There was some discussion on this blog last month about the overall driver/biker viewpoint-rift that exists which is demonstrated specifically in the comments section of the Courant. We also talk a lot about the need for better bicycle infrastructure around this region as well as more education for rude drivers and noob cyclists. I found this post about bike education over at Bike Commute Tips Blog to fit in pretty well with some of the topics that were raised here and on the Courant discussion forums (minus the ignorant haters).
That blog, run by a dude named Paul Dorn, is a pretty excellent site that's worth a read if you're into community bicycle advocacy. Paul does a really good job at aggregating stories from newspapers around the country (he's picked up Hartford Courant articles often) that pertain to urban commuting, infrastructure, and advocacy, without including every little "Area Man bikes to work" article. He also makes insightful and forward-thinking commentary on each.
Anyway, as far as education goes, it's pretty difficult to get the bicyclists who really need it any type of bicycle education. All that can be done on our level is to continue shouting at people riding on the wrong side of the road and publicize the CCBA and classes such as the ones at REI. Including more bicycle awareness education for DOT drivers licensing tests is an option that probably won't get looked at very seriously.
For my part, before I started commuting by bike every day, I got my hands on a copy of Bicycling Street Smarts by John S. Allen and read it. Just doing that, I became much more confident about my role and responsibilities are as well as more aware of common hazards and dangerous situations that I would encounter. It's brief and basic, and I recommend it to anyone who is either starting out commuting or feels hesitant about biking around the streets of greater Hartford.
http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/usa/index.htm
I checked out the book you cite. Lots of illustrated diagrams! Can we incorporate the "echelon crosswind" formation in the next critical mass?
ReplyDelete"Echelon Crosswind" is going to be my DJ name when I start hosting raves.
ReplyDeleteI think we can only use the echelon crosswind if we are alloted an entire highway.
ReplyDeleteHow can that paceline even work? As you rotate to the back, you have to ride in front of everyone. I'm thoroughly confused.
oooo...the echelon crosswind could be just the beginning! We could start a traveling troupe of precision drill cyclists. Increasingly difficult patterns and moves. We could spell things like a marching band does.
ReplyDeleteI don't usually yell at bicyclists. It is like yelling at motorists to put on a seat belt. But the other day I did. A friend was cruising down a sidewalk in a low traffic area. It was someone who knew better and I must admit it didn't make any sense. So I yelled, what are you doing on the sidewalk? He yelled back, riding.
ReplyDeleteSigh
maybe right before you yelled at him, he got yelled at to get on the sidewalk. I mean, there must be someone out there who complies with that request
ReplyDeleteI'll be sure to check out the Allen book you recommended. In the same vein, I think you'd enjoy "The Art of Cycling: A Guide to Bicycling in 21st-Century America by Robert Hurst.
ReplyDeleteI reviewed it here (scroll down the post):
http://suitcaseofcourage.typepad.com/the_suitcase_of_courage/2007/03/bike_blingnew_d.html