| You're not a member? Good god, not so loud.
Someone might hear. After all, everyone's fed up with traffic
jams, tired of being afraid on the streets of their own neighborhoods,
sick of dirty air, and done with spending the vacation money on
a new transmission. So they've all joined the Chicagoland Bicycle
Federation and are making a difference (and getting discounts
on maps, at bike shops, and events to boot). So carefully now,
slip off with this issue of Bike Traffic (another member benefit)
and call us or join
at www.biketraffic.org. That was close, but it's gonna be
okay. |
www.biketraffic.org
Get involved!
| Call your state reps!
Our Boub-beating bill, SB275, has an opportunity to be passed during
the Illinois congressional veto session. The session runs from November
4-November 20. Call as soon as you can and tell your reps to support
SB275! Details above. Tiki Ride. Santa Rampage. Polka Ride. When our half of the Earth tilts away from the sun, robbing us of daylight hours, Bike Winter burns with activities that attract, warm, and satisfy. Events and dates available at bikewinter.org. Deadline for the January '04 Bike Traffic is December 8. Leaving you plenty of time for power shopping and beating back the shadow of Mordor. |
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| If you squint, these exclaimation marks look like fans reaching for a foul ball!!!! |
This Man Wants to Install YOUR Bike Rack!
John Greenfield and the CDOT Bike Rack Program have dozens of shiny new
racks ready to install RIGHT NOW at the site of your choosing. THEY COST
YOU NOTHING, and beautify any establishment. Request one! Request a dozen!
Fill out the
on-line form at cityofchicago.org!
| Chicagoland Bicycle
Federation At 650 S. Clark: Randy
Neufeld Dan
Korman Steve
Buchtel Dave
Glowacz Cathy
Haibach Nick
Jackson Matt
Maloney Jennifer
Martin Anne
Nepokroeff Randy
Warren Alex
Wilson At Chicago Department John
Greenfield |
Metra reaches for failure, succeeds
The Bikes on Metra program for 2003 has come to a close having earned a failing grade. Metra did not expand service for passengers with bicycles over the previous years' program and few people took advantage of it.
Chicagoland Bicycle Federation hears from its members and other bicyclists frequently that they want service on Metra trains for passengers with bicycles. The program implemented for 2002 and 2003, however, was so limited and restrictive that it failed to offer meaningful service to passengers with bicycles.
The 2003 program required passengers with bicycles to make reservations for travel on the Thursday prior to the date of travel, restricted travel options to a single line running on Saturdays on select weekends, limited accessible stations to one per fare zone and limited the number of bike-accessible trains to three per program day. In all, the 2003 program allowed travel on only eight days for the entire year.
Both Metra and the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation had agreed in 2002 that the limited initial service could not be used as a determination of demand for service for passengers with bicycles. But the failings of the 2003 program suppressed whatever demand 2002 might have created.
Because of the configuration of Metra train cars, only those cars that meet the guidelines set forth in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) can be used to accommodate both passengers and bicycles. All new cars added to the Metra train system must meet the standards put forth in the ADA.
With the planned replacement of old non-ADA cars with new ADA cars to many of the Metra lines starting this year, the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation feels that it is time to take the next significant step towards servicing passengers with bicycles. As ADA cars replace older non-ADA cars to train lines, it is our hope that Metra will be able to identify at least one line with at least two ADA cars on it during all weekend runs.
We propose that one line, determined to have this two ADA car configuration and chosen by Metra, be open to passengers with bicycles on all runs during weekends starting with Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend 2004. One ADA car on this line will be the designated bicycle car. Passengers will be able to board this car with their bikes without a prior reservation, and they will not be charged an extra fee. We further propose that passengers with bicycles be allowed to board at all stations. Rules for this program would be printed and distributed in a manner similar to the CTA Bike & Ride information as well as on biketraffic.org and Metra's web site, metrarail.com.
Based upon passengers' demands for expanded bicycle service, the popularity of the 2001 and 2002 programs, and the usage of bikes-on-trains service on commuter lines along the east coast, we feel that this program will work and will not present significant problems for Metra management or staff.
Harvest Time?
This fall, Boub might be ripe
In early November, Senate Bill 275 (the "Boub Bill") will emerge again on the Illinois House floor, having been tabled during the Spring session. The background of this struggle is well known, but worth repeating.
In 1998, the Supreme Court's Boub v Wayne decision effectively stifled efforts to improve on-road bicycle safety in Illinois. The language of the ruling, that bicyclists are not "intended" users of the roadway, gave local governments liability for cyclists only on roads marked as bikeways. This created a disincentive to improve on-street cycling. Signs have been removed and on-street accommodations have been denied.
