Bikers subsidize drivers

Not only do we need more bikes for the environment, we need more bikes to balance local budgets! Taxes borne by drivers (fuel, registration, etc.) support highways. The cost of driving on local streets is mostly borne by non-driving-related taxes: sales taxes, property taxes. We're all sharing the cost, even those of us who drive less or not at all. Roads cost about 28 cents per mile of car driving. Bikes? Not quite a penny a mile.

To balance the road budget, we need 12 people commuting by bicycle for each person who commutes by car.

 For more details, follow the link to Grist.

Crowd Sourcing Bike Lane Rankings

Newton has less than 0.2% of its roads marked with bike lanes. Boston has almost 4% marked with bike lanes. What about your town? Let's create an annual metro Boston town ranking, see who is doing best, and which towns need to get their acts together. Kind of like college rankings.

Contact your town transportation department or bike group to find out how many miles of bike lane you have, and post it in a comment here (with attribution, preferably). If you are especially motivated, look up your town's total roadway mileage here and express your number as a percentage of either centerline miles (that is, just the length of the total roadway), or lane miles (roadways multplied by number of lanes in the roadways).

Get Your Groove On!

Get a finger-snapping, foot-tapping earful of the mellow sounds of the Nate Aronow Nextet with their brand new number, "Bikin' the Bike"!

 

Ride your bike to the Newton Farmer's Market

Tired of the tuesday afternoon gridlock on Beacon Street? Bike Newton will be providing free valet parking for bicyclist shoppers at Newton Farmer's Market at Cold Spring Park tomorrow from 1:30 to 6:00 pm. Don't forget a backpack to hold your veggies, and of course your helmet.

If successful, bike valet parking will be extended to the friday market in Nonantum. We may even arrange for delivery of produce by bike.

Bicycle Friendly Summer Reading

I've been offline lately while I learn to be a reference librarian. One of my assignments was to create an annotated bibliography - a list of sources with descriptions.

Perfect opportunity for a bike-friendly bibliography! And here it is: 31 sources (web pages, federal, state, and local documents, and studies in peer-reviewed journals) to help Newton become more bike-friendly.

Most of the resources are available online: all you have to do is cut and paste the url from the bibliographic entry. Not quite as straightforward as just clicking on a link, I know, but we'll get there this fall.

Enjoy, and pass along to anyone who may find it relevant or interesting. It's tailored to Newton, but many of the resources would be just as relevant to any Massachusetts community trying to become Bicycle Friendly.

Zipcar at Lasell and Mt. Ida Colleges?

Colleges are great places to site car shares. Salem State has just added a zipcar hybrid and cargo truck on campus and offered students a discount on membership.

Meanwhile, Newton's Transporation Advisory Committee will be making a transporation map that includes zipcar location in town.

Building on the Salem State story, it seems Lasell College and Mt. Ida could be great places to site zipcars, allowing less cars on/around campus, improving town-gown relations, and serving as a resource for neighborhood residents.

More Asphalt, Anyone?

Newton has roughly 310 miles of paved roadway, occupying roughly 10% of Newton's land.

The city is talking about 8-laning Route 9 in Chestnut Hill, 4-laning Winchester/Needham Street, and letting the MBTA help itself to a massive parking garage at Riverside.

Meanwhile, other forward-thinking communities (like Charlotte, NC) are embracing Complete Streets.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts pioneered a pedestrian- and bike-friendly design guide in 2006, the Healthy Transportation Compact was signed into law in 2009, MassDOT has just launched GreenDOT and Boston has been installing bike lanes left right and center.

But Newton is driving pell-mell backward into the era of King Car.

Why?

Do people really want this?

If you want Complete Streets in Newton, one venue to make yourself heard is the Access Subcommittee meeting of the Mixed Use Task Force next Thursday (July 29th), 7:15pm at the Senior Center.

Biker Down on Beacon St. near Cold Spring Park

A young woman biker (with helmet) was being stablized with a neck brace this morning around 10AM. She was sitting up, conscious, in tears. It looks like she had been heading eastbound on Beacon St. just east of Cold Spring Park, and collided with a car at/near the driveway to a new office building there.

Intercity travel without a car

My wife and son are in New Jersey. We all went down together in our one car on Friday, and caught the fireworks in my mother-in-law's home town. On Sunday, fetching bagels for a brunch, wishing I had a bike stored there so I could bike to and from the bagelry, I reflected on all the driving around we do that's so unnecessary and happens only because there's no good alternative. The next day, we all drove into the city together to MOMA, where I saw Duchamp's "Bicycle Wheel."

It's a Dada-ist ready-made that stands there like a punch-line waiting for a joke, or like a Zen koan rebuke to our utilitarian, humdrum concerns.

If I'd had a working bike, I could have biked to and from the bagelry on a pleasant Sunday morning. If public transit to that northern New Jersey town were anything but a joke, we could have had a convivial train or bus ride. (As it was, we were 5 in a car, so it was pretty convivial anyway; and what a treat to park for free on the street half a block from the museum! Holiday parking.)

But I improved on the situation. I had to be back in Newton for the week, so after tea at Moma's terrace cafe and tearful goodbyes (OK, so I've invented the tears), I grabbed my little backpack, scooted off on foot to a subway station a few blocks away, caught the D local to Grand Street, and walked a few block through Chinatown's funky storefronts to the Lucky Star bus counter, where I dropped my $15, stood on line for 5 minutes, and clambered aboard a clean, quiet bus for a 4 hour ride (with a stop at a fast-food joint in Sturbridge) to South Station, typing all the way on my tiny little laptop. Red line to Green line to Newton. Hooray, public transportation and enterprising cut-rate bus lines! On Friday, I'll head back to the big apple on a Bolt Bus, and we'll see how they compare.

In the meantime, since we're a one-car family, I'm having my own bike-week. To the garden, to groceries, to the library, to the T... . For me, a vacation from a car is a vacation, indeed!

A request to BH Normandy Riverside LLC

Dear BH Normandy Riverside LLC,

Please draw up plans - just for kicks - that retain the existing number of parking spaces at Riverside (960), but no new ones. Then please estimate how much this design would shift commuting to the site by the T rather than the estimated 8,230 additional vehicle trips per day estimated to come via I-95. Feel free to comment on whether you are skeptical that a sufficient urban workforce exists to staff the new development from the D line corridor and associated public transit links. Also, feel free to estimate how much money would be saved by not having to create new roadway infrastructure - ramps, roundabouts - for all that non-existent parking.

Parking at Riverside is the Single Largest Allocation of Space

Total area of Proposed Riverside Development: 1,091,162 square feet.

Retail: 14,800 square feet
Residential: 260,000 square feet
Office Space: 595,000 square feet
PARKING*: 748,000 SQUARE FEET

*2,720 parking spaces at ca. 275 square feet per parking space

**area estimates from http://www.riversidestation.info

How to vote for a zipcar in your village

I contacted zipcar to ask how people could lobby for a zipcar in their neighborhood. Go to www.zipcar.com/notify-me and put in your home address (or an address near where you want a car). Zipcar uses this information in guiding their placement of cars. Maybe Bike Newton can spearhead a get-out-the-vote campaign for a village center - any village nominations?

