jimmuller 

You do get out pretty early!

I had a curious light encounter on the MM on my commute home yesterday. The Bianchi has a B&M LED headlight powered by a Shutter Precision SV-8 hub, very effective arrangement. Plus Sharon makes me ride with an L&M Urban 700 which I put on its dimmest setting. She wants me to be seen and who's to argue with that? Anyway, one cyclist going the other way had his hand up shading his eyes and called out how blinding it was. Huh??? It was quarter to 6! Full daylight and sunset was still over 2 hours away. Had it been dark I would have turned the B&M off there, and pointed the L&M downward and shielded it with my hand. Did that guy's Driver's Ed. instructor never teach him you don't stare at an oncoming car's headlights?

I see more dumb behavior on my commutes, but I see even more when I'm forced to drive so I guess I'm happy with the biking.

Ghazmh

[QUOTE=jimmuller;19762015]You do get out pretty early!


Hi Jim! Its been a great run thus far. Prior to the schedule change with my new job I rode mornings sometimes but mostly after work. For a while I was riding at lunch time. I am an early bird and a predictable creature of habit. My garage door goes up at 0500 on the dot. So much less traffic to deal with. It seems like I come out of my solitude bubble when I take a left onto 117 in Lincoln around 0630 heading home. Thats when the traffic is almost equal to that of the afternoons. The way I see it drivers arent as anxious and reckless getting to work as they are trying to get home. Most importantly riding in the morning is the best guilt free option for me. I am able to fulfill my insatiable desire to bicycle while having the afternoon and evenings dedicated to the family. That way sneaking out for a few hours on the weekend is an easier sell to Mrs Ghazmh.

sherbornpeddler

Greetings Folks. I've been riding a little and not very interesting rides but yesterday was for me a bit more inspired. I rode to Natick, took my single speed on the 12:56 train to Back Bay and biked Dartmouth out to Storrow, walked over the bridge and biked the CDW to Museum of Science then Paul Revere Park and Zakim to Bunker Hill Monument to meet a friend. We biked over to the locks, walked, remounted and stopped at the site of the Great Molasses Flood, then rode on the new path around the North End and on to Seaport Blvd, Summer St and First St out to say hello to Admiral Farragut then Carson Beach, Moakley Park and toured the Treasures Exhibit at the MA archives. We retraced our trip along the waterfront back to Charlestown. I finished my ride at the Boston Common for an evening date with my wife to watch the superb Shakespeare on the Common production of Romeo and Juliet. Ours was a much happier ending and involved walking hand in hand and a bike rack on her car.

rholland1951

Perhaps that was a data point.

Lighting on the Minuteman is a vexed question. It's easy to either over-illuminate or under-illuminate. Riders coming onto the trail with day-time running lights that were appropriate life-preservers on the road may be seen to be operating wildly-inappropriate death-rays in the context of an afternoon MUP ride. The worst are the bright flashers, set high. I've made my own peace with this by singing a chorus of "I Saw the Light" to anybody I regard as over-doing it. This mostly just puzzles people, and hasn't started a fight yet. The Mysterious Tourist, who mostly skates these days, has been known to carry a 2-watt flasher and direct it into the eyes of conspicuous offenders... gets their attention, if not their understanding.

The most frequent lighting mistake made on the Minuteman is a bright beam aimed too high. It's easy to fix, but you have to realize you need to do it. There's a paradoxical effect in which pedestrians between two converging, highly-lit bicycles are rendered invisible; I suspect we've all seen that (or not seen it) on night MM rides.

My own protocol for lights on the Minuteman: no lights in daylight (I use DRLs on the road, btw); at night, no flashing headlights, steady beams, aimed low enough not to blind on-comers, but with a long enough throw to let me see the feet of invisible pedestrians soon enough to avoid them at speed (getting this right is tricky); I have a bias towards steady taillights, but will sometimes run a flashing one if the light is not so bright as to be genuinely obnoxious for those following (about half my taillights fit that description).

