 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Not that anyone who reads my blog is the kind of jerk driver who tries to kill me on a daily basis, but maybe you could help pass this along to other drivers? Since nobody will probably even have the slightest idea about it? ILLINOIS - A new share-the-road traffic safety law in Illinois gives bicyclists a little more breathing room.
Senate Bill 80, which Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed into law last week, requires motorists to make sure there is at least 3 feet of clearance to pass a bicycle rider.
Also, the law says bicyclists may now signal a right turn with their right arm extended outward, instead of using the left arm to signal all traffic maneuvers.
"They may now point where they're going. That's easier for drivers to understand," said Ed Barsotti, executive director of the League of Illinois Bicyclists.
The new law also says bikes may move out farther into the traffic lane, where cars might turn right.
The goal is to prevent accidents in which right-turning drivers underestimate a bike's speed, pass the cyclist then cut them off, Barsotti said.
Of course, just because it's now illegal to pass a bike too closely, that's not going to make a lick of difference to the drivers who think bikes should be ridden on the sidewalk, or are under the impression that bikes are legally required to ride in the bike lane at all times (and if there's no bike lane, you shouldn't ride your bike on that street). And yes, I am fully aware that there are cyclists out there who blow red lights and stop signs and ride the wrong way on a one-way street. That doesn't give you, a driver, license to try to kill me with a two ton weapon. ETA - someone on Yelp just sent me a link to a whole site outlining the City's plans for restructuring bike infrastructure. Neat stuff - http://www.bike2015plan.org/chapter1/chap1_obj3.html. Too bad we'll probably be living in the suburbs by the time this all goes through. Tags: biking
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
So as of this morning, I feel like I am officially a bike commuter again. The last time I rode to work was back on June 11, and even then, I only rode TO work (since I got a flat when I got there, and had Carrie pick me up after work). But now, armed with my newly fixed rear tube and tuned brakes, I was a force to be reckoned with. In fact, this morning at avg speed of 12.29 mph was my fastest ride to work so far. Looking at my bike journal, I can see that I had rides last year that had a faster average speed, however, that was when I had my old bike computer that I think was not as accurate in terms of distance (those rides claim my ride to work was 6.9 miles, but now my bike computer, which is actually precise, says it is 7.12 miles). Although now that I look again, I can see that I have a ride in Sept of last year that was with my new computer, on the same route I took today, with an avg speed of 12.80 mph. Damn. But I still kicked the crap out of my average times for the couple of rides this year :) Tags: biking
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wasn't sure if I wanted to ride in this morning. Looked at the weather last night, and told Carrie "I think I'm going to skip riding tomorrow, since Monday is the only day that is supposed to rain this week". Woke up, saw that it wasn't raining. Looked like it was going to be clear for the next hour or so, and decided to go for it (taking a cue from a post I'd seen on BikeForums.net about rarely regretting to ride, but often regretting to not). No rain the whole way in - it was a little chilly, but about halfway in, I didn't care anymore, because the @#%#$ windbreaker I bought at Target yesterday doesn't breathe for CRAP. The parts of my body covered by the dryfit t-shirt underneath weren't too bad, but my lower arms were DRIPPING by the time I rolled into work. My back was a little sweaty too. Oh, and I discovered that yet another thing interferes with my crappy wireless bike computer...my front headlight. Luckily it was pretty light out by the time I got going, so I was okay. But it's time to replace that computer! Speaking of which...I know some of you all are cyclists, so maybe you might have some insight into this. A few months ago, I bought a Sette Quantum X2 v.2.0 Wireless Computer from Pricepoint. It seemed pretty cool, until lately I noticed it was WILDLY inaccurate. Well, I figured out that the "inaccuracy" was coming from the fact that I would bring the computer inside after riding (in order to record the information), and it was picking up signals from my laptop or cell phone, and thinking that I was speeding along at 35 mph while I was sitting at my desk. So I decided to not bring it in anymore. Well, I then found out that if I carry my cell phone in my pocket while riding, it fucks up the reading. So the cell phone went back into the bag. This morning, it was a little dim when I headed out to work. So I fired up my front headlight for the first time. About a mile into the commute, I noticed that my computer was reading 0 mph. Then it would go to 7. Then back to 0. I thought maybe it was something to do with the dampness (it rained this morning), but I've ridden in the rain before and it worked. On a lark, I turned off the headlight. Guess what? The computer worked again. MotherTRUCKER! Therefore, I'm in the market for a new bike computer. I think I want to avoid wireless this time, since I don't ride off-road and don't mind a cable. My ideal bike computer would have programmable odometer, HRM, and be able to be detached from the bike easily and brought inside (for recording purposes). That last part, I don't know if there are any "wired" computers that do that, so I think I could skip it. Any recommendations? Tags: biking
