Urban road realities

I am more sympathetic than most cyclists when it comes to obstructing bike lanes. Most cyclists oppose any and every time a bike lane is occupied by anything other than a bike. I get it. I mean, the bike lane is a designated lane of traffic, just like a bus lane or a carpool lane. It shouldn’t be violated, even if it opposes the whole “share the road” philosophy. At the same time, cars often need to stop to talk on the phone, make a quick stop, or deal with a hazard. There are many legit reasons a vehicle needs to stop, and urban bike lanes nearly always eliminate the option of a shoulder. Bike lanes also tend to be on smaller, residential roads with street parking. Cars turning into traffic don’t have good visibility and often need to nose into the bike lane to see. I get it. It’s OK.

There are exceptions, and Washington Driver BNY3804 is one of them. You see, BNY3804 opted to park on the north shoulder, when the south should has street parking. There is no excuse, except for a mechanical failure. I’m pretty sure BNY3804 just stopped for a delivery, because you see this sort of quick stopping with Amazon, Fedex, and UPS trucks all the time. Luckily this road had good visibility and I could safety bike around it.

When cars turn in no turn lanes

So this happened the other day. A car made a left hand turn in a no-turn lane. It wouldn’t be that big of a violation, except they turned into my path. Without signaling. Luckily, the Postal van in front of them made a left hand turn while signaling, so I was already on the alert, and already slowed down. However, I didn’t actually think the car would turn because it waited until the very last moment to turn its wheels. I’m not sure if the driver even noticed me. What you can’t tell from this video is how dangerous this is for a cyclist. Unlike cars, cyclists don’t have the braking power cars do in the rain. The wet road and sharp breaking caused my tires to skid and my rear will to kick up and swerve off of the ground. I am an experienced cyclist, so I new to hammer my brake levers with caution. A less experienced cyclist probably would have hammered hard on the brakes which would have sent the bike into an uncontrollable skid. Once the bike is skidding uncontrollably, the options would be to either hit the car or fall to the ground. Usually falling is the best option, but I wouldn’t recommend it downtown where drivers are looking at their phones and might not even notice something lower than their grill. I’d hate to be run over after nearly hitting a car and crashing my head on the concrete. I’m not sure what I could have done here, other than stop at the green light.

If the bike lane didn’t exist, I would have been biking in the farthest left lane, which had sharrows before this lane was made last summer. Because I would have been biking with traffic, I would have been behind these turning vehicles and not next to them. I would have been safe. It is not intuitive for a car to make a left hand turn on a green light and have another vehicle in the way. I don’t blame the drivers here. Downtown driving is confusing. There is a lot going on and the drivers have to notice one tiny “no turn” sign at the light level. THis is the first intersection with a “no turn” sign after several others. I might have easily done the same thing. I don’t blame the drivers for this hazard. I blame poor traffic planning and poor road design.

This is why I am a cyclist who tend to vote against the cycling safety “improvements” pushed by the city. I am 100% for protected cycling lanes, but Seattle hasn’t figured out what those are. Seattle’s “solutions” are inconsistent across the city. THe city depends entirely on painted roads, cones, and signs. Maybe urban planners can absorb more data in traffic than I can. I’d rather a simpler road structure with fewer colors and signs.

Cars in Bike Lanes edition 34

This video sort of speaks for itself. Cars regularly make u-turns in front of me. They swoop in and out, presumably without even noticing that I am there, crunching on my brake handles. I find it a little uncanny; rarely do I see cars making u turns in the distance. It seems they only do so right in front o me. Anyway, I’m sure that’s an awareness bias. This car dumbfounded me though. I assumed it was pulling into the driveway. It didn’t and it had tons of space in front of it. Why it was trying to back up (wher I was waiting for it), was beyond me.

Seattle Cyclist’s Solution for Being Seen

Bike commuting on dark and rainy morning, a car driver pulls over to tell me I'm doing it right! :D

“Fantastic Lights!” is the best compliment a driver can give a bike commuter. Someone gave me this very compliment the other day and I can’t be more proud. It took the research and efforts of myself and several others who care about my safety to come up with the perfect setup. It was no easy feat. But exactly what is my setup? Why did I pick them? A lot of people have been asking.

