Sioux Falls: Passive Transport Down, Active Transport Up

Did you hear our new Mayor is riding his bike from home on Friday for a free pancake breakfast at that Museum of Visual Materials. I think that's kind of a big deal.

The City has begun a process to write the next Long Range Transportation Plan. This plan endevours to envision transportation through 2035. The next 25 years.

To begin the process a survey was used to measure current thinking about and use of the transportation system. This is third time this survey has been used in Sioux Falls since 1999 so some trend data is now available.

And the trends are looking remarkably MINUSCAR!

a four point drop for single occupant automobiles.

a steady rise in carpooling

a steady rise in walking

a steady rise in biking

Proof:

(click for big!)

Additionally, attitudes about bicycling on the roadways are changing. The percentage of residents who believe riding on city roadways is safe and appropriate has increased 7% over the past 5 years.

Proof:

(click for big!)

The data is great but if nobody notices then nobody cares. In the summary report the author offers four "guiding objectives" for the report. The final of four is to improve the quality of bicycling safe facilities.

Later this month (and so far unscheduled) there will be a large open house where citizens can come and observe the report and the data. I HIGHLY recommend readers and friends of The MinusCar Project attend the open house and leave appropriate commentary.

Victory is much sweeter when it follows participation.

Traffic Skills 101 #2

Last weekend 10 individuals rode through the Traffic Skills 101 course.

Coincidentally Yehuda began teaching his own group a traffic skills course. Very funny, day #1 for him begins here.

Our intersection of choice this time was 41st & Western. Good times...

Would You Like Worms With That?

Yesterday I had the priviledge of consuming a warm and caffienated beverage with Joe Bartmann - director of the Sioux Falls Green Project.

For months in advance of this meeting The Family has been busily preparing to welcome some new friends into our home. We added a new room (rubbermaid tub), made special modifications (The Boy 12, a drill, some stregically placed holes), and commandeered some bedding (shredded documents).

I reported our part complete. Now it was Joe's turn. He did not dissappoint - arriving with a mysterious tub in hand, passersby appeared confused by the mysterious and perhaps dangerous ink scratchings on its lid.

Inside the tub - a fistfull of Wred Wrigglers. Yes indeed. I have worms. These worms will be fed various non-meat food stuffs. These worms will create castings (that's gentlemen-ese for poop). I will feed poop to my garden. My garden will create food that I will eat. On occasion my hands might get dirty doing it. It will be a miracle.

I can't help but think it's a little bit like the pigs in Deadwood - the television show, not the town.



Joe calls these starter packs. I'm a little afraid of what he means by starter! Am I on some dangerous path? A slippery slope?

First I'm collecting worm poop - how long before humanure starts to feel like a natural idea...humanure IS a natural idea? Flushing a toilet with drinking water - that's the unnatural idea.

And so it begins...

(I do not mean to imply that humanure is a goal or even an intent of mine. Nor is it Joe's...as far as I know.)

Bike To Work Day On KDLT

A little Bike To Work Day with your Wheaties? I got up bright and early to be on TV today.

KDLT.com South Dakota News - S.F. Bike to Work Day: The Morning Show Interview

Don't Stop On Account Of Me...

...I'm turning right.



I caught this gem a few days ago. Sometimes drivers only stop when they know someone's watching. Sometimes it takes a little extra time to realize when someone is watching.

26th & Williams.

Traffic Skills

In Traffic Skills class we identify bike parts.

BP

BP is still charging a fee for their gasoline here. I'm surprised - I understand they're giving it away in the gulf.

The mess needs a different name than "spill". Containers falling off ships, that's a spill - and there's been plenty of that in the past. Poking a hole in the ocean floor and letting it bleed seems like so much more than anything we've experienced before.

Live by oil, die by oil.

B2W Display Window

This really belongs on the Bike To Work Day site (which it is) but I'm so excited I'm sharing it here. There's a display window downtown that looks like this.



See a second photo on the official site.

Bike to Work Day is May 21 this year. As usual, free pancake breakfast for those who ride to the Museum of Visual Materials downtown.

Was That You?

View counts for the first part of yesterday's ride to work video are double the counts for part 2. That's too bad...I think part 2 has all the interesting riding in it.

Yesterday I had the distinct and very good experience of riding home from work with The Boy 12. We had fun. He's a very good listener and follows directions well. The busiest road piece was the 22nd St sharrow from Lake to Kiwanis. I took video - he looks really good going down the road with his right pant leg rolled up.

He has no idea how stylish that is...in other cities.

Today during lunchtime errand running - Bike To Work Day posters have been delivered to DTSF for distribution - my boss' wife had a chance to run over me with her car. She chose not to. I didn't see her at the time.

On the ride home my father-in-law had a chance to run over me with his car with a left-cross maneuver. He chose no to. I did see him at the time - we waved to each other.

I recorded the ride home today - but I'm not posting it until after the view counts on part 2 rise a little.