SB 275 was crafted to reverse the negative consequences of the ruling. The bill was amended in May to address local government groups' concerns that they'd be held liable for not upgrading roadways to bike path standards. The bill now reads:
"A person riding a bicycle is an intended and permitted user of any street or highway in Illinois except for a street or highway on which bicycle use has been specifically prohibited by law and the prohibition is indicated by appropriate signage. This subsection (b) does not create liability for any public entity for the failure to remedy any surface condition of a public right-of-way that is not hazardous to a motor vehicle even though it may be hazardous to a person riding a bicycle. Except as expressly provided by law, this subsection (b) does not impose an obligation to upgrade, widen, or re-engineer existing public right-of-ways for use by bicyclists, or to impose an obligation to maintain streets and highways to a higher standard for bicyclists."
This new language results from negotiations among cycling groups, local government groups, and the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association. Not everyone is entirely satisfied with the resulting language, but that is the essence of compromise. Under this proposal, cyclists now have protection on all roadways, but only for conditions that would be hazardous to a motor vehicle. Local governments give up immunity on undesignated roadways, but are not liable for upgrades and maintenance standards they cannot afford.
This language will help rid Illinois of the disincentive to designate bikeways as such, while local governments will also shoulder a reasonable, albeit lessened, burden for cyclist's safety. Still, since this is a complicated issue, opponents of a Boub vs. Wayne correction that favors cyclists in any way are likely to use a misinformation campaign to attack this compromise.
The veto session runs from November 4- 20. Please call your state representatives and state senators as soon as you can and urge them to vote "yes" on Senate Bill 275.
Meters Made for Checking By Bike
Parking enforcement officers get pedal wise
Those who like to ride on Chicago streets with striped bicycle lanes have some new friends on the road.
On October 10, sixteen City of Chicago Department. of Revenue employees attended training to learn how to do their jobs on a bicycle. As enforcers of city parking regulations and enthusiastic new cyclists themselves, they now have a first-hand appreciation of the frustrations of having to maneuver around cars parked or standing in bike lanes.
And they are in a position to do something about it. Violation of city ordinance 9-40-060 which forbids drivers to park in bike lanes carries a $100 fine.
Department of Revenue employees received a full day of training based on League of American Bicyclists' Road I course and the Safe Bicycling in Chicago guide. A combination of classroom and on-the-bike exercises, the class was taught by Chicagoland Bicycle Federation Director of Education, Dave Glowacz and Chicago Cycling Club member Sharon Kaminecki, both certified League Cycling Instructors. Students had varying levels of cycling experience, but they all said they liked learning and practicing bike handling skills and are now more confident riding a bike, both on and off the job.
We all know you cannot have too many friends. Ditto for cycling knowledge.
BETH MEIER
Bikeways Manager
CDOT Bureau of Traffic
You've seen the new bike lanes marked on streets in the city. An easy job--find the right street, send someone out with a can of white paint, mark the street, job done! Right?
Very
wrong! Only an expert such as Beth Meier can ensure that bike lanes meet
demanding criteria that make the bikeway safer and more useful for cyclists.
Beth works for the engineering firm T.Y. Lin International and is a consultant
to the City of Chicago. She has a double major in Math and Geography from
Miami University in Ohio and a master's degree in Urban Planning from UIC.
The city has striped a total of about 90 miles of marked lanes--about 20 were added this year. Striping a bike lane, from the first planning efforts to applying for funding and actual construction takes about two years to complete.
Beth shepherds new bikeway proposals through a complicated maze of street identification, traffic analysis, design proposals and approvals, and finally construction. If the street to be striped is owned by the county or state, the maze gets more convoluted. And if the project requires community or aldermanic approval, the path from proposal to a line on the street can be trickier still. But Beth says that once community groups understand what a bikeway is, they usually approve the proposal.
And when a lane is striped, the street crew doesn't use paint--they use a thermoplastic material that lasts years longer.
The free Chicago Bike Map, available at chicagobikes.org or call 312/742-BIKE, shows the entire bikeway system. Thanks to bikeways manager Beth Meier, that system will only continue to grow in both size and popularity.
Paths Grow, Cyclists Speak Up
DuPage
County: In ,
a new bridge over Bloomingdale Road in the Meacham Grove Forest Preserve
extends the North Central DuPage Trail. In addition, a new two mile link
is now nearly completed to extend the North Central DuPage Trail in through
the Hawk Hollow Forest Preserve in .DuPage County hosted an open house in on October 23 to solicit comments on the preliminary trail route for the new East Branch DuPage River Greenway Trail. The proposed new trail would travel 32 miles through central DuPage County, connecting and in the north to and in the south.