There are 8 elements to being seen in 3 different categories to make my total of 24 visibility features:

My jacket is SOOOO reflective

• Visibility from the front, rear, and both sides

  • I have lights, reflective features and colors exposed on all sides. This helps cars passing on my left, cars turning on the road from my right, oncoming cars that suddenly decide to make a u-turn (this happens more than you would think!), and cars coming up from behind have a better chance of seeing me.

• Reflectivity, lights, and bright colors

  • Reflective features pop when lights shine on them. They punch through rain and fog and are the simplest and brightest. Reflective features are great in that they are never too bright, but they only work when the person looking has a light. Since so many Seattle drivers drive without their lights on, night and day, these are insufficient. They also don’t do anything to help pedestrians see you. I have a fully reflective jacket, reflective features on my shoes, pant legs, gloves, and panniers.

  • Lights are visible night and day. I have a total of 72 LEDs on my bike. Lights can be so bright they are blinding, especially to pedestrians. They can also be positioned poorly so as to shine in someone’s face. I angle my lights to cast a shadow only about 4-6 feet to be sure I don’t blind anybody. My lights are all different levels of brightness. I can go from 50 lumens to 1000 lumens. I try to keep each light around 500 lumens but have several of them. 700 lumens is pretty bright when focused, so I only do this when needed, or if I need them to help see. Some of my lights are focused, and some are broad. I have all sorts of colors, too.

  • Seattle is particularly grey most of the year. It may be board daylight, but the outdoor color is dim and muted. Most active clothing, especially women’s active clothing, is black. Clothing manufacturers deal with this by adding reflective features, but again, they don’t do any good if headlights aren’t shining. Black clothing disappears into the background and is hard to see. I do what I can to be as colorful as possible. This helps offset the grey of Seattle.

• Static and dynamic features

  • I have steady lights and flashing lights. I avoid the flashing strobe when it’s dark because that can be quite disorienting. However, I have many lights that flash at various speeds and patterns. The movement pops when a driver looks. We are trained to identify fast moving things, like other cars, while we’re driving. If you glance at the road quickly, a bike moving 10 mph might look like it’s not moving at all. Flashing also penetrates longer distances, so you can be seen from farther away. I also have reflective features that are static, like my panniers and jacket. They add to my overall brightness. But I have reflective moving features, like my feet and hands, that add to the flashing lights. All this movement makes me easier to spot.

  My Setup

  But what exactly do I have, you ask? Here are my most asked about accessories, all listed out. I add links to the products where I could. Note that I’m just a commuter in Seattle trying to stay alive. I’m not selling anything, I don’t get any perks if you buy what I have, and I am not particularly recommending that you buy what I have. I just love my setup, and want to share it because so many people ask.

• Proviz Reflect 360 CRS Plus Jacket on me. This is the new jacket. Super fun! I haven’t been this excited about clothing in a while. It’s waterproof, warm, full of pockets, and bright as can be.

• Monkey Light on my front wheel. This is a series of LEDs that flash in a pattern. I have over 70 pre-set patterns to choose from. I feature a different pattern for each season and holiday, but my all-time favorite is dead fish (of course!). This has generated more conversation and has consistently been more fun than any other bike accessory ever! (Thanks Louise!)

• Cycliq Fly 12CE and Fly 6CE on my handlebar and rear rack. These lights are designed specifically as headlights and tail lights and include video cameras that were used to make the videos highlighted here. These have been the glitchiest and most unreliable, but also most complex and high-tech of bike gadgets.

• Cygolight Hotshot on my seat post. Just a simple, long-lasting tail light. This is the gold standard. You are bike a bike commuter if you don’t have a light like this! The battery lasts forever! (Thanks to…shoot, I can’t remember if it was Bryan or Louise! These two keep me safe!)

• Niterider Lumina on my handlebar. This is a solid headlight light that gives me exactly what I need. I’ve gone through 2 of these lights over the my many years commuting.The company’s customer service has been top notch. I could (and did) get by with just this light and a tail light all winter long (Thanks Bryan!)

via GIPHY

PSA: Cyclists might not be safe riding in the bike lanes! It's slippery leaf season!