May 3 - Ride To Work w/ Me!

Want to know what it's like riding to work in the 31st best place in the country for bike riding? Come on...

Part I


1:12 - sometimes on this corner I see goldfish!
3:22 - was that a sloppy stop or what?
4:21 - here is some shared parking/bike lane.
6:19 - shhh...it's a secret passage...

Part II


1:05 - SAM!
2:15 - traffic is going to pick up now.
2:31 - squirrel!
3:26 - I like me some tailwind downhills.
4:46 - this driver's lane position implies a right turn. Implies being the operative word.
5:00 - ka-thunk, ka-thunk, ka-thunk - busy streets have the biggest bumps.
5:45 - that diesel sound - it's what I sound like at ride lights.
6:00 - I think that bus driver was drag racing me.
8:08 - here I am - now get to work!

TS101:Playing In The Street

Saturday I finished leading my first group through the LAB's Traffic Skills 101 course. Saturday culminated in the road test. We spent about an hour in and around the 41st & Minnesota Ave intersection.

Here's a picture:



Basecamp was the IPC, I just love that location. We were able to get comfortable on the residential streets then step up to 10,000 vehicles/day roads east of Minnesota Ave. We then played around the edges of 20,000 & 30,000 v/d roads until the group specifically requested a practice run of the double left turn from 41st on to Minnesota Ave.

On one occasion we waited at a red light that wouldn't change for a very long time as a city transportation planner coincidentally waited behind us in his truck. That experience will come in handy for me in a couple weeks.

Finally the woman who'd never changed a tire before had the opportunity when we returned to basecamp and all the air not coincidentally exited her front tire.

She finished the class rightfully proud and on her evaluation wrote words like "I have been biking for over 45 years and I was surprised on how much I learned and how much confidence I gained managing the streets in Sioux Falls and other areas. It really has made me more confident in riding in the very very busy streets of SF anticipating traffic and taking the lane for my safety."

So there, if I only reach one it will be worth it...and I've reached one. It was worth it.

Steve Clark, Jim Books and I will be leading another Traffic Skills 101 via the South Dakota Bicycle Coalition at the Outdoor Campus May 14 & 15. Contact me to register. mytzpyk@gmail.com

Plain Green Day #1 : Steve Clark

Steve Clark awoke this morning in Pipestone, MN thinking he had three hours remaining of his ride to Sioux Falls from St. Paul, MN. He opened the door and a 35mph headwind greeted him.

8 hours later he arrived in Sioux Falls. At some point his maps had blown away so he relied on directions from friendly folks along the way.

He was travelling light - can you really carry a backpack or pull a trailer on a carbon fibre Cervelo? For $3 he purchased pants, shoes and a collared shirt from a thrift store. He'll return them on his way out of town. That bit of information pushed my envelope.

He explained the various ways he lives sustainably - and the various things he's learned while doing it. He pushed the audience's envelope a bit with talk of composting human waste, which is fun.

--

Steve Clark returns to Sioux Falls May 14 & 15 to be part of the South Dakota Bicycle Coalition's Traffic Skills 101 course. If you read this blog and are local you should probably be in the course. If you read this blog and don't want to pay to take the course let me know.

More information will appear at www.southdakotabicyclecoalition.org soon.

--

I'm looking forward to tomorrow! Mitchell Joachim speaks. His TED profile says, "Homes can and should be truly organic. Different from the kind of organic houses Frank Lloyd Wright had in mind, and actually edible. And while I'm at it; cars should be soft. We designed these ideas and more… Of course they are not brand new concepts, but its now more possible and relevant than ever."

Mitchell Joachim - another world class talent in Sioux Falls. Tonight I listened while he and Steve Clark talked about David Byrne.

--

I'm just happy to be here.

The Boy 8 Says, "Wear your helmet."

The Boy 8 fullfilled his assignment "to inspire" by doing this "don't thump your melon" demonstration. The rainy day brought the demo inside to the carpet which proved enough to alter the demonstration.

It didn't matter much. Way to go The Boy 8!

...the video requires a four(4) minute nineteen(19) second attention span.

Plain Green '10

The MinusCar Project is pleased to be listed at a friend of the Plain Green Conference. Right there on the same list as Xcel Energy, Sioux Falls Seminary and SAM - that's Sioux Area Metro to you!

It's next week and I'm going because...

1. Transforming Highway Commercial Strips into Mixed-Use Corridors - imagine a less crappy 41st Street.

2. Designing a Home-Scale Food Forest - because I want to be a more effective gardener with a more effective garden.

3. Protecting Open Space Networks through Conservation Design - I only THINK I know what this means - and I THINK I'll like it.

4. Opening Keynote: Twelve Terrific Tools to Help Us Save the Planet and Set Us Free - because when I asked him if he'd come to Plain Green he said yes!

5. Global Warming: What Can Old Ice from Antarctica Tell Us - why should I listen to characterizations of scientists doing climate change work when I can listen to a character actually doing climate change work?