(Full disclosure: I have no financial interest in zipcar - I am interested in reducing the % of Newton households which have multiple vehicles)

Film tonight

JUNE 28 (Mon) 7 pm Film: “Beyond the Motor City”, Newton Main Library, co-sponsor: green decade newton

Here's a preview.

An alternative model for car sharing

An alternative to zipcar is a non-profit model that partners with municipalities and transit agencies, like citycarshare. This bay area organization appears to beat zipcar on a $ per hour basis. Zipcar seems to have Boston covered pretty well, but could a non-profit model work in 'burbs like Newton?

Suburban Zipcar experience

Things worked out somewhat differently than I was expecting on my first zipcar use, but I give the experience a thumbs up. For starters, neither of the 2 Riverside T zipcars were available when I needed them monday. But the zipcar search turned up an available car at Babson College in Wellesley, 3.8 miles away - more than what I was expecting, but it turned out to be a nice bike ride there on backroads I'd never been on before (I saw a deer on the Leo Martin golf course on Intervale Rd). So that was kind of an obstacle turned pleasant surprise. It is an interesting how a minor inconvenience, if it can be recognized as a surmountable barrier rather than a deal breaker, becomes added motivation to make a plan work.

Note to zipcar: No bike racks near the zipcars at Babson College. I used your parking sign to lock up. A bike rack would be great.

The most ironic part of my zipcar day was the drive home from Central Massachusetts to Wellesley via Cambridge. My return trip involved being a cut-through commuter through Newton! And I made probably the same calculation as many a cut-through Newton commuter. I had to get from Cambridge (where I dropped off my colleague) to Wellesley. I cut through Washington St. from West Newton to Wellesley. No tolls! And not much confidence that freeways would be faster during rush hour anyway. A weird feeling being the person who I am usually looking at as a biker from the sidelines.

My take away messages from this experience: zipcar works for a suburban one car family needing an extra car from time to time. It takes a bit more effort than in a dense urban center, but not too onerous. I would love to have a zipcar parked in my village center of Auburndale, or another one at the Riverside T. In fact, I would love there to be a zipcar in each and every village of Newton. I trust (hope) zipcar tracks requests vs. car availability and member locations to site cars in new locations where they are needed, or where the demographics suggest they would be used. I can't see zipcar going wrong with a car in Newton Centre, for example. What I don't know is how Newtonites could 'vote' for a zipcar in their village centers. I put in a comment/suggestion to zipcar to find out. A question for Newton: could Newton be zipcar friendly by subsidizing the parking space(s)?

Can Newton downsize its number of cars?

59% of households in Newton are multi-vehicle. Can families go single car in Newton? This often seems impractical, if not impossible. In my household we are trying to make it work, but not without challenges. Last week, embroiled in a logistical dilemma involving my need to travel to central Massachusetts while my daughter was scheduled for a dental appointment in Needham, I looked into zipcar. I found there are 3 locations in or very near to Newton - 2 cars at the Riverside T, 2 at the Woodland T, and 2 at Comm. Ave and Lake St., next to the end of the B line. Riverside is a 5 min bike ride from our house; I have my zipcard now and plan to try it soon. I'll report back here.
If any Newtonite wants to sign on, I can refer you (email nathan@bu.edu) and will give you the $50 driving credit and keep zero for myself. Full disclosure: I have no financial interest in zipcar.
Embryonic in Newton, where could zipcar extend here? What about one or two cars in each village center? Would this allow your household to car-downsize? Are there other possible models for car sharing appropriate to Newton? (I wonder if neighbors with compatible needs could share an extra vehicle).

Bike-Powered Garden, Garden-Powered Bike

Today I biked to our little community garden plot at Nahanton Park. That's not, by itself, unusual. I get there by bike most of the time.

But today, I was putting in tomatoes. The plants were a donation from our upstairs neighbor, some nice heirloom cherries, and they'd sat in the yard in their little containers for, um... let's just call it a few weeks. They'd gotten a little leggy. In fact, one was bearing fruit. So there were these rather tall tomato seedlings, the tomato cages, a set of onions...

I resigned myself to driving.



Then inspiration, bungees, velcro, and a bike bag led to this:

Here's a better view of how I attached the tomato cages:

Incidentally, everything on that poster is in our garden, except the potatoes. And instead of green peppers, chilis. Call me a traditionalist. (Or call me an unwitting dupe of WW2 propaganda posters!)

So far, the garden is bike-powered. When I start harvesting, the bike will be garden-powered.

Once Upon a Time

... it was patriotic to conserve.  Americans were united against a common enemy.


These days, it seems as if what unites Americans is a right to go anywhere at any time, using any and all resources, at any expense.

It's time to put a flag on my bike.

"The Car is No Longer King in ...

Boston."

Those words were Mayor Menino's in introducing the Boston Bike Safety Summit last month. It drew a sustained ovation. I was taken aback by the lack of political calibration. It was a political masterstroke, but refreshing to hear nonetheless.

In Newton we need our own bike safety summit. But unlike Boston, Mayor Warren cannot truthfully say what Menino said. Indeed, the Car IS King in Newton. But maybe acknowledging this could be the first step toward making the changes we need.

Given that Newton is currently at "zero" for bike facilities, the Warren Administration has a GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY to claim alternative transportation facilities and its mantle of sustainability as a legacy. And a legacy that comes at bargain basement prices, compared to a legacy built on, say, a new high school. But the "Car is No Longer King in Newton" legacy will not be sealed by a bold 5 or 10 year plan that might be implemented and claimed by a successor; it will be sealed by highly visible road markings - bike lanes and sharrows - that start going in TODAY.

Bike Newton Board Member Bike Accident: OK, but Shaken

Here's the email the that the Bike Newton board received this evening from Molly Schaeffer, who commutes across Newton by bike daily:

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to let you all know that the Newton Police did a super job tonight.  Those of you who know me know I ride with very bright lights front and rear, day and night + safety yellow clothing (and always helmet).  That still didn't prevent me from nearly becoming another statistic.  

A Sunday Poem

I saw the chipmunk's coat
Had slid off the meat
On the gray pavement,
As I coasted to a stop.

The napped fur matched
A liver-spot on my hand,
Which I rubbed, noting
How my skin slid

Over the fine bones.
This place will be marked
By a leathery array
For a week or more

Then a light stain.
If gods populate
The vacuum around us,
May they note the loss

As they pass over
At great speed,
Propelled onward
By muffled explosions.

Biking Laws: Same Roads, Different Rules II

Thoroughfares often intersect cross streets without stop signs or signals. Cars, not stoplights, check traffic. They stop and signal to turn, backing traffic up behind them, sometimes abruptly. Rear-end collisions happen. Should bikes act like cars here?

