Friday Funnies - Are you truly motivated?

LEFT!!! and Trail Etiquette

With the warm weather returning so will runners and cyclists to many of the area trails. Along with that includes the return of individuals and groups who use the trail in manner that can only be described as self centered. They have either forgotten, unfamiliar with, or ignored any semblance of trail etiquette. Treating the trails like their own personal training ground. So while they are out getting their fitness on they either don’t or worse yet, don’t care how their actions impact other trail users.

Ever seen elite athletes competing in the Boston Marathon or the Tour de France plugged into an iPod while they compete? Than you should train in the same manner. There was a time before iPods and Walkmans and when you trained you learned to listen to your body and the world around you. You developed a sense of rhythm and timing, you used objects and individuals ahead of you as a way to set a pace and go that extra distance. Running and cycling plugged in means you can’t hear what is going on around you, especially when someone is warning you that they are going to pass you.

If you are out for a run or ride and there is more than 2 of you, stay two abreast. Anything more than that and you are making it difficult for people to pass you, no matter which direction other trail users are coming from. I know that sounds obvious, but I am talking to you the 30 college aged young women who managed to block the entire trail while out for a run. And the eight cyclists near Boathouse Row riding in a peloton oblivious to everyone else. Both groups make life difficult for the rest of us.

Every year I encounter hammerheads and the wannabees who emulate them. Including the attitude that they and they alone are the ones that trails are intended for. This is a problem with cyclists and runners of both genders. The solution is for clubs and retail stores to do an annual reminder for the membership and customers. Along with signs big enough to read at trailheads. Because individual trail users trying to educate other trail users are met with derision and scorn.

This is not the ride to cure Byko

As much as I would like to get behind Byko’s Safe Bike Ride, I just can’t. And it appears that the vast majority of Philly cyclists and Stu Bykofsky’s fanboys feel the same way. Contrary to Stu’s boast that “My strategy is to attract the ones who want to kill me. They are the majority. I am going for volume.” It appears that the majority has spoken and they have no interest in killing Mr. Bykofsky. Instead they are ignoring him.

There is one good thing that came out of this ride, when Mr. Bykofsky attempted to dominate the conversation on the ride’s Facebook page. Normally when Mr. Bykofsky interacts with cyclists and and cycling advocates it his through his opinion articles. Where he controls the narrative and can claim that his personal opinions are facts, without having to contend with actual facts or opinions other than his own. This time was different, when he foisted his opinions on Facebook. He was not ready for what happened, people pushed back with actual facts and challenged his statements. (http://bit.ly/28XyoZQ)

My favorite interaction with Mr. Bykofsky was when he stated; “Oddly, the Bicycle Coalition does not do studies on red-light-running cyclists. I wonder why?” Implying that his personal opinion that all cyclists run red lights would be validated. Therefore there must be some vast conspiracy to cover this up. When I asked why didn’t Mr. Bykofsky conduct a survey of his own his response was one of denial; “ Because you wouldn't accept the result “.  That’s right folks it’s my fault that Mr. Bykofsky refuses to prove his own theory.

The Byko Safe Bike Ride is a “Courteous Mass”, during which the participants obey all stop lights and traffic signals to the letter of the law. Sometimes rides like this are used to demonstrate just what could happen if cyclists were to obey the letter of the law, to the extent that most car drivers do not.

When bike lanes were implemented in 2009 Stu Bykofsky created a mythology that all cyclists break the law by running red lights and stop signs or by riding on the sidewalk. By claiming that his personal opinion are actual facts.

Since that time the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and other well intentioned, but misguided cyclists have been under the impression that if they could just get Stu to ride a bike he would have an epiphany.  Something Mr. Bykofsky made clear would not happen in his column “Byko: Want a piece of me” when he stated “So this is not, in the words of a biker friend, "the Ride to Cure Byko." 

And yet this belief that continues to be seen on the Byko’s Safe Bike Ride Facebook page by apologists for Stu, in the form of comments as; “What better way to change someone's mind, then to involve them.” and  “But maybe he's not manipulating us, maybe we are manipulating him.”, My personal favorite is “His column has served as a platform for bicycle recognition and change.”

Nothing is going to change Mr. Bykofsky’s opinion. I can only hope that this ride will finally lay this theory to rest and everyone will stop giving Stu the attention and perception of legitimacy he desires.

"Status quo, you know, is Latin for 'the mess we're in'"

Normally I am not a big fan of petitions so I thought nothing of a recent petition (http://chn.ge/1TF7HbQ) calling on the City of Philadelphia to enforce the parking regulations regarding bicycle lanes. Because, let's face it, the PPA has no interest in ticketing cars parked in bicycle lanes.

That changed when the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia wrote a blog post (http://bit.ly/1Xkzr4J) justifying the current status quo the petition is trying to address. First the BCGP explained that the parking laws along Spruce and Pine St.’s are subject to asterisks. Signs that read “No Parking” were actually 20 minute loading zones. Only those locations that are posted as “No Stopping” mean no parking. But those are few and far apart, at best 25% of Spruce and Pine.

To make matters worse the BCGP tried to justify the current regulations.  With the excuse of “These parking regulations were decided years before the bike lanes were installed and these did not change when the bike lanes were installed in 2009.” They made a similar statement regarding churches using bike lanes as parking on Sunday.

The BCGP tried to rationalize it away by saying; “For someone unfamiliar with these long-standing agreements between the city and religious folks, this agreement may seem bizarre. Simply acknowledging these rules and the long-standing agreement can make a cyclist’s head explode.” 

The only thing making my head explode is how the BCGP tries to rationalize what has been going on since 2009, eight years. With the addition of bike lanes along Spruce & Pine has changed the way traffic flows along these streets. Which means all past agreements should change to reflect the new street conditions. The excuses that the BCGP has given to justify the chronic problems with Spruce & Pine St leaves one asking, whose side are they really on?

The BCGP has a growing number of public issues where their lack of advocacy and being too much of an insider has become obvious. With its increasing number of vanity projects and one sided deals that don’t benefit cyclists. The BCGP has become a bureaucracy and a “bureaucracy defends the status quo long past the time when the quo has lost its status”. (Laurence J. Peter, creator of the Peter Principle)

Bogus Bike Racks - Ikea, Conshohocken

As bike racks become more commonplace at businesses and other institutions the placement and quality of those racks sometimes comes into question.

While Ikea products are distributed worldwide and its origin can be traced back to a single bike. Their questionable bike racks and placement looks as if they have forgotten their origins.

Whenever I go out to do some distance riding I prefer the Schuylkill River Trail, however my options for getting something relatively healthy, tasty, and within my budget are limited. Ikea’s restaurant, conveniently located off the SRT and easily accessible by bike Ikea in Conshohocken often fits the bill. The challenge is locking up my bike securely and safely.

Of the two bike racks they offer both of the wheel bender variety, an outdated style that makes locking a bike difficult and can place a cyclist at the risk of bending the rim of their bike. Neither rack is bolted to the ground  which means they can be moved around with ease.

Recently two cyclists taking a break from riding the SRT found their own creative place to lock their bikes.

This poor selection in bike racks and placement also carries over to their North American headquarters, next door to the Conshohocken Ikea. The entrance is located on the back of the building and while there are plenty of parking spaces for employees who are carpool to work. Bicycles are given short shrift, with something that barely qualifies as a bike rack.

Given their close proximity to the trail one would think that Ikea would do more to encourage their employees to bike to work by giving them decent facilities to lock their bikes. As well as for cyclists riding the trail looking to take a break, who may also be potential customers.

Do you know of a badly placed bike rack in Philadelphia? Write a comment and I will highlight it in a future post.