Bikeboard September 2008

bikeboard@lists.bikelover.org

11 participants
30 discussions

Homework
by David Bruffy 01 Oct '08

01 Oct '08

Bike Board Members, It seems to me the biggest obstacle is engineering. It very much reminds me of the difficulty with bus shelters. They were never considered when public spaces were designed and engineered, meaning there is no public property to locate them (no adequate public property for bike lanes), no accommodation for their use such as curb cuts (no consideration of how bikes and cars could interact in places with steep grades), and no awareness or interest on the part of designers and engineers to include them in new projects (the new streetscape in Downtown Morgantown gets us both I think). Without engineering, we don't have a product. Without a product to sell, we have little to offer, to market, to educate, or to encourage use. Without a good initial product for show and tell, it is a hard sell. Before there was any streetscape in downtown Morgantown, Wall Street was redone. Although small, it spurred imagination, created interest, and demonstrated what was possible. 15 years later, downtown streets are being redone. The first piece of the rail-trail was 150 feet long. Again, it demonstrated to the community what "could be" and helped people to imagine more (Hazel Ruby-McQuain's interest and financial support certainly helped as well). Perhaps we need a Demonstration Project? Probably one of the best candidate locations is outside the City of Morgantown. Granville is interested in re-developing their main streets and sidewalks and would serve as a great demonstration project. Is there a similar opportunity in Morgantown? David A. Bruffy General Manager Mountain Line Transit Authority 420 DuPont Road Morgantown, WV 26501 Bruffy(a)busride.org (304) 296-3680 - Administrative Offices (304) 291-RIDE (7433) - Bus Information Fax (304) 291-7429 WWW.BUSRIDE.ORG

3 2

[Fwd: BB Homework]
by Frank Gmeindl 30 Sep '08

30 Sep '08

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: BB Homework Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:40:40 -0400 From: Don Spencer <dspencer36(a)comcast.net> To: Frank Gmeindl <fgmeindl(a)verizon.net> Frank -- I apologize for the late response. Don

1 0

[Fwd: RE: Homework due tomorrow]
by Frank Gmeindl 30 Sep '08

30 Sep '08

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: RE: Homework due tomorrow Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:51:22 -0400 From: Jennifer Selin <jselin(a)hotmail.com> To: Frank Gmeindl <fgmeindl(a)verizon.net> References: <48DADCD7.4040209(a)verizon.net> To Frank: I am working on my tasks for the bike board: 1) Youth Member: From the Youth Commission Maria Panaccione, 876 Riverview Dr., 598-1059. 2) In-town member who has a "community-fitness" or "corporate-fitness" or "community" orientation. I have struck out a few times but have new leads. 3) Here is some late homework: Engineering: Help everyone by designing new and existing roads with wide lanes and enough paved shoulder and designated specific turning lanes so that cars and bicyclists feel like they can comfortably share the road. Design roads well!!! Enforcement: Enforce the shared use of intersections and roads---prosecute those who cut off, hassle and purposely run-down bicycle riders. Education: Educate riders about how to ride safely and car-drivers about how to share the road. Encouragement: Encourage and enable recreational bike riders to ride for transportation and to ride more for fitness by making connections between neighborhoods and trails. For instance a trail from Krepps Park to Star City to the Rail Trail. And the Campus Connector between Grant Street and the water tower on Evansdale Campus. And other connectors around town so that those who want to ride sometimes on roads and sometimes on trails or cut-throughs can do so. Evaluation: Please continually evaluate our transportation system so that free movement by bicycle is encouraged in Morgantown and throughout the area. Equality: Bicycles can be owned and enjoyed by a variety of people in a variety of situations. They are inexpensive and do not take up much space. Bicycles are a great equalizer. A variety of transportation methods should be encouraged, particularly non-motorized transportation for health, low-cost to own and use, and sustainability over time. Thanks for all your hard work, Jenny Jenny Selin 1224 Fairlawns Morgantown, WV 26505 USA Phone:(304-598-9650) jselin(a)hotmail.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:35:35 -0400 From: fgmeindl(a)verizon.net Subject: Homework due tomorrow To: bikeboard(a)cheat.org; JSelin(a)hotmail.com Bicycle Board Members, This is a reminder that your homework from our last meeting is DUE THIS FRIDAY! Alice has already sent me hers. 8-) >From the last meeting minutes: ATTENTION BB MEMBERS: HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT!!!!! After some study, it seems that good city bicycling plans all contain the following elements (or some variation thereof): Engineering Enforcement Education Encouragement Evaluation Equality The BB’s homework assignment for the month is for EACH member to *write down the biggest bicycle-related problem in each element that faces Morgantown*, in his/her opinion. A solution can also be posed, but the problem posing is most important. Obviously, many problems can fall into multiple categories, but the most dominant category should be chosen. Note: This homework assignment is somewhat open to individual interpretation. The hope is to generate some ideas for the future direction of the BB. Please *email your list to Frank by Sept. 26*, 1 week before the next meeting so he can compile the lists and have them ready for clarification, prioritization and selection at the next meeting which is on Oct. 2. 4ank ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stay up to date on your PC, the Web, and your mobile phone with Windows Live. See Now <http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/msnnkwxp1020093185mrt/direct/01/>