Same Roads, Same Rules suggests so. This is dangerous advice. Advocates of Same Rules: what say you?

(Case in point: intersection of Chestnut St. and Fuller St., an intersection on my commute. I want to turn left from northbound Chestnut St. onto Westbound Fuller St. on my way home (usually during the obscene evening rush hour that violates a once sleepy residential lane*, but I digress).)

*and which some casually suggest as a automobile commute option:
Bruce Henderson on June 10th, 2010 10:45 am: "I recommend that everyone use Chestnut or Centre." in response to this.

Biking Laws: Same Roads, Different Rules

For the curious, here is Massachusetts Law regarding bikes, much of which was changed in April, 2009:

Highlight from Chapter 90, Section 14: It shall not be a defense for a motorist causing an accident with a bicycle that the bicycle was to the right of vehicular traffic.

Biking Rules

My wife is a dependable reality check about biking. (She doesn't bike, owing to a host of athletic injuries from her youth.) She listened last night to what I had to say about the discord between bikers and drivers, and offered her perspective as a driver contending with unpredictable and frequently reckless bikers:

They drive me crazy!

More specifically, she said she really, really doesn't want to be party to injuring

Re-Cycling Trifecta

You can be part of this: donate your empty soda cans or plastic bottles (email nathan@bu.edu). We'll pick them up by bike, redeem them, and donate the coupons to the Newton Food Pantry, at the same time we make our weekly bike trips there to deliver surplus food. On the way home from the Food Pantry, we take compostable items and recyclable cardboard back to the Rumford Ave recycling center. Bikes, food, recycling - an awesome combo!
If you want to be part of the bike delivery fleet, that can be arranged too.

Newton Crash Data Online

Bike Newton is assembling bike crash data for Newton from Mass Highway reports and loading it up to Google Maps.

View Bike Accidents, Newton '03-'07 in a larger map

So far, we've loaded 2003-2007. 2008 and 2009 will be loaded as soon as we get the reports for those years. Bike Newton and BPTF will use this data in upcoming discussions with representatives of Newton Police, the Mayor's office, Public Works, and Aldermen about how best to maximize safety for the increasing number of bikers on Newton's roads.

Garden City or Gridlock City

"if the bicyclist would have just waited in traffic like everybody else, we would all be talking about something else right now...traffic was stopped or just about stopped, so not really moving in the travel lane. Sounds like a good old fashioned rush hour traffic jam to me." - JD71, Newton Tab comments, referencing the May 27 run-over cyclist on Comm Ave.

It is amazing and disconcerting what degradations in our quality of life we are trained to accept. Bicyclists see the looks of resignation every day in Newton gridlock. The car commercials sell us on the idea of cars as freedom; yet we willingly enslave ourselves, addicted to convenience and unsafe, risky, and unsustainable fossil energy.

Gridlock in the garden city is an unstated assumption in many Tab comments and blog posts: Given gridlock, cyclists should also get in line and subject themselves to the gridlock. No thanks. Let's think instead how we can reduce Gridlock in the Garden City. Lets show some civic duty, some patriotism, some real freedom, in our energy choices.

Donate Cans and Bottles to Bike Newton

Filled your Nth bag with cans and dreading the recycling center? No worries. Do good for the environment and your neighbors. Let Bike Newton pick them up - by bike, of course! Redeemable aluminum cans and plastic bottles are welcomed. Proceeds will go to the Newton Food Pantry, where Bike Newton already delivers surplus food (yes, by bike).

Send email to nathan@bu.edu with the subject "bike for food"; include the address, and where the bag(s) will be located on your premises. Pick up will usually occur on Saturday or Sundays, and some Wednesday mornings.

Photo courtesy of bikesatwork.com

Getting Ready (4): Making it Easy

You've gotten your bike ready, picked a destination and route, and gone for a ride. Now it's time to talk about how to make this initial foray into a habit.

Getting Ready (3): Get on your Bike!

Now that you've prepped your bike and the route, you're ready for the first big step: replacing a car trip with a bike trip.

Little bit of the Netherlands in Boston

If you want to experience a little bit of Netherlands-style non-motorized movement, visit the Arnold Arboretum on a nice weekend. Today there were a mix of bikes, walkers, joggers, strollers, scooters, trikes, and rollerbladers, and a few quadrapeds. The scene is a bit different than the Esplenade; the wider lane allows more relaxed, less directed, movement. Bikers, pedestrians, push scooters and others for the most part seemed to be OK with slight ambiguity over who goes where when coming into proximity (there are no lane markings). Things get figured out. Increased foot traffic provides a natural traffic calming; when pedestrian density gets large enough, bikers usually dismount and walk bikes because it just doesn't make sense to bike.

A pledge to Andy

Hey Andy,
After two days of drizzle, the skies cleared today and the ride in was glorious. I am sorry not to have known you after reading what a truly great guy you were. But in a way I do feel like we know each other, as I can sense that biking gave you the same sense of joy, freedom, and that curious existential solitude smack dab amidst the rushing traffic.
Anyway, I wanted to make a pledge to you. Like many bikers, I run red lights. More accurately, I creep cautiously across them, like the street savvy dogs I saw in Panama City whom natural selection and brutal experience have trained to navigate the unforgiving streets. At some intersections, I think it is safer for me to behave this way, and so I will continue to do that until following 'THE rules of THE road' provides more safety than breaking the rules do. But my promise to you is that if it is simply a matter of saving a few seconds on my commute or errand, or maintaining momentum, I will stop for the light. As a human who has made and will continue to make mistakes, I will probably fall short of that promise. But if and when I do, I will remember my promise to you and try to do the right thing the next time around.
Take care, my friend.
Nathan

Getting Ready (2): Pick a destination and route

Places I've biked in Newton: Whole Foods (at Beacon and Walnut), Newton Highlands T, Lincoln Street Cafe, Green Planet Kids, Newton Highlands Post Office, Lincoln St. Park (Highlands), Green Tea Cafe, Echo Bridge, Cold Spring Park, Newton Centre Post Office, Newton Centre T station, CVS, Tango Mango, Johnny D's, Staples (Newton Centre), Newton Free Library, J.P. Licks, Rosenfeld Bagels...  you get the picture.

How Safe is Biking?

Though deadly bike accidents are tragic and create dramatic headlines, they are relatively rare.

More than 50 million people ride a bike each year. (Source)
From 1994-2006, annual fatalities on bikes averaged just over 800, and fatalities are steadily falling. (Source)

Read on to find out 6 tips to radically reduce chances of injury and fatality.

Newton Bike Fatality

According to Wicked Local, a bicyclist died as a result of a collision on Commonwealth Avenue at Lowell/Homer late this afternoon. There are few details yet available. According to the article, the cyclist hit the rear half of a car crossing Commonwealth Ave., and was not wearing a helmet.

