Traffic Cameras?

I like to get home in one piece, thank you.
First full day of winter ride, 2019.

 There is a discussion underway in Santa Fe to deploy traffic cameras to catch speeders. This has been met with the usual resistance such as offered in the Letters section of today's New Mexican. Speed cameras are an imperfect solution to a real problem: speeding.

Although motorists may feel safe while speeding in a 5000 lb vehicle equipped with air bags, crumple zones, seat belts, and a lot of mass, its tough to be a pedestrian or bicyclist hit by a car. Several studies are readily available (Science Direct here and the AAA Foundation version here) indicating the rapid rise in mortality suffered by those hit by cars as vehicle speeds increase. Quoting from one paper, "...The average risk of death reaches 10% at an impact speed of 24.1 mph, 25% at 32.5 mph, 50% at 40.6 mph, 75% at 48.0 mph, and 90% at 54.6 mph. Risks varied by age. For example, the average risk of death for a 70-year-old pedestrian struck at any given speed was similar to the average risk of death for a 30-year-old pedestrian struck at a speed 11.8 mph faster...."

Yet major arterials in Santa Fe (Cerrillos, St. Francis, St. Michaels) are typically posted at 35 mph or higher. Actual travel speeds are likely in excess of posted speeds, giving pedestrians hit by cars a fifty fifty chance of ending up in the morgue.  This is a social justice and traffic justice issue, if we wish to promote alternative transportation (biking, walking, mass transit). Of course these are state roads and not subject to traffic cameras.

Cameras, however, are a tricky solution for several reasons. One, they perpetually lead to assertions that they are forms of "policing for profit", since cities often contract with for-profit companies to run the cameras rather than manage the systems themselves. Policing for profit is big business in some jurisdictions that are under-capitalized and which rely on fines to balance their budget. Balancing the budget with fines often puts the costs on the backs of the poor and minorities. The death of Philando Castile during a botched traffic stop is one of the worst examples of worst case outcomes.

Cameras are also problematic because motorists are getting mixed signals. We design roads to be wide, fast, and efficient for motorist travel.  You cannot then post a speed limit inconsistent with design and ticket drivers for what comes naturally to them.  There is ample literature saying that wide roads that look like highways will be driven like highways and this encourages speeding. You can post a road at a low speed limit but this conflicts with that old "85th percentile rule" that says if 85 percent of motorists think a road should be driven fast, it should be posted fast. For example, St. Francis Drive or the SW section of Cerrillos.

The best way to lower traffic speeds is to engineer roads so they look like they should be driven slowly. Unfortunately, this is a costly transition and subject to a budgetary process. Maybe in the future we can, in addition, mandate that all motor vehicles be equipped with GPS-linked speed limiters. But like making "smart guns", making "smart cars" that don't speed is a tough sell and made even tougher since the average life of a car is now about a decade.

For now, we use a patchwork of enforcement mechanisms. If we are to use traffic cameras, the first thing to do is make sure the city owns and operates them. That takes away the biggest accusation against the city, to wit, that we are not interested in safety so much as in lining the pockets of a for profit traffic camera company.

Stay tuned.

Is the River Trail Safe to Share, Vol II? Or, Where Is The Eastern End?

In the last post, I discussed the Santa Fe River Trail, covering the segment from St. Francis SW to Siler Road. Today, after putting a pair of Schalbe Marathon Plus tires on the Long Haul Trucker and having a former BTAC member gently remind me to look at the eastern end of the River Trail, I  took a look at the trail from St. Francis Drive towards Downtown.

Mounting those tires was indeed a bit of a marathon. They were so tight on the rims that I ended up using motorcycle tire levers to mount them. My buddy Pat O'Brien concurs.  If I ever flat on the road, I think I might just call a cab.

Back to the trail. I hopped on it at St. Francis. For the most part the trail is plenty wide and the sight lines are excellent.

Between St. Francis and Campo, looking W.

Between St. Francis and Campo, looking E.

 However, when you are passing Campo you start seeing suggestions that the trail will soon end. But where?

Sensing impending end of trail, I kept riding eastward. Finally, when I was approaching Galisteo, the trail precipitously narrows to about five and a half feet and there is a sign indicating cyclists can take the full lane. Presumably, since at this point the trail is not of minimal AASHTO width to share and the sign indicates we can take the lane, this is the end of the multiuse portion of the River Trail. At that narrow width, I would not attempt to share it in a busy downtown area.

I think the City should put up a sign or signs indicating that the multiuse portion of the River Trail ends where the sidepath narrows below AASHTO minimum.  I wonder if this is the area where the older gentleman who spoke at a recent BTAC meeting felt genuinely rattled sharing what at this point is a sidewalk with cyclists.Not sure, but at any rate, we ought to recognize that at this point the sidepath is actually a sidewalk.

