Saturday Coffee Shop Ride: Next! 6/20

First. The next Saturday Coffee Shop Ride will be Saturday June 20. We'll depart at 9am from Scooters near the intersection of 57th and Western (5009 S Western Ave). Half a year ago we truncated our attempt at this loop due to heavy snowfall causing unpredictable riding. It will be nice to get a proper ride done on this southern loop. I think it's got some nice features.

Here is a link to the general expectations of the Saturday Coffee Shop Rides. Faster riders may find the speed of this ride a bit mentally challenging. If you want to see the entirety of the Saturday Coffee Shop Rides posts follow this link.

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What about today? Today a whole bunch of us descended upon the Manna Bakery. Could it be that riders like a challenge? Did holding the Saturday Coffee Shop Ride on Sunday cause the attendance record to be broken by riders coming out to prove they can't be fooled by a misnomer? Time may tell.

The Manna Bakery doesn't mess around. Whilst we hung around outside before and after our ride a steady stream of customers arrived and departed with fresh baked pastry goodness. Don't be disappointed that once inside you can barely remove your helmet without bumping into a powdered sugar covered something-or-other. They have maximized their pastry product capacity.

Curiously while I shot this picture a driver stopped and waited. I joked that he might be waiting for me to step or fall off the curb so that he could run over me. As I completed my photographic artistry he called me over. He inquired after my knowledge of Falls Area Singletrack, something I do happen to know a thing or three about.

Sid thanked me for the trails at Leaders Park. As a kid he used to live near and mess around in the park. As an olderish man he's ever so pleased that he can still move around in the park because we've cut trails through the brush for him.

To all the volunteers who built and continue to maintain Leaders Park, that one's for you!

Here's our group descending what I think is Cleveland Ave.

Our group anxiously awaiting a green light at 10th and Fairfax. Anxiously because it became clear that 20 riders stopped for a red light was still not going to be enough for the traffic engineer to turn it green for us. Deep red-light-running contemplations were being weighed when the Harvest Church bus arrived for a left turn and immediately activated the trigger. Like Manna from heaven.

The Saturday Coffee Shop Ride is a 10 mile loop, which is pretty short for many riders. This morning The Boy 17 and I departed an hour early with neighbors Clint and Noah. We made our way around the southside of the bike trail. Rode the coffee shop ride. Rode the bike trail north to home.

In the end, 40 miles. 137 for me for the week.

At the very end, a lemonade stand. Clint's treat. #winning

Quick - Everybody Ride - Now

On my way home from work today I chatted with Gregg, said hi to Kris, Tammy, Kris (again but much later) and chatted with Clint who was fresh from a visit to Madison, 'sconsin.

Also, UNPRECEDENTED - check this out...

I rolled up Main Ave behind a curb hugging woman. We arrived at 9th & Main where her right side lane position blocked my right turn. So I got in line.

Not long after I heard a different woman speak from behind me - "Do you like those big tires? Do they make your bike harder to pedal?" Well you caught me, didn't you.

But notice, FULLY THREE riders were stopped at the same red light at the same time. Also, women are the measure of successful bike infrastructure and the Main Avenue road diet is amazing.

Saturday Coffee Shop Ride On Sunday 5/31

After pre-riding the loop for Sunday's Saturday Coffee Shop Ride I found more gravel than I'd like for this ride - so I radically altered the route.

The final word: Sunday's Saturday Coffee Shop Ride which is on May 31 leaves the Manna Bakery at 9am and follows a route that goes a lotta something like this...unless I find something whilst pre-riding.

Create Maps or Search for a route from millions at MapMyRide

Memorial Day Ride in the City

Waving hello to the city traffic engineer from the seat of a bicycle. +1

Getting passed downtown on Phillips Ave. -1

Getting a friendly honk from John the paramedic and his standing-by ambulance. +1

Getting close passed in a neighborhood. -1

Catching said close-passer and his missus at the light and talking it out. +1

Taking 150 minutes and 33 miles to find lunch downtown with The Boy 17 at Chedds. Winning.

Saturday Coffee Shop Ride: SUNDAY May 31

The next Saturday Coffee Shop Ride will be SUNDAY May 31. SUNDAY. I cannot emphasize enough that SUNDAY is the next Saturday Coffee Shop Ride.

Pay attention. There will be a quiz at the end. Sunday May 31 is the next Saturday Coffee Shop Ride.

It will depart from the Manna Bakery - 812 E 6th St. We'll venture a bit into the northeast quad of the city then take a look at the new-ish trail spur that diverts near the diversion channel.

(this ride is on sunday, may 31)

The ride leaves at 9am. The loop is just shy of 12 miles and is as always weather adjustable. We'll enjoy manna from heaven (or maybe just from the bakery) after. There are general expectations of the Saturday Coffee Shop Rides. Faster riders may find the slowish speed of this ride mentally taxing.

