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I'm hoping (and perhaps I am far too optimistic), that self-driving cars will both reduce driving and reduce car ownership. If people don't have to actually walk to a car, and don't have to pay the full price of a car, and can have a car network simply direct a car to drive to their exact location. I want to think that most people will find that more convenient and cost-effective than car ownership.
Of course, if you call me naive, I'll admit that I probably am.
As much as I like the idea of getting unsafe drivers off the road, this is simply an instance of punishing a poor family for being poor in a city that refuses to provide viable mass transit.
It delights me that this exists. I'll need to get my girlfriends out there, especially since one of them just started riding.
Not to mention the physics of it. A couple of years ago I worked out what the kinetic energy would be for me blowing through a red light at a race-to-the-bike-dismount line down-on-the-aerobars sprint. I compared it to the kinetic energy involved when a large SUV rolls through a stop light (as so many divers do everyday while talking on their smart phones and being distracted by their fat lazy and over indulged spawn in the back seat).
Yeah, right. Cyclists are the problem.
I've done similar cynical calculations comparing bullets to SUVs. The results are equally... illuminating.
....and the police state just keeps a commin'.
There is no reasonable comparison between a law that requires that people handling dangerous machinery in public give that machinery their full attention... and warrantless wiretaps or unprovoked police beatdowns.
Passed today, unanimously: http://www.statesman.com/news/news/hand … ng-/nhBY6/
TL;DR: goes into effect in January, allows the use of hands-free devices, allows the use of a device while completely stopped, and applies to drivers and cyclists alike. Finally.
It's human nature (though it seems there's a wide range of just how much self-justification people are willing to express). This a.m. when I stopped for a red, northbound on Congress Ave., two cyclists coming up from behind me decided they'd turn left via the cross walk to get onto the sidewalk on the south side of the cross street. Right across the path of someone turning right, after she had properly stopped and signaled and then moved on, to go south on Congress. The two cyclists yelled as if the motorist was somehow in the wrong. Homicidal? No. Suicidal? No. Horrible judgment and situational awareness? Yes, on the part of the cyclists. The driver being surprised and alarmed at riders actually doing something foolish was only to be expected.
I hate (another part of human nature) how when I'm out dealing with people in the normal world... these are the only cyclists they remember. They never remember cyclists like me who keep strictly to the law and to safety and who avoid some of the more dangerous stuff. I try to counter their stories, but simply can't, nor can I chop out of my life everyone who talks this way.
Given the recent incident on 620 and the (nearly reflexive) assumption that the driver was at fault, I have a riddle for you.
I am driving in the right lane. There is a very wide shoulder on my right and it is a known bike route. I need to turn right. Do I...
a) turn right across the shoulder?
b) signal, merge into the shoulder, and turn right?
Set aside the laws for a moment and just think about raw safety. Or think about it this way.
I am driving. There is a lane on my right. I need to turn right. Do I...
a) turn right across a lane of traffic?
b) signal, merge into the lane of traffic, and turn right?
As a cyclist, I *WANT* the drivers to move into my lane in order to make a turn. Merge as they would any other traffic. Maybe behind me, maybe in front of me if they're far enough up. I find it immensely safer to have their intentions telegraphed so obviously. And, I think they behave more predictably when the rule there is the same as the rule they're hopefully already practicing when they move from the middle lane to the right lane.
Does anyone want to point out, in the KXAN comments, to Bryan Wheeler (currently at the end) that he doesn't actually know the traffic code? Or is that just feeding the troll?
Update: scratch that. Somebody else already did. Though without quoting chapter and verse.
Drunk driver Wade Atwood (40) killed pedestrian Wayne Noel (32) of @ATXHipsters on 4/26/14.
http://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/ne … ayne-noel/
I'm starting to think Austin should change its slogan to "Drunk Driving Capital of the World".
(Okay, I looked it up, and we're actually #9 in the list of drunk driving cities. Not the worst, but still pretty pathetic.)
Being in the top 1000 is shameful.
"... the second drunk driver who came crashing through the crime scene a few hours later."
Have any of you been on HWY 290 west of Dripping Springs? Would biking out there be safe or enjoyable? I did a quick check on Google Streetview and was surprised to see shoulders, which I don't recall on the other parts of 290 that I've visited.
I'm debating between biking and driving to an event tomorrow. I can get safely to the 290/12 intersection in Dripping Springs safely, and my destination is only four-ish miles west of that.
I like how they were arguing over which method of measurement gives a more accurate view... of bikes not causing cogestion.
I once saw one of those traffic counters set up just for the bike lane. I think it was a couple years ago in preparation for the Bluebonnet cycletrack. Maybe cities should set up these specific counters, too, so they can get a feel for increased throughput as a result of those much-maligned bikers not getting into traffic.
