The MinusCar Project / John Q Super Commuter Shirts Pre-Orders Now!

Pre-order a shiny new Dan King inspired, Brian Beilke drawn, The MinusCar Project produced shirt today! Dakota Lettering will be doing the screen printing. The shirt will be an Under Armour Locker-T in your choice of 7 colors. The print will be white. Your choice long or short sleeve - hint, order one of each and wear them throughout the year.

Your cost will be $25 for a shirt. In the highly unlikely event that the money received exceeds my cost to produce the excess dollars will be given to the Falls Area Bicyclists (FAB).

Across the chest will be happy smiling John Q Super Commuter. Original artwork by local cartoonist and rider and architect Brian Beilke.

On the back between the shoulder blades will be my The MinusCar Project logo and wording.

I cannot order shirts without money in my hands. I recommend paying with a check that we agree I won't cash until the shirt is in your hands.

Let's do this. Pre-order today!

Cranksgiving 2015

Cranksgiving - the 2015 edition - is coming!

Cranksgiving is a food drive, on two wheels, with a bit of scavenger hunt tossed in. On November 21 depart Spoke-n-Sport at 1pm. Go to grocery stores and buy food. Return to Spoke-n-Sport with food in hand and off it goes to Feeding South Dakota.

Actually it's a race too, but who cares? The race works like this - get 1 item at as many grocery stores as you can. Return with food and receipts in the allotted time. Get points for each visited store. There are other ways to get additional points. Score a lot of points and maybe even win. Last year I won the race on a tandem with The Boy 17 who was 16 at the time. He won youth. It was quite fun chasing other riders around town and encountering them in surprise places.

One of my favorite Argus Leader photos of all time from last year's event.

Here we are with Santa Claus in the obligatory winners photo.

The official rules and what nots are on the Spoke-n-Sport website. Even pre-register there.

Check out Bike Sioux Falls too. There will be fresh content there that will be worth looking at just to see pictures of riders in turkey and pilgrim costumes.

There is a national Cranksgiving website too. See which cities have Cranksgiving events...and see that we have one too!

Come. Ride. Gather food. Share. Enjoy. Give cranks.

My Response to Super Commissioner Dan King

This month, Lincoln County Commissioner Dan King began a My voice column by saying he had previously been “pretty ignorant about the details and inner workings of local government.” The balance of his column demonstrated that he has more work to do...

Read the rest of what I have to say in the Argus Leader - My voice: City’s policy changes make bike riding safer

 

Saturday Coffee Shop Ride: Saturday October 24

The next Saturday Coffee Shop Ride is October 24. It departs from the Minnesota Ave Caribou Coffee which is at the intersection of 28th St and Minnesota Ave. When you arrive, if you find the store absent, gone missing, or just plain closed proceed to the new store at 31st St and Minnesota Ave.

When you look at the route and you happen to see a flying insect looking Bart Simpson I suggest you immediately get help. I did. Recovery is quick.

The ride leaves at 9am. The loop is 9.6 miles and is weather adjustable. Here are general expectations of the Saturday Coffee Shop Rides. Faster riders may find the slowish speed of this ride mentally taxing.

 Download the route by visiting this link. Otherwise, the route goes a lotta something like this:

Ghost Bike

1. Drivers - look to the right when turning right.

2. Riders - stop riding on sidewalks, especially facing traffic.

Soup!

Symbolic Soup for Safer Streets

Of the past 6 most traumatic car/bike crashes in memory, 2 involved intoxicated drivers. 4 involved right turning left looking drivers. 5 were sidewalk riders where drivers and politicians alike errantly insist is more safe. 

Come bring a symbolic soup can that says we demand safer streets!

Scheduled for Oct 10, 6:55 AM

Calling All Good Eggs: Bring Soup Cans

"Hold a can of soup in one hand and a raw egg in the other. Smack them together and my point is made. Bikes and vehicles shouldn’t share confined space, period." - John Q Super-commissioner Dan King

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Because many people we advocate for can barely afford their bicycle never mind an F350 landscaper rig. Everybody deserves to have an expectation of getting to work without being assured by elected representatives of death on public roads.

Because streets that are safe for people on foot and on bicycles are safe for all users.

Because brushing aside public safety is terrible public policy.

Because admitting ignorance about how government works doesn't mean things are done in secret. Rather it confirms the ignorance.

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This Saturday October 10 morning from 7am to 9am I'm hanging out on Dakota Ave between 10th & 11th Streets, near the Argus Leader's loading dock. I'm inviting every sort of rider there is to come by and drop off a can of soup. The next Monday I'll deliver this soup to Feeding South Dakota.

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Sharing this picture increases the likelihood of participation.

 

More On Lincoln County Commissioner Dan King

The newly minted Lincoln County Commissioner Dan King let his voice ring out today by writing an Argus Leader My Voices column. Sounds like he recently learned during the Urbanized Development Commission Meetings The City has a bike plan, approved by the City Council, signed by The Mayor and The City is actually implementing the plan.

He finds this alarming and wants everyone to know. I find this encouraging because no plan I've worked on has ever been implemented in such a way that anybody would notice the work as being part of a plan.

For reference:

-          Here’s his My Voice Column

-          Here’s the Sioux Falls Bike Plan

-          Here’s the Resolution Adopting the Sioux Falls Bike Plan - this one is so pretty I'm including it at the bottom of this post.

-          Here’s the MPO Bike Plan

Lincoln County Commissioner Dan King: “Just as large a worry is the stealthy manner, fully intended or not, with which they’re being planned and built.”

Lincoln County Commissioner Dan King: “As presented in our Urbanized Development Commission meetings, I can say for a fact there are plans to construct bike lanes all over town in the next few years, working them into reconstruction and expansion projects.”

Lincoln County Commissioner Dan King isn’t sure if bike lanes are created stealthy or in public meetings.

Lincoln County Commissioner Dan King: “Unfortunately, bicycle lanes are planned by a tiny group of elected officials and paid planners/consultants.”

Lincoln County Commissioner Dan King: “The City Council and a host of city and state planning staffers have signed off on bringing these to our streets…”

Lincoln County Commissioner Dan King isn’t sure if bike lanes are planned by a tiny group of people or a host of city and state staffers.

Lincoln County Commissioner Dan King: “I’ve raised my concerns, and probably a couple tempers voicing these thoughts in board meetings. I’ve hit a brick wall in doing anything about it myself.”

Lincoln County Commissioner Dan King doesn’t recognize he keeps running into a brick wall because he can’t find the exit after losing in the marketplace of ideas. In a democracy the majority wins. When you turn around and your colleagues aren’t following it means something.

November 19th is the next UDC meeting. I can’t wait to come and see Dan King make transportation policy sausage. I hear at the beginning of the meetings there are 3 minutes available for any member of the public to speak…