Ride With Traffic & Other Bike Safety Tips

May is bike month with the 15th-19th designated as Bike Week (next week) and finally on Friday May 19th the official Bike to Work Day. Of course, biking in other months can be just as fun.

Since the weather has gotten nicer I’ve been seeing considerably more cyclists out on the roads. Unfortunately, I’ve also been seeing an increase in dangerous cycling habits:

Riding Against Traffic:

This is one of the best ways to get injured or killed. A bicycle is a vehicle and as such is supposed to be ridden with traffic as you would any other vehicle. Some fear not seeing traffic from behind yet the bulk of accidents happen at intersections where a wrong-way cyclist is simply not expected. Please ride with traffic.

Wrong Position on the Road:

Lane position is one of the most important aspects of bike safety. Riding too far to the right and you risk getting into the curb gutter, a drain grate or hitting an opening car door. Many new cyclists make the mistake of riding too far to the right. Narrow traffic lanes, not wide enough for a car and a cyclist, should not be shared. In cases where a really narrow lane exists a cyclist should “take the lane” by riding in the center. This sends a strong message to drivers to pass in a different lane. Wider lanes can be safely shared.

Wrong Position at Intersections:

Novice cyclists make a very common mistake of positioning themselves at the extreme right of an intersection, often placing their right foot on the curb at a red light (I just saw someone do this the other day at Chippewa & Grand). This can be very dangerous as it places the cyclist to the right of cars turning right. This is not a big deal if you as the cyclist are also turning right but if you are going straight ahead your position on the road needs to reflect this intention. If you intend to go straight ahead be in the lane that goes straight ahead — not the right turn lane.

Not Wearing A Helmet:

All it takes is one blow to the head to cause serious injury or death. It just isn’t worth it. And compared to the motorcycle helmet I wear when riding my scooter the bicycle helmet is nothing.

Wearing a Helmet Improperly:

If we can see your forehead the helmet is not properly positioned. Sometimes it is a matter of adjusting the helmet and in other cases you may need a different size. I see many adults wearing helmets tilted way back. Click Here to see examples of right and wrong fits — they are children but the rules are the same.

A few links of interest:

Urban Biker’s Tips & Tricks – excerpts from the book of the same name. An excellent resource.

St. Louis Regional Bike Federation – great local organization.

League of American Bicyclists – national organization, trains League Certified Instructors (LCI’s) like myself.

Missouri Bike Federation – excellent advocacy group for the entire state.

Cycling is a great means of transportation provided you follow some basic rules of the road.

– Steve

Wi-Fi & Armchairs Do Not Make McDonald’s Upscale

McDonald’s is attempting a makeover of its plastic interior and red roofs according to a new story in BusinessWeek:

The dining area will be separated into three sections with distinct personalities. The “linger” zone will offer comfortable armchairs, sofas, and Wi-Fi connections. “The focus is on young adults who want to socialize, hang out, and linger,” says Dixon. Brand consultant Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys, a brand consulting firm, says that Starbucks has raised the bar: “A level has been set by Starbucks, which offers the experience of relaxed chairs and a clean environment where people feel comfortable hanging out even if it’s just over a cup of coffee.”

The “grab and go” zone will feature tall counters with bar stools for customers who eat alone; plasma TVs will offer them news and weather reports. And in the “flexible” zone, families will have booths featuring fabric cushions with colorful patterns and flexible seating. The new design allows different music to be targeted to each zone.

It has not been said if the proposed McDonald’s on Grand has all the new elements described above. Even if it does, it won’t compensate for what we see on the outside: excessive parking, noisy drive-thru lane, glaring parking lot lights and continual litter problems. It is understandable that residents adjacent to the proposed site don’t want a McDonald’s as a neighbor.

Some have asked what the big deal is, that it is just moving across the street. Is it really that simple? Of course not. Those who think this is such a great idea most likely don’t live backed up to a drive-thru. The real issue is this section of Grand has been wounded for decades with such establishments. We are now at a make or break point of continuing down that suburban path or re-urbanizing the street. McDonald’s has been around for a while so I can see allowing them to rebuild on their current site but I see no reason for us to allow them to relocate to a different site. If forced to, McDonald’s can make the current site work by adding a retaining wall.

The next Gravois Park Neighborhood Association meeting will be tomorrow, Tuesday May 9, 2006 at 6pm. The meeting is held at the St. Matthew United Church of Christ, 2613 Potomac St. at Jefferson Avenue (map). Look for lively discussion of the McDonald’s issue.

– Steve

Old North House Tour & Bike Ride on May 13th

This coming Saturday, May 13, 2006, will be a busy one in Old North St. Louis.