1 0

[Fwd: RE: Gold Stars]
by Frank Gmeindl 29 Sep '08

29 Sep '08

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: RE: [Bikeboard] Gold Stars Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:18:36 -0400 From: Derek Springston <guitardeek(a)hotmail.com> To: Frank Gmeindl <fgmeindl(a)verizon.net> Hey Frank... I didn't know we had homework until you emailed me last week. Anyway, here is what I've come up with. It might be a little vague in areas, but I tried! ~Derek ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:59:33 -0400 From: fgmeindl(a)verizon.net To: bikeboard(a)cheat.org Subject: [Bikeboard] Gold Stars Gold Stars to * Alice, * Jim, * Marilyn, * Don Dickerson and * Betsy for getting their homework in on time! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Get more out of the Web. Learn 10 hidden secrets of Windows Live. Learn Now <http://windowslive.com/connect/post/jamiethomson.spaces.live.com-Blog-cns%2…>

1 0

Article by/about Bill R-N in this morning's paper
by director 29 Sep '08

29 Sep '08

Bill, I saw the article this morning. Thanks for getting this info into the paper paper today (Dominion Post). I agree that the deplorable state of the statewide non-motorized amenities are the root cause of car addiction. There are some pretty entrenched mechanisms for keeping things that way. Now what do we do about it? Nick -- Nick Hein Director, Positive Spin Morgantown, WV ph 304-276-0213 --

1 0

Homework
by director 28 Sep '08

28 Sep '08

Good evening, Although I'm no longer officially on the board (I guess that's what ex-officio must mean) I'd like to submit my homework for voluntary grading as if I'm auditing a course.... Education; In the 4th grade provide one full day of bike safety education - half-day lecture, half-day road with a police officer (based on German model) In drivers' ed classes provide one hour lecture on vulnerable road users and code/courtesy when operating in their vicinity. Enforcement: Encourage and enforce speed limit laws for motorists. These speed limits were set to maintain an environment where motorized and non-motorized road users could share safely. Speed limits are UPPER limits, but are being treated as LOWER limits. I was wondering if I come to the meeting if I could bring our exchange student and have him talk about the bicycling environment (riding and regulatory) in Germany. His Mom commutes regularly to her job as a school teacher and he rides to his activities (but takes a city bus to school). Nick -- Nick Hein Director, Positive Spin Morgantown, WV ph 304-276-0213 --