6. Urban Agriculture as a Tool for Community Change - what if our community gardens went to eleven.

7. Environmental Stewardship and the World’s Poor - from the Evangelical Environmental Network - it's those church-people those other church-people warned you about - so sign me up.

All that and I didn't even mention the world class main day keynote speakers Cameron Sinclair and Mitchell Joachim.

"...a few things at the grocery store..."

It happend again. It's happened a couple times in the past weeks.

"I need a few things from the grocery store" means "hey, will you go for a bike ride?"

Sometimes it's even at night.

Got two cantaloupes last night. The Boy 8 needs to do a persuasive presentation. We're hoping to demonstrate helmet wearing by dropping a melon and watching it smash on the floor.

0419 Transportation Donut

Times fun when you're having flies...and I'm a bit behind in my donut quota. Here's the catch-up. From 3/29 thru 4/18.



Sunday! We Boyses headed into downtown with The Wife to do some necessary Sunday tasks related to her job. She rode her bike, I pulled The Boys on the trail-a-bike equipped tandem.

The Boy 8 sits at the back, he's engine #3. The Boy 12 is in the middle, he's engine #2 and The Communicator. I'm engine #1. The Communicator is an important job. He's the conduit for communication between engine #1 and engine #3...because sometimes The Boy 8 cares not to answer questions like, "Hey The Boy 8, are you still attached?"

Maybe he's a little off-put because I call him The Boy 8. Maybe I don't actually call him that.

On the way back we stopped off at the B&G Milky Way for some much needed lunch and some ice cream themed treats. I'm pretty sure the best way to enjoy ice cream themed treats is to ride a bike to fetch them and eat them whilst sitting in grass.

Maybe that's just me.

The Wife set the pace and it was a nice pace. She cheated a little bit though because we ended up racing the last couple blocks home, much to the delight of my passengers.

If she's doing that she's leaving too much in the tank. ;-)

I also think this trip was a darn fine way to spend four hours on a Sunday afternoon.

Maybe that's just me.

In other news I'm 2/3 done leading a group through the LAB Traffic Skills 101 course. First time. Good time.

I see on the SDBC website I have a TS101 gig in Spearfish next month.

Yes indeed - this is the time where the activist gets involved at the state level and finds himself driving all over. I look forward to having a couple more certified folks in the state so I can stay closer to home.

I have no doubt I'll enjoy Spearfish...and I'll be taking the mountain bike. Maybe a preview of some Dakota Five-O course at least.

Confusion The Checker

I accompanied The Boy 8 to school this morning. I love that. He's a confident kid and it shows in his riding. Very nice.

Then I stopped off at the grocer to pick up some items. I suppose it was a bit confusing for the woman as we talked about riding and the rain that seemed to stop just for me.

I suppose it was the 8 cans (2 spicy) of V8, the three bananas and the 8 frozen dinners I purchased that seemed a little incongruous to her.

It's ok ma'am, I have a very long bike.

Outside The Lines

Dear Xtra, Thanks For Yesterday

Left side - work clothes, exercise clothes
Right side - work shoes
Messenger bag - laptop, power converter

I made good use of the Xtra Cycle today. I love it! It definitely has more stability over the BOB Trailer. The bags are more versatile. The paper work slid nicely into the pocket and kept just as nicely. Having ridden a Big Dummy I also appreciate that the bike fit is exactly the same as it was before adding the kit to the back. I don't mess around too much with bike fit.

I carried the laptop on my back knowing the ride there has most of the natural shock absorption my brain has.

20 miles today. Some of it pretty windy. Some of it included mashed potato pizza at Monk's. Some of it included night riding. Yes, The Wife let me stay out late with it.

I think this is the beginning of a long meaningful relationship.

You'd Better Reconize

What do April, Sioux Falls, the Twin Cities, bicycling and the Plain Green Conference have in common? Read onward.

Today our local daily is reporting that Bicycling Magazine has selected my happy little city as the 31st Bike Friendly City in America. This being the first time Bicycling Magazine has recognized Sioux Falls.

That’s some pretty nice recognition, especially following the recognition a few months ago from the League of American Bicyclists.

Our friends up north in Minneapolis are celebrating their #1 placing on Bicycling Magazine’s list. First! - a northern city like ours with 9 months of winter.

This month the Twin Cities Metro Magazine recognized Bike Walk Twin Cities as one of their best bicycling advocacy organizations. In fact, on the magazine’s list of 8 “bike-friendly projects you need to know about” 6 are being funded by Bike Walk Twin Cities.

Here’s the link…in April, opening the Plain Green Conference is Steve Clark. He’s the Bicycling and Walking Program Manager, in charge of Bike Walk Twin Cities.

He’s the #1 guy at the #1 bicycling advocacy organization in the #1 bike friendly city in America.

Not bad!

I wonder which of the Sioux Falls bike advocates will be at the conference?