I'm on my way to Oregon. Follow me there? Likely I'm going to land in the Eugene/Springfield area. Admittedly, things like jobs and changing schools could make that almost as difficult as a European country.
http://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/ne … red-river/
Another. Drunk. Driver.
I used to live there and biked the same thing. This is the route that I used:
About 8.5 miles, and Brodie is about the only busy street you're on. Brodie has had good bike lanes for a couple of years, and is otherwise abnormally wide. Taking Lamar directly instead of the Bouldin Creek neighborhood cuts off about one mile.
Nothing ironic about it. Some times it is just time to admit defeat. Four such encounters in two weeks, especially with two of them appearing deliberate, counts to me as such a time.
I'm rather tired of hearing about all of the "bad cyclist" stories. I want to start hearing about the good cyclists. But, of course, that's not the story your wife is going to tell. And so I, a cyclist who carefully obeys all laws *AND* keeps myself safe, keeping my bike well lit at night, get to constantly hear people regaling me with stories about how irresponsible cyclists are and how they need to be held to the same standards as drivers.
I cycled three or four days a week. An 11 mile commute each way. Last time I saw a cyclist do something both stupid and illegal was about two years ago. I had a flat and couldn't chase him down to yell at him (because *WOW* what he did was stupid). I *daily* saw drivers doing things stupid and illegal. Running red lights (one such driver came within inches of killing me), running stop signs, passing me in low speed no passing zones (I saw a lot of very near misses on head-on collisions), texting while driving, even speeding in school zones (I know that when I'm driving at or under the speed limit in a school zone and getting passed). Yet *I* am the one told I have unresolved emotional issues when I speak about it.
This antagonism goes on because We Never Hear The End Of It.
I've not heard of Darden Hill and will make a point of finding it. Mt Gaynor, however, is really wonderful and I'm going to get my bike out there next week some time. It's also popular enough on weekends that if you get into mechanical trouble, help will probably be by within twenty minutes or so. :-)
FM3237 is a no go, at least for a lone cyclist.
I've been out here for a while now. I did one single ride of a mere 8km on FM3237/Old Kyle Freeway. I got some great speed going, and it was the middle of the day so I had minimal traffic. But, even with the mirrors to watch traffic from behind, it was still nerve wrecking. I huddled close to the side of the road, ready to ditch in an instant. And I wasn't even dealing with some of the hills between my house and Wimberley. I was on relatively flat ground for that ride.
However, I can use a very short stretch of FM3237 to get to Lone Man Mountain Road, which is *very* nice. A 35 mph speed limit and almost no traffic at all. Sadly, it connects only over to HW 12. I've not taken much of a peek at HW 12 yet. I know that the area of HW 12 that goes through Wimberley is pretty bikeable (actually, most of Wimberley feels pretty bikeable, and bikes feel like the *perfect* way to tour the city). But this connection is a couple of km north of Wimberley. Also, there's going to be a brutal uphill to get to it. I'll check it out soon.
Okay, so my wife just got killed by a non-yielding driver, so we took the opportunity to test the reporting mechanism.
Umm... wait... Your wife just got killed? Do you mean this literally or are you setting up a hypothetical? The rest of the post doesn't match up in tone with the gravity of that event, and I have trouble understanding why *I* would be the first person to notice.
Please clarify?
I'll be living off of FM3237, hence my emphasis on that. Every road for my neighborhood connects to there.
I'll also not be commuting every day since during the time that I'm out there I'll be on sabbatical. Certainly not commuting to Austin. It's just that my habit, even for leisure rides, is to go out, grab the bike, and go. I could change my habit so that it involves loading the bike into my car and going to a better destination (I'm rather fond of the Mt. Gainor Road loop), but I'm less likely to do that on my own.
That said, I would *hate* to bike on 290, Hamilton Pool Road (I hear constant rants from my overprivileged and out of shape family members about bikers on that road), or highway 12.
Hence, my questions.
So, I'm moving out past Driftwood. It's a done deal and I've already gotten some of my stuff out there. On the trips out, I've been scoping out the highways and getting kinda a good feeling about biking on them.
First, I always remember how courteous the drivers were on FM 969 when I biked from Austin to Bastrop. No honking, no aggressiveness, they just moved into the other lane and passed me.
So, I'm interested in your opinions of these freeways if you've biked them before:
* FM3237 / Old Kyle Freeway between Wimberley and Kyle -- 60mph speed limit, minimal shoulders, but the stretch I've driven had very good visibility and not a whole lot of traffic. I would guess one car every 30 seconds to every five minutes.
