FLCC> Commuting and Climate Change

Tue May 6 16:21:56 EDT 2008

This is actually a much bigger endeavor than 
Hollenbecks due to all the permits you'd need 
from all the various parties in Ithaca since it 
would be held in such a public area and you would 
have to close the roads for the day to all 
traffic. I would not be able to run such an event 
alone and we would have to hire a company to do 
electronic finish timing for the day which can be 
quite expensive, pay officials, etc. We're also 
talking about a much higher entry fee to cover 
some of these expenses. There are a lot of other 
details that would be different and more 
involved. I would certainly be willing to discuss 
this with interested parties as it's always been 
an interesting idea and would be fun for Ithaca 
for sure, but would not be game for promoting it 
myself. Someone without a full time job would need to step up to the plate.

Cheers,
Sara

At 08:32 PM 4/27/2008, Wayne Gottlieb wrote:
>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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> >
>
>
>
> 
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