Mini-Rants

Here is a collection of my opinions on various subjects. Each topic was small enough that it didn't deserve it's own page, so they're all lumped together here.

Traffic

I believe in riding in traffic with the flow of vehicles. I think that in most urban areas, this is safer than riding on the sidewalk. Preferably, you can find a route that parallels the main arterials. I find that I can usually keep up with cars, especially around Northgate (with all its traffic lights). It was intimidating at first, being a small bicyclist in between these monstrous cars. However, once I got used to being around cars it was easy.

In thick traffic, I suggest that you signal: Make it obvious where you want to go or what your intentions are. Move over ahead of time. Is the lane you're in changing to a right-turn only, but you want to go straight? Move over--the sooner the better. Start looking for an opening 15-20 seconds before you reach the intersection. Not only does this put you in the correct position smoothly, it saves drivers from trying to guess where you're going.

Living Car-Free

I think there will always be a car in my life. I don't think it will get much usage, except for long trips, however. Right now, I occasionally use my car to drive to work (I usually bike). I also use a car for grocery shopping. I have built a trailer, but have yet to use it to shop via bike.

Some things you don't need a car for (if you're properly equipped):

  • Shopping
  • Visiting friends
  • Commuting to work
  • Going to a park or going on a picnic
  • Camping trip

Commuting

I often pass cars on my trip home from work, due to the bike lane and the many stop signs. Cars pass me for a brief moment, only to have me pass them later. There have been two or three times where I think my bike trip would have been faster than the same car trip, even though I only average around 11 mph (with stops).

Multi-modal transportation

Mixing transportation types in Seattle is not difficult, but it's usually not very effective. I've tried various combinations of bike/bus and none ever seem to work well. Perhaps car/bike would be the most effective, but that would defeat most of the purpose.

"Bicycle Capital of the Northwest"

Redmond has claimed the title "Bicycle Capital of the Northwest". This is probably due to the Marymoor Velodrome. I'm not sure who proclaimed it, but Redmond does have a sign at the entrance to the city which has that motto. Ironically, the sign is on a four-lane road with no shoulder and a speed limit of 45mph. Not the most "bicycle-friendly" road in the world. But then again, bicycles aren't really supposed to be on the road, are they? :)

Bike 520

Some people support allowing bicycles on SR-520. While I'm not opposed to this, I doubt it would get much use. There are some who cross the bridge via bus everyday, I'm sure, but the majority probably take I-90 or go around the North of Lake Washington.

Now, if SR-520 was remodeled, and a bike/pedestrian lane were added, then I think we would see a lot of bicyclists traveling across 520. The chances of that happening are slim, though.

Instead of adding a bike lane, many people want to widen 520 to a 6-lane highway, or add an additional freeway near the existing one. This is not going to reduce congestion at all. Think about it. Everyone hates to drive 520 because it's always clogged. Thousands of people take I-90 instead, even though it adds miles to their trips. If 520 gets another two lanes, all those people who have been diverting to I-90 will say "Hey, looks like I can drive across 520 faster" and they will take 520. End result: 520 becomes clogged again. Or, even better, more people commute across the lake because of the increased traffic flow. End result: 520 becomes clogged again.

So what's the solution? I don't know for sure. But, let's look at the problem first. The problem is - too many people want to go across the lake. Why?

  • Cheap gas makes the commute easy on the pocketbook, therefore, jobs across the lake are seen as reasonable
  • Auto-centric planning has made driving a long-distance easy, but any other transportation method difficult.

What can we do? I support adding a bus and bike/pedestrian lane to 520, or as a new, adjacent highway. This will make bus service across the lake reasonable, and will promote bicycling as a realistic mode of transport for lots of people.

Of course, removing the gasoline subsidy for automobiles--removing the government support of cheap gasoline and making petrol users pay for the true costs of operating an internal combustion machine--would be just fine by me. But I think that is a much more difficult task.

Helmets

There are pro-helmet people and pro-helmet-choice people all over the internet. I'm definitely a pro-choice type of person. Although I do wear a helmet at all times, I think people should get to choose. Once I read Charlie B's accident database, I was cured of any doubts about wearing a helmet. If you're on the fence, I suggest you read it too.

I don't think you should judge people for wearing or not wearing helmets. For some it could be a financial choice, for others it might be a matter of convenience. I respect that people don't always want a brain bucket strapped to their head, even though I wouldn't dream about leaving without mine.

Car Advertising

It's everywhere! Take an informal survey the next time you watch TV. Count how many car ads happen in just 15 minutes. Look at magazines and newspapers. Car-culture is everywhere.

The ads aren't really what disturb me--the message does. The car companies push "freedom" and lately the "ability to go anywhere" with a SUV. I think it is fair to say the car does give us freedom to roam throughout our great nation, but at the same time, it traps us inside and in traffic for many of our short trips.