Pop quiz hot shot. There's a Saturday Coffee Shop Ride schedule for Sunday May 31. What do you do?

The route goes a little something like this:

*** the route has changed - follow this link for new route ***

(the embed feature seems a bit mangled. here is a link to the route page.)

Create Maps or Search for a route from millions at MapMyRide

...And Remember To Get Milk

Soymilk & cinnamon sugar. Absulotely necessary before school tomorrow. Night ride! 

Car/Bike Crash - 41st & Kiwanis

If I was given a chance to have my opinion about this week's car/bike crash at 41st & Kiwanis read by someone that pulls the levers of power in this city I would say...

Councilor:

I know this is your work neighborhood. I walk by your front door pretty regularly. You and I met for coffee when the council was considering the 3' safe passing ordinance. Also, you are my councilman.

Thank you for being willing to hear my suggestions.

Consider how we influence human behavior in transportation as you assess crossing 41st & Kiwanis.

A driver encountering an intersection operating at less than standard functionality will poke their way through the intersection as best they can. When intersections are planned to be operating at less than standard functionality we put up signs in advance with warnings and post way-finding messages. We do this because crashes happen when we don't.

Somehow we don't do this for sidewalk users. Heading south or east on the sidewalk we expect users to know 660 or 1100 feet in advance that crosswalk passage through an upcoming major intersection is not available. We offer no way-finding at the point of closure and even if we did the signs would offer options that are round trips of 1/4 mile north or 1/2 mile west. This is a substantial increase in distance and time for most sidewalk users.

Now, my hopefully sensible suggestion:

Don't completely accept police spokesman Sam Clemens press briefing statement, "if you're going to be crossing the street make sure you do it in the marked crosswalk going corner to corner."

Don't completely accept KELOLAND's interpretation of Sam Clemens statement, "Clemens said the crash occurred outside of nearby crosswalks. He urged bicyclists to use marked crosswalks and to make sure the roadway is clear before crossing."

Because you are a city leader I suggest that it makes sense to consider all transportation system users when designing infrastructure. Most crashes happen not because people are out there doing dumb things, but because they're trying to make use of a system that isn't designed to accommodate what they're trying to do. It seems reasonable to me that a person standing on the northwest corner of any intersection in the city wanting to cross in any direction should be accommodated.

Thank you.

Saturday Coffee Shop Ride: Next! 5/31

The next Saturday Coffee Shop Ride is Sunday May 31. We'll depart at 9am from the Manna Bakery. The Manna Bakery address is 812 E 6th St. You were paying attention when you read that first sentence, right? It said, "The next Saturday Coffee Shop Ride is Sunday May 31."

Sunday.

After taking this picture it quickly moved high on my list of favorite bike Sioux Falls photos.

The Manna Bakery has no indoor seating so I'm hoping we're beyond the realm of snowfall by then.Also, the Manna Bakery has no indoor seating.

Here's the group picture from April's ride.

Here is a link to the general expectations of the Saturday Coffee Shop Rides. Faster riders may find the speed of this ride a bit mentally challenging. If you want to see the entirety of the Saturday Coffee Shop Rides posts follow this link.

See you next month.

Saturday Coffee Shop Ride: April 25

The next Saturday Coffee Shop Ride will be the last Saturday of April. The 25th. It will depart from Pappy's The Original - 101 S Phillips Ave. We'll encircle the heart of the core of the city, and take a nice long look at Covell Lake.

The ride leaves at 9am. The loop again is about 11 miles and is as always weather adjustable. We'll enjoy coffee or full breakfast after. There are general expectations of the Saturday Coffee Shop Rides. Faster riders may find the slowish speed of this ride mentally taxing.

The route goes a little something like this:

Create Maps or Search for a route from millions at MapMyRide

Mileage 150406 to 150412

It was a cold, wet and windy week. I was less likely to ride to ride, The Boys were less likely to ride to school. The numbers...

Bike: 67.6

Walk: 7.33

Multi-Occupant Car: 38.45

Single-Occupant Car: 65.57

Upon further review maybe it was just me who was less likely to ride.

My #30daysofbiking pledge survived intact. I've rides 12 of the 12 days of April.

Mileage 150330 to 150405

It's time to get real again by marking mileage.

Bike: 132.9

Walk: 7.78

Multi-Occupant Car: 52.30

Single-Occupant Car: 13.49

I took the 30 Days of Biking pledge. I'm 5 for 5. I've been taking pictures as I go. Here are a few favorites from the week.

The Boy 13 before the ride to school.

The Boy 17 correctly positioned and waiting for green.

...and some spokes.