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(I don't have any good photos that correspond to biking, so there's no picture in today's entry. Sad.) I haven't updated in a while, so I figured it was a good time to do so. Today is the second day this week that I've biked to work. Now that it's not oppressively hot, I should be able to do this more often. My goal for next week is to ride all four days (I'm taking Monday off so that Carrie and I can go to Six Flags.) I've been mixing my route up a bit. On Tuesday I rode home on the lakefront path instead of taking the streets. And this morning I rode that way in. It adds a little over 3 miles to the commute (on streets it's 6.9 miles, on the path it's 10.7), but door-to-door it's only about ten minutes longer (due to the fact that I can go faster on the path, plus there's no stopping for most of the ride). It's definitely a great way to go home - as long as I leave work by 2:30 and miss all the jackasses strolling along the path four-abreast. It's great to be able to scoot along at a faster clip without being interrupted - plus, there are much fewer girls in bikinis on Lincoln Avenue than at North Avenue Beach :) On the way in it was a different story - much windier, so my average speed dropped from 15 mph to 9. Slowed me down a lot, but it was still fun. Today I'm watching the weather - we're supposed to get some pretty strong storms around 3 PM. So I figure if I leave work by 2, I should be safe. I don't really want to ride home in high winds and torrential downpour! Tags: biking
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It's not as bad as ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) rickimsears, but still making me a little shaken up. I collected my first door prize this morning. I was riding down Wells, under the L tracks, which gets kind of weird. If you look at this picture, it will help the story:  See how there's the area on the "outside" of the L tracks, where the cars are parked? I was riding in that area, on the west side of the street (Wells runs south). Some guy opens his car door suddenly, and whammo! I'm knocked over. Luckily, there were no cars coming (I was knocked into the lane of traffic). The guy held his hand out to me and said "Oh my God, are you okay?" I shrugged and said "You gotta watch where you're going, dude." He apologized. I looked down at my bike, and saw a crack in the plastic guard on the sprocket. The chain was mis-aligned as well. A little upset, I told the guy I needed his info, since he hit me, and my bike was new, and I needed him to pay for any damage he did, since he was liable (I just read about that the other day). He started getting indignant "I'm sorry, is this the street? No, I think the street is OVER THERE" (pointing to the area under the tracks). I told him that I was just a little freaked out, since it was a new bike, I had to make sure I could ride it the rest of the way to work, and back home again. I told him I wasn't trying to be an asshole, but I just wanted his information. So he gave me his card, apologized again, and said he was glad I wasn't hurt. I agreed. So once I got to the office, I pulled the guy's card out. He's a lawyer. Leave it to me, to get doored by a freakin' lawyer. I have to bring my bike into the shop after work anyway (since they still didn't fix my shifter), so I'm going to have them check it out. Update - I called the police to see if I should file a police report, and was told that I defintely should. From curb to curb, it's all street. However, to file a report, I at least need the make/model of his car, preferably the license plate number. The woman on the phone said that his card would not be good enough, since he could have given me anyone's card. Although I did go to the website on the card, and looked up his profile with the firm. It's him, and he's a partner there. I think the guy could totally afford to pay for a new chain guard for me. I'm going to walk down that way after my 10 am meeting to see if I can find his car and write down the info. Update to the update - I walked over there during lunch, and I'm 99% sure I found his car. I got the license plate number (which as a "Fraternal Order of Police" plate, fantastic), and will be filing a report this afternoon when I figure out which police department to go to. Tags: biking
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Today began the great experiment of biking to work. I managed to get here just fine...now, going home will be another story. It's a seven mile ride each way, and took me about 50 minutes door to door. If you want, you can check out my route. Some things I learned: - When starting at 6:30 AM, being sweaty isn't the issue, it's being COLD!
- By the time you've gone about four miles, you're not cold anymore, you're sweaty
- Tomorrow I will at least bring deodorant, but I think I'm okay biking in my work clothes
- No, I don't really smell bad.
- My hair looks funny when it gets a little sweaty under a helmet. I need a haircut.
- Village Cycle did NOT fix my shifter yesterday, in fact, it's worse than it was before. I really miss gear 2:5.
- My U-lock is not big enough to fit around my frame, my front tire (detached), and my rear tire. For now, I used the "accessory cable" to tie up the front tire and my detached seat, but I need a longer U-lock.
- Biking down Wells between the Merchandise Mart and Van Buren is a little scary, but it was actually pretty cool
That's about it for today. Totally fun though. I'm glad I did it, and I'm looking forward to doing this every day. Tags: biking, fitness
Current Mood:  accomplished
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
