Beat Bike Bloggers in the News

A couple of weeks ago Brendan made the national news cycle when he went through the hoops associated with the Affordable Care Act, tweeted about it, got quoted in the Courant and then I guess Rush Limbaugh griped about it.  Crummy poor students getting health insurance.  That and now everyone knows that there is a fiscally conservative Brendan doppelganger exactly the same age in Hartford.  I would posit that Brendan L. Mahoney is a more than upstanding Hartford resident that very much betters his community, and that Rush Limbaugh is a bag of hot air - but I don't think I'd be arguing with anyone.

One of my favorite headstones in the Old North Cemetery.

This week I managed to get honorable mention in the Courant as a Hartfordite with a reputation for doing stuff that Colin McEnroe finds exciting.  Occasionally I organize things, and like to volunteer at events and such.  Otherwise I make sure my friends know about the almost overwhelming abundance of fun events in Hartford, although Real Hartford does a better job of this.  All of these things are second nature.  I'm glad that Hartford is getting more residents that find civic engagement and creation of local events to be part of their day-to-day.   I expect that my standing out enough to get mentioned in an editorial will happen less often as the rising tide of even more interesting and productive people keep Hartford hopping.

For example, there are two Hartford based movie events this Friday.  Movies that were created in Hartford, filmed in Hartford, and now screened for the first time in Hartford.   Both on Friday night.  Serious event gravity.   A couple good friends put together "No One Wants to be the River", which is a short film that is based on the beautifully complex "Toward Union Lines" sculpture along the riverfront.  The short is the start of a planned series called "Hartford River Dreams", and will be screened at the Carriage House Theater at 7:30PM.  The other movie is feature length "Diamond Ruff" that is being shown at 6:30PM at the Bushnell Center.  I'm tempted to try and attend both, but I don't think it will work out.

So get out there folks and do the local stuff.  Organize your own local stuff.  Tell your friends, co-workers, and acquaintances about all the amazing local stuff.  Basically do your part to make Hartford awesome.  It doesn't take much, and you might even get honorable mention.

Anybody else got some local stuff they want to tell me about?  Or want to scheme on something upcoming.

FYI - Don't forget IceBike to Work at Maddies this Thursday, October 31st, in East Hartford from 7-8AM.  You can get there earlier or later, we don't care.  It's totally informal.

Keney Memorial Clock tower in Hartford's Northend

The two photos are from a stroll through Hartford's Northend.  Beautiful day for a walk.  I don't bike everywhere.  And you get to notice details like the ironwork on the gate when you're ambling along the sidewalk.


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Reflect on This

American exceptionalism and auto-centric culture go hand-in-hand. These foolhardy beliefs make me want to get back to investigating handlebar-mounted weaponry. Maybe a bayonet?

A local teenager was recently struck and killed while riding his bicycle. For possibly the first time ever, the newspaper had the decency to not delve into the blame game, leaving any mention of helmets, reflectors, or distracted driving out of the article. They even used this as another reason to support better treatment of pedestrians and cyclists. Fucking unheard of! And the first comment on that editorial?

I totally agree however even though stated, more emphasis must be put on bikers. I leave the house in the dark every morning. On my way I pass people on bikes with no rear (maybe no front) lights, dark clothing and maybe a reflective stripe on their shoes. This is on country roads that aren't that wide and curve around. Often you see them very late and although not difficult to avoid a moment of distraction and it would be tragic. They may have the right to use the road, but they also must use it safely.

I see dark cars with tinted windows often driving with no lights on. Sometimes the annoyingly loud music is the only indication that a car is nearby. Those with hearing impairments would be at total loss. Typically, because such motor vehicle operators can not be bothered to either fix or turn on their lights, they also can not be bothered to stop at intersections or pay attention to others on the road.

All of this is to say, what the hell is your point? Most suburban and rural cyclists make themselves visible from outerspace with neon racing gear, reflectors, and lights. Urban cyclists are a more diverse lot, but even people who are more difficult to see are not invisible. If one is driving his vehicle with headlights on, he should be able to observe people, animals, and other objects that might also be on the street. I drove rural Connecticut for years and never hit anything while I was driving the speed limit. I mention this because I killed an opossum and the guilt with haunt me for as long as I can remember it locking eyes with me that split second before I crushed its head with my tires. I was going well over the speed limit on a winding country road. If I had been driving more slowly, I would have had the ability to miss the creature. Every time other animals -- squirrels, dogs, cats, raccoons, deer, chipmunks, and one emu -- darted in front of me, I was able to avoid contact. I could be wrong, but not one of those bastards was equipped with reflector vests or lights. Read more!

The raggies

I wanted to read about President Obama's budget this morning in the Hartford Courant, but it was on pages A3 & A9. I hate turning pages, so I skipped that. What was on the front page? Even more important news: The Rip Torn saga brewing in Salisbury! As a cyclist, lover of Salisbury and its mountains and daily reader of Bike Snob NYC, there's a strange kismet to all this.

1. I like to ride my bike and hike up Salisbury's hills.
2. Rip Torn likes to hang out around Salisbury and perpetrate bizarre drunken crimes.
3. Rip Torn is linked to cycling because BSNYC has taken to using the RT mug shot when approving of things.

So, I have concluded that Rip Torn is the world's most famous raggie.

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The congestion that wasn't

If you live around Hartford or in it, you may have heard about the Get Motivated! seminar at the Civic Center today. Joe Montana, Laura Bush, Colin Powell, Rudy Giuliani and some other people came and it only cost $5. It was supposed to cause Hartford to grind to a halt with traffic never before seen in our City. Mike McGarry was very worried about it and started telling me about the terrible problems impending weeks ago. My political leanings aside, I couldn't figure out why people thought there were going to be hordes taking the day off to come to this.

It seemed that the hordes didn't come. I took a detour down Trumbull on my way to work and couldn't find any hordes or even any more traffic than usual. Rick Green concurred. However, I have to admit that I'm pleasantly surprised that bicycles are billed as the best alternative transportation by Mr. Green and others (like the DOT! in fact their map is pretty good). None the less, I didn't see anyone extra people riding their bikes today.

Actually, additional conversations have suggested that if you entered Hartford from the west or north, it was slightly more difficult than usual. Read more!

Two news items about getting around

I saw a guy walking down the street today having this problem.

Over at urban compass, Robert Cotto writes about that New Haven to Springfield commuter train.

The Courant wrote about the short lived Asylum Ave bike lane. At least Kevin Burnham tried.

It's nasty outside today. Read more!

Area newspaper thinks that City-Promoting Event promoted the city well

There's an editorial in the Hartford Courant today about the 2008 Hartford Bike Tour that summed up the general feeling about the event thusly:

As one rider put it, "Wow!" The effect was stunning. If you see the city only from the highway, you are missing something. Hartford has well-documented difficulties, problems that need urgent attention. But to see the great city parks, the historic buildings, the new homes where dank housing projects used to be and the new schools is to realize that there is much here to fight for.

I wonder how they got their quote ("Wow!") from this "one rider" person? That's one hard-hitting interview and quite the display of journalism. They didn't even plug the Beat Bike Blog despite the fact that "one rider" was handing out handfuls of BBB stickers in his (or her) orange vest. Or so I would like to think...

And hey, in the comments so far, there's only one reference to bullet-proof vests!

No read more! Read more!