2 1

Next Thursday's 10/2 BB agenda
by Frank Gmeindl 27 Sep '08

27 Sep '08

Bicycle Board Members, Please find attached a zip folder. It contains 3 documents: 1. A suggested agenda for next Thursday's Bicycle Board Meeting. 2. The minutes of our last meeting. 3. The results of our homework assignment from the last meeting. The primary goal of Thursday's meeting will be to identify the most important problems keeping us from realizing our vision, discovering the root causes of those problems, identifying the best solutions to those root causes and organizing to implement the solutions. My experience doing this with similar groups of our size is that it usually takes a lot longer than the 90 minutes that I have allocated to it. If we can at least identify a top priority problem, discover its root causes and identify some effective solutions, I think we might get on a roll again. If you were to review the compiled results of our homework assignment and give some thought to which problems are most important, why we have those problems and what would be optimal solutions, we might be able to make better use of our time come Thursday. Frank /Morgantown residents can enjoy bicycling safely and fearlessly anywhere, anytime, for any reason./

1 0

Gold Stars
by Frank Gmeindl 26 Sep '08

26 Sep '08

Gold Stars to * Alice, * Jim, * Marilyn, * Don Dickerson and * Betsy for getting their homework in on time!

2 1

Homework due tomorrow
by Frank Gmeindl 26 Sep '08

26 Sep '08

Bicycle Board Members, This is a reminder that your homework from our last meeting is DUE THIS FRIDAY! Alice has already sent me hers. 8-) From the last meeting minutes: ATTENTION BB MEMBERS: HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT!!!!! After some study, it seems that good city bicycling plans all contain the following elements (or some variation thereof): Engineering Enforcement Education Encouragement Evaluation Equality The BB's homework assignment for the month is for EACH member to *write down the biggest bicycle-related problem in each element that faces Morgantown*, in his/her opinion. A solution can also be posed, but the problem posing is most important. Obviously, many problems can fall into multiple categories, but the most dominant category should be chosen. Note: This homework assignment is somewhat open to individual interpretation. The hope is to generate some ideas for the future direction of the BB. Please *email your list to Frank by Sept. 26*, 1 week before the next meeting so he can compile the lists and have them ready for clarification, prioritization and selection at the next meeting which is on Oct. 2. 4ank

3 2

Re: [Bikeboard] [Fwd: FW: Bicyclists, motorists warned to share road]
by director 23 Sep '08

23 Sep '08

Frank, That is impressive about law officers recognizing cyclists for both their rights AND responsibilities. What is even better is when they say "Motorists AND cyclists share the same rights and responsibilities when sharing the road." I hope we can get that message out here. Over the weekend I was in a bookstore and picked up "Bicycle Laws" ($15 in paperback at B&N). I was intrigued to read that this item of the uniform traffic code came about in 1880 (NYC) to express that bicycles had the same rights and responsibilities as any other _carriage_ on public roads. This was enacted at a time when the bicycle was a newcomer and dominant user of the roads, compared to horses and horse-carriages which were considered the slower and more vulnerable road users of their time. Nick ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: Frank Gmeindl <fgmeindl(a)verizon.net> Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 08:37:16 -0400 >Bicycle Board Members, > >The link below goes to a Pgh. Post-Gazette article. It is impressive >that Penn DOT, City Police and County Health Department, rather than >obvious bicycle advocates, are promoting share the road signage and >education. Especially impressive is that you have the Penn DOT guy >saying, "Bicyclists have the same right to the road as motorists, but >they also have the same duties and responsibilities as motorists" > >Frank > >-------- Original Message -------- >Subject: FW: Bicyclists, motorists warned to share road >Date: Sat, 20 Sep 2008 11:54:10 -0400 >From: Don Spencer <dspencer36(a)comcast.net> >To: Frank Gmeindl <fgmeindl(a)verizon.net> > > > > > > > http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08264/913720-85.stm > > > > > > -- Nick Hein Director, Positive Spin Morgantown, WV ph 304-276-0213 --

1 0

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

Bikeboard September 2008