I love fall leaves, they are a beautiful sign of the changing seasons. They are also terrifying for anyone on 2 wheels. A car pulled in front or me to turn ride on Greenwood avenue last night. I locked my brakes to avoid hitting them and skidded all the way out of the bike lane, into traffic. It had rained recently and wet leaves were under my tires. Wet leaves destroy traction and hide potholes, rocks, glass, and other hazards to cyclists. If you drive a car, please note that a cyclist might be riding in the road instead of the bike lane. Don't worry, that's legal in Washington state. Know that the Cyclist isn't trying to be an ass, the leaves are probably just too slick to ride on safely. Also note that braking distance is double what it is in dry weather, which may cause unpredictable behavior. Here's to hoping we all stay safe this fall and enjoy all the colors!!

Sharing the Road

Last night I had the pleasure of sharing the road with this particular cyclist. I’ve seen her riding downtown a few times. She carries a toddler-age boy in the back rack of her cargo bike. He sits on the platform, no belts or straps. She doesn’t ride ‘downtown fast’, but she rides with expert skill. She talks to him constantly, and they manage to have civil conversations among all the sounds of engines, horns, sirens, construction, buskers, etc. Some conversations I’ve overheard:

Cyclist: “Which way should we go, bud?”

Kid: “Dexter!”

C: “OK! Are you warm enough?”

K: “No I’m cold!”

C: “OK, let me get out your sweater. OK, put your arm through. I going to throw it at you if the light turns green. You’re going to have to hold onto it. Can you do that?”

K: “Yeah!”

C: “Other arm! Look we did it!”

K: “You are masterful!”

C: (giggles) “Aw, thank you!...Hold on! Here come the bumps!”

K: “Yay_y_y_y!”

C: “Did you get a drink? Is your tea still warm?”

K: “Got a drink, but it’s cold.”

C: “Wow, I’m surprised.”

K: “But it’s still tea!”

C: (chuckles) “That’s right! It’s still tea!”

It makes my day to listen to them having such a nice time. It’s also great to ride behind her, because the traffic parts like the red sea around her. Clearly no car wants to get anywhere near a bike holding a tiny bobbling helmet with little feet sticking out. Still, considering how terrified I am just trying to get myself home, I can’t imagine how she keeps so calm carrying such precious cargo.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

I earned all 8 tacos for Bike Everywhere Month in just 3 days! I set me goal next week for 12 tacos! Will I make it? Only taco will tell!

Tacos!

It's "Bike Everywhere Month" once again. Bike Month happens every May, and each time I feel bittersweet about it. This year I have a new goal. Tacos! Can I burn/earn 8 tacos in 1 week? I am new to the taco measurement system, so I am not sure what it takes. Needless to stay, I'm already 1.41 tacos down and it's the first day. Looking good!

Being a Tourist in Your Hometown

When I am looking for a pick-me-up, the easiest thing for me to do is pretend I am a tourist in my own home town. Oftentimes I find I am surrounded by amazing beauty, but the familiar pales behind the unusual. This week offered a rare tease of sunshine and blue sky, so I took the opportunity to take a long route home from work and enjoy some amazing scenery that I don't usually see.

Bike Thing Thursday: my rear bike light

Hotshot tail light earns a solid 4 bike score

This HOTSHOT USB Rechargeable 2 Watt light was a gift for me a few years ago. Since I commute in the dreary year-long gray of Seattle every day, strong lighting is key to my safety. This light does a great job. The battery lasts a long time for the moderate price of the light. It's USB-charged so the LEDs don't dim as time wears on. There are a variety of light options, but I find only a couple of them best to be easily seen without being annoying. Sometimes I accidentally change the light pattern when I am turning the light off, but it's easy to leave it at whatever pattern seems right.

I've been riding with it for years and the battery is still holding out. It is easy to remove for charging, but doesn't ever fall off the bike (yes, this has been a problem with other lights!).

