From The Bike-O-Sphere
In The News
Many of you are familiar with the usefulness of Google Maps for planning bike trips. It’s designed primarily for use by motorists, but with a few tricks it makes finding your way somewhere by bike very easy.
Start planning your trip by clicking on the “Get directions” tab under the Google Maps search bar. Enter your start and end addresses, and Google offer you its best guess on how you want to get there, which will often take you over highways:
Luckily, there’s a checkbox called “Avoid Highways” that you can click to have Google Maps find the shortest route that doesn’t use highways:
But it gets even better. Many cyclists feel that traveling on back roads can be more pleasant and safe than sticking to high-capacity arterial roads. Google Maps puts you on the major arterial roads when it can, but lucky for us, the interface allows you to click and drag your route and find better ways to get to your destination:
This should take one-way streets and “no left turns” into account, so you hopefully won’t run into any surprises on your route. Click the “Link” button to generate a link to save or share. Click “Print” to print out a handy guide you can put in your pocket. And then get on your bike and try it out! Google Maps was quite useful in helping Caitlin and I figure out our morning route across Rochester.
There’s plenty of room for this web application to improve. Since it isn’t built for cyclists, it has no information on mixed use paths or bike lanes. Sites like byCycle.org and Bikely have built some interesting services on top of Google Maps, but wouldn’t it be cool if there was a “Bike There” feature as part of the Google Maps interface?
In fact, there is an online petition you can go sign right now (thanks, Nicole!) to ask Google to do just that! I don’t know how effective these online petitions are, but at the very least it lets the Google Maps team know that there are thousands of people out there who would love to use this feature.
From The Bike-O-Sphere
In The News
From The Bike-O-Sphere
In The News
From The Bike-O-Sphere
In The News
You really can’t have just one. I’ve got a big empty apartment out here so I’ve been compensating by filling it up with bikes. I keep coming across sweet vintage rides begging to be cleaned, lubed, and ridden. I do what the bikes tell me. They have taken over.
I am particularly proud of last weekend’s find, the red bike in the lower left foreground. It was my father’s first bicycle, a Schwinn that has been hanging in a garage for decades :)
soon to be ridable again, as well as a couple others. Now I just need to find people around here to ride them with me… :/
From The Bike-O-Sphere
In The News
From The Bike-O-Sphere
In The News
I contribute to a Seattle “Zine” called DMFDP, and here’s one of my past essays on bike commuting:
Americans love their cars. Cars are rites of passage, status symbols, objects of affection, and utility vehicles. They’re protective moving cages with environmental controls and sound systems, suitable for both long trips or short errands. For decades, cars have been at the center of American life.
But our cars are without a doubt hurting us. Automobiles are a major cause of death and injury. They run on fossil fuels, which create both short and long term problems. They contribute to noise pollution and encourage infrastructures that fracture communities and lead to sprawl. We spend a large portion of our incoming purchasing, maintaining, and fueling them. And to many, operating a motor vehicle is a stressful and sometimes scary experience.
But automobiles are a basic necessity in modern America, right? Perhaps to some. But others are turning to vehicle that preceded the automobile, and which never development many of its vices: the bicycle.
The bicycle is the most efficient form of transportation ever invented. Bikes are far less destructive, takes up less space, and can often travel faster than cars in urban environments. Bikes can be quite inexpensive to own and operate, and cycling can be an effective workout without the cost of a gym membership.
Plus, riding a bike is an adventure. When you’re on a bike, you’re not isolated from the outside world and moving so fast you can’t take in the scenery. You can interact with pedestrians and other cyclists, notice things you may have not noticed in your car, and travel on paths and to places inaccesible by motor vehicles.
Utility cycling, while quite common in many parts of the world (and, in fact, the most common form of cycling worldwide), is still rather rare in North America’s middle class communities. But that’s beginning to change. Some American cities are seeing exponential growth in bike commuters. Bike manufacturers are starting to build specialized bikes for the new commuter market. Transportation planners are recognizing the positive benefits of bicycles and are taking cyclists’ needs into account in their projects.
People looking for ways to improve their life while reducing their impact on others are turning to cycling.
If you’re interested in getting into bike commuting, here are some useful tips to get you started:
1. Get a bike! Check out Craiglist and other local classifieds, garage sales, friends, or fix up that old bike you had in high school. Visit your local bike shop. Try to avoid bikes from big box stores, as they’re usually unreliable.
2. Grow comfortable with riding on the street in the same direction as motorists. It’s much safer than the sidewalk. The book The Art of Urban Cycling is loaded with tips on how to handle the road. Try social rides like Critical Mass to help build bike confidence.
3. Be safe! Find a good helmet. If you might be riding after dark, put lights on your bike! Be cautious about motorists, they can do just about anything at any time.
4. If you’re planning on riding to work, scope out the route on your day off before your first real ride. Plan your route so you avoid major roads for a more enjoyable ride.
5. Be prepared to fix a flat or weather a sudden rainstorm. Have a backup plan in case mechanical or meteorlogical problems arise — riding near a bus route is often a good idea.
And here are some web sites with in-depth info on commuting and safety:
http://www.runmuki.com/commute
http://www.kenkifer.com
http://commutebybike.com/
http://bicyclesafe.com/
Today was an awesome day for bike riding, weather-wise. And Joey was in town, which made being on a bike even more awesome. Here are some photos:
A bike commuter spotted on the way to Brian’s house! WOW! Although some nice panniers would take the load off this fellow’s back.
Joey was posing for a photo shoot when I got to Brian’s. The subject matter frightened me.
We rode around on back roads mostly. It was cold, but the sun kept us warm.
Traffic was light on this Sunday afternoon.
We tooled around the Rochester Museum and Science Center’s parking lot, just because we could.
And the obligatory timed photograph to finish the ride.
Joey’s left us for a career in Connecticut but Brian and I remain to carry the Wednesday Night Cruise torch. We agreed that it’ll be too darn cold to start those cruises back up until at least next month. But when we do, we’ll let you know about it, because we’d love your company. We’ll even spam you about it if you join the RocBike Facebook group.
