cudak888 

Complained to the City of South Miami regarding militant organizers of Volksblast 2010, regarding their targeting and attempted police removal of dismounted cyclists at the event.

-Kurt

jmonsw21

Hey Kurt from MIAfixed. Right on. Don't know you or anything but its nice to see a fellow Miamian posting up here about their bicycling advocacy.

cudak888 

Nice to see you here Joe!

-Kurt

K'Tesh

Located and helped recover stolen street signs tonight.

As I was riding to get something to eat, I spotted something green reflecting back at me from behind a fence. Checked it out, and found it was a street sign that had recently been stolen. The city had replaced it already, but I'm sure that they'll be glad to have it back (and the guys who stole it are not happy).

The responding officer was stunned that I even spotted it, until I explained that people who cover their bikes in reflective films ALWAYS investigate things that reflect back at them, in the event that they can make use of it.

See Something? SAY SOMETHING!!!
K'tesh

K'Tesh

Back in December, had three daylight near misses on one crosswalk in Tualatin, right near the City Hall. I went in, and explained what happened, and how the poor design of this "T" intersection is putting people at risk. The people in City Hall know of the problem, because they have to use this crosswalk every day.

The problem is that the "leg" of the T is on an uphill, while the cross street is humped in the middle, and the crosswalk is below the highest point of the street by several inches (maybe a foot). Left turning traffic from the leg has problems with the roof supports of the cars blocking the crossing signal (and anybody standing at the curb cut), and peds/cyclists are below the sightline of those motorists.

When the walk signal goes on, the left hand turn lane gets it's green, and those motorists then try to make the turn, catching me (and others) in the middle of the crosswalk.

I told the city engineer of the problem, but nothing was done. I talked to her again a couple of weeks ago, and still nothing was done. Last week a cyclist doing exactly the same thing I was (however at night), got hit. Fortunately for everybody involved he wasn't hurt.

I've contacted the City's Attorney, and the Bicycle Transportation Alliance's Bike/Ped ambassadors, and am hoping to see changes occur soon.

See Something? SAY SOMETHING!!!
K'Tesh

genec

Been reporting potholes and cracks in the pavement to the city street division.

Just_Ryan

Forgot to post this here from a couple weeks ago:
Reported a couple monster pot holes on Kent Ave in south Vancouver, and to my surprise they were being fixed by the streets department during my commute home the same day. They came and did some more touch up on the road this week, too. The potholes had been growing for months and were about 3-4 inches deep with sharp edges where the concrete was severed. They were deep and wide enough to do some serious damage to an unsuspecting biker.

I was really impressed with the response time - I had assumed someone would have reported them already, which is why I never did (won't make that mistake again). Vancouverites - email Bicycle.Hotline@vancouver.ca if you have any issues with your route.

powerhouse

Back in early September of last year, I noticed that the road conditions at a railroad grade crossing in Belgrade, ME needed serious attention. The railroad line had just received improvements but road conditions were so bad that numerous, deep potholes could be found around and between the rails at the crossing. Although the road was a secondary one, there was no shortage of daily traffic that used it. Trucks approaching and leaving an adjoining lumber mill, buses transporting students to and from a nearby school, and emergency vehicles that came from a local fire station all were forced to lurch across the poorly maintained crossing. When I passed over it on my mountain bicycle, I was practically thrown over the handlebars due to the multiple bumps. I'd ridden across railroad crossings before but this was ridiculous. Was this happening to other bicyclists who passed this way?

When I reported the poor road conditions at and around the grade crossing and my incident there, town officials didn't blow it off. Coincidentally, here were many other townspeople and bicycle teams who passed that way and they didn't want that to happen to them. It wasn't long before a contract was signed for a local road construction company to make repairs on the road at that particular railroad grade crossing. When I returned to Belgrade for a short time in early October, I noticed that the worn out pavement at that grade crossing had been dug up and resurfaced.

Leo H.

I was riding through a busy intersection and noticed a dog collar w/tags resting in the road. Stopped and at an appropriate time in traffic, ran out and picked up the collar. I'll call the vet's office next week to make sure the collar wasn't from a struck dog.

I also picked up a foot long piece of wood with metal attached that's been in the middle of an intersection I pass through weekly. Even though it's been there a few days, if someone clips it with their tire, it's gonna leave a dent or worse, if it hits something or someone. I found a safe time in traffic, went out and removed it from the intersection and tossed it past the side of the road where it won't likely get back into traffic soon.

Leo H.
Sun Valley, NV

K'Tesh

Yesterday, I spent 5 hours out on SW Canyon Rd (Portland), just outside of the Goose Hollow MAX station pruning and sweeping up the sidewalk. Owwww...


Before (links to slideshow)


After (links to set)

The sidewalk is where one of the ZooBomb routes exits out of the park and leads to one of the MAX stations that allow ZooBombers to get back to the Zoo. It's also how I get into, and out of Portland.

I even made a new tool for checking clearance (the surveyor's pole)

See Something? DO SOMETHING!
K'Tesh

Leo H.

Called about a signal at the bottom of my street that didn't work for me this morning. I received a cheerful response that they would check into it.

I spent 5 minutes straightening some 6" white reflective tabs on top of guardrail posts I ride past on my way home. Likely due to adolescent puds/peds walking by, they were cattywompus, so I pulled an Adrian Monk and adjusted them.

Leo H.
Sun Valley, NV

Dropped off the bicycle tags I found in the street a while back at the listed vet's office, they said they'd look into it.

cudak888 

Pushed one of those round, concrete "don't drive on my grass" thingamabobs out of the apex of a curve, and back onto the grass, where it had been.

Yawn.