The light has 2 flaws; it requires a micro-USB charge so it's not so convenient to charge out of the home. It also doesn't give me any warning that the battery is running low. I know it says it has a low batt indicator, but the light is behind me and to be honest I've never noticed it. I keep a cheaper light just below it for redundancy. If it dies, I still have something to keep me visible until I get home. I actually have 2 additional lights, however I usually use one of the 2nd lights along with this one, just to add dimension to my silhouette. If I get the "feeling" that this light will die soon, I turn all 3 on just in case. Overall, I've been very happy with the simple lasting durability of this light. I would easily buy it again. 

Bike Thing Thursday: Schwalbe Marathon Plus HS 440 Road Bike Tire

Schwalbe Marathon Plus HS 440 Road Bike Tire earned a 4-bike score. It's not the tire for me, but it is certainly bombproof. 

I wore the stock tire that came with my commuter bare, and I desperately needed it replaced. The existing tire was unridable, and I couldn't bear to take the bus to work. So, I decided to order one online. I researched tires, asked questions, visited forums. The 2 best reviewed and most popular commuter tires were the Continental Gatorskin and Schwalbe Marathon. I commuted on Gatorskins in Portland. They rode fine, but I felt like trying something different, so I ordered the Schwalbe.

This is a time where buying from brick and mortar would have been better. The tire arrived in a GIANT box. It didn't occur to me that I could mail-order a non-foldable tire. I should know better. The thing also weighs a ton. I mean, it's really heavy. I feel like this tire completely changed my bike from a nimble road bike to a heavy, lumbering beast. That's what it feels like when I ride my commuter now, a beast. Sure, sure, it hasn't had a single flat yet. Sure, it holds it's 100psi tire pressure for weeks without wavering. Sure, it has a cool reflective stripe all the way around the tire. Yeah, OK, it's a great tire. It's my own fault for not noticing that it was a BEAST. I can't fault it for that, right? But, yeah, I won't buy another one. I'd happily take a few flats a year to not feel like SUCH A BEAST!

Fair-weather Friends

The rain, the road and I, have been very tight over the winter. We’ve been there for each other through the thick and thin. With each passing day, a little more daylight creeps into my commute, and a few more fair-weather riders take on the road. This springtime, every springtime, I feel a little like a junior high kid losing a popularity contest. We’ve been so close, and now all these other folks are riding all around my road, like it’s nothing. They don’t know what we’ve been through. Pretty soon I’ll be a minority, passed every few seconds by all these fresh faces, legs quick and nimble from a winter without darkness. 

Drivers! Stop texting!

I approached the intersection at Bell and 5th avenue. One car sat behind a red light. A car parked along the street suddenly jutted it's front end out, so that it was partially in the lane. It didn't use a turn signal, but I guessed that it's goal was to get onto the street when the light turned green. I decided to be a nice citizen and let the car go in front of me, even though I was already next to it in the lane. It didn't matter, my next light will be red no matter how long it takes me to get through the intersection. I was in no rush. I positioned myself behind the car, which was a little weird since it was crooked, but I wanted to make clear I was letting it go first. The light turned green and the first car drove off. The crooked car didn't move. I waited. beat. wait. beat. wait. Well, maybe I totally misinterpreted the car and it was actually trying to park again or something. So, I slowly pedaled up to it's passenger window and peered in. The driver had her head buried into her phone. I guess she wasn't going after all. So, I proceeded forward to pass the car. The SECOND I got in front of the car she bolted and the car lurched forward. I swerved. It stopped. I leaned back and gave the driver the arms out, shoulder lifted, "What gives?" gesture, then went on my way. Granted, I was much closer to the car than I normally would have been, given that the car was half way in the lane and that I pulled up to look inside. I am CERTAIN the driver concluded that I was an asshole cyclist; she had a green light and I pulled in front of her! The nerve! I really hope that the light turned yellow before she got to go. That's my only hope for her to realize that she was the one in error. 