In, the Transportation Advisory Council is recommending a new policy which would establish specific criteria to set priorities for filling in gaps in the sidewalk network. The city council will make a final decision after the Board issues a recommendation.
South Suburbs: recently finished a comprehensive bike plan. It's available on-line at www.lemont.il.us. The plan includes both off-street paths an on-street routes that make extensive use of the Bicycle Level of Service Calculator available at biketraffic.org/blos.
Bicyclists in spoke up for bicycle accommodations in the village's Harlem Avenue renovation project at a public comment hearing September 22. The project's consultant warmly received the requests for bike parking facilities and both on and off-street accommodations.
Construction will begin soon on the Preservation Bike Path Extension in . The project, when finished, will provide an off-street connection between the Tinley Creek Trail at Vollmer and Cicero Ave. and Old Plank Road Trail.
Biking Through the Language Barrier
True to name, Bicycling Ambassadors welcome the huddled masses
Being in the English as a Second Language (ESL) Program at Truman College was an absolutely new experience and also a challenge for the Mayor Daley's Bicycling Ambassador Program. It proved how far we can go with the Bike Program and how useful our presentations can be for ESL students.
Many
newcomers to Chicago use bicycles as their primary form of transportation.
We thought partnering with Truman College's ESL program would be a great
opportunity to teach recent immigrants bicycle safety and encourage them
to consider using the bicycle even after they became better established.
In exchange, they learned new vocabulary and had the opportunity to ask
questions of Chicago's bicycle experts, Mayor Daley's Bicycling Ambassadors.
Over two days in September, we spent about 25 minutes in each of the 19 classes, presenting on bicycle parts and safety and explaining the meaning of the new words. The presentations went really well; to support them, we handed out the Chicago Bike Map, flyers printed in five languages (English, Spanish, Korean, Chinese and Polish) on bicycle use and safety, and the booklet, Safe Bicycling in Chicago. Rudy of Rudy's Bike Shop, 5711 W. Irving Park Rd., was kind enough to provide the paper for printing a new flyer explaining the parts of bikes and helmets, and he donated many water bottles and locks for give-aways.
After we finished our presentations, we did three hours of outreach in the cafeteria, talking with students and encouraging them to play the Ambassador Bike-Smarts Game. This game tests people's knowledge of bike safety. The people enjoyed answering the questions. It was an attractive challenge for them.
For the Ambassadors, this was a satisfying and successful two days of outreach with productive feedback. We gave the teachers surveys to rate how valuable the presentation was and if they would like us to come back. The overwhelming majority said this was a great experience for the students and all invited us back.
All told, we had direct contact with 386 people at Truman. Hopefully, that will translate into safer and more committed bicyclists. Find more info on the Bicycling Ambassadors at biketraffic.org/ambassador.
Pedalin'
the Hennepin
The completion of the 62-mile-long Hennepin Canal Trail plugs the last
major gap in a statewide trail system stretching from Iowa to Indiana.
It's now possible to cycle from the Indiana border to the Quad Cities
almost entirely on bike trails using the 20-mile-long Old Plank Road Trail
(OPRT), the 60-mile Illinois & Michigan Canal Trail (I&M), the 62-mile
Hennepin Trail, and just 33 miles of connecting roads. The longest on-road
portion (19 miles) lies between the I&M Trail at LaSalle and the Hennepin
trail at Bureau Junction.
The Hennepin Canal was built in 1908, 60 years after the I&M Canal. It
wasn't a success; railroads and Illinois River barges quickly relegated
it to tertiary status. The Hennepin was closed in 1951 and turned over
to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) 20 years later.
Towpaths on each side give the Hennepin Canal two trails. One is turf
for horses and mountain bikes, while the other is paved with oil and chip
asphalt. Some short stretches near aqueducts, shared by cyclists and equestrians,
are paved with limestone screenings. Portions of the bike path finished
and seal coated this past year still have a covering of loose pea gravel.
According to the IDNR staff, this will be rolled down and swept before
next year. I had no problems on my road bike with 700 x 35 tires. Secondary
roads near the trail provide good alternate cycling routes for those with
maps.
Start your exploration of the Hennepin Trail at the visitors center near
Sheffield. This is just south of Interstate 80 on Illinois 40, about a
two-hour drive from Chicago. Maps, exhibits, and a video are available
to acquaint you with the park. The 23-mile section of the trail to the
east of the visitors center is the most interesting and scenic. This section
features 22 locks, an aqueduct, and the Wyanet historic area.
