An occasional update on items from the Velo-city.
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HEADWARE AND BIKESHARE
Damon Rao sends along this item from Melbourne, which, because of its bike-helmet law, is having trouble with its bike-share program:
HELMETS are now available for purchase from vending machines as part of the $5.5 million Melbourne Bike Share scheme, Roads and Ports Minister Tim Pallas announced this morning on Ride to Work Day.
The helmets, made from polystyrene and thermoplastic, will be available from vending machines at Southern Cross Station and Melbourne University on a three-month trial period.
A slow adoption of the CBD bike hire scheme since it was launched in May has been blamed on the lack of available helmets and the prospect of a $146 fine for riding without protective headwear.
The new hire helmets will cost five dollars and can be returned at 7-Eleven stores for cleaning, disinfection and lining replacement. Riders returning the helmets will receive three dollars cash back. The government is subsidising the cost of the helmets, with the true cost of each helmet being around $13 (Aus).
Since May, the hire bikes have been used for more than 20,700 trips and the scheme has almost 650 subscribers.
For more information, visit Melbourne Bike Share visit .
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THE ART OF BIKING – AND VICE-VERSA
Jean Chong has done a great job in documenting public bike art – 27 different prices- in a three-part series. We’ll feature one part per Annals.
Part 1 begins, literally, with Great Beginnings:
Great Beginnings & Strathcona – 1249 Adanac St. BIA Mural Project 2009. Project leads: Jordan Bent & Jay Senetchko. The mural blends cycling along with a bit of transportation imagery and historic allusion to the Chinese-Canadian railway workers for the building of the national railroad
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VALENCIAN GREEN WAVE
Dianna Waggoner passes along a missive from San Francisco:
Valencia Street’s nearly two-year-old Green Wave signal re-timing aimed at prioritizing bicycle traffic speeds
continues to please street users, city leaders, and advocates alike. What started as a temporary pilot will become a permanent institution this week with the installation of four new Green Wave signs along the corridor.
Following examples in cities like Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Portland, the signal optimization keeps vehicles traveling at a steady cycle-friendly 13 mph from 16th to 25th streets while garnering benefits for all users.
Continue reading at Streetsblog San Francisco
Or here at sfgate.
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THE MARY POPPINS EFFECT
Discuss:
Since having begun to ride a roadbike recreationally, the difference between how I am treated on the roads when on a bike with drop bars, wearing “sporty clothing” and my hair tucked away, in comparison to how I am treated when on an upright bike in “city clothing,”
with my work bag in the basket and my hair visible, is notable.
The majority of the time, when a driver is rude to me or impatient with me, I am on my roadbike – which is odd, since I am faster on a roadbike than I am on an upright bike, and thus should be less “in the way.” To me, this just confirms that drivers’ perceptions of how annoying a cyclist is, are entirely subjective. You can be going 10mph and somehow this might be okay, or you can be going 25mph and they might still be annoyed.
In part, I think the idea of not wanting to harm Mary Poppins is valid – in the sense that a cyclist dressed “normally” looks more human to the driver.
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The majority of the time, when a driver is rude to me or impatient with me, I am on my roadbike – which is odd, since I am faster on a roadbike than I am on an upright bike, and thus should be less “in the way.” To me, this just confirms that drivers’ perceptions of how annoying a cyclist is, are entirely subjective.
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The recreation vs necessary travel argument is interesting, but I believe this is more to do with surprise and predictability. A darting courier is annoying the driver's worried they won't spot them (lack of confidence in their own driving ability). A visible, leisurely sit-up cyclist can be given a safe wide berth.