Commuting in autumn

I absolutely love commuting this time of year. The rain has just started falling. Tourists are away, locals are back at work and school and have their noses to the grindstone. I have the roads (compared to summer) all to myself. The cyclists are few. The pedestrians are practically nonexistent. The sky smells clean and fresh. The temperatures are perfect to feel comfortable in long sleeves, and excess layers are not needed. I am not cold, nor am I sweaty. The low sunset casts a warm, red-brown glow on everything. Riding home, the whole world looked rosy and delightful, almost like the whole of outside was lit by a candle. Now is the the precious and brief moment when the nearly all the leaves have changed to vibrant hues of orange, red, yellow, and brown and are still on the trees. Winds have been low this month, and while the bike lanes are already colorful and light with fallen leaves, most tress still look full. Rain dapples down, and cools my warm, flushed cheeks. It sprinkles against my arms and bounces off the road. Part of the splendor of this time of year is that everything feels new. Nothing has overstayed it's welcome. Four months into the winter the rain gets tiresome. By the end of summer, the traffic gets tiresome. Now, we are in a delightful transition period. On my bike, I get to greet each day as though it were an old firend, "Hey, you. It's been a year. I missed you!"

Video of my daily commute

#Relive

I absolutely love the beauty and simplicity of this new app! Hurrah to the app developers for making riding more fun! It doesn't have a lot of options for free users unless you time the upload of your ride so you can edit right then and there. However, that's a small price to pay for free. I am tempted to be a paid user. I likely will in time. 

Bike Commuting in Pollution

Screenshot of time-lapsed air quality close to the time I woke up from AIRnow.gov

Thick, hazy, smoky; that’s the air in Seattle these days. My eyes watered yesterday from the thick. Fires from BC, Canada are blowing down to Seattle and sitting in the valley. We are in the midst of hot, stagnant weather so nothing is really blowing the air out once it sits here.

I wondered about biking to and from work. Am I safe? Am I going to hurt my lungs? I didn’t really think so. I have no existing lung issues, and I don’t really exert myself commuting. Plus, I don’t have a better option to get to work. I could take the bus, but that opens up a whole other realm of unpleasant inhalants.

The internets say I am going to be just fine.  Most research focuses on the pollution caused by the carbon monoxide in car exhaust. This is a special pollutant for cyclists because we are literally a few feet from exhaust pipes the entire time we ride in traffic. Plus, we can't really escape breathing fumes in a downtown setting.  The best thing to do is ride fast and pick the best route. Pollution is the most deadly public health hazard second only to smoking. Still, riding a bike in pollution is better than no exercise at all.  With smoke pollutants, fast is my only option. Getting out of the air quickly is more beneficial than exerting/breathing less intensely. 

“...riding a bike is still healthier than not riding. Bike commuting is a healthier alternative to driving to work—which also happens to expose you to air pollution. In 2015, a study from the University of Copenhagen elaborated on this, suggesting that the positive impacts of exercise are more important for our health than the negative effects of air pollution. And in March of this year, the University of Cambridge published findings that the health benefits of walking and cycling outweigh the negative effects of air pollution on health, even in cities with high levels of air pollution. ”

— http://www.bicycling.com/training/health-injuries/the-best-new-tool-for-fighting-air-pollution-exposure-on-the-bike-riding

So, yeah, I got a headache after commuting today. But it's not likely to cause any long-term issue. I am lucky that I live in a region that scores higher for air quality than most of the rest of the world. All sources agree that riding is still better than not riding. Even the EPA suggests riding a bike to combat poor air quality. Sure, riding a bike isn't going to put out any fires. Still, I am doing my tiny little part to combat climate change and air pollution every day ride. That's a good enough reason for me to push through the haze.

A thief in the night...left me in the dark

To the thief who stole the lighting off my bike this morning, I would have happily given you a light. I have several extra. Just ask. The world doesn’t need to be that harsh. But don’t leave me without a light when I have 8 miles to ride to work in the dark rain. I depend on my bike to get to work, and I depend on my lights to get there safely.  

I know, I should remove these things when I locked the bike. It takes time to remove all that stuff. Stupidly, I didn’t want to take the time. I mistakenly thought this quiet, bright parking lot was safe. I park in a locked cage at work, I parked my bike inside at my old health club. I've going to this new health club for 2 weeks, and have been parking my bike outside. Today I just didn't feel like taking the time to remove all the lights like I have been. I mean, who am I to be so mistrusting of people? 

