FLCC> Commuting and Climate Change

[Wayne Gottlieb]

Wow!  the Ithaca Criterium.    When I lived in Davis,
CA, we had the Davis Criterium.  It was a big day. 
(We also had the Davis Double Century).  Merchants
loved it because people from all over would pour into
town and buy stuff.  Even non-bikers loved the day
because they could always count on a little blood.  I
love this idea, but the real question is, does Sarah
like it?  Seems like a pretty easy race to put on. 
More ambulances and band-aides, but fewer corner
marshals.  

Another idea that I've seen around is closing off some
roads to cars for bike only traffic.   Wayne


--- Todd Roswech <todd.roswech at gmail.com> wrote:

> To follow up on some comments from Wayne and others,
> I agree that visibility
> of the local cycling community is very important
> (so, get out and ride).
>  Additionally, though, relationships between cycling
> groups and the city and
> town are also important.  Getting to know planning
> officers and local gov't
> reps is important. These are the people that we are
> looking to to make
> changes on our behalf.  One way to start to "work
> together" might be to
> organize an event.  If there is support from the
> city, a downtown circuit
> race (just one example chosen from numerous
> possibilities) might be a good
> way to raise visibility and work together to
> identify and address some
> issues as part of planning for the logistics of the
> race (ie road conditions
> and hazards, traffic).  The one-on-one time with
> city and town planners and
> others in organizing an event may help when you are
> going to the city or
> town looking for changes in traffic patterns, road
> improvements, etc.  Race
> day also provides a forum to present cycling issues
> to a non-cycling crowd.
> Todd
> 
> On Mon, Apr 21, 2008 at 4:47 PM, Kent Johnson
> <kjohnson at cityofithaca.org>
> wrote:
> 
> > Hello -
> >
> > Thanks for the comments regarding bicycling
> issues! Feedback such as
> > this helps to identify problem areas and issues,
> and helps to show that
> > there is broad community interest in reducing
> those problems.
> >
> > I look forward to continuing this discussion and
> have signed-up to
> > participate on the FLCC email list. Often,
> however, these issues defy
> > brief email replies - so a phone call may be
> better (I can be reached at
> > 274-6528 - you can leave a message outside of work
> hours). (and, did you
> > know that the City of Ithaca has a "Potholes"
> listing in the phonebook?
> > - 272-1718 - just tell them where the pothole is
> and they will patch it
> > relatively soon, really).
> >
> > At this point, I am trying to brainstorm about the
> best way to move
> > forward to improve conditions for bicyclists (and
> pedestrians, transit
> > users, motorists, etc.) and I invite your input.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Kent
> >
> > PS - I work in the City's Engineering Office,
> Transportation Division
> > addressing all types of transportation-related
> issues. In particular, I
> > have been trying to focus extra attention on
> bicycling issues since this
> > is a topic that is seldom specifically addressed
> and bicycling in Ithaca
> > seems to be greatly undeveloped as compared to
> other travel modes.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Kent Johnson
> > Transportation Engineering Technician
> > Office of the City Engineer
> > City of Ithaca
> > 108 E. Green St.
> > Ithaca, New York 14850
> > (607) 274-6528, (607) 327-0316 (cell)
> > kjohnson at cityofithaca.org
> >
> >
> > >>> jim eagen <jeplus3 at yahoo.com> 4/20/2008 10:29
> AM >>>
> > Thought this was an interesting blurb, maybe some
> of you saw it, from
> > the NY Times Magazine this weekend:
> >
> > "BIKETOWN MELLOW: Johnny, a play on maillot jaune,
> French for "yellow
> > jersey," was Lance Armstrong's nickname during his
> Tour de France
> > days. Next month, Mellow Johnny's will be the name
> of a multiuse
> > facility Armstrong is backing in Austin, Tex.,
> that features bicycle
> > sales and repairs, a cafe, bicycle parking for
> downtown residents and
> > commuters, spin classes and showers. The old
> 18,000-square-foot,
> > yellow-and-red-brick building was, in previous
> incarnations, a Pearl
> > beer distributorship and a homeless center.
> Armstrong and his general
> > partner, Bart Knaggs, say they wanted to use as
> much of the existing
> > infrastructure as possible. The showers from the
> shelter days seemed
> > like an ideal incentive for bike commuters in a
> city that experiences
> > spring and summer temperatures for much of the
> year. "If you want
> > people to ride an hour to work, and their
> workplace doesn't have a gym
> > and it's 100 in summer," Armstrong says, "you
> can't go to
> >  work that way." While Mellow Johnny's is a
> for-profit endeavor,
> > Knaggs says he hopes that offering "one bazillion"
> bicycle-parking
> > spaces at a nominal fee will have a positive
> environmental impact.
> > "It's more about shifting a local mind-set about
> alternative
> > transportation," he says, a nod to the fact that
> Texans — even those
> > in this, the most liberal, eco-conscious city in
> the state — often
> > feel dutybound to drive even to the corner store.
> And how does Mellow
> > Johnny's propose to meet its own energy needs?
> With conventional
> > sources, though pedal power may put a little
> energy into the grid.
> > "We're looking for ways to use pedal power so that
> we can charge
> > up the building a little bit," says Armstrong,
> who, while he has no
> > immediate plans to work the register, might be the
> one whose r.p.m. runs
> > the espresso machine."
> >
> > Jim Eagen
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----
> > From: Daniel Kidney <daniel.kidney at gmail.com>
> > To: Peter Ozolins <peter at peterozolins.com>;
> flcc at icycle.org
> > Cc: kjohnson at cityofithaca.org
> > Sent: Saturday, April 19, 2008 11:02:41 PM
> > Subject: Re: FLCC> Commuting and Climate Change
> >
> > Kent, maybe you could read the below messages,
> also part of our
> > conversation among the FLCC.
> >
> > Peter, I absolutely agree. A few times I've had my
> lack of a car
> > clearly looked down upon when applying for jobs,
> and several times I've
> > just refrained from
> > applying as it was clearly stated in the job
> > description that car ownership was a necessity. I
> understand the motives
> > of employers in seeking people with reliable
> transportation, but it sure
> > would be nice if employers actually looked
> positively on bike commuters
> > (or other non-personal-car commuting). Perhaps
> city businesses could be
> > offered incentives to encourage their employees to
> get to work on bikes!
> > (And help them out with some of the down sides
> Peter mentioned).
> >
> > That's my final plug for the moment as I'm off for
> a little interstate
> > bike commuting to go check out a college I might
> go to this fall in
> > Pennsylvania. See you all next week!
> >
> > Daniel
> >
> >
> > On Fri, Apr 18, 2008 at 5:07 PM, Peter Ozolins
> <peter at peterozolins.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > What about approaching it from the employer end?
> For 
=== message truncated ===>
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