[Vision2020] Critical Mass, A Public Menace! Inconvenient Truth -- What WE gonna do

[Sunil Ramalingam]

Ted,

I lived in Davis, CA, before I moved here, and didn't have a car till I was 
in my early 30s.  I biked most places, which was easy in Davis, because 
there are bike lanes on most roads and it's flat. A twelve-pack of beer fit 
neatly in the basket of my Beach Cruiser, and my groceries went in my 
backpack.   I think Moscow would benefit from more bike lanes. I agree with 
you that we should use our bikes more.

However, I don't think bike riders gain anything by riding in the middle of 
the lane to make a point; they just piss off drivers.  Angry drivers don't 
appreciate the point the bikers want to make, they just want to beat their 
heads in.  I doubt it was necessary to have all the police officers in town 
following you, unless they were there to stop the afore-mentioned 
head-beating.

I also think bike riders should stay off the sidewalks whenever possible.  I 
believe it's legal to ride on the sidewalk in Moscow, though I don't think 
it should be.  Leave the sidewalks for pedestrians.  I'd make an exception 
for children, but that's it; adults should be on the road.

Davis has required greenbelts with bike paths in newer developments for 
years, and you're able to get into town from some of the distant 
neighhborhoods without needing to get on the roads, and without having to go 
far out of your way.  That requires planning, but I have enjoyed using them 
on trips back to Davis, and I'll bet parents are happy their kids are able 
to use them instead of having to be on the roads.

I'm not sure the extra lanes on 95 between here and Lewiston will increase 
traffic; I think the road will be safer when people are able to pass without 
having to get into an oncoming lane of traffic.  There are always going to 
be some people who live up here and work down there (or vice versa) who 
don't want to move closer to where they work.  $10/gallon gas might change 
their minds, or they may take advantage of public transport and keep living 
where they are.