Small towns along the trail have spotty accommodations, but plentiful
motels and restaurants are just a few miles north along Interstate 80.
Princeton is a great overnight destination with unique motels, restaurants,
and antique shops.
Maps and more information are available at following web sites:
www.oprt.org/maps/hennepin
www.dnr.state.il.us [click on
"parks and recreation" then "H" for Hennepin]
www.bikelib.org [click on the "Grand
Illinois Trail" and look at "segment 4"]
600 Kilometers Before I Sleep
Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) is the "granddaddy" of testing one's pure cycling endurance and ability. Founded in 1891, PBP attracts cyclists from more than 20 countries who attempt to ride unsupported for 1225km (750+miles) through the French countryside in 90 hours or less. Those who finish have their name inscribed in the event's Great Book along with every other finisher since the inaugural event.
Earlier in the year I had qualified to ride PBP through a series of unsupported riding events called 'brevets' over distances of 200K, 300K, 400K and 600K. Brevets 400 km and longer test your physiological and mental capacities during sleep deprivation, and can uncover the weaknesses in your equipment choices.
The brevets allowed me to attempt PBP with confidence. PBP's rules: you must start, ride and finish on the same bike, have two types of lighting systems, a reflective vest, and anything you might want for the next four days of riding. I carried one set of additional clothes, tubes, patch kits, tools, rain gear, arm warmers, two water bottles, and my Camel Back.
In darkness at 10 p.m. on August 18, I lined up at the start area with riders hoping to finish PBP in 90 hours or less. When my third wave of 800 cyclists left at 10:30 p.m., I took off like a jackrabbit. As we rode out of town, residents lining the streets cheered us on.
At the first control point 220 km out (subsequent checkpoints were spaced every 80 km), I checked in to swipe my electronic card and get the paper card stamped; miss this step, and you'll be disqualified--a real test of your mental alertness. I also discovered I had unintentionally caught the majority of riders who had left at 10 p.m. I had intended to:
1. Have FUN and complete the route.
2. Get 600K behind me as fast as possible
3. Sleep 6-8 hours at Brest.
4. Spin easily back to Paris, enjoying the scenery and other riders along the route.
Back on the road, I pacelined with a small group of international riders for 50 km or so until I began drifting asleep. I quickly moved to the back of the line, out of the way. I rolled into the control point at Loudeac upright and alive, but admitted I needed a quick nap. So I ate, showered, changed into new clothes, and walked to the napping headquarters where folks take your name and wake-up time and escort you to your cot. I informed them to wake me after an hour. The three of them looked at each other in disbelief, mumbling 'not enough time." I replied, 'Yes, it is', and woke up with my own body clock 55 minutes later.
Still riding in daylight, I hooked up with a fellow named Mick from the UK and Brigitte from California, and we made great time. Soon another group of riders came past us, and we jumped on. Eventually the pace proved too much, and Mick and I backed down. Brigitte motored on. I took a second one-hour nap at the Carhaix-Plouguer control on the cafeteria floor lined with cardboard. A common sight along the course: nap anywhere, anyhow.
Finally, I closed in on the halfway point. As we rode into Brest around 8 a.m., the sun rose spectacularly behind us. Thirty-three hours after I had started, I was feeling great, except for my ass. Disappointed in the sleeping accommodations in Brest, veteran PBP rider Mick convinced me to continue on 250 km to Tinteniac, which featured individual rooms with an actual bed, blankets and pillow.
I left Brest at a more relaxing pace that allowed me to enjoy the scenery. Getting half of the ride behind me gave me the adrenaline rush I needed. As I rode off the miles, I tried calculating when I could expect to see the last rider who would have any chance of completing PBP within the 90 hour limit. I was shocked to still see riders leaving the 450K control of Loudeac around the 40-hour mark. Try calculating their chances after riding 750 km with only two hours of sleep.
The dormitories at Tinteniac welcomed me at 11 p.m. My eyelids began dropping at the control check. Five hours of sleep in a wonderful bed, and I was ready to finish off the ride. Around 5a.m., Mick and I rode to the next control for a real American western-style breakfast. Back on the road, we found a 19 mph paceline and hooked on.
Around 1000 km, pain launched an attack on my achilles tendon. I began to slow, dropping out of the paceline to 17 mph and losing Mick. After 30 km, I dropped the pace again, and popped 800mg of Advil. After another 30 km I dropped even more. I rested for 10 minutes every 40 km or so, but the pain wasn't fading. It was, however, taking my mind off of my ass.