Everyone at Bike Newton is grieved by this loss, and feels terrible for the cyclist's family and friends, whose lives have been changed suddenly and tragically. Our hearts also go out to the driver involved.

Ideally, our streets would be as safe as those in the Netherlands, where most bikers go helmet-less. Unfortunately, our streets aren't that safe yet, and this accident (though it is unclear whether a helmet would have prevented a fatality) is a terrible reminder that helmets are a necessary precaution.

Updates (5/18/10, 7:10 am):

According to Wicked Local, the biker was a 21 year old male, and his death is confirmed.

Though the autopsy results aren't yet available, it is likely, says Srjdan Nedeljkovic, a neurosurgeon affiliated with Harvard, that the cause of death was epidural hematoma, the same head injury that killed the actress Natasha Richardson in a skiing accident last year, and Richard Atkins (of the Atkins diet) in a slip on ice at his home. Head injuries, even ones that seem minor, can be quite dangerous. An epidural hematoma can be caused by only a small tear of a blood vessel between the brain and skull. Helmets can prevent many of these injuries.

The troubling mystery is why the cyclist didn't stop. The traffic signal on Lowell had just turned green, and there were at least two cars in the intersection crossing Comm. Ave. That intersection has clear sight-lines. He would have had the sun at his back. Even if he were recklessly running a red light, it's unclear why he didn't see the cars in the intersection or respond to them. The damage to the bike was severe enough that it would likely be hard to tell whether the brakes had been operable right before the collision.

Update (5/24/10):

Jane H. pointed out on the Newton Tab Blog (comment near the end) that the intersection actually has rather poor sight lines for a biker riding on the right, eastbound.  Cars stopped at the signal on Homer (northbound) would be invisible behind trees, as would the signal, until a biker is fairly close to the intersection. There has been a very rich discussion on that blog entry about the carriage lane and locations along it where there are accidents waiting to happen. Now that signs near the eastern edge of Newton tell bicyclists to use the carriage lane, some easy changes (especially the location of stop signs at streets entering the carriage lane) are long overdue.

It also occurred to me to wonder whether there was sand on the road surface. Street sweepers have been busy in the last few weeks in Newton, but I still see pockets of sand here and there, especially near road edges.

Get Ready to Bike (1)

It's time to get ready to add biking to your weekly routine.

The "Get Ready to Bike" series is for the occasional biker who has a bike tucked in the back of the garage or basement, and would really like to use it more, but finds it a hassle to get it ready for each trip. By the end of this 5-part series, you should be ready to grab the bike lock and helmet instead of the car keys at least once a week.

Bike Newton Rally & Ride is Making a Difference!

A few hundred people turned out yesterday to hear some good news about changes happening in Newton:

10 Reasons to go to the Rally & Ride

Why join us this Sunday the 16th, 12:00 - 3:00 at the War Memorial?


10. Revel in Sunday's weather.
9. Hear the latest cool news from MassBike.
8. Groove to the smooth sounds of the Nate Aronow Nextet.
7. Bananas (Courtesy of Whole Foods)
6. Win a year of bagels, courtesy of Panera.
5. Be inspired by the words of Steve Miller, founder of Hub on Wheels.
4. Win a Gary Fisher Gritty City, courtesy of International Bikes.
3. Show your Aldermen and other local officials they can't get elected without supporting biking.
2. Free ice cream.
1. Go for a bike ride with Mayor Warren.

Why bike? Here are my top 5.

I want to interrupt the habit of grabbing car keys whenever I leave the house, and here are my top five reasons:

5. Park. You can park right next to the door, anywhere, for free. The only way you get this service in a car is if you're disabled or you've got a chauffeur.

4. Heal. Lack of exercise increases chances of heart disease, cancer, and depression. (Just thinking about it is depressing!) Our cars are killing us. It might take a few minutes longer* to bike, but even if it takes a little longer, you've saved time by multitasking. 1 mile round-trip: that's 15-20 minutes you don't need to budget for exercise.

3. Have fun! Pick a route that takes you on residential streets or through or past parks: stop and admire nice houses and gardens, listen to birds, watch kids playing, say hi to parents walking babies in strollers, and stop and chat with friends. Isn't this why you live in a small city like Newton?

2. Enjoy being good. Each mile you bike instead of drive saves the planet from 10 pounds of carbon, reduces congestion, and reduces pollution in general.

1. Save $$. Lots and lots of $$. My wife and I haven't owned a second car since before our son was born 7 years ago. We don't need it. A few times a year we run into a conflict that biking, walking, and public transportation won't solve, and we rent a car or take a taxi. We save on gas money, wear and tear, and insurance. Most families spend on average $7000 a year on transportation, 90% for cars. We spend less than half that. And I don't spend a dime on gym memberships.

-------------
*For most of my short trips, door-to-door time is actually equal to or shorter than driving because of item #5.

New Biking Column in the Globe

The regional version of Boston.com has started up a new biking column. Check it out! I like the first entry, because it's big on fun.

Here Comes the Rally and Ride!

FUN!
Sunday, May 16, 2010, 12 - 3 PM

Newton City Hall, War Memorial Steps

Go here and click on "Minors-2010" or "Adults-2010" for downloadable sign up forms for the ride.

Bike to Open Studios, Too!

Hey, in addition to biking the Bike Newton Rally and Ride this coming Sunday (12 -3, War Memorial) and Historic Newton on the 23rd, why not bike to Newton Open Studios locations this weekend? Whatever you do, do it on your bike!

For an interactive web-based map click here.

For a printable .pdf (with more artist info) click here.

Historic Newton on a Bike!

This year, you can visit historic homes of Newton (and at least one modern LEED certified home) on Historic Newton's 28th annual house tour, and leave no carbon footprint! Each biker reduces the carbon footprint of the tour by at least 20 pounds, and gets to see Newton at a slower pace.

The tour is Sunday, May 23, 12 - 5pm.

Historic Newton will have bike-route maps and directions on hand at the Jackson Homestead. Bike Newton plans to lead a bike convoy. If you want to take part in the convoy, meet at 11:30 am at Jackson Homestead. The first 10 to arrive for the bike convoy will receive a $5.00 rebate on the house tour tickets, courtesy of Bike Newton.

If you want to bike on your own, show up at Jackson Homestead at any time during the tour hours to pick up a map and directions along with your tour tickets.

Distances between the homes (which are kept secret until the day of the tour) vary between 0.6 miles and 2.8 miles. Total mileage: 12.0. The route ends roughly one mile from Jackson Homestead. Organizers have put as much of the route as they can on secondary streets and tried to limit steep hills, but the fact is, Newton is hilly, and some major arteries couldn't be entirely avoided. The entire route can be biked by an intermediate biker capable of riding short to medium stretches of busy arteries. There is one short, steep hill that many bikers may need to walk.

Happy Biking!

Lots of street paint on Beacon Street - for walking, drinking, water quality. How about some bike markings?

