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Advocacy Thread... What Have YOU Done Today???

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Advocacy Thread... What Have YOU Done Today???

Old 10-22-13, 07:09 AM
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I just figured out how to report potholes and other problems to the city yesterday. I got one pothole fixed. It was taken care of within 4 hours of when I reported it. I also reported overgrown brush, road debris, and two other potholes along my route. Now if I can just figure out how to get them to fix the huge mess of pavement where they apparently patched about 3 times on top of one another. This particular road is really in need of re-paving.

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Old 11-30-13, 08:33 PM
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What I did, didn't specifically have to do with cycling even though it could have, if other cyclists' had been involved.

I was on a short ride today. On my way back home, I noticed a county police officer with their squad car across the road, at a bridge I wanted to cross. https://www.google.com/maps/preview#...7.180404&fid=5 While I waited, several motorists' came zooming around Central Avenue in order to make the green light(had it been green) at the bridge. I helped direct traffic. One motorist coming up Deer Park, had the moronic audacity to try going around the officer. The officer immediately blocked the motorist with his squad car. Up to that point, I had just been waiting. After that happened, I started telling(not verbally, with my forefinger) motorists' to turn around. So the officer didn't really have to do anything other than block the road. I directed the traffic. The officer was very appreciative, once he had been given the 'ok' to leave.

The reason he was blocking the road, was because there was a bad accident involving two vehicles on the other side of the bridge, that required the rescue squad. So the bridge was blocked on both sides.
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Old 04-03-14, 05:03 PM
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[ame]

Unclog a Storm Drain Today

All it takes is a Garden Trowel, and maybe some road cones.

Last edited by hotbike; 04-03-14 at 05:07 PM. Reason: The Video Embed feature has changed.
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Old 04-05-14, 03:24 PM
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Just down the road from the previous video, another storm drain, that I forgot about. Well, riding past this morning, I see the water is half way across the road and about eight inches deep, where I normally ride my Bicycle. I made this video, then chopped it down to edit out the passing cars. Watch the water level drop when I get to the gob of leaves and twigs that is plugging the drain.
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Old 05-17-14, 02:49 PM
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Passed out another 100 kids helmets today, that's about 750 total since we started doing this.
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Old 05-18-14, 12:47 PM
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Last week, I ran a shovel through the street gutter, to turn over composted leaves, with earth worms. These leaves were rotting in the gutter since Hurricane Sandy, October 2012. As of Friday, the leaves had been picked up. The turning-over with the shovel made it easier for the street sweeper to get them . It was a Spade, BTW. By putting some space between the Curb and the leaves, it made it easy for the rotating brushes to pick up the leaves.
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Old 05-20-14, 09:58 AM
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I am a mechanic -- was FT, now PT -- at a local bike shop.

For the past three years, I've been doing volunteer work for our town's Foreign Workers Program, run through the Community Assistance service in town. They run a bike rental program where a worker will put a deposit down on a bike, ride it for the Summer, and then turn it in to get their deposit back.

I spent a good part of yesterday and three previous days tuning all the beaters people donate to the cause. Bikes that are beyond a tune, adjustment, or simple wear-item replacements go into the donor parts pile. Now that we're done going through all the bikes, the remainder will be headed down to Bikes Not Bombs in Jamaica Plain MA.

I'll also do free or discount fixes on FWP bikes which are brought in for work at the local shop where I work.
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Old 06-20-14, 05:02 PM
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I was back to my old habits this morning... I don't bow to low boughs. Several trees got a pruning that they've needed for some time. I just wonder how that's going to work in TW when (Lord willing I get there).

Xie Xie for keeping this thread active folks!
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Old 07-15-14, 01:20 PM
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Today, I found a branch overhanging an ADA ramp (less than 5') on PSU's campus. A phone call, a saw, and a few minutes later, and the branch was removed. (photos pending)

Total time involved, about 10 minutes.
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Old 07-15-14, 01:48 PM
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Old 07-16-14, 06:09 AM
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Originally Posted by K'Tesh
So, here's the idea: You ride a bike, you see something that needs attention (ie: tree branches too low, storm drain grates that could eat your tire, glass in the path, etc. etc. etc.). Then you take some pictures, then take steps to fix it. (ie: pull out a broom or pruning shears, make some phone calls, or send emails, volunteer, etc. etc. etc.). Then you post your pictures, tell your story, and inspire others.

Imagine, if every day, each person did one thing to improve their local cycling community, how long would it take before things would really improve for all of us?

So, here's an example:

I found a storm drain near some lightrail tracks (Portland's MAX train), that was in a place that made it unsafe for cyclists and wheelchairists. I found someone in a wheelchair (turns out she was the National Director for the Paralyzed Veterans of America) willing to assist me in getting this fixed.


Here she is with the drain...

Then with the photos, emails and phone calls, I managed to get the city to replace it with one that won't trap a wheel.