At a drink stand run by friendly college students, I stopped for refreshment and started to massage the ankle, apparently a universal sign that sent one of the kids to the house for some muscle cream. Many merci's and I was off again at 10 to 12 mph. This was now a social ride for me! At the next town, I bought an ACE-type bandage at a pharmacy to apply external pressure around the ankle. This worked great. But then my right arthritic knee began acting up. Upset, I told my body out loud, "No amount of pain will keep me from finishing this ride!"
After the next-to-last control at 1084 km, I hooked up with another rider from California. He had left with the 80-hour group and was riding nearly as slow as I was. I realized I would finish well under 90 hours. We were each other's support into Paris, and we pushed to finish before daybreak on Friday. I felt any further rest would make my physical problems worse.
In darkness we rode into the finish town of Guyan Court on a ridgeline that overlooked Paris. Riders who finished in daylight would have thousands of spectators cheering them home. We were fortunate to have a small crowd of 100 or so applauding us over the last couple hundred meters. I checked in around 3:41 a.m. for a finish time of roughly 78 hours.
After a final shower and with no hotel room available until Friday afternoon, I put my smelly riding clothes back on and took a well deserved nap on the carpeted gym floor. I woke up around 8 a.m. to a more crowded gymnasium, crawled upright and limped over to the breakfast line. I enjoyed seeing everyone's faces after coming in from the ride, and watching their gimpy walk to the showers.
I'm in the Great Book, and have caught the randonneuring fever. Boston Montreal Boston '04, here I come!
When you drive, you're still a bicycle advocate. Or you could be. Click the sign above to take the pledge. Or read about the Driver's Pledge in the December 2002/January 2003 Bike Traffic.
Kane Bike Map Proves Able. The Kane County Bicycle Map arrived at 650 S. Clark in the middle of October, and it's fantastic. To develop the map, the county made extensive use of the Bicycle Level of Service (BLOS) formula to mark roads by how well their design accommodates cyclists. The formula grades each route A through F, and the routes are keyed accordingly by color. Kane County's extensive trails are well marked too, as are proposed trails. Download a copy of the map from www.co.kane.il.us, or request a hard copy by calling 630/584-1170. You can read more about Kane County's use of BLOS in the October 2002 Bike Traffic at biketraffic.org. And grade your own favorite stretch of bike route at biketraffic.org/blos.
The HR equivalent of Antique Road Show. You know the format: slightly dumpy 50-something guy says "I found this clock in my uncle's basement after we took him to the home, and I've been using it to set the timing on my truck." And the appraiser says "Well, what if I told you that this piece of shop equipment used to belong to D.H. Lawrence and is worth $72,000?" How that guy feels (about the money, not D.H. Lawrence) is a lot like how we feel about our new coworkers.
Dan Korman, Membership & Communications Director--Dan was publications manager for the Illinois Bureau of Tourism, which publishes Illinois Now! and the Illinois Trail Guide. He is not related to Harvey. And don't even say you weren't wondering that.
Liz
Wuerffel, Safe Routes to School Manager--Liz
moves up from Bicycle Ambassador to take on Safe Routes as it prepares to
expand into suburbia. Before becoming an Ambassador she was in Peace Corps.
She will never, ever be wealthy. 
Carlos
Cuarta, Program Consultant--Also not related
to Harvey Korman, Carlos assists Federation programs with promotion and
outreach to Chicagoland's Hispanic communities. Like Liz, he moves into
the new job from Bicycling Ambassadors. 
Michael
Girgis, Office & Technology Manager--In
A.A. Milne's hands, Michael would be Tigger. "You need a Bike the Drive
assistant? That's what Michaels do best!" "You need an office assistant?
That's what Michaels do best!" Now he's taking on the facilities and technology
needs of the Federation. And guess what? He's pretty damned good at that,
too. 
Bike Traffic is published by the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, a nonprofit, volunteer advocacy organization that is improving the quality of life in Northeastern Illinois by making cycling safer, more convenient, and more fun. All material that isn't copyrighted may be reprinted. Advertising rates available on request.
Managing Editor
Steve Buchtel
Editors
Randy Neufeld
Dan Korman
David Callahan
Layout
Steve Buchtel
Copyright 2003, Chicagoland
Bicycle Federation
650 S. Clark, Ste. 300, Chicago, Ill. 60605
Ph: 312/427-3325 Fax: 312/427-4907 E-mail:
cbf@biketraffic.org
