090907 – The Local Daily

Today’s Transport –
Multi-occupant: 76.4
Single-occupant: 1.3

It’s a holiday, a time to visit family at the lake. Road trip.

--

While there I like to read The Local Daily.

#1 – my neighbor became a cover boy. The article “Practicing exercise safety when running or biking outdoors” relied heavily on Joe’s experience colliding with an automobile a year ago.

But enough about Joe, let’s talk about me for a minute – “If you're new to cycling, consider taking an education course to learn about hazard avoidance skills, traffic type skills and lane positioning. Michael Christensen is certified by the League of American Bicyclists to teach courses, and plans on offering a few courses this spring. 'There is a safe way to ride. It may seem counterintuitive for many people, but being out there, acting like a vehicle gives you the best chance to be safe,' he says.”

I’d tweak this paragraph just a little bit. You don’t have to be new to cycling to get value from the course. I imagine the simple reminder of the peril of passing on the right might be valuable to hear to some of my favorite people. My own experience being in a school zone; a student passenger exited the vehicle as I passed on the right. Oops.

--

#2 – “Signs point new way for bikers” is an article about the newest sharrows in town and a bit of discussion about traffic engineering’s efforts to make vehicle sensors more motorcycle and bicycle friendly. Not found in the article is engineering’s strategy to purchase a different style of sensor. I hope that’s still true.

“The sharrow design features a bike with two arrows above it, signaling that the road is open to vehicle and bike traffic. ‘We really want to remind the traveling public that roads can be shared,’ Trebilcock said.” The reporter just misses the target, but just a lack of the most descriptive language. Planner Trebilcock gets it right.

All city roads are open for bicycle and vehicle traffic. The sharrows are simply a reminder of that.

--

#3 – I didn’t read this in today’s paper but rather stumbled upon it as I searched for links to the previous two articles. In “My Voice: Sioux Falls could be more livable” my friend Mr. Bite (I guess sometimes they call him Chris) offers his thoughts for what the future of Sioux Falls could look like. A participant in The Local Daily’s Sioux Falls Next effort and engaging in The City’s Shape Sioux Falls 2035 Comprehensive Plan this 570 word article is right where I hope other people end up in their thinking.