Here are a few of the markings I see on my commute in the "bike lane" on Beacon Street between BC and Chestnut Street. With the recent approval of a bike lane from the Boston-Newton city line to the top of the hill, it seems like the chances to get proper bike markings in the rest of Beacon Street can't be too far off!

Re-Cycling

Seen on Beacon Street at St. Mary's recently...

Put those legs to use!

Find out how easily you could walk or bike to do errands in Newton at walk score. Just enter your address, and watch how many businesses, parks, and services pop up within a mile.


I'm just barely above the Newton average walkscore of 64%, and I find it pretty easy to walk to two village centers, which means the average person in Newton can do this!

A mile is an easy 20 minute walk or an easy 7 minute bike ride. See just how close you are, and commit to at least one under-a-mile errand this week on foot or bike.

Driving Maniacs

My son and I were standing with our bike/trailabike combo at Beacon and Herrick Road on a beautiful Sunday morning, waiting to cross, when a green SUV turning right from Centre cut off a white SUV coming down Beacon. The white SUV honked, loudly, for a full 15 seconds, while both the driver and passenger waved their arms in anger and consternation. The green SUV turned onto Herrick Road and slowed to a stop. The white SUV pulled up behind. We heard a door open... .

Yo, people, relax! It's a lovely Sunday morning, nobody's hurt, there's no real threat of an accident: both SUV's were going under 25 mph.

Worst case scenario? Fender-bender, totally taken care of by insurance.

I just don't get why people get so worked up about nothing. Look, why drop 40 grand for an SUV if you're just going to have a hissy-fit about almost getting a scratch?

Me, I'm on a bike. I'm vulnerable. I've got my son trailing behind me. When a car cuts me off, I have a right to anger. I really don't want to think too much about the worst-case scenario; I just work diligently on avoiding it. (Note that we were off our bikes waiting to cross Beacon.) But it's a funny thing: the small stuff just doesn't get to me. I'm not worried about scratching the paint on my bike.

Oh, and thankfully, this little bit of Newton road-rage didn't go any further, as far as I know. Both SUV's drove away after a blessedly brief interchange of hostilities.

But I can't help thinking that if they'd just get out of their SUV's a little more often and walked or biked, they'd be a little more civilized. Or at least they'd be separated from their horns.

More bike lanes, please!

When there is no conflict with parking, bike lanes need not be approved by Traffic Council. There is no parking along Beacon at least from Hammond St. to Hammond Pond Parkway.

All one needs to do is request them:

May we please have bike lanes on Beacon St. from Hammond St. to Hammond Pond Parkway? Pretty please?

Newton Traffic Council Approves Newton's First Bike Lane

It wasn't merely approved, but approved unanimously in the Traffic Council.

And get this: nobody argued to preserve the few lost parking spaces.

In fact, at least one Alderman and one policeman argued against preserving the lost spaces. Sean Roche was there, and has written it up in more detail.

Newton's Biking! (and we have the data to prove it)

The Newton Serves bike count (thanks, Steve Heinrichs!) project has already put data on a google map.


Surprise! Lots of bikes on Chestnut St.

Interesting: Beacon and Comm. Ave. are confirmed as the major east-west routes, though the lower counts on Beacon west of Newton Center suggest that people use Beacon to get to Newton Center and Highlands, but not to go further west. Also, the numbers using Washington-Waltham and Grove-Lexington mean that bikes must be incorporated into any changes to those areas. (That stretch of Washington St. is close to being rehabilitated. DPW plans are here in a power-point file.)

No surprise: no bikes on Route 9, and bikes cross it only on two streets: Parker and Chestnut. Route 9 is the major impediment to biking we always thought it was. Few bikes on Needham St. Center and Walnut are confirmed as major North-South routes; oddly, those stretches that are most congested with cars (between Newton Highlands and Beacon St.) also show the highest bike counts.

We'll need to do some more counts on weekdays to pick up patterns of people running errands and commuting.

Derrick Jackson on Bikes

I don't know whether Derrick Jackson was on a bike, but he wrote about seeing lots of them in Europe in today's Globe.

Great ending:

The real headline is when grandma feels safe to pedal down the street to see her grandkids.

If you're of a like mind, come join Bike Newton for our annual Rally and Ride at the War Memorial on Sunday, May 16, 12:00 - 3:00pm. Let's make sure our elected representatives know how many people want grandma to feel safe to pedal down the street to see her grandkids!

(And have some fun, too! Live music, ice cream, a leisurely 3 1/2 mile ride, raffles, giveaways...)

Earth Weekend

Earth Day rolled right into the weekend for me. On the day itself, I biked down to our little garden plot at Nahanton Park with a roll of chicken wire and a spade strapped ingeniously to the back rack with a bungee and some velcro, and a pannier full of tools. I dug out weeds and grass and chatted with garden neighbors, and dug some more. A bluebird dropped in for a visit and sang to me from a budding branch of the mulberry tree. Lunchtime called me home, the work unfinished.

So back I went on Saturday, spade and tools and all, and kept at it until it was all dug up and fenced, and there was another song from the bluebird. I don't speak bluebird, but it sure sounded like some kind of blessing, and I like to think it had something to do with the bike. And maybe my ingenious method of carrying a shovel.

Street Music for a Cooler Planet

Take a minute to read this inspiring entry at Daily Kos about really radical ways to re-imagine our streets. Here's the general idea:

Some say, "things are never going to change, people will never walk or bike if they can drive." However, that's only because we've come to automatically assume that the streets have always been -- and will always be -- filled with traffic and exhaust.

If the streets were filled with music, would you come out to play?

If you want a local taste of how music can take to the streets, keep October in your head, and watch out for the HONK! festival in Cambridge.

October!? Cambridge!? That's alright, you can experience a street full of bikes right here in Newton at the Rally and Ride on Sunday, May 16 at City Hall. And there will be music!

Bay State Bike Week - Newton Events

May 17-21, 2010 is Bay State Bike Week (and National Bike Week), and Newtonites will have lots of opportunities to participate right here in the Garden City. Kicking off the week will be the 3rd Annual Bike Newton Rally and Ride on Sunday, May 16, from noon-3pm at Newton City Hall. See here for details. On Monday May 17, at 6pm, the Bike Newton "No Rider Left Behind" bike ride will depart from the Main Library at 6pm. See the "rides" section of www.bikenewton.org for more info. On Friday morning May 21, a Bike-to-Work convoy will ride from Newton City Hall to Boston City Hall. Check the Newton Bike and Pedestrian Task Force website for details.
For more information about the Bay State Bike Week, go here and here.

Safety

After two terrible accidents in Boston (one two), I'm thinking about safety.

I'm both a driver and a biker.
Everyone, bikers and drivers, can help make roads safer.

Drivers: Drive like Grandma

I did a little test last night. I drove to and from the grocery store in two different modes: Grandma and Young Turk. The drive is 2 1/2 miles, involves 6 turns, 4 stop signs, and 3 traffic signals.