* FM150 from FM1826 to the Old Kyle Freeway -- a couple of brutal hills, but otherwise I get the same impression about this that I do about the Old Kyle Freeway
* FM1826 -- this doesn't feel as good to me, but for no tangible reason. The strange thing, though, is that at the FM1826 / 45 intersection, there are dedicated bike lanes to facilitate getting from 45 into a left turn onto 1826. This makes no sense to me since 45 has a 70mph speed limit, no shoulder, and no bike lane.
I've not had the chance to get the bike out onto any of this yet. I imagine that most of what I would bike would be FM3237 from FM150 to Wimberley, possibly from FM150 to Kyle, and *maybe* using 150 + 1826 + 45 to get back up into Austin on occasion. Google Maps shows the best route to Austin being FM3237 all the way to Kyle, then Jack C. Hayes Trail up to the Old San Antonio Road.
I know that the people who bike across country can't be too picky about their bike facilities, so this has got to be somewhat safe, but what do you guys think?
$1000? Good luck!
Took me a month to find a buyer for my Bike-E, and it finally went for $225. Granted, this is likely a better bike, but not four times better.
Not sure if the recumbent market in Austin is tiny compared to upright bicycles or what, but when I've sold upright bikes I've had all sorts of interest. I've now sold two recumbents and had a hard time with it (the other was similar to yours, but not in as good of shape and didn't have a special frame, and I got $100 for it. Which is what I paid for it, so I wasn't too unhappy with that.)
Well, maybe it is unreasonable. And maybe the Austin market is just too small. But if you went out for something new at the shop, for this price you'll get a bike at least ten pounds heavier.
I may be forced to drop the price as time passes, the amount of space I have drops, and I start facing the possibility of needing a storage unit.
I'm gonna bomb you with a lot of information. Safety first.
But remember that you want to HAVE FUN! But safety first. Well, and adjusting the bike so it does not annoy you.
The bike you're looking at will probably be fine after a fitting and tune-up. But I really doubt that it will be particularly rideable at just $100.
I'd honestly take the bike in for a size fitting. That will cost, but I don't know how much. If the guys at the shop can't make it fit you right, you can resell it without spending too much. After that, the tune-up which could cost from $80 to $200. It will probably involve replacing tires and tubes, maybe the chain and brake pads, maybe some cable housings. The shop should give you a quote. Once you've done that, I'd recommend just some reading, some classes, one or two pieces of gear, and then going out to have a lot of fun.
So, technical stuff now:
One piece of gear: a mirror. I'll suggest three different ones, and you pick one favorite (because even I feel that two would be excessive). This one thing builds your confidence and helps out with your safety simply by letting you know what traffic coming up behind you is doing.
* Something mounted on your handlebars, though this probably won't work with that bike.
* Something mounted on your helmet. I recently fell in love with this one: http://safezonemirror.com/
* Something mounted on your glasses. I used this one for years before finding the safe-zone mirror: http://www.rei.com/product/752285/bike- … ook-mirror
For riding around, I'm not sure the culture in Round Rock and Pflugerville, but North Austin you can legally ride on the roads without a license. *BUT* if you are on the road you are required to follow all of the laws of a motor vehicle with a few deviations. That means stopping at red lights, going with traffic, having proper lights on the bike if you're out at night. I don't recall where they are, but I'm pretty sure they've been posted here in the forums, or that somebody else will. In addition to being legal requirements, this also makes you much more predictable on the road which improves your safety immensely. Also, for safety, reflectors are really insufficient.
Ask about the Road Skills class at Bicycle Sports Shop. It is probably a much easier way of learning than my method of read-trial-error-try-not-to-die.
AND HAVE FUN! Get out for a bunch of daytime rides, starting in your neighborhood and branching out to lightly travelled low-speed streets until you get familiar with the bike and with negotiating traffic. Or some of the morning low-speed social rides!
And then you could just slowly go crazy with the modifications and gear and realize that it turns into an addiction and then very suddenly you're shelling out $3k for an all-carbon-fiber... *ahem*.
I posted this on Craigslist and am now posting here to boost the signal amongst people who are more likely to be looking for this style of bike.
I've decided to sell my first ever recumbent bicycle, primarily in preparation for moving into a smaller space, but also because I've ridden this very little since getting a a short wheelbase some time back. All of the details are on Craigslist, but I'll repost a couple of them here:
7 ft long
all aluminum frame
entire frame is coated in reflective tape
SRAM x-7 derailleur and gripshift
Avid cantilevered brakes
crank: 170mm
back tire: ISO 32-622 (traditional 700c road bike tire)
front tire: ISO 28-451
chainring: 31/42/52
cassette: 11/13/15/17/20/23/26/30/34
Brand new chain. Chainring, cassette, and brakes are all in good condition. Shifting is super-smooth.
If you are interested or know somebody who is, please let me know.
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