Saturday Coffee Shop Ride: Next! 4/25

The next Saturday Coffee Shop Ride is April 25. We'll depart at 9am from downtown's newest eatery. Pappy's: The Original! That's 101 S Phillips Ave, 1st level of DocuTap which was recently formerly known as the CNA building.

Here is a link to the general expectations of the Saturday Coffee Shop Rides. Faster riders may find the speed of this ride a bit mentally challenging. If you want to see the entirety of the Saturday Coffee Shop Rides posts follow this link.

Today's ride featured two brand new people. Welcome Casey and Gregg. Murph! greeted us at Panera with regrets about flat tires and whatnot. Gregg and Murph! were very loyal riders of yesteryear's popular Coffee and Donut Rides.

See you next month!

Saturday Coffee Shop Ride: March 28

The next Saturday Coffee Shop Ride will be the last Saturday of March. The 28th. It will depart from Panera Bread - 5117 S Louise Ave. I like to think of the route as a tour of the Harrisburg School District in Sioux Falls.

The ride leaves at 9am. The loop this time is about 11 miles and weather adjustable. We'll enjoy coffee or full breakfast after. There are general expectations of the Saturday Coffee Shop Rides. Faster riders may find the slowish speed of this ride mentally taxing.

The route goes a little something like this:

Create Maps or Search for a route from millions at MapMyRide

HB 1030 - Yesterday's Failed Amendment...and The Future of SD Bicycling

Yesterday my Senator Omdahl attempted and failed to amend HB 1030. Because this amendment is a bit hard to find I’ve copied it from the Senate Journal and pasted it below. I think it deserves a careful read.

It begins with rendering 3' and 6' passing moot when riding outside municipalities. Then certain roads that have “sufficient lane width in the highway to provide the separation distance required” by 3’ and 6’ of passing can be designated by local governing bodies as roads that “may be used for bicycle travel.”

This amendment faced a far from unanimous voice vote. Senators who rose in favor of this very bad amendment were: Omdahl (Minnehaha County), Ewing (Lawrence) and Monroe (Hughes, Hyde, Stanley, Sully).

Think about the future:

Next year is a new legislative session and bicycles are a hot topic. Riders should prepare for yet another clothing bill – as a way to collect the pound of flesh ostensibly owed for providing increased safety for cycling road users. Also the Howie and Omdahl amendments won’t disappear. Heck – if invited to make HB 1030 “better” I’d put forth a bill that inserted “or a full lane change” after the 6’ passing requirement. This would allow easier passing of me when I’m controlling a lane on my bike.

Riders may not like politics. But acts of legislatures do not happen in a vacuum.

Whose job is it to keep a senator with an amendment and a silver tongue from banning cycling on roads throughout the state?

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Sen. Omdahl moved that HB 1030 be further amended as follows:

On page 1, line 14, of the House Transportation Committee engrossed bill, after "bicycle." Insert:
"The provisions of this section do not apply to any highway outside the incorporated boundaries of a municipality unless the highway has been designated for bicycle travel pursuant to section 2 of this Act.".

On page 1, after line 14, insert:

"Section 2. The Transportation Commission or board of county commissioners may designate a highway that may be used for bicycle travel. The highway may only be designated for bicycle travel if there is sufficient lane width in the highway to provide the separation distance required by section 1 of this Act. The commission or board shall identify the beginning and end point of the highway designated for bicycle travel. Signs shall be posted on the highway designated for bicycle travel to notify the motoring public of the beginning and end point and at regular intervals along the designated highway.".

HB1030 Passes Senate - Next Stop, The Governor

There is never enough thanks to go around on days like today. For what its worth...I'm giving thanks:

Thank you Chris Parsley, Clint Kolda and Chad Pickard. Since January 20 this team has been in constant contact around this bill. Strategy, ideas, thoughts, research, sanity, insanity - day and night - our lives have been just short of consumed by this bill. It's a great experience being on such a stellar team. Thank you guys. All volunteer all the time!

The American Heart Association and Megan Myers. Without diversity of thought and presentation bills like this are tough to pass. The Heart Association brought healthy living into the conversation and was a constant presence in the capitol. Also, Megan never seems to tire of my many question about how things work. I owe her. Thanks AHA & Megan.

Finally iPhone and Facebook Messenger. Seriously. I'd love to have all that conversation rolled up into a book to read. Couldn't have done it without you two.

On to Governor Daugaard's desk.

HB 1030 - 3' Passing Bill - Friday!

It feels like a month has passed...

A quick update to say HB 1030 will be heard by the Senate Transportation Committee this Friday at 8am. Assuming no complicating amendments or testimony requiring additional consideration the bill either moves to the Senate floor or dies a quiet death by tabling.

I've been waiting to contact the Senate Transportation Committee until now. Here's a link to the committee's page containing the contact form.