Bike Everywhere Day!

Today is #bikeeverywhere day! The warm, spring air and sunshine blessed all cyclists this morning in Seattle. I got up early with grand plans to ride by 10 stations on the way to work. This is one of the greatest advantages of working downtown and commuting along a major (if not the most popular) bike corridor in a large and largely bike-friendly city. 

The first 2 stations I planned to visit couldn’t be found. Either I read the map incorrectly, or they simply weren’t there. I began to wonder if getting up early was such a good idea. Then I stopped at the F5/Cascade Station. I danced around to some fun tunes from the DJ and filled my face with energy food. I passed the PEMCO station across the street, but made it to the Facebook Station. Facebook nonchalantly handed over a high quality bag full of high-quality goodies. I made a point to engage with other riders. This is community building, right? I’m usually rushing into work. The sooner I get to work, the better the day! The harder I ride, the better the work out! No time for chatting! Today, I had to concentrate on kicking bakc in pointless banter. Then I got some fun snacks at the next station. Kilroy made my day, though. They had a large banter that said something about “Bike to Work Day”! Sometime back, the name of this celebration changed to “Bike Everywhere Day”. But I’m biking to work! I’d I were simply biking everywhere, I wouldn’t need doughnuts to entice me, the ride in itself is reward enough. Biking to work everyday is a different kind of hard. I stopped at Oculus Eye Care and entered a raffle to win a pair of sunglasses. I could really use a pair of prescription glasses for biking, so I am secretly crossing my fingers for the win on that one. I veered one block off my route for the SubPop stop. They tried to give me a CD and I instantly didn’t feel cool enough to get a free CD from SubPop. But they gave me one anyway. All in all, it was a wonderful morning. I could have veered even more off course and gotten cans of cold brew coffee and other wonderful things, but I am happy that so many people and businesses are out there supporting cycling and cyclists. Thanks for the loot, Bike Everywhere Day!

Images of vulnerability

I slowly pedaled up the Dexter hill as dawn opened up into morning. The usually bustling road lay empty at this hour. I looked around and saw nothing; no cars, no busses, no other bikes. A man walked toward me on the sidewalk. He started yelling just out of earshot, getting louder as I drew closer. "...she won't respect what I say, SO I KILLED THAT WOMAN! I KILLED HER! and no woman will...." His fists violently pumped as I lost earshot biking away. 

People walk the streets, yelling obscenities and imagined arguments all day long downtown. After years of working in the city, the yelling has become a part of the soundscape, a thing no less expected than sirens, honking, and engine noise. It's a guarantee with every trip. Also guaranteed, is the safe feeling of being surrounded by a crowd. Downtown, I am never out of eyeshot of several other cars and pedestrians. It's an admittedly misguided sense of safety, but mental instability and other shapes of human suffering is diluted by the populations of the privileged and busy. 

Being alone with someone like this, on a street with no cars or other visible people, takes on a whole new feeling. Sure, I had a speed advantage being on a bike, but I was going up a hill, and he had plenty of leverage and proximity to throw something into my spokes. His fist pumping made this option seem plausible. I felt fear, since his anger was directed at woman. But more I felt curious, as I usually hear the word "bitch" in place of "woman." Since he coupled that switch with the word "respect" it made me wonder about his story, and I felt sad that my fear, socialized culture of isolation and rush to work kept me from ever finding out. 

Big Data for Urban Planners

I just learned that Strava sends aggregate commute data to urban planners. That means I'm sopposed to tag my commutes as commutes. That sounds so simple, right? Not so much in our tech-dependant era! See, my Wahoo devices are connected to my Garmin activity watch which sends the data to the Garmin Connect Mobile app, which automatically shares the data to Strava and MyFitnessPal. To tag my commutes as commutes, I'd have to log into Strava and click that option on each ride. It sounds so simple. But between all my lights and trackers, I'm already pushing a lot of buttons. Multiply that two times a day, nearly every day, and that's a lot of button pushing! I want my activities to be heard for a better urban future...But do I want that bad enough to go back and tag my commutes?