Join us for the Old North St. Louis 2006 House and Community Tour. On May 13, ten of these homes, community gardens, and the old Municipal Bath House #6 will be open to the public from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Named one of the city’s “Best Places to Live” in the “up-and-coming” category by St. Louis Magazine and a “new Mecca for home renovators” by the Post-Dispatch, Old North St. Louis is a warm, diverse community full of neighborhood gardens, beautiful, historic buildings, and new, historically sensitive homes.
More Info

But why not get in a bike ride of the area before the house tour? Conveniently enough, such a ride is planned from 9:00 a.m to 11:00 a.m.

The St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation in conjunction with the Old North St. Louis House Tour is sponsoring an Old North Bicycle Tour. Ride leisurely as your tour guide leads you through largely forgotten and hidden architectural gems in Old North St. Louis. Nearly all of these beautiful homes, churches, schools and businesses were built in the 1800s in architectural styles not seen anywhere else in St. Louis. We will include brief stops at some of the more historically worthy buildings, providing the rider with a bit of history and appreciation of the area’s character. Tour participants should meet at the old Laclede Power Building parking lot at the Riverfront Trail’s south end at the corners of Lenor K. Sullivan and Biddle streets (map). A nominal fee for non- Bike Fed members will apply. Flyer

Having lived in Old North for a few years in the early 90s, and a frequent visitor since then, I can tell you this area has long been overlooked. But, that is quickly changing as people realize how close you can live to downtown and still have a yard. Remaining homes are getting rehabbed, new homes are being built and plans are underway to improve the commercial district near the famous Crown Candy Kitchen. The warehouse district along Broadway between Old North & the Mississippi is also receiving renewed attention.

Get to Old North on Saturday and witness the transformation that is taking place.

– Steve

7th Annual Big BIG Tour This Sunday

This Sunday marks the seventh year of the city-wide REALTOR®open house known as the Big BIG Tour. The event, sponsored by ReVitalize St. Louis, gets better and better every year.

This will mark the first year that I’ve had a listing on the tour, and what a listing it is!

If you are looking for the very definition of “loft” this place is it; big, open, brick walls & wood floors, exposed ducts, and tall ceilings. It is just under 4,000sf and thanks to the open floor plan it looks every bit of it. See the full listing here.

This loft, like all the properties on the tour, will be open from 1pm to 4pm.

The event actually kicks off at noon on Sunday at the Central Reform Congregation, 5020 Waterman at Kingshighway, where you can get a list of the over 100 properties that will be open. For more detail visit bigbigtour.org

[UPDATE 5/5/06 @ 7am – I’m told this year they’ve surpassed all prior years by a big margin with over 250 properties open on Sunday!!! Also, in addition to properties listed with agents the tour includes FSBOs (For Sale by Owner) as well.]

– Steve

Surviving I-64 Reconstruction

Yesterday I attended a luncheon organized by the Downtown St. Louis Partnership. Not one of my favorite organizations but the topic and speakers looked interesting so I forked over the $35 fee.

The topic was I-64 Reconstruction: Getting Prepared. Guests were Marc Cutler, a Senior VP with Cambridge Systematics and Rick Dimino, President of Boston’s Artery Business Committee. Both were brought in to help advise our region on how to get us through the reconstruction of I-64. Their experience: The Big Dig.

They are part of a team looking at ways to address traffic during the construction process. This includes looking at traffic along the construction route, north-south crossings over the construction zone, and other arterial roads that will handle much of the normal traffic.

Other topics briefly discussed were ways the public deals with construction. This was basically three shifts in behavior: time shifting, mode shifting or destination shifting.

With time shifting the idea would be adjust work schedules so that not everyone is commuting at the same times of the day. With mode shifting the idea is to get commuters out of the car and into transit or cycling. Destination shifting is something we’ll hopefully minimize as we don’t want people avoiding destinations. However, minimizing trips can be a good thing.

Working to keep bus service going will be a major challenge as 17 bus lines either use the highway or cross the highway. As the speakers pointed out, the last thing you want to do during a major highway reconstruction project is reduce transit service.

I spoke with Rick Dimino following the meeting and he indicated he was surprised that we were not including transit along I-64 as part of the reconstruction. He also acknowledged how at the end of Boston’s Big Dig they are going to be able to weave the city back together after being severed by their 1950’s highway. A goal that will not be accomplished by our project.

I really enjoyed talking with Dimino as I think he really gets urbanity. He said early designs for the original Boston highway avoided the center of town. Had the original designs been followed the highway would have been built elsewhere and they never would have had The Big Dig project.

The consultant team is expected to have detailed findings by May 16th and a technical report in June.

I’m still not convinced we need to rebuild I-64. I like the idea of looking at how our existing streets can be better utilized by traffic and how mass transit can play a bigger role in our future. While I am very supportive of the route chosen for the Cross-County MetroLink that is set to open later this year, I do think setting aside a right-of-way along I-64 from the new line out West would be very wise. Sadly, we are going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars and not give ourselves that option.

– Steve