[While we still do not know why the police think that John Yates was at fault for riding on the right side of the road but here are some cyclists in trouble for not riding on the right.]
The volunteer bike-riders who pull a trailer load of donated food to the Damiano Center each week are willing to deal with bad weather, Duluth hills and dangerous brushes with cars.
But they draw the line at traffic tickets.
“We take it as an issue of discrimination,” said Alex Strachota, 22, who graduated from the College of St. Scholastica last year with a degree in biology.
To the Duluth police, it’s an issue of public safety.
Police officers have ticketed Strachota, Greg Schultz and Sadie Sigford twice for impeding traffic.
Every Friday and Saturday for the past two years, Strachota, Schultz and Sigford have ridden bikes up from their home at the Dorothy Day House in the Endion neighborhood to the Whole Foods Co-op on Fourth Street, picked up about 100 pounds of food that otherwise would be thrown away, and taken it to the Damiano soup kitchen to donate.
Even if the thermometer reads 20 below zero, they’ve never had problems on the route, the three say. That is until July 31, when they were riding back from the Damiano Center and were given a traffic ticket.
Two weeks later they again were stopped and ticketed. They say they plan to fight the tickets, alleging their civil rights were violated.
But the police say the bicyclists were riding in the regular lane of traffic and that their slow speed was a safety hazard.
“They were impeding traffic,” [on a bike route] police spokesman Brad Wick said. “In both instances there was an opportunity to move to the right, and they did not.”
The volunteers don’t deny riding in the traffic lane, but they say they have the legal right to do so.
The problem stems in part from the route they take to deliver the food, Fourth Street, which, though it’s designated as a bike route and directly connects the Co-op to the Damiano, is a difficult ride because it’s a single-lane traffic and filled with parked cars along the streets.
Compounding the problem for the three riders is that their rig to tow the food takes up almost two bike-widths. To keep that rider safe from being rammed from behind, the other two follow behind two abreast.
Though they say they ride 10 to 15 mph, cars still back up behind them.
“It would be illegal for any car to pass us,” Sigford acknowledges.
So why not take another mode of transportation [on a bike route]?
For starters, the three have no cars and use bikes as their way to get around, including to school and work. And they say they’re following bike statutes, which includes riding 3 feet away from parked cars. On Fourth Street, that means riding into the traffic lane.
“It may seem like hyperbole and we’re being over the top comparing what’s happened to us to the civil rights movement,” Strachota said. “But we feel very much marginalized when we ride on our bikes.”
Adds Schultz: “It’s not a stretch to consider ourselves as second-class citizens in regards to transportation.”
Ironically, when they got their tickets on July 31, a friend visiting from out of town, Erin Cartwright, was riding illegally — too close to a parked car — when she got “doored” — someone opened their car door and she was sent flying.
She wasn’t injured, but a block after the accident she was pulled over by a Duluth police officer, who later called for two additional squads as backup. Not to check on Cartwright, but to give Schultz and Sigford tickets.
According to the report filed by Officer S.R. Peterson, he gave the tickets because he believed the bicyclists weren’t following state statutes and they needed to follow the right side of the road and weave into empty parking spaces when possible to let cars pass.
[Ya like weaving in and out of park cars is not safety hazard? Sheesh!]
Continue reading “Ticketed bike riders speak out”
Some Buildings Not Living Up to Green Label
The Federal Building in downtown Youngstown, Ohio, features an extensive use of natural light to illuminate offices and a white roof to reflect heat.
It has LEED certification, the country’s most recognized seal of approval for green buildings.
But the building is hardly a model of energy efficiency. According to an environmental assessment last year, it did not score high enough to qualify for the Energy Star label granted by the Environmental Protection Agency, which ranks buildings after looking at a year’s worth of utility bills.
The building’s cooling system, a major gas guzzler, was one culprit. Another was its design: to get its LEED label, it racked up points for things like native landscaping rather than structural energy-saving features, according to a study by the General Services Administration, which owns the building.
Builders covet LEED certification — it stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design — as a way to gain tax credits, attract tenants, charge premium rents and project an image of environmental responsibility. But the gap between design and construction, which LEED certifies, and how some buildings actually perform led the program last week to announce that it would begin collecting information about energy use from all the buildings it certifies.
…
“The plaque should be installed with removable screws,” said Henry Gifford, an energy consultant in New York City. “Once the plaque is glued on, there’s no incentive to do better.”
Continue reading “Some Buildings Not Living Up to Green Label”
Bicycle Boulevard Planning & Design
I strongly urge transportation planners and engineers in our region, especially Balt City and County, to take a look at this innovative new set of tools and consider local implementation. Conventional painted bike lanes and other "weak" measures including sharrows and off-road bike paths, that do little to create complete streets, IMO, are all inadequate tools for enabling a fundamental shift towards widespread "transportational" bicycle use in the region. The dense, interconnected grid of streets in Baltimore could easily accommodate a network of bike boulevards.
– SS on EnvisionBaltimore.
What are Bicycle Boulevards?
Bicycle boulevards take the shared roadway bike facility to a new level, creating an attractive, convenient, and comfortable cycling environment that is welcoming to cyclists of all ages and skill levels.
In essence, bicycle boulevards are low-volume and low-speed streets that have been optimized for bicycle travel through treatments such as traffic calming and traffic reduction, signage and pavement markings, and intersection crossing treatments. These treatments allow through movements for cyclists while discouraging similar through trips by nonlocal motorized traffic. Motor vehicle access to properties along the route is maintained.
Combined Charity Campaign Cycle/Walk Fundraiser
Brita Climate Ride
How far would you pedal for a new energy future? Register now for Brita Climate Ride, a fully supported, 5-day charity bike ride from New York City to Washington DC, September 26 – 30, 2009. It’s the ride of a lifetime through some of the East Coast’s most beautiful countryside. Join two hundred cyclists for great food, world class biking, and the chance to meet and network with leaders in climate change, renewable energy and environmental causes. Don’t miss this historic ride to Washington!
Brita Climate Ride supports essential climate and bicycling advocacy projects at three beneficiary organizations: Focus the Nation, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, and Clean Air – Cool Planet. Your fundraising helps the beneficiaries continue to provide the critical services and education needed to address climate and energy issues.
Be Part of a Grass-roots Effort- Join a fascinating group of renewable energy experts, climate activists, recent college grads, and everyday folks.
Make a Statement- Carry your message 300 miles to the steps of the Capitol, where you have a chance to personally meet your representatives in Congress to encourage action.
It’s a Climate Conference on Wheels- Hear informative talks each evening from expert speakers, and join the discussion on climate science, green technology, and solutions to the climate crisis.
The Time is Now- We’re at a climatic tipping point, and with the important COP15 Conference coming up in December, this year’s Brita Climate Ride is more important than ever.
It’s Fun- Unite with fellow Climate Riders for an unforgettable, fully-supported adventure. Our experienced team takes care of all the logistics, so you can network, make friends, and enjoy cycling through some of the most beautiful scenery in America.
Continue reading “Brita Climate Ride”