Same drain, different wheelchairist

So, What Have YOU Done Today?
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It's probably a little late but I would have found that guy a way out of panhandling.
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Old 07-17-14, 11:30 AM
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You folks are great!
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Old 07-17-14, 04:35 PM
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My weapon of choice for advocacy is a camera...


My Olympus is a nice camera and all, but it's too big (and old) for my needs as an agent for change. I finally got the scratch together, and I'm going back to a Panasonic (Lumix DMC-ZS25)... Look out World! You saw what I could do with a 10x optical zoom, I'm now up to a 20X optical zoom.

Oh, and until it arrives, here's what I can do with a smart phone (and some felco shears)

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Old 07-17-14, 06:17 PM
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Think I sw some bushes in front of your house I don't like. Wheres my shears? How is that advocating for anything except your desire not to see vegetation where you don't like it?
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Old 07-17-14, 10:26 PM
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Originally Posted by howsteepisit
Think I sw some bushes in front of your house I don't like. Wheres my shears? How is that advocating for anything except your desire not to see vegetation where you don't like it?
I have the advantage of sight. Too bad you don't.

A friend of mine is legally blind, has been since birth. How do you feel when you hear about huge lawsuits for "stupid" things? How much do you think that he would get (since the city and state have been notified for some time about the problem) if he lost an eye from those black locust trees? Losing 50% of his already diminished sight? I'd guess Hundreds of Thousands, if not MILLIONS. I don't go after "unsightly", I go after UNSAFE.

Oh, and my apartment? I've already had them go out and trim back the bushes. If you don't like it, you can talk to the management.
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Old 07-18-14, 05:30 AM
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Originally Posted by howsteepisit
Think I sw some bushes in front of your house I don't like. Wheres my shears? How is that advocating for anything except your desire not to see vegetation where you don't like it?
I don't see how that is advocating anything. I do see how that is performing a public service. They are encroaching over into public access territory. It should be the responsibility for the land owner on the other side of the fence to keep his shrubs from encroaching over onto the public sidewalk I believe, but obviously that hasn't happened. The public sidewalk is owned by all and thus all should have the right to clean it up.

Conversely, I just started scrolling through this thread recently and a lot earlier in the thread I saw someone post how he cleaned up weeds. Said weeds looked to me to be in the landscaping of a private owned business and overgrown out over the paved parking area. Pics showed the post author ripping the weeds out and throwing them onto the paved parking area and leaving it. Your comment above would certainly be an excellent reply to that post. In that post, the author had no right to be touching anything on a private owned business property open to the public.
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Old 07-21-14, 02:56 AM
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So, what's wrong with vehicular cyclists?

I use my bikes for transportation (I don't even have a Drivers License anymore...by my own choice...), and since we have no special bike routes or anything, I am forced to use public roadways. Does that make me a vehicular bicyclist?

Since the law here in Georgia regards all bicycles as vehicles, then I guess everybody that rides here would also be a vehicular bicyclist. Have we inadvertently done something to offend you**********?

I do my part by using my bicycles for transportation, and demonstrating to others that it can be done.......

Originally Posted by randya
argued with the vehicular cyclists on BikeForums.net

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Old 09-11-14, 06:56 AM
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This thread fell off and needs a bump. This is one of the only few places in the forum where any true advocacy discussions take place.

I unfortunately haven't done much for advocacy lately. My volunteering at the co-op has fallen off due to lack of time, something I deeply regret.
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Old 09-11-14, 07:30 AM
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I run free bike mechanics classes on a sporadic basis out of the shop. Last weekend, I taught a guy how to fix a flat/swap out a tube and do a basic cable tune on his shifting. I've done this for hundreds of people at this point and it never fails to thrill me when I see someone who thought they were incompetent or not mechanically inclined actually swap out a tube and adjust their gears.

This one grom who took mad advantage of the free mechanics classes through the past couple of winters landed a summer job at the local BMX park this year.
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Old 09-11-14, 07:45 AM
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I rode a lot of miles and entered them into the National Bike Challenge database which won my local advocacy group a beer party.
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Old 01-14-15, 11:12 PM
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With my current address, bike commuting (and advocacy) are difficult. I'm too far removed from where I go to school to ride very far, and often. However I did have an incident recently where I found myself pinched between blackberries a pedestrian walking in the bike lane (with headphones) and traffic. I called it in, and received a call back saying that the complaint has been noted (about the blackberries) and that PBOT should be doing something about it.

[EDIT August 1, 2015... PBOT LIED... They haven't done $h**.

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Old 01-17-15, 12:09 PM
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I moved "back to my hometown" after fifteen years in exile, and I had to start shoveling the sidewalks. The leaves from the trees had accumulated, over the years, until there was black dirt... Sorry , no pics. Also been shoveling snow.
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Old 02-03-15, 02:25 PM
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Keep the storm drains clear, before the slush freezes:
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Old 02-05-15, 03:20 AM
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I didn't start any spectator threads in A&S.
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Old 02-08-15, 07:52 AM
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Originally Posted by Rollfast
I didn't start any spectator threads in A&S.
Proud of ya!
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