On the way to the store, I was Grandma: I drove just under the speed limit, took turns slowly, stopped at yellow lights, and came to complete stops at stop signs. I was listening to traditional Irish music on volume 2. I was able to be attentive both to the traffic in front of and behind me, and pedestrians.

On the way home, I was Young Turk: I accelerated quickly, did "slow & go" stops at stop signs, sped up to beat changing signals, and went 5-10 mph over the speed limits. I was listening to grunge on volume 6. I mostly paid attention to cars I ended up tailgating.

Elapsed time in Grandma mode: 8 minutes.
Elapsed time in Young Turk mode: 8 minutes.
(Usual elapsed time on a bike: 15 minutes.)

And put down the cellphone. I can spot a cellphone-distracted driver from 100 yards. You swerve, slow down and speed up, drift across lanes, forget to move on a green light and stop short on a red. You look like you're drunk. And then, just like a drunk, you say, "But it doesn't affect my driving." That means you, Mom, and you Dad, and you, kid, and you, too, contractor. All of you. Stop it. It can wait.

Bikers: Bike like a driver

Start with the assumption that drivers don't want to hit you.

It's up to you to make sure drivers have a chance to:

1) See you and
2) predict what you will do.

Be visible. Lights, day-glo colors, and reflective tape might look goofy, but backless hospital gowns look goofier.

Be predictable. Biking a straight line in traffic can feel risky, but it's much, much safer than riding at the extreme edge and suddenly swerving around parked cars. The more you act like a car, the more drivers will understand what you're doing. Stop at red lights. Stay in the road; don't go veering onto and off of the sidewalk or crosswalks. If you send mixed messages ("Look, I'm a car! Look, now I'm a pedestrian!"), drivers can't predict what you're about to do.

Take the buds out of your ears so you aren't in an alternate universe from the Prius just about to overtake you when you need to swerve to avoid a pothole.

Evaluate your route: Where does car traffic merge? Where are complicated intersections with fast-moving traffic? Where are the lanes narrow? Where are there always parked cars? Where are the ambiguous intersections with worn out or missing lane markings? Where are potholes, sand and gravel, sunken storm drains, and other road-edge hazards? Where are mid-road hazards like T tracks? Where are busy driveways? Where do cars stop short for pedestrians? Where do pedestrians unpredictably enter the road? Where do you encounter buses? If a stretch of roadway or an intersection makes you nervous, either walk your bike through it or find an alternate route. (I have to get across the Fens. That's when I get off the insane roads and get on the paths.)

And finally, wear a helmet. I know, bikers in Amsterdam don't wear helmets. But bikers in Amsterdam have bike lanes, traffic-calming, lower car speeds, fewer cars, and omnipresent bikes to make their biking safer. Until Boston looks like Amsterdam, wear a helmet.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

Our friends over at Newton Streets and Sidewalks share some exciting news: Newton is taking its first baby steps to follow Boston's lead on installing a bike lane on Beacon Street, from the Boston city line up to the stoplight at the top of the hill. This is only approx. 1/4 mile, but it is some of the busiest 1/4 mile on the entire street; more importantly, this sets a precedent and raises our expectations that the rest of Beacon street, with much low hanging fruit for bike accommodations along its 4.5 miles, will be next.

Get your bike ready

MARCH 28 11 am-2 pm BIKE NEWTON’s “NEWTON UNPLUGGED & CONNECTED” EVENT (all ages)
WAR MEMORIAL CIRCLE. We’ll help you get your bike ready for spring - lube, air, we might even help you degrease your chain. See bikenewton.org for more info.

Bike Newton Membership Meeting--March 21

The Bike Newton General Meeting and Smart Cycling Clinic on March 21 was a huge success! 50+ attendees discussed how to make Bike Newton a more Bicycle Friendly Community. There were Aldermen, City officials, the Bike & Pedestrian Task Force, the Bike Newton Steering Committee, Newton Police, members of Bike Newton, and interested citizens.

Many arrived by bike and took advantage of the valet-attended bike parking.

As the meeting took shape, people gathered to discuss the proposals displayed around the room.


Lois

called the meeting to order,

and Bob Rooney, the City of Newton Chief Operating Officer

and John Siemiatkoski, President of the Board of Directors of MassBike and Board Member of the League of American Bicyclists

both addressed the group about the great potential for Newton as a bike-friendly community. Everyone divided into groups to discuss
Engineering,

Encouragement,

Education,

Enforcement,

and Evaluation and Planning.

Meanwhile, Steve Heinrichs of Bike Newton, a certified instructor for the League of American Bicyclists, led a dozen youth through their paces in a Smart Cycling workshop.

Group leaders reported back to everyone about the highlights of the group meetings. Alderman Ted Hess-Mahan put it well when he said his group, education, had the same chicken-egg problem as the rest of the groups: which comes first, education or bike lanes? There was a broad consensus among the breakout groups that instituting the Transportation Advisory Committee could get many bike-friendly projects moving.

Biking is $ensible

Steve Miller of Livable Streets has gathered some remarkable data, all of which says: Biking makes economic sense.

Some highlights:

According to one study (based on 2006 gas prices and a 10 mile round trip commute), a person who bikes to work for a year will save $1,825 in auto-related costs, reduce carbon emissions by 128 pounds, conserve 145 gallons of gasoline, avoid 5 hours of gridlock traffic, burn 90,000 calories, reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke by 50%, and enjoy 14% less claims on their health insurance.

...it doesn’t take much to attract more riders – a US study found that each additional mile of bicycle lane is associated with an approximate one-percent increase in the share of bike-to-work trips.

Subsidies for drivers amount to up to $3,000 per driver per year.

Not even including the cost of the land, it costs up to $5,000 to build a flat-surface paved parking spot and up to $50,000 for a single space in a decked garage.

Newton's on the map! ... barely

Google Maps has finally rolled out the long-asked-for bike route function, with details about useful bike routes in 150 cities nationwide. You can take a look at your area by going to google maps and checking "bicycle" in the "more" menu. Here's what Newton looks like:



Hmmm... a lot of those green lines pretty much end at the Newton border. Why? Because the map's "only as good as the data it's been fed"(Heinrichs 2010), and the makers of these maps consulted with leading bike advocates in major cities. Hence, the Boston Bike Map routes, which pretty much end at the Newton border, are included.

We intend to put Newton on this map! Starting April 1, you can sign up to help with the "Bike Routes/Trips Mapping project" at the upcoming Newton Serves on April 25, where teams will collect data on the number of cyclists using different routes all over town. These numbers will provide firm ground for proposing bike routes for google maps, for portable Bike Newton maps, and for influencing where routes are marked on real streets.

This spring is hopping!
Bike Newton general membership meeting, March 21.
Newton Serves mapping project, April 25
And watch for announcements about this year's Rally and Ride!

Help Make Newton a Bicycle Friendly City!