The threat model for riding the Minuteman is different enough from the threat model for riding the surrounding roads that what works for one may not work for the other, and taking a moment to adjust lights when entering or leaving the trail may be called for.


rod

rholland1951

SBP!!!!

rod

sherbornpeddler

It is nice to say hello. Thank you Rod. Thanks very much.

jimmuller 

Well, like I said, it was bright daylight. If I turned the L&M off just for the MM section I'd sure as anything forget to turn it back on when I re-entered earth's road atmosphere. The MM accounts for about a quarter of my evening commute, less than that on my morning route. (I prefer a solid red taillight over a blinkie because I want drivers to see me as a vehicle, not "just a bicycle".)

What he said! Long time no read. Welcome back.

jimmuller 

Hope you northeasterners had a safe commute home today. My ride in this morning was calm, not too hot but humid. The ride home was a race against the devil. The predicted "slight chance of t-storms this evening" started dumping on the office around mid-day. About 20 min after 4 the radar map showed a possible bubble of clear air so I took off for home. Rain started at maybe the halfway point while I was on the MM, then let up as I entered Arlington. A checked on the radar map on my smarfwatch which connects to my smarffone (and which I can see while riding) showed a storm northwest of me while I was headed south. By the time I reached Waverley Square the thunder was cracking the sky in front of me and to the east. With rain starting up again I made it home safely and slightly wet.

autonomy

I made it home mostly dry, as I also consulted the radar map. However, I ran into the same crossing issue again in Arlington center - wishing to cross Mass Ave eastbound, I waited in the middle of the road in 'vehicle' mode, without activating the hawk lights. Someone in the near lane insisted in waving me through, backing up traffic behind her. I waved her on because no one in the far lane was stopping but she didn't move. Meanwhile, a lady cycled past me with the words "I think they're letting us through" and promptly made the guy in the far lane stomp on his brakes because to him she appeared out of nowhere. *sigh*

autonomy

And now for more hyper-local news, this happened on the Minuteman: Biker arrested on Minuteman Bikeway - News - The Arlington Advocate - Arlington, MA

The cyclist was pretty stupid to escalate, but assault with a dangerous weapon? Good luck showing intent on that one. I appreciate that the police are trying to curb the notorious practice of cyclists blasting through crosswalks without stopping, but this is kind of ridiculous. I'd like to see the police apply as much effort to curb the other hundreds of thousands of operators of "dangerous weapons"

rholland1951

Took the Rawland for a quick spin up to Lexington Center this evening, the air warm with big puffy clouds that looked like they might cause trouble if you turned your back on them, and lots of company out on the Minuteman.








rod

rholland1951

My impression is that enforcement at Minuteman crossings is very much a function of which officer is involved. It would be a mistake, I think, to see this as some sort of broad policy in Arlington. That said, pissing off an officer of the law constitutes flunking an IQ test.

rod

Paully01

I grew up in Cambridge and Sommerville

jimmuller 

Mill St is a pretty dangerous intersection to bomb across without due caution.

mr_bill

A bit more detail here.
And here about the dismissal.


FWIW, even if a person on a bicycle does *NOT* flee and does *NOT* collide with an off-duty police officer on a bicycle, if you are stopped for a traffic violation while on a bicycle, simply refusing to give your name and address (even in the calmest and most respectful terms) *MAY* lead to your arrest in Massachusetts.

MGL Chapter 85 Section 11E - "An offender who refuses to state his true name and address may be arrested without a warrant for such refusal...."


I ride, walk, and drive through that intersection. It's dangerous, and it is somewhat remarkable that there have been no severe injuries there.


But few people on bikes "bomb" through the intersection. Otherwise, most people on bicycles treat the stop signs just like people in cars treat stop signs- they roll through them and treat them like yield signs. That said, some people on bicycles *do* exercise very poor judgement at that crossing, putting themselves at risk.

