for more information on the programming, tickets, and times - check out www.bikecalgary.org.
Sep 14, 2009
Bike Shorts Film Fest Tomorrow!
for more information on the programming, tickets, and times - check out www.bikecalgary.org.
Sep 7, 2009
European Hardcourt Bike Polo Champeenchips!
Polo from RockSteady! on Vimeo.
polo is so fun it should be illegal!Sep 4, 2009
Dead Cyclists (sadly) Not Really Unexpected
the airwaves and internet has been abuzz all week with news surrounding the death of toronto-area cyclist Darcy Allan Sheppard.
anyone who has ridden a bike on the roads for any length of time will find this situation to be shocking, sad, and not really surprising. we have all had run-ins with irate motorists that can be something simple as drivers yelling the ridiculous standard "Get Off The Road!" (which immediately demonstrates the motorists ignorance of the rules of the road) or the equally stupid "Roads Are For Cars! Paths Are for Bikes!".
sometimes drivers will use their vehicle as a weapon by not giving you space and buzzing you, passing so close you could reach into the vehicle. sometimes drivers will pass you then jam up against the curb trying to prevent you from passing them. really big assholes will swerve their vehicle right at you. really really big assholes will throw things from their moving vehicle as they pass you. personally, i have been spit on, been hit by beer cans, hit by spare change (that hurt alot) and too many beer bottle near misses to count. on every single occasion, i was riding along minding my own business and simply trying to get where i was going.
variations on these incidents have been experienced by probably every single cyclist. every one of these incidents serve to create quite a bit of animosity and mistrust towards motorists. that animosity and anger felt by many cyclists towards motorists can occasionally boil over and explode. personally, i can see why many cyclists lose it and fight back - u-lock justice we'll call it. u-lock justice comes in many forms, and experienced cyclists have their own responses - keying vehicles, smashing taillights or side mirrors, spitting into vehicles - retribution takes many forms. none of it is good, but completely understandable.
the truth is, legislators and administrators still view bicycles/cyclists as second class citizens. dont believe me? see what happens if you have a run-in with a motorist. police rarely side with the cyclist and usually try to find some way to let the motorist off-the-hook. another truth - more cyclists are going to die on canadian roads before we are given the protection we deserve. by protection i mean more designated road space, equal protection under the law, and proper education of motorists (and cyclists) relating to our collective responsibility on the roads.
many motorists see bicycles as pests, merely a insect to be smeared on their windshields at the first opportunity. many motorists see cyclists as second class citizens because they are on bikes and not in a car. motorists see the roads as THEIRS ALONE - not to be shared with other users. dont believe me, read the comments at the end of this news item. or this news item. or this one. or this one.
get the picture?
so, where to go from here?
hopefully this tragic incident will push toronto's city council to finally get on with creating safe bicycling spaces for cyclists. hopefully this incident will inform other cities as to the very real threat that cyclists face almost daily. hopefully no one else needs to die.
anyone who has ridden a bike on the roads for any length of time will find this situation to be shocking, sad, and not really surprising. we have all had run-ins with irate motorists that can be something simple as drivers yelling the ridiculous standard "Get Off The Road!" (which immediately demonstrates the motorists ignorance of the rules of the road) or the equally stupid "Roads Are For Cars! Paths Are for Bikes!".
sometimes drivers will use their vehicle as a weapon by not giving you space and buzzing you, passing so close you could reach into the vehicle. sometimes drivers will pass you then jam up against the curb trying to prevent you from passing them. really big assholes will swerve their vehicle right at you. really really big assholes will throw things from their moving vehicle as they pass you. personally, i have been spit on, been hit by beer cans, hit by spare change (that hurt alot) and too many beer bottle near misses to count. on every single occasion, i was riding along minding my own business and simply trying to get where i was going.
variations on these incidents have been experienced by probably every single cyclist. every one of these incidents serve to create quite a bit of animosity and mistrust towards motorists. that animosity and anger felt by many cyclists towards motorists can occasionally boil over and explode. personally, i can see why many cyclists lose it and fight back - u-lock justice we'll call it. u-lock justice comes in many forms, and experienced cyclists have their own responses - keying vehicles, smashing taillights or side mirrors, spitting into vehicles - retribution takes many forms. none of it is good, but completely understandable.
the truth is, legislators and administrators still view bicycles/cyclists as second class citizens. dont believe me? see what happens if you have a run-in with a motorist. police rarely side with the cyclist and usually try to find some way to let the motorist off-the-hook. another truth - more cyclists are going to die on canadian roads before we are given the protection we deserve. by protection i mean more designated road space, equal protection under the law, and proper education of motorists (and cyclists) relating to our collective responsibility on the roads.
many motorists see bicycles as pests, merely a insect to be smeared on their windshields at the first opportunity. many motorists see cyclists as second class citizens because they are on bikes and not in a car. motorists see the roads as THEIRS ALONE - not to be shared with other users. dont believe me, read the comments at the end of this news item. or this news item. or this one. or this one.
get the picture?
so, where to go from here?
hopefully this tragic incident will push toronto's city council to finally get on with creating safe bicycling spaces for cyclists. hopefully this incident will inform other cities as to the very real threat that cyclists face almost daily. hopefully no one else needs to die.