Bike Newton, working hard all through the winter, has applied to the League of American Bicyclists to be designated a Bicycle Friendly Community. A Bicycle Friendly Community succeeds in fostering bicycling in five areas: Engineering, Encouragement, Education, Enforcement, Evaluation & Planning.

On Sunday, March 21 from 2:00 - 5:00pm, you have a chance to help shape how Newton moves forward in all five areas at the Bike Newton General Membership Meeting. Mayor Warren will be there, and so will at least 5 aldermen. Newton is really taking bikes seriously, folks! This meeting may be a formative one for policy in this new administration, and you could be part of it!

Location: Newton Cultural Center, 225 Nevada Street, Newtonville

There will also be refreshments, loads of information about biking in Newton, and a Smart Cycling Clinic for kids at 3pm (BYO bike and helmet).

RSVP for the meeting: bikenewton at gmail dot com
RSVP for the Smart Cycling Clinic: Steve Heinrichs, sheinr4143 at aol dot com

Hope to see you there!

My Other Cars

I have quite a stable of vehicles in addition to the 10 year old Honda, so we can get everything done that a suburban family needs to get done.

During most of the winter, my other car is:


And yet another, for errands, and for commuting when the weather's above freezing:



And finally the "wagon" for trips with the offspring:



The best part is the cost for all these vehicles. The charliecard runs me just over $200 a year. The shoes were $69 about 10 years ago, and another $30 for a few re-solings. (Yes, it's time for a new pair.) The bike was $100 used (craigslist), and the trailabike was $75 used (craigslist). I spent another $250 or so tuning and outfitting the bike for commuting. Another $200 for helmets, lights, reflectors, and the bright yellow bag.

With legs, shoes, a bike, and access to mass transit, I am my second car. Man, that feels good.

Put Newton routes on The Map

Nicole Freedman of Bike Boston is starting to update the Boston Bike Map (.pdf) and would like input about Newton.

Take a look at the map, and go to this survey to add your input!

Improving Parking

The Institute for Transportation & Development Policy (ITDP) has come out with an excellent report on parking policies across the US. Parking minimums have created nightmarish car-centric landscapes out of many of our suburban areas. Newton has been spared the worst of excesses, but could improve. A lot. Let's try to redesign Newton with the idea that parking should be part of a transportation strategy that helps more people arrive at and use our downtown areas. Here are the report's recommendations (if you want the whole report as a .pdf, click on "report," above):

1. Eliminate minimum parking requirements and encourage developers to ‘unbundle’ parking.
2. Coordinate on- and off-street parking management and charging.
3. Charge a price for on-street parking to ensure performance standards, including occupancy rates, are met.
4. Create parking benefit districts where the revenue is returned to the community.
5. Use parking technologies that offer customers and policy makers the maximum flexibility.
6. Reclaim street space from car parking for other needed public uses such as bike sharing, cycling lanes, widened sidewalks or shared spaces.
7. Design parking facilities that are well integrated with surrounding buildings and walking environments.
8. Incorporate parking policies into metropolitan transportation plans.
9. Include innovative parking management in statewide livability initiatives, congestion management, air pollution control strategies, climate action plans and innovative financing programs.
10. Promote parking and commuter programs that expand travel choices for employees and customers.

Inspiring

Observed eastbound on Beacon St. approaching Washington Square, circa Shaws, a man pedaling up the hill in the cold driving rain, one hand on the handlebars, one hand grasping a shopping cart behind him full with bags of cans and bottles to recycle, navigating between parked cars on one side and heavy traffic on the other.

I blew past him thinking he is even crazier than I to ride in this weather, let alone drag a full shopping cart around. A block later I realized I had to stop, ride back, and talk to the guy. He had parked his cart and was rummaging for recyclables across the street behind the funeral home. His name was Mark; he said he was taking the recyclables somewhere in Allston. I told him what he needed was a cargo trailer, like the burley I drive my kids around in. I gave him my card and said to call and we could figure out a way to get him the gear he needs to do his important work more easily. I hope he calls. He needs to be recognized for being a living example of sustainability.

Ambiguity

As I was driving today, I had a moment that reminded me of a defining feature of being on a bike in traffic: ambiguity.

I was approaching an intersection where I knew I'd take a right. Lane markings seemed to indicate I was in the right lane, though there was rather a lot of room to my right. Sure enough, someone pulled up to my right, in spite of my turn signal. Perhaps the lane markings have been obliterated by a few seasons of snowplows, or perhaps (like many intersections in the area), lane markings there have always been a little ambiguous.

At any rate, I found myself wondering how this would play out. Would I need to let that driver slide ahead as I accelerated, and slip in behind him? Would the panel truck now behind him give me enough space? Should I try to get his attention & ask, with universal sign language, whether he was also planning to turn right, or whether he was going attempt to go straight?

All at once I realized that I was occupying the mental space of biking: most of my biking interactions with drivers involve this kind of ambiguity. Simultaneously, I realized that this kind of ambiguity was the exception, not the norm, for driving. Drivers, of course, have lane markings, signage, and traffic signals all working together to eliminate ambiguity. As drivers, we know where we're supposed to be, most of the time.

As bikers, we're always in that mental space of ambiguity, because the signs, markings & signals make no special case for us. And yet we're a special case. We're operating slow, human-powered vehicles with high maneuverability and no protective shell. Sure, we can attempt to make eye contact with drivers, raise our visibility by "taking the lane" and setting a straight course, and signaling turns and stops, but the fact is, in spite of doing all these things, I travel on my bike in a state of ambiguity that won't change until the road markings do.

As it turned out today in my car, the driver to my right turned right, and I followed, signaling. The panel truck made some room for me. I couldn't help but think that my experience of biker-ambiguity helped me as a driver.

But I'd still like bike lanes.

Bike Commuting Questionnaire

I just responded to a very brief questionnaire by some design students at Olin College. According to Boston Biker, "In this class they have to try to shed their assumptions and immerse themselves in the new culture, by observing, asking, and trying. When they actually start the ideation processes, they do so collaboratively, with the people they are designing for." This group has chosen bike commuters as a culture to "immerse themselves in." You can access the form here.

If you have any questions about the project, email them: bikecommuters.olin@gmail.com.

I responded, and it was kind of fun. Their questions and my responses (unedited) are below:

Why do you commute by bike?

I'm trying to do several things at once: get in shape (I'm 44 and sedentary), reduce my carbon footprint, and civilize the roadways by adding to them another human being not encased in tons of metal and not addicted to speed.

Tell us one of your most memorable bike-commuting stories

Westbound on Beacon Street at Boston College there's a huge hill. Several months into my commuting, I was pumping away without losing steam, and congratulating myself for not stopping to rest. Just then, a guy in spandex on a racing bike passed me at the steepest part of the grade, going all-out. I had a brief moment in which I thought, "hm... maybe I was a little too quick to congratulate myself," and then perspective returned as soon as a car passed me: I was still doing better than sitting motionless in a $26,000 wheelchair called a "car."