I've seen officers doing educational enforcement at the intersection - and handing out information when necessary. But I've never seen them writing tickets to people on bicycles there. I'd love to see them hand out information to people in cars who yield *AT* the crosswalk rather than at the sharks teeth, especially for people in cars about to make a right turn onto Summer Street.

However, no amount of bicycle crossing paint, sharks teeth, yield here signs, or rectangular rapid flashing beacons seems slow *some* people in cars in their hurry to get in the queue for the RED LIGHTS and either end of Mill Street. *LOTS* of people in cars bomb through that intersection.

-mr. bill

autonomy

Good find. I am surprised at how easy the guy got off, but I'm sure it's a pretty good lesson for him. A police chase on the bike trail, how exciting!

I've seen the police at the Lake St. intersection many times, been stopped myself as well (I slowed down all the way at the stop and made sure cars were stopped at the crossing, short of putting my foot on the ground - which no one really does and is equivalent to how drivers roll through, as you said). Only once did I see a citation being issued.

I'd say the general problem in the area is entitlement, regardless of the mode of transportation, and our strong but slowly-eroding bias towards making the streets friendly only for cars.

Ghazmh

Mrs Ghazmh is out of town for a long weekend which leaves me as a geographical single dad until Sunday. Wednesday was the last time I had an early AM ride. Today however I made good use of my day while the kids are at camp to run errands with my trusty Montare hybrid. In a very indirect manner I rode to Trader Joes in West Newton for a few items that fit snugly into my PDW Takeout handlebar basket. From there I backtracked to Waltham and got on the Chrales River path at Woerd Ave and rode that into Watertown Square to go to the bank, for there I rode to Russo's and filled my Ortlieb grocery panniers to the top. Brought all that home and hitched up the Nomad trailer with a newly added cargo rack and went to the local grocery store. I placed several bottles of seltzer and a 12 pack of cans on said rack (first time using the rack). When I turned into the driveway with the loaded Nomad I was going a bit too fast for this top heavy arrangement and flipped the trailer onto its side sending my seltzer rolling down my driveway with streams of carbonated fizz pouring out of the pin sized holes in 2 bottles. Lesson learned. The flex coupler allowed me to catch myself before I too was hurled into the front bumper of my own car. That added up to 20 blissful miles of running errands that would have otherwise been a chore. Having a few minutes to spare I grabbed the Smoothie and headed to Walden Pond and back for a mid day swim adding 16 more miles for the day. 30 minutes to get there, 30 in the water, and 30 back. It's been a good day!

Only once in my 36 miles today did I have to shout to a driver that I have the right of way.

rholland1951

Did a little ad hoc surgery on the Ebisu's bar wrap, then took it for a quick spin up to Lexington Center before dinner. Heard one cyclist yell ¨Take off your headphones!" at another after a near miss at speed. A peaceful ride, otherwise.






rod

jimmuller 

Today I carried no groceries nor any headphones. Just rode the venerable UO-8 to work. For a 42 year old bike and an inexpensive one at that, it sure is nice. O' course most component have been upgraded.

rholland1951

The serious downpours came earlier than initially predicted. I took that as a sign to ready the LHT for the road, swapping out the studded Schwalbe Marathon Winters (a ride like rolling purgatory, but beats falling on ice) for 44mm (allegedly, more like 42mm in practice) Compass Snoqualmie Pass Extralights (Snoqs to their friends). The LHT, my most-traveled bike at 11K+ miles, has been languishing in my basement since ice-biking season lapsed, along with the even more neglected GT Karakoram, and it was long past time to put it back in the rotation. Things went smoothly, although I had a comic mishap with a mis-seated Snoq that involved a LOUD detonation of a perfectly good tube...


After a bit more tube wrangling and a round of lubrication for the chain and derailleurs, the LHT was ready to roll. I waited for a likely gap in the rain storms, and took off on the Minuteman. Of course, a shower began within 15 minutes of departure...