Showtime!

Saturday Coffee Shop Ride: Next! 3/28

The next Saturday Coffee Shop Ride is March 28. We'll depart at 9am from Panera Bread 5117 S Louise Ave.

Here is a link to the general expectations of the Saturday Coffee Shop Rides. Faster riders may find the speed of this ride a bit mentally challenging. If you want to see the entirety of the Saturday Coffee Shop Rides posts follow this link.

Here is today's motley crew. We waited for a train on 8th Street before finding an alternate route. Missing from this photo is the guy who chased us down in his car to say he had been planning to ride with us and chickened out. It was easy to catch us, remember we were stopped for a train. Dude, see you next month - I'll ask you if you're from Chicago.

If 10 miles seems a bit short then ride to the ride. Here's today's loop.

Mr Bendo and I. 

HB 1030 - In Waiting...

HB1030 continues to wait for a place on the Senate Transportation Committee's agenda.  It is not on the next (2/25) one. It is however being examined, scrutinized and analyzed. There is possibly a malicious force working against it. I note the esteemed Gordon Howie has proposed an amendment for it from his "rightsidesd" blog. I ain't linking because he doesn't deserve the views. It seems likely some random citizen will see that and nod their head and copy and paste it to all the senators.

Any energy arguing at him is wasted compared to making respectful contact with the senators themselves. If you have not yet contacted the committee members consider doing so. Explain your reasons the bill is important and ask that it not be weakened.

HB1030 - Round 3 - The Senate Transportation Committee - Go!

IT'S TIME FOR ACTION! Again.

HB1030 was read today in the Senate and assigned to the Senate Transportation Committee. It is not yet on an agenda but it is time to contact the Senate Transportation Committee: sen.Cammack@state.sd.us, sen.hunhoff@state.sd.us, sen.monroe@state.sd.us, sen.Otten@state.sd.us, sen.solano@state.sd.us, sen.peterson@state.sd.us, sen.Vehle@state.sd.us.

All the same words used before for the representatives are valid for the senators. There is increasing opposition to this bill which is no surprise. Apparently South Dakota roads are now too narrow and not straight enough for safe bicycle travel.

Or, be inspired by this wise man and send them a letter...

Rumbles!! Part 2

Tuesday 10am HB 1214 - the reflective clothing bill - will be considered by the House Transportation Committee. At 2pm HB 1030 - the 3' passing bill - will be considered by the full House.

In the meantime...

Read Rumbles!! Part 1 here. 

This complete "Rumbles!!" series is a demonstration of the value that Argus Leader Journalist David Montgomery has brought to the local cycling community. Without this article as the starting point the destruction of this piece of cycling habitat - Highway 151 south of Hartford - would have been a surprise to most and seemed anonymous.

To be sure my view is the riding community ought to take responsibility and be their own watchdog. To be equally sure there simply aren’t enough riders engaged enough in the process of how cycling habitat is created and destroyed to be very effective.

Here David Montgomery filled some of the gap. He caught something in a meeting somewhere and it registered enough with him to make some calls and write an article. Because of this, the rumbles planned for Highway 151 will not be a surprise and will not be done seemingly anonymously; at least to me and followers of The MinusCar Project.

I view this as my newspaper subscription dollars being put to good use directly connecting and contributing to the work I do for bicycle advocacy.

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David Montgomery named names. Let’s look at the starting lineup, the players involved – pulled directly from the Argus Leader article in order of appearance:

Minnehaha County Commission – sometime between December 13 and 20, 2014 they approved rumble stripes on Highway 151. As an elected body they should at least pretend to care about me and my concerns. Maybe there’s even one of them that would champion my concerns. Some of them I may have voted for or against in elections, but to be honest I do not know which.

Minnehaha County Commission Chairwoman Cindy Heiberger – a cyclist! She’s concerned about creating the hazard! “Bicyclists beware,” she says. As an elected official she should at least pretend to care about me and my concerns. However, she is not someone that I am eligible to vote for, she lives elsewhere.

Larry Hayes – private citizen, local rider of bicycles.

Andy Vandel – Highway Safety Engineer with the South Dakota Department of Transportation. State staff should be reasonably responsive to a reasonable number of reasonable requests.

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To me the most glaring thing in this article is not at all related to rumbles. It’s the claim by Department of Transportation Andy Vandel that “they have a dedicated liaison to bicyclist groups.” This is both damning and encouraging.

It’s damning because as a leading bicycle advocate in South Dakota nobody has ever presented themselves to me as a dedicated liaison to bicycle groups. I checked with four other leading advocates in the area and they all agreed, nobody had ever presented to them as being a dedicated liaison.

It’s encouraging too! Because – have you heard?!? – the state has a dedicated liaison to cycling groups. Might has well see if I can meet them...