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Car-Free
World |
December 24, 2002 |
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Contributors: Barry Stephens Editor: Michael Bluejay |
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. Car-Free World, a publication of
BicycleAustin.info,
covers alternative transportation, especially bicycling.
We're not opposed to
cars, we're opposed
to the car
culture. CFW is published
sporadically, and may be discontinued at any time without
notice. We currently have over 600 subscribers. Here are
links to subscribe
or unsubscribe. Articles are by the editor if uncredited.
Articles by others may have been edited for grammar,
clarity, conciseness, superstition, or just for the hell of
it.
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Wouldn't you know it, one of the only times the site has gone down in seven years was right after I sent out the last newsletter with a bunch of links into the site. In case you couldn't access the Why No Justice? article you can access it now. back
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We lose on Shoal Creek It's legal for cars to park in most bike lanes in Austin. Around 1998, city planners started the process of quietly banning parking in bike lanes on various roads around town, one street at a time. In July 2000, the City unveiled a plan to ban parking in the bike lanes on Shoal Creek, by having parking on only one side of the street, and wide, car-free bike lanes on both sides. Is it any surprise that that didn't happen? Two and a half years later, after the plan went through several major revisions, we're not getting real car-free bike lanes on Shoal Creek after all. We DO get some space on each side of the road (there's a 10-foot wide space, and we can use whatever's leftover after cars park), though it won't be signed as a bike lane, it won't be striped to separate it from parking, and the amount of roadspace we get isn't NEARLY as much as we would have had in the original plan. All so that cars can continue to have unlimited parking on BOTH sides of the street. In Austin, it seems that unlimited parking for cars always comes first. When this process first started, bicycle activist Mike Dahmus objected to the idea of getting the neighborhood to approve the plan, saying that the neighbors shouldn't have veto power over public roadspace. Nearly three years later, seeing the end result, it looks like he was right. And it doesn't end there. As Dahmus recently pointed out: "And, by the way, the decision to screw us on Shoal Creek was applied as a precedent to the decision to screw us on Bull Creek." There's more to the story, of course. (more to the story)
Two years ago UT Professor William Gardiner died while bicycling downtown, presumably because he crashed after hitting one of those big temporary metal grates in the road that accompanies roadway construction. The news now is that Gardiner's family is suing the construction company, Tri Dal Excavation and Utilities. (more)
ABSTRACT: Last month I began riding a bicycle regularly for exercise. I ride mainly at night and in the early morning when there are fewer cars on the streets. I was getting frustrated with traffic signals not changing for my bicycle so I made some attempts to solve this problem. First I found out everything I could about traffic sensors, and found how best to position my bike to trigger the sensor. I also experimented by mounting magnets to my bike, and tested them at 43 Austin intersections. During the testing I tried very hard to get the traffic signals here in Austin to trigger, but found that they would only change for a bicycle about two thirds of the time. This means that if you are riding a bicycle in Austin, one out of every three traffic signal sensors will not change the light green for you. (see article, with pictures)
The first candidate to throw his hat in the ring for the mayor's contest is former City Councilmember (and former mayoral candidate) Max Nofziger. Nofziger is widely perceived to be a bicycle supporter (he appeared in the local documentary Bike Like U Mean It and he does in fact ride a bicycle), but we're not convinced. With three terms on the City Council he had ample opportunity to do something -- anything -- for cyclists, but didn't. (Unless you count the Veloway, a racing loop for competitive cyclists on the outskirts of town which is useless for anyone actually trying to get around Austin by bike.) He's also a vehement critic of light rail, which most cyclists seem to support. This will be an interesting race to keep an eye on.
Two years ago the Austin Bike Summit was attended by over 70 bicycle advocates, neighborhood representatives, parks and trail supporters. Now it's happening again for 2003, probably February or March. Contact to get in on the planning. back
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GetOutOfTheBikeLane.com The name of the site says it all. A Toronto cyclist is publishing photos of vehicles parked in the bike lane on his website. (visit the site)
An Ottowa cyclist moved all his belongings across town, including the furniture, entirely by bicycle. (I did this myself a few years ago, but neglected to take pictures.) See the photos on his website. back
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SUV's get tax deductions by Danny Hakim, New York Times DETROIT, Dec. 19 - Dr. Tedd March and his partners know a good deal when they see it. He and his fellow internists who share a practice are taking advantage of an odd confluence of tax breaks to buy giant sport utility vehicles, with a healthy subsidy from Uncle Sam. "I have one partner who just did it with a Suburban," said Dr. March, a 42-year-old physician in Monroe, Mich., about 30 miles south of Detroit. He said he planned to buy a Lincoln Navigator next month, "and I have a third partner who's going to buy one the year after." The tax deductions - a combination of longstanding provisions in the tax code and breaks instituted after the 2001 terror attacks to spur the economy - are available only to small-business owners and the self-employed. ... All together, an eligible buyer of a 2003 Hummer H2 could deduct $34,912 of the $48,800 base price in the vehicle's first year of service, according to tax rules. (more)
America Bikes, a national advocacy group lobbying for safer streets, is asking cyclists to submit haikus telling Congress why they should fund safe roadways. (visit America Bikes). We feel obligated to point out that these aren't actually haikus, but in fact senryus.
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