Have you made any modification to your bike, clothing, or gear that improves your biking experience?

My bike is a ten (or more) year old Raleigh mountain bike. I bought it used. I swapped out the off-road tires for puncture-resistant road tires, added front and back fenders, and bought a big, bright yellow waterproof pannier that's easy to lift off the rack. And lights, front and back. I'm still trying to figure out how to add a chain-guard. I'm not much of a gear-head. I just made the few changes that would make the bike useful for commuting, and that was that. I couldn't even tell you the model of bike. (Though I do wish I could afford an Amsterdam-style bike. And may, sometime down the line, rig out this bike with an Xtra-cycle extension, so I can do full grocery trips.)

Clothing? Not much. I bought a "skullcap" to wear under my helmet on cold days, and some inexpensive bike gloves (nice, because they have reflective tape on them) reflective velcro ankle-ties to keep my trousers out of the chain. I'm kind of a minimalist, though I appreciate other folks' displays of biking couture. I'm waiting for a particular European helmet company to start selling here: helmets that look like real hats.

Winter Biking II

I was standing at the hall closet this morning, indecisively looking from winter hat to helmet. To bike, or not to bike? On the biking side: sunny, not so cold, not so windy. On the not-biking (taking the T) side: the hill on Beacon up to B.C. It just wears me out, even thinking about it. And I haven't biked much in the last few months, victim of a self-reinforcing dynamic: the longer I go without biking, the less I want to bike. I just know I'll be too physically tired to teach very well.

The T won. That hill looms large in my commute. Cold? I've been colder. (I used to live north of the Adirondacks.) Ice? Snow? I can cope. It's hills and wind... no, the prospect of hills and wind that gets me every time.

But as I got off the T in town, what did I see on my walk to work? Inspiration: I saw 9 bikers. From 8:25 too 8:40 am on an average but sunny day in late January. And on campus (Northeastern), full bike racks. I looked longingly at an Xtracycle outside the law school. It was outfitted with a space-age childseat.

Boston bikers are an inspiration. They'll go out in anything. I even saw a few on Monday, the day we got 2 inches of rain. Not a day goes by that I don't see a few hardy bikers in town.

It was a half-day of work for me, so I'd planned an afternoon of errands, which, inspired by all those bikers in Boston, became an afternoon on the bike: Bank, post office, home to get the trail-a-bike, and then the school to pick up offspring. What a lovely afternoon!

Proof: biking encourages biking. I see other bikers, and instead of teetering towards car, I teeter towards bike. I realize I can do it, too. I'm reminded that instead of tired after the 8 mile trek up hill and down dale, I'm energized.

How would my day have gone if, while looking at my closet in the morning, I'd happened to see a biker going by on my street?

Inspire me, Newton bikers! (Suburban Bike Mama's been inspiring me lately, but she doesn't live in my neighborhood.)

Biking to Brown, Oak Hill, and Newton South

Have an idea how to make biking to school safer? Are you a student (or do you have a student) at Newton South or Brown Middle School?

The Newton Bike and Pedestrian Task Force is hosting a forum on Thursday, January 22 at 7:30 PM in the Newton South auditorium. Bike Newton will be on hand as well.

The Boston Globe covered the story Sunday.

What is it like, biking to Newton South and Brown and Oak Hill? How can we get bikers across Route 9 safely? How can we make Parker Street safer for bikers? The forum hopes to get input from parents and students and forward suggestions to Mayor Warren, Alderman, and city planners.

Winter Biking

Winter biking for me pretty much involves eyeing my bike at the back of the garage and thinking to myself, "Who am I trying to kid? Why haven't I put my bike in the basement for the season?"

But the other day there was a car snafu in which I ended up car-less with plans that involved a car. Ordinarily, I'd just shrug and change plans, but these plans involved a promise to a six-year-old to rent ice-skates and try out the new Newton Highlands ice rink on Lincoln Street. "Sorry, we don't have a car," wasn't an option.

So I had to eye that bike in the garage and the trail-a-bike hanging nearby in a new way. How would they perform on a snowy, icy sidewalk? How would I market a three mile round trip at 19 degrees to the offspring?

As it turned out, it wasn't as bad as I'd thought. I checked routes on a map, got the offspring all pumped up about an adventure, we suited up the way we would for a round of sledding, I grabbed my capacious bike bag, and we were off.

There are two things you need to keep in mind when biking in the winter:

1. Cold.

2. Ice.

The first one's not tricky. We already suit up for sledding and walking to school, and suiting up for biking has only one difference: the sleek black "skull caps" we wear under our biking helmets. Everything else is just off-the-rack winter wear.

The second takes a little more thought. I don't have special tires for snow and ice, and I don't want to have a dangerous slip near traffic, especially not with precious cargo. I plotted our route on back streets. We had two unavoidable blocks on Centre between downtown and Comm. Ave., but crossing on foot and back again kept us on clear (ish) sidewalks: if we slipped, we'd be far from moving traffic. It was a drag that we had to cross twice to stay on clear sidewalks, but hey, that's the price of an adventure! For the heck of it, on the return trip we attempted a traverse of a snowy sidewalk, pretending we were explorers attempting an Antarctic crossing by bicycle. Success! (If the Ross Ice Shelf holds on long enough, maybe we'll actually get to do it in our lifetime.)

Ultimately, what I found out is that winter biking is neither as unpleasant nor as dangerous as I anticipated. It just takes a few more minutes of planning.

Salt: The Enemy of Bikes

I have let my bike go far too long without a wash this winter. But it is kind of hard to wash a bike in freezing conditions. It is a hassle to turn the hose on since it is shut off in the basement. And while I have thought of organizing a group ride to the local you-do-it car wash and use the high pressure sprayer, the Allston one is the only one I can think of close to Newton and that is out of the way. Yesterday I came up with a workable solution: I used a hand sprayer pump from sears, kind of like this one. It worked reasonably well in getting a jet of water in between the fenders and tire, and along the chain inside the chain guard. Any other good ideas out there for a good way to wash a bike during the winter?

Good News from AASHTO

What better way to start a blog than with good news?

Of the top ten topics for AASHTO (State Highway Transportation Officials) for 2010, here's #10:

10) Creating more livable communities
The Administration has made livable communities a key aspect of their agenda. In June of 2009, EPA, HUD and USDOT entered into a Sustainable Communities Partnership to help improve access to affordable housing, provide more transportation options, and lower transportation costs while protecting the environment in communities nationwide. Efforts by state DOTs in the coming year will include building transportation enhancement projects such as bikeways, pedestrian walkways, historic restoration and beautification projects; improving metropolitan mobility; ensuring more transit services are available in rural areas and to serve aging populations; and adding capacity to our transportation network to reduce congestion and the amount of time commuters, truckers and other drivers are stuck in traffic and so have more time with their families.

You can read the full story here.

Let's make sure Mayor Warren, all the Aldermen, and necessary folks in Planning and the DPW all know about this national priority.