This was cooling, rather than chilling, and never became very intense. All in all, it was pleasant. The shower relaxed to drizzle, and by the time I got home, was just a pleasant memory; my clothes were practically dry when I put the bike away.




Encountered a time-traveling pedestrian from the 18th Century; that's a long walk, indeed.






This 20-mile spin reacquainted me with the LHT's peculiar characteristics; the previous 11K+ miles came back to me as I pedaled. The Snoqs add a good deal to the fun.


rod

jimmuller 

I took the Grandis out for about 47 miles of exploring today. Went straight at a stoplight where I would normally turn, found a nice bridge, a nice hill, and an interesting historical artifact.





Stopped in Concord Center on the return, then just had to take a pic of this foot/bicycle bridge over the commuter train tracks in Belmont.

mr_bill

Out and about on errands on a beautiful morning.

Let's call this Work In Progress.

Part One - Cambridge:

Work on Mass Ave just inbound of Porter Square down to the punchlist, bricks around hydrant, trees will be planted. But what's up with the utility survey lines? Are they really going to cut into it already to service utility lines?:


The new two-way bike lane on Brattle, inbound. Do not enter has no bicycle exception, almost no markings mean you need to really pay attention to what you are doing:


But green paint in the intersections has been installed. (The plastic bollards and cones are not tactical urbanism. They are temporary until more permanent separators are installed.):


At the far end, not quite sure what to make of the green paint on half. But at least there is now a stop sign:


Lots of changes across the river, warning signs on this side of the river:


The BU bridge, with one on a bike inbound and one on a bike outbound:


-mr. bill

mr_bill

Work In Progress.

Part Two - Boston/Brookline/Alston:

The Commonwealth Avenue Bridge Replacement - dead ahead. So much help to navigate:


So so much help. Above and beyond:


Also going on at the same time - Commonwealth Avenue Improvements - the protected bike lane is on the right, and some of the protected intersections are stenciled in:


The "sharrows on steroids" - green - are fading:


And so are the "sharrows on steroids" - no green. But otherwise would love to see these spread. One note - Boston Drivers wait until the last seconds to change lanes, even on a quiet sunny Sunday morning:


Alston leg done - now heading back to the other side of the city - back to the bridge zone, again, lots of help and lots of folks working hard:


Finally exiting the construction zone:


Cambridge Street (the Boston Cambridge Street) recently was resurfaced, and lined like it's 2009, oh well, opportunity missed:


Heading back to the BU bridge to leave Boston, again lots of help:


And finally, about to head in to Cambridge on a lonely bridge:


-mr. bill

mr_bill

Work in Progress.

Part Three - Cambridge:

The work across the river means that for the first time in my memory Memorial Drive was open to motor traffic last Sunday and this Sunday:


Flip side of the Mass Ave to Porter Square resurface. Maybe I'm only imagining that for YEARS there have been horrible cracks in the old bike lane. Those are gone. No stopping people parking their cars part in the bikelane *AND* getting in to their car. On the bright side - he saw us. But did not care:


New diagonal connector at the Somerville Community Path/Alewife Linear Park break. There's a bike light across the intersection WAY over there:


The bollards near Alewife at the Little River Bridge are finally gone? I hope:


-mr. bill

rholland1951

Took the LHT out before dinner again this evening, got drizzled on a bit, but nothing unpleasant. An uncomfortable-looking cop was keeping an eye on things at the Mass. Ave./Minuteman/Mystic Street intersection; one of the COBWEB bike police happened to ride up while I was waiting for the light to change, and I heard one of the other cyclists ask him to explain the right-of-way rules for the HAWK light... talk about putting him on the spot, a request for a winning PowerBall number probably would have been more welcome. The light changed before I could hear his answer, I rode past the uncomfortable-looking officer and gave him a friendly smile, and had a pleasant 15-mile spin.




rod