Sep 1, 2009
Aug 29, 2009
Aug 28, 2009
Calgary Critical Mass Organizer Pulls the Plug
long time critical mass organizer, grant neufeld, is finished with organizing this ride. you can read his blog post explaining his reasons by clicking on the title of this post. you can also get more info on this ride by checking this out.
ending are also beginnings.
does calgary have enough "bike culture" to support a monthly advocacy ride?
is there a need for an advocacy ride at all?
could calgary cyclists raise bike-awareness with a different ride? maybe a ride that is more focused on having fun and less on agitating motorists? i think so.
maybe the end of critical mass with birth a new monthly fun ride? i could support that.
Aug 27, 2009
Haultain and 1st Urban Festival
what are doing on sunday the 13th? nothing? perfect. why not check out this cool little event. my understanding is that the organizer is encouraging people to bring their bikes down for a show-and-shine, trackstand comp and freakbike showcase.
got a cargo bike? bring it.
got a freaky tall bike? bring it.
got a beautiful cruiser? those are cool too!
a few of us are (hopefully!) going to build some tall bikes this weekend and we are talking about bringing them down to the show-and-shine.
i cant wait to swing my leg (way!) over my very own tall bike - stay tuned for pics if it is indeed built.
Aug 18, 2009
Bow River Flow
this sunday, from 10am-4pm the two eastbound lanes of memorial drive near kensignton will be closed for a one-day trial of a "ciclovia" type event for the first time in calgary's history.
the initial idea floated by ald. farrell was to hold the event on 4 consecutive sundays in august - however, after a huge amount of critisism from other aldermen and some media in the city, the event has been reduced to one day this year. if all goes well there is a chance that this type of event could expand to include a longer route and more days. i say - BRAVO!
calgary's love affair with cars has been allowed to go unchecked for long enough. the time has come to take back some of the streets for a few hours a week for people, bikes, and the community in general. fighting car culture will be hard, but with events like this, we may begin to have a chance to show car-loving calgarians what this city can be in the future - if we just get out of our cars once and awhile.
all of us who love this city and want to see a more sustainable, ped/bike friendly community need to support this event and events like it.
streets are for people too! see you out there!
Aug 13, 2009
Hypocracy on the Pathways?
the calgary herald has an article in the paper today about speed enforcement on the pathways.
why hypocracy?
simple. the city has been actively encouraging calgarians to get out of their cars and to try and find other ways to commute to work - including cycling - and invariably, many of these cycle commuters end up on the regional pathway network because calgary lacks a connected network of crosstown, on-street bikeways that are safe, well signed, and maintained.
the problem is that the speed limit on the pathways is 20kph - and 10kph in many other areas - and any reasonably fit person can cycle at 25-35kph without much difficulty - possibly resulting in a speeding ticket from bylaw bill.
so, from the saddle of this guys bike, calgary bylaws seem to unfairly targeting cyclists on the pathways. i have never seen an irresponsible dog owner or clueless pedestrian receiving a ticket, or even a warning - yet bylaws feels that cyclists are the user-group that needs to be punished more than any other.
i guess what i am getting at is this - bylaw bill would not need to worry so much about speeding cyclists on the pathways if there was a well signed and maintained city-wide network of on-street bikeways (pained bike lanes) with route-finding signage. if we had such a network, people could travel from all over the city on a direct road network and maybe never need to be on the recreational pathways during their commute.
less cyclists on the pathway = less conflicts with slower user-groups.
what is this city waiting for?
calgary has arguably the biggest "network" (term used loosely) of pathways (and some on-street bikeways) in north america yet this "network" is not yet connected to itself in so many places, making use of this "network" becomes an exercise in route-finding, map-reading, and urban exploration. all of that is fine on the weekend, not so fine when you are trying to get to work on time.
why hypocracy?
simple. the city has been actively encouraging calgarians to get out of their cars and to try and find other ways to commute to work - including cycling - and invariably, many of these cycle commuters end up on the regional pathway network because calgary lacks a connected network of crosstown, on-street bikeways that are safe, well signed, and maintained.
the problem is that the speed limit on the pathways is 20kph - and 10kph in many other areas - and any reasonably fit person can cycle at 25-35kph without much difficulty - possibly resulting in a speeding ticket from bylaw bill.
so, from the saddle of this guys bike, calgary bylaws seem to unfairly targeting cyclists on the pathways. i have never seen an irresponsible dog owner or clueless pedestrian receiving a ticket, or even a warning - yet bylaws feels that cyclists are the user-group that needs to be punished more than any other.
i guess what i am getting at is this - bylaw bill would not need to worry so much about speeding cyclists on the pathways if there was a well signed and maintained city-wide network of on-street bikeways (pained bike lanes) with route-finding signage. if we had such a network, people could travel from all over the city on a direct road network and maybe never need to be on the recreational pathways during their commute.
less cyclists on the pathway = less conflicts with slower user-groups.
what is this city waiting for?
calgary has arguably the biggest "network" (term used loosely) of pathways (and some on-street bikeways) in north america yet this "network" is not yet connected to itself in so many places, making use of this "network" becomes an exercise in route-finding, map-reading, and urban exploration. all of that is fine on the weekend, not so fine when you are trying to get to work on time.
Aug 1, 2009
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