Steven can plan

The beauty of Wikipedia is that it allows anyone who possesses knowledge (which is power!) to share info quickly and easily. I’ve done that many times, on Wikipedia as well as on my own wiki about Nishiki bicycles. Check them out:

• List of United States bike stations – Exactly that. For a short-lived project for work, I had to research anything and everything about bike stations. I first had to make an inventory. Keep in mind that there’s an organization called Bikestation, and their name is trademarked. Putting a space in between the words keeps it generic. The list isn’t complete because I got all the information I needed before I finished the list. Feel free to expand the list on Wikipedia. I also created a category so that the list and other bike stations can be easily found.
• Cycling in Chicago – This article was a disaster. There were so many statements that weren’t cited (and couldn’t be cited). I cleared them out, adding a reference or two existing statements, but I also added some new information and made sure to reference the new statements.
• List of United States bicycle advocacy organizations – Another one of “exactly that.” Not very complete, because I’m hoping others will get involved.
• Nishiki Bicycle History – I’m trying to document the models produced in Japan at the Kawamura factory and sold in the United States. It’s hosted on my domain and so far I’m the only contributor. If you’d like to help me know more about this great bicycle, I can give you a login. I own a mid 1980s Nishiki Prestige, see below:

Visiting my family in Mesa, Arizona, over my holiday break last year got me more excited about light rail than I’ve ever been. I hopefully showed this with my photos on my Flickr account. I posted over 300 pictures of the new Valley Metro light rail that serves the west side of Mesa, central and north Tempe, and many regions of Phoenix. It goes through two downtowns: Tempe and Phoenix. The light rail will be good for commuters, but also discretionary travelers; both downtowns are major destinations for the valley. Tempe has a vibrant night life and the state’s largest college campus. Phoenix has tons of large-scale attractions.

I love trains. I’m almost a railfan.

So I present you this list of light rail extensions that will open this year in the United States – just two, but they’re respectively significant for the regions they will serve. There are no new systems opening this year, but there’s at least one for 2010.

• Seattle SoundTransit Central Link – This new line goes from the Westlake Center (southern terminus for the Seattle Monorail) south to the Seattle-Tacoma airport. This will be an amazing new asset for the region – transit links to airports is always a plus. We’ve benefited from this in Chicago for over 15 years (the Orange line to Midway opened in 1993, after the Blue line to O’Hare). Sadly, after several years of voting rounds and bickering, the monorail was never extended into the transit system; the potential’s still there.
• Portland MAX Green Line – Scheduled to open in September 2009, the Green line will wrap around the new/reorganized Portland Transit Mall and head south along I-205 to a new transit center at the Clackamas Town Center mall. As part of this construction, the existing bike path following the highway will be redesigned and improved greatly. The TriMet website has more information about the enhancements along I-205.

Valley Metro, the bus and light rail operator for the Phoenix Metro in Arizona, forgot to install bike parking at the Roosevelt/Central station in downtown Phoenix. This station might have been part of a planned Transit Oriented Development (TOD), or it might not have, but the fact is that there’s plenty of mid-density residential buildings right across the street and further west.

There’s no excuse to NOT have bike parking at ANY light rail or transit station. However, during my visit there on grand opening day (December 27th, 2008), my observations along with the Valley Metro publications indicate that the agency only installed bike parking at stations with park & ride lots.

I believe Valley Metro will realize their error and install secure bike parking at this station – there’s plenty of room!

Valley Metro may actually be motivated to install the bike racks when they realize that cyclists will be locking their bikes to the railings on the inside of the shade structures. These are not ideal locations for bike parking, could be unsafe, and will potentially damage the shade structures. I hope it doesn’t come to that and Valley Metro makes the station upgrades as soon as possible.

How do you get people to bike in the winter?

1. You educate about clothing
2. You make it safe
3. And you educate some more (but this time about lighting and defensive riding)
4. Remind them about transit

1. Bikers don’t need technical gear. So many websites talk about clothing on the cheap. I really don’t want to reiterate what they’ve said, but the key points are: wool, layers, windbreaker, wool, layers, and a windbreak. Got it?

2. CLEAR THE ROADS. And then clear the sidewalks so cyclists can get to the bike racks (well, this isn’t that big of an issue if your city chose the right bike rack – U-racks and wave racks stick out above the snow cover – see photo).

3. Since the days are shorter and the darkness lasts longer, lighting is a necessity. Most states require a front headlight (that means a white, battery-powered light and not a reflector, which is worthless). Bicyclists need to know how to ride safe. Every major North American city publishes something about safe cycling in urban settings. Here’s Chicago’s: English | Espanol (both in PDF).

4. Transit is everyone’s winter friend! For those who can’t ride their bike all the way, make sure they have the right materials to connect their short bike ride with a transit ride. It might even eliminate a transfer (and reduce the trip cost). Most transit agencies in North America have bike racks on the front of buses. Check your local transit agency’s website or information center (try headquarters) for a brochure on how to ride the bus – or train – with your bike.

It can be done!

P.S. I cannot stress lighting enough. Motorists appreciate it. It allows them to make more informed decisions about their driving path and speed. It also reduces aggression because they see that the cyclist is doing the right thing.