Sunil


>From: "Ted Moffett" <starbliss at gmail.com>
>To: "Nils Peterson" <nils_peterson at wsu.edu>
>CC: "vision2020 at moscow.com" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>Subject: [Vision2020] Critical Mass,A Public Menace! Inconvenient Truth -- 
>What WE gonna do
>Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2006 12:19:34 -0700
>
>Nils wrote:
>
>What else can we, in whatever collective groups, begin doing?
>
>
>
>I biked a couple of times with "Critical Mass" a few years ago, a small
>group that would bike around Moscow as a group, taking up a lane of 
>traffic,
>not just biking on the side of the road, to make a statement on bicycle
>transportation as a force and option in Moscow.  Our pace was slower 
>usually
>than the traffic, so cars and trucks were slowed down, but otherwise we
>attempted to follow traffic law.
>
>Actually, I think it is legal for a bike to take a lane of traffic in the
>middle of the lane, is it not?  Anyway, what did we get for our efforts to
>make Moscow a more bike friendly city?  The Moscow Police Dept. ticketed
>some of the bicyclists on one ride, following along looking for violations,
>violations that happen often with bicyclists, but the police do not often
>aggressively look for them.  I did not witness this event, but I was told
>this happened from reliable sources.  One time when I road with the group, 
>a
>Moscow Police officer tagged along on a bicycle, while police cars followed
>us on our route through Moscow.  I expected a ticket for the slightest
>violation.
>
>Yes, a group on bicycles is a major threat to public safety!
>
>Solutions?  How about letting a group on bicycles bike around town down the
>middle of a lane of traffic without the police in tow?
>
>Read on for more bottom line reasoning, if you will...
>
>You mentioned PCEI using biofuels...And given that the U of I has
>engineering efforts under way on alternative energy powered vehicles, it
>seems that both the U of I and the City of Moscow could consult on using
>biofuel or alternative powered vehicles for their operations?  Or do they
>already?
>
>The U of I and the City of Moscow could make a significant investment in
>solar power?  Or have they?
>
>All new buildings the U of I, the city or county build could be built to
>high energy efficiency standards, and include solar power or other
>alternative energy in their construction.
>
>Roof top gardens in downtown Moscow?  Small scale CO2 sequestration.
>
>Do you mean goals that are realistic given the massive inertia to really
>address the problems, ignoring solutions that may mean some economic
>sacrifice or major alteration in lifestyle?Like saying, lets encourage
>alternative transportation, a mantra of city planning for decades, while
>most everyone wants their own car and truck to drive in, and thinks biking
>for general transportation is a joke, and won't use alternative
>transportation anyway?
>
>Alternative transportation won't be used substantially when the system is
>set up to encourage and make massive profits off most everyone driving 
>their
>own private vehicle.  Is the new five lane Moscow/Pullman Hwy. or the
>upgrading of Hwy. 95 to four lanes, going to increase or decrease fossil
>fuel use?  Large cities that do have a lot of use of alternative
>transportation come to this in part because using a private vehicle became
>difficult with traffic jams and lack of parking.  Take away the parking
>lots, and create traffic jams, that might force change, but then wait till
>the next election, and those politicians who decided to block expansive
>parking lots to encourage biking or the bus might be out of work.
>
>Though Donovan' suggestion of a massive increase in gas taxes will not
>happen, and though he may have been just pulling our leg again, I agree 
>that
>drastic action is needed to reduce fossil fuel use.  Ten dollar a gallon 
>gas
>would have an impact on unnecessary or frivolous driving.
>
>It seems the planning for Moscow's transportation future, from the Federal
>level down (and some federal dollars do in the large picture impact 
>Moscow's
>traffic), is making car and truck use the highest priority, not attempting
>to encourage people to use other means by limiting the infrastructure that
>supports an increase in vehicular traffic, though the Chipman and Latah
>Trails are a fantastic development that no doubt is making a small impact 
>on
>reducing fossil fuel use.
>
>Biking is something that just about everyone could do to get around Moscow,
>if they just made a bit more time in their day, even carrying reasonably
>heavy loads with a bike trailer, as Megan mentioned she uses.  Biking makes
>a more friendly community, a human scaled environment, and is a lot of fun
>besides the dreadful fact it is good exercise (don't mention this to a 
>coach
>potato, just tell them biking is a hell of a lot of fun).  If the bit of
>extra effort this would require is beyond the available time or motivation
>of people, then, how can you motivate them?  Oh, right, take away the
>parking.
>
>The business community and the U of I, I assure you, for the most part,
>wants to encourage driving and parking, for their bottom line.  The
>businesses who do the most business have the most parking adjacent to their
>location.  Do you think the U of I wants to start a program to keep 
>freshmen
>from bringing cars to school?  This might negatively impact recruitment of
>students.  But how many fossil fueled vehicles would this remove from 
>Moscow
>Streets?
>
>Paradise Creek bicycles is an exception!
>
>Having dedicated bike lanes attached to streets, separated with even a
>humble "barrier" of some sort, would make biking more attractive, safer,
>more "legitimate."  This would be a hard sell in Moscow, I suspect, and
>would require rebuilding many streets.  Given the incredible psychological
>connection many have with their personal self esteem invested in their car
>or truck, getting people to start treating bicycling with the same 
>emotional
>appeal as driving a car or truck, might be difficult.
>
>Roger Hayes, who posts occasionally to Vision2020, commutes on his bike 
>year
>round from Moscow to Pullman.  This is well known, so I trust Roger does 
>not
>mind my mentioning this fact.  If he can do this, year after year, many 
>more
>could also, or even just commute within Moscow or Pullman on a bike more
>often.
>
>Let's just skip the police targeting an alternative transportation 
>bicycling
>activist group as though they are criminals?
>
>There are so many ways that Moscow can address the problem of fossil fuel
>use there is no problem finding ways.
>
>Other cities are addressing the CO2 emission/global warming problem with
>concrete action.
>
>How about hiring someone as described in the article below?
>
>http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/news/2006/story08-02-06.php
>
>Chicago's efforts:
>
>http://www.consciouschoice.com/2002/cc1504/aboltinterview1504.html
>
>------
>
>Ted Moffett


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