle deaths, with urban areas having higher fatality rates than rural areas. 698 bicyclists were also were also killed in 2007, accounting for an additional 2 percent of all traffic fatalities.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that a pedestrian is killed in a traffic crash almost every two hours and injured in a traffic crash every 8 minutes on our nation’s roadways.

Pedestrian fatality and injury rates in the greater Washington, DC region are typical for a major urbanized area, but still high in proportion to the number of pedestrian trips. Approximately 2700 pedestrians and bicyclists are injured every year in the Washington region, and eighty-nine are killed. Pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities accounted for23% of the total traffic fatalities in the District of Columbia, suburban Maryland and northern Virginia from 2004-2008.

Overall traffic fatality and injury rates have decreased in recent years in the Washington region, but pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities have remained high.

For the whole post go to the source website: http://www.mwcog.org/streetsmart/

What do you think of Sharrows?

This blogger has some interesting comments.

http://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com/2009/09/share-road-marking-signage-improvements.html

Sharrow bicycle lane marking on Kansas Ave. NW at Blair Road (northeast corner)
Originally uploaded by rllayman

I think that within closed communities, like UMD, sharrows signal a commitment to bicycle traffic. We already have low speed limits many casual cyclists can keep up with traffic on declines. We have a great bike shop for even major repairs. But with the gridlock at class change it seems like every needs a little bit more guidance about how to safely move around campus...cars, bikes, pedestrians, everyone. Sharing the road is a start.

Major Bike Rack Clean-up at Graduate Hills and Graduate Gardens

Now graduate students have more room to park their bikes. Collaborations on improving bike conditions on campus lead to a major clean-up of the racks. Police say that there were bikes from 20 years ago on the racks. Now entire racks are free of bikes! These two housing complexes are ideal locations from which to bike onto campus and many students enjoy the flexibility of not having to wait for a bus, especially on nice days. Unfortunately the racks were so full that it was a real deterrent.Word is that the bikes have been donated to the Engaged University Cycle Recycle program http://www.engagedu.umd.edu/programs

615 New Bike Registrations

University of Maryland has 615 new bike registrations this year! This is a 220% increase over last year! Hopefully this means that there are more people looking to ditch their cars on campus. I keep a bike in my office and people keep looking at me like I am crazy but maybe one of them will try it soon. I get too and from meetings a lot faster than by car. Especially since parking is at such a premium.

615 new registrations blows my conservative goal out of the water. I want to encourage people to keep registering. These numbers will help us to make credible requests for new racks and other services that help bikers.

I am going to put out a new survey. The question is, would you join a Bicycle Commuter Club? What I mean is would you like an area with showers and maybe some coffee to be put in near the bike shop?

Shortcut to campus from University Park…no Route 1 at all!

Special thanks to a UMD commuter. I have info on a backwoods shortcut to UMD for bikers and walkers.

The path starts on Calverton Drive which is off of Wells parkway and ends in the church parking lot by the business school. Enjoy!

Keep sending in the tips! Let's make commuting without a car safe and easy!

Clean Air Commute to Campus

Bicycling in to class or work makes for a Clear Air Commute. LA has a good flyer on the practice: http://www.coalitionforcleanair.org/documents/CCACleanAirCommute090720_000.pdf
It would be nice if we had fantastic bike lines all the way in down route 1. That would make coming into campus so much easier for so many people. We recently met with Delegate Jolene Ivey from the 47th district about imporving bicycling conditions. Hopefully we will be able to make some changes in the coming year!

Biking in the rain part II

Slow down! - your breaking distance is going to multiply. Keep a safe distance and slow down!
Skip puddles! - you never know what is at the bottom of a puddle. It is collecting water for a reason. It might be harmless or it might be glass or a pothole. Avoid them!

Shine! - in the rain, more than ever, you need to shine. Use your lights, wear your reflective gear and be extra-visible.

The big clear umbrella will help. But slap some cool reflective stickers on it like this Glow Kitty. Lots of options are out there, Google reflective bike stickers and make a statement!

Biking in the Rain part I

I have been there, I have done that! Biking in the rain, or snow for that matter, isn't as bad as it seems. One must have accessory is the clear umbrella. Totes has one available at Target right now. It's cheap too! Roll up your cuffs and you will stay dry the whole trip. Try it! You'll see. www.target.com search for Totes Elements Clear Bubble Umbrella

Discussion about biking infrastructure in Prince Georges County

On Wednesday, October 14th, Del. Jolene Ivey (District 47) will be at the University of Maryland to discuss biking infrastructure in Prince George's County, as well as her proposed changes to the Rt. 1 Master Plan to make biking safer and easier. We will also be talking about options (and the feasibility) of setting up a county-wide bike sharing program, starting with College Park.

The meeting will be held in the SGA office, which is located in the Student Involvement Suite at the Stamp Student Union