Of course it is legal to ride on a sidewalk unless there is signage posted to the contrary as per 12-8-15 ("Riding on Sidewalks") of the Santa Fe Uniform Traffic Ordinances, (downloadable pdf here) and I didn't see any signage as required telling cyclists not to ride on the sidewalk. That said, I would think, as an LCI, that one's underlying assumptions would change just a little bit. Its now a sidewalk rather than a multiuse trail facility. Be more careful as there is less space to share and you therefore will not be able to give other users as much distance from yourself when sharing that space. 

Personally, I see no reason why a competent adult cyclist should be riding on the "sidewalk" rather than on E. Alameda. Traffic is manageable. I ride it all the time as it is part of one of my frequent short loops. My personal view is that once the sidepath narrows to below AASHTO minimum, it should be reserved for pedestrians in all but a few cases (riding with children, an elderly person who can't risk any possible contact with a motor vehicle, etc.). In those cases, RIDE WITH CAUTION AND WITH DUE RESPECT TO PEDESTRIANS.

Vandalized sign at W. Alameda and Campo
 indicating trail ends soon,

Wayfaring at Campo

Approaching Galisteo from the West, 
you see the sidepath narrow and are invited to take the lane.
Maybe we should add "multiuse trail ends here"

Just W. of Galisteo, the sidepath narrows 
to sub-AASHTO width. End of the (multiuse) Trail?
Long Haul Trucker with difficult to mount Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires 
is ~65 inches long (five feet five inches) for scale,
so "walkway" is about five and a half feet.

Is the River Trail Safe to Share?

Yield to Peds. Good idea

Its a pretty place, and very popular.

At a recent Bicycle and Trails Advisory Committee (BTAC) meeting in Santa Fe, an older gentleman (and I don't mean that disparagingly, given my advance into geezerhood) who walks the River Trail was adamant that sharing the trail with bicyclists is not safe. Today, I took a short ride from the bridge crossing at the Gonzales School to the current end at Siler to think about it. Yes, it is safe, but only if everyone does their part to make it safe.

There are several issues to consider. Human conduct, engineering, topography, and maintenance. All come into play.

As far as topography, the trail follows the river, which is why its called the River Trail. Rivers need a gradient and this one is no exception. Riding a pretty mundane bike at a pretty mellow level of effort, I was able to easily push 15-22 mph riding downhill to the Southwest. Riding back to the Northeast, I was trying to maintain a moderately easy level of effort and chugging along at about 10 mph. So my suspicion is that downslope cyclists probably worry people a little more than upslope ones.

The bicycle

As far as design. The trail follows the river in some sort of easement. The trail width is eight to nine feet, approximately (I forgot my tape measure so used paces). The section from  Camino Alire to Ricardo Road is about eight feet. That is AASHTO minimum and a little worrisome for a busy multiuse trail. NE and SW of that the trail is about nine feet wide. I'll go measure it again to be sure.

In addition, the section of trail from Gonzales School to Ricardo Road has several sharp curves with limited sight distance and at Camino Alire, a fast downhill beneath the roadway bridge. This requires everyone to be on their best behavior lest someone go around a curve or down a hill too fast and get a nasty surprise. I show some of these below. This section also happens to have multiple parks and recreational fields, a senior center, and three bridges crossing the river to Casa Solana, so it is often quite busy. The combination of sharp curves and fast downhill cyclists coupled with meandering pedestrians and dog walkers can make for a hazard unless there is cooperation.

Sharp, limited sight distance curve needing signage

 Finally, maintenance. In addition to the widespread presence of ice, the trail is festooned with chamisa, some growing to be quite substantial and in addition to narrowing the trail, can obscure other users. I'm not sure what the policy is for the city to clear ice and snow from multiuse trails but strongly urge the city to look into this before someone is badly hurt and sues the city, and in addition, trim back the foliage so it doesn't create a hazard by obstructing the trail and screening users from each other.

As far as what bicyclists should do? Keep speed under control, stay alert, yield to and ride carefully around other users, esp. pedestrians who can turn more quickly than a bicyclist, and put a bell on your bike to alert others. As far as additional things the city can do? In addition to the Yield to Peds sign, I would suggest some SLOW, SHARP CURVES and perhaps SLOW, STEEP INCLINE signage to remind people what should be obvious. And trim the chamisa back so it is not impinging on the trail.

Fast downhill under Alire

 There is no one silver bullet here, just a lot of lead (or perhaps copper, to be environmentally correct) ones. The city should provide signage and maintenance and the cyclist should provide due care and common sense. The fashionable words today are to protect "vulnerable users" on our roads. Well, on a trail, an elderly gentleman is a vulnerable user. Ask one of my former Univ of Hawaii colleagues who accidentally knocked down an elderly lady who was walking with traffic as my colleague rode his bike down a mountain road. She hit her head on the pavement and died a few days later of a brain injury. Think about that next time you don't worry about trail safety.