-Kurt

powerhouse

I've recently renewed my membership with the bicycle coalition in Maine. Besides bicycling and its related activities, the coalition advocates for bicycle safety and improvements around the state for bicycling.

K'Tesh

I just scored $300.00 from two of my storm drain grate photos... Apparently Scott's Miracle Grow was doing a 15 second spot ad for their sponsorship of a Corporation for Public Broadcasting's program, and needed photos of storm drain grates.


This grate made me $150.00


This grate made me $150.00

Of course, I'm a supporter of Public Broadcasting (I won a 27" TV from Southern Oregon Public Broadcasting back in the 90's). So, you know, I'm paying my membership today!

See Something? Say Cheese!
K'Tesh

Leo H.

Wow, those are bad, for any city in the country, much less one considered most bike friendly. Interesting.


Leo H.
Sun Valley, NV

K'Tesh

One of my rare Cell Phone photos... (The Panasonic was getting charged). I was riding near my apartment, when I saw that this drain was rotated the wrong way (again). I rotated it years ago, when this was a Who Song & Larry's Restaurant.



I took the photo in and showed it to a manager, who led me to the owner. I took him outside and demonstrated how it could be a problem, and we both rotated the grate 90degrees. I don't know if he'll get straps welded over it, but he did seem receptive to the idea (and he saw the broken welds). One of the nicest property owners I've met. I can also recommend them for their food.

Say Something!
K'Tesh

Seattle Forrest

I've never understood why anybody would want to steal a road sign. It's not like there's a black market for them. Or, maybe there is, and suburban warlords are paying kids to steal them, in order to enforce their own edicts. Speed limit 55 signs where stops belong, and the like?

Leo H.

Sadly, there isn't much of that and I'm very happy this thread exists in the A & S Forum, even if 2 months go by before people post in it.

I rode today in a university study analyzing particulate exposure in cyclists' lungs while riding. There were pulmonary function tests before a measured ride, then after, then 2 different times after the ride. I'll get an air pump out of the effort, as well as helping someone study cyclists in their environment.

Leo H.
Sun Valley, NV

Leo H.

Lots of those lately...I had to call on a couple of lights that haven't been responding when I'm in position. I called the State roads crew requesting street sweeping some glass and stuff I'd noticed recently on roads near me. I threw in the tidbit that it was Bike to Work Week and it'd be nice to have the roadways and bike lanes clear, at least during this week and she replied with an, "aaahh..." so my point got through. Actually had sweepers out on the roadway in less than 24 hrs.

I called the County road repair on a long section of roadway in our subdivision wherever the road cracks not only extend from gutter to gutter, but they're expanding past 2" wide and are becoming a problem when I'm riding down them at speed. I should be going very slow, the are that wide and deep. I'm mentally noting how long it takes a road crew to repair this section of roadway.

Leo H.
Sun Valley, NV

Leo H.

Anyone else participating or helping organize B2WW activities in their communities or workplaces? Or going to do so, because it isn't in May in your locale?

I spent a day off recently placing posters and distributing B2W day trinkets for active or eager sounding staff I came across that day. Tomorrow, the company newsletter is coming out to take pics of me and some coworkers to show employees participating in B2WW.

I also put in some money and am offering seat bags w/multitools, patch kits and a certificate for a tube purchase to raffle off for 3 people who commuted this week but hadn't commuted before. I also got a tune up certificate and I'm going to raffle that off for any of the regular commuters who commuted this week. Fortunately, I got THAT donated :grin:

Leo H.

I looked at the recent bicycle brochure offered by our state bicycle advocacy committee.
It was very nice. No typos!! It even has an address to report unsafe motorists' behavior around cyclists. I took advantage of that, I had some car recently drift in to the bike lane rolling past me so close I don't think I could have extended my elbow straight before hitting the side of his car. I yelled and he didn't seem to respond (car windows were open, music wasn't noticeably blaring), just kept on rolling eventually steering out of the bike lane.
I called the cops when I got home from that. I did not follow up until this week and the report was not found. I left another report with the police as well as wrote about the incident to this bicycle group. I actually saw the car again recently and followed him to his house and got an address which I sent to the 2 reports.

If nothing happens, I still have something down on file.

Leo H.
Sun Valley, NV

I also wrote to the group creating the brochure asking that in upcoming brochures they have pictures in their background not just of folks riding road bikes in park settings or jst mountain bikes, I want to see all sorts of bikes, tandems, recumbents, bikes with trailers, pet or kid, cargo bikes, bikes in urban settings.

Roody

Nice posts, but those little blue letters sure are hard for an old fart like me to read.

Just sayin.

K'Tesh

So, What's the address? Active mind wants to know.

K'Tesh

K'Tesh

In Washington County Oregon, it can!

I was turning in my ballot for the May 18th election, when I found this drain grate in the parking lot (and ballot delivery area) of the County Elections Office.


Off the left is an ADA parking area too.

I've rotated the grate as a cyclist is more likely to be injured if caught in the grate, and have contacted the facility maintenance department to get straps welded across it to prevent any possible accident.

Also, sometimes you wish you had wings to fly over unsafe grates...


Simply flip, and rotate 90 degrees, and now it's safe for bikes and wheelchairs

See Something? DO SOMETHING!!!
K'Tesh

Leo H.

Believe it or not, I don't have a copy with me in the house. The contact is for reporting unsafe
motorists in Nevada. I guess it wouldn't hurt to find it and post it to the forum.

I am playing phone tag with an officer about the incident, apparently he called Wed, was supposed
to call me Thurs, but did not. I may wait until Monday then try to call him up. I saw the car that
nearly hit me again parked at a convenience store as I rode home.

Leo H.
Sun Valley, NV

How's that Roody? Of course, coming from someone who puts his name in image letters on his sig, I wasn't aware you were an old fart with vision issues