The BipedFred Blog

I take it all back.

 I wrote in my (this) original post that the City of Fort Collins was wasting a great opportunity with the brand FCBikes as a web presence and portal to provide general cycling information.

After giving it a little more thought (which is always a good thing to do!) I was wrong and I don’t think it is up to the city to provide us with the kind of everyday cycling info Portlanders find on http://www.BikePortland.org.  It’s up to the bike community to do it.

What is needed is a group of editors and contributors to produce content on a volunteer basis.  Web ads and sponsorships could be used to provide the hosting and bandwidth, but the very nature of the web-site precludes it from being a commercial venture on any grand scale.

So basically: Never Mind!

(Anyone willing to make a serious effort is welcome to fcbikes.org and twitter.com/fcbikes, no charge. I’ll even give you  my badge.)

No, I never get tired of bitching about the Timberline Bike Lanes.

This little vid is typical of what happens on Timberline between Prospect and Mulberry and just north of Mulberry.  Cars going around these long corners at 40-50mph use the bike lane like it’s just another part of the road.

The only thing different this time is I’m driving in my vehicle with my camera turned on instead of seeing this car bearing down on me in my bike’s rear-view mirror. Seriously, I’ve had it happen so often that I’ve stopped riding in the Timberline bike lanes between the Poudre Bridge and Prospect.  I ride on the sidewalk instead.

The City of Fort Collins needs to do something to keep cars from drifting into the bike lanes at 50 mph before someone kills a rider. That little white line just isn’t cutting it.

Cut rumble strips and mark the bike lanes better or upgrade the sidewalk and call it a bike path. Actually, there is too much wrong with Timberline’s design to ever make the bike lanes safe. Give up and make the sidewalk part of the Poudre Trail system and then it won’t matter how bad the drivers drift.

And before you even ask, “No, I don’t think another stupid Share the Road sign would help.”

Do something about this stretch of road. DO SOMETHING!!

Here’s another vid and another tirade err, post.

And here’s the standard disclaimer: This driver probably wouldn’t drift into the bike lane if a bike was using it.  Unless the driver was texting, or eating a burger, or tuning the radio, or messing with their Ipod, or simply not looking. But what are the odds of that ever happening?

23-Mar-2010  Got word from the City via my twitter feed that the work on the trails intersection should be completed in the next 2-3 weeks, but weather delays are likely.  There is also good, up-to-date info on the Trail Status page.  Thanks for the update!

22-Mar-2010 update: The Trail Status page has been updated and now has info about the construction and closures.

I made a grocery run into town today and thought I’d check out the new pavement on the Poudre River and Spring Creek trails. Surprise! The trails are closed.

Take a look at the City of Fort Collins Trail System Status web page (from today):

And now take a look at the Spring Creek Trail. See the problem… it’s not only not open, it’s not even flippin’ there!

And the Poudre Trail is also closed.

This is the area where the Poudre and Spring Creek trails intersect and I knew they were replacing the crappy old asphalt surface, but I thought it was supposed to be completed last December?  What the heck??? Read more…

I’ve voted Timberline Road as the place I’m most likely to be run over and killed.  I’m talking about the section north from Prospect accross Mulberry, up to Vine Drive.  Cars treat the “bike lane” as just another part of their space.

It’s not really a bike lane when there’s a car in it. This driver is completely ordinary.  The City of Fort Collins could easily cut some rumble strips, but they won’t.

Update 10-Mar-2010: A friend took umbrage because I was ragging on this guy/lady for driving in the bike lane.  “So what, there wasn’t a bike in the lane.”

So here’s my new standard disclaimer: This driver probably wouldn’t drift into the bike lane if a bike was using it.  Unless the driver was texting, or eating a burger, or tuning the radio, or messing with their Ipod, or simply not looking. But what are the odds of that ever happening?

So there.

I  have lousy timing!  About an hour after I wrote a blog post complaining about the lack of warning signs at the intersection of the Mason Corridor Bike Trail and the Spring Creek Trail, I go by on my way home and there are brand new stop signs in place!

I don’t know when they were installed but they are in place now.  Yes, cyclists will ignore them, but now they will have no one to blame but themselves when they collide.

So now I have to re-tweet and take back all my criticism and  I’d simply like to say; The City of Fort Collins did a good job! 

Never mind, problem solved, nothing to see here, move along!!

(Pictures of the new section of the Mason Corridor Bike Trail here)

Update 11-Feb-2010:  I got a closer look at the  intersection.

Riders on the Spring Creek Trail (SCT) approaching the underpass see a nice big warning sign.

Read more…

I’m usually critical of the City of Fort Collins’ bike web site “Tips”, but their new offering “How to Avoid Common Crashes” is worth reading, especially if you are new to dealing with cars. It’s worth taking a look even if you are an experienced rider.

I had a couple of close calls with the “Right Cross” scenario last fall, including a collision.  I like what they say about the right cross, but I’d like to add my own tips: 

1. Be ready to stop, hands on brakes.

2. Be good at stopping, practice it. Your front brake is the one that counts. Use it always so it becomes second nature.

3. Move as far left as practical to improve your chance the driver will see you, but never, ever leave the bike lane.

4. When in doubt, stop. Never ever, never ride in front of a car unless you are 100% sure they see you. Never.

5. When the light is bad, or the traffic is heavy, or it’s raining, I slow down or even stop to let the car clear the intersection long before I get there.

6. When in doubt, stop (that one is worth repeating).

I made my Saturday morning grocery run into town this morning (drove) which concluded with a chorizo and red chili breakfast burrito on the Whole Foods porch.  As I munched I thought back to when I lived just four blocks away and then ahead a couple of years when the new Mason Corridor Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) will have a station right next to Whole Foods Market.

I lived in the neighborhood circa 1999-2002 but I never walked to shop here. Now I find myself wishing I had a similar arrangement.

What changed for me between then and now?

I realized several years ago that I prefer not-driving to get places, so I now make an effort to avoid driving whenever practicable. I wasn’t lazy back then, I just never thought of walking to the store as an option.

Read more…

Bike Winter Fort Collins is the title of Fort Collins City bike web page, winter edition.  It starts out with this

Fort Collins is bikeable all year long. If you can dress to ski, you can dress to Bike Winter Fort Collins.

Which is quite true, but it begs the question:

 ”When was the last time you feared being hit by a car on the ski slopes?”

The winter riding tips are a rehash of summer riding tips with such gems of wisdom:

• Always wear a helmet.
• Obey the rules of the road

Thanks… but what about snow?