Curve, ice, and chamisa screening

Massive chamisa obscuring a walker

About a hundred yards of glare ice

Nice bell purchased at REI

SW portion of trail has great sight lines

Trial Date Set for Assault on Seniors on Bikes Near Santa Fe

Just saw this on the Seniors on Bikes web page. "I was called today by the district court regarding the attack on the SOB’s 20 months ago where 3 of us were injured.  The final status hearing was held yesterday and no move to again postpone the process was accepted, so now, we proceed to trial. ..."

For the full post, go to the SOB site. I don't want to poach their content.

I think this story in the New Mexican is about the case being discussed but if anyone knows better, send me a comment and a link.

Be careful out there.

The Only Two Sure Things...

 ‘Tis impossible to be sure of any thing but Death and Taxes,” from Christopher Bullock, The Cobler of Preston (1716).

Going for an eye exam today, I got a chuckle out of the two businesses sitting next to each other near my eye doc and thought of that famous quote. Getting through the eye exam, the good news is that my eyes still work. Getting home from the exam and answering the phone was not quite so lovely an experience.

A friend of mine who recently retired to enjoy those golden years unencumbered by the nine to five drudgery found said friend in a foreign hospital with a serious life threatening illness. I guess the bottom line is, enjoy it while you have it and put some of the bullshit aside. In other words, go ride yer bikes.Tomorrow it may rain, metaphorically or literally.

Last Summer ride, and a Tour de Gated Communities

Near the top of Gonzales Rd,
 looking at the aspen changing

Today was the last day of summer and was a Sunday, so clearly a reason for a bike ride in the lovely last day of summer weather. I had wanted to scope out another loop so that's what I did. Whether to call it Tour de Gated Communities or Tour de Undertaxed and Over-privileged neighborhoods is up to one's prevailing sarcasm, but a lot of the ride was over in Las Campanas, the upscale and exclusive community west of the City Indifferent. I did pass quite a few gated communities. The rolling ride ended up breaking my 20 mile estimate, coming in at a 23.5 mile loop but that's a fine point.

From Casa Solana I headed west on Camino de las Crucitas, veered to the right onto Buckman Rd and then another veer right onto Camino de las Montoyas. Crossing NM 599 on Montoyas one goes north to the t-intersection and then turns left onto Tano Road. Take Tano to the pavement end and turn left onto Tano West. Take Tano W down the fast descent and brake to turn L onto Sundance Dr. Take Sundance to the end and do a quick left on Palantine and quick R. onto Luvia de Oro. Luvia merges into Fin de Sendero, which takes you due south to Camino La Tierra. Turn right and go about a mile and a half. At this point, Camino la Tierra veers left and Las Campanas Dr. veers right. Stay to the right. The road loops to the left and through an underpass and heads southwest. Its a mild downhill and very pretty with great vistas. After about four miles, turn left onto Caja del Rio road, which heads south and then ends at a T at NM 599 after about four miles. Take a left at the T and head north, enjoying about a mile of horrible chipseal with a narrow shoulder to the double roundabouts at South Meadow. From there you can either take the frontage road or cross the highway onto W. Alameda to head north back to Santa Fe. I took Alameda and enjoyed more chipseal. Another four miles on W. Alameda heading NE gets you back to Casa Solana.

To get 30 miles I continued on W. Alameda through the city center and climbed Gonzales Road, crossed Hyde Park, looped around Paseo del Sur to Vallecita and back to Bishops Lodge, turned left, made the right onto Paseo del Peralta, and back home. Nice ride. A right onto Bishops Lodge with a northern loop to Tesuque and back down on Old Taos Hwy would get you about forty miles.

Broken Roads and "Mountain Bikes"

I wanted to do a little experiment and see if a Shimano 9 spd XT derailleur matched to a spare 11-32 casette would synch with an old set of Dura Ace 9 Spd STI in order to get me up Hyde Park Road without my eyes bulging out of their sockets. Seems to work really well. Now, I have to see if it works with my 12-27 and 12-28 cassettes. Also want to ditch the 11 cog for a 12. I don't go that fast.

STI Dura Ace Shifters

Compact crank, XT Derailleur and 11-32 cassette.

The whole rig at 13 Mile Rock (a granite boulder 13 miles from the house near the top)
Don't ever take climbing for granite...

Meanwhile, the road needs some work since the monsoon rains washed out a lot of the mountain next to the road and even washed out the road edges. I dropped my front wheel into a collapsed edge a couple weeks ago (yeah, I know, "watch where you are going, dummy") and wrenched my back, which was part of the reason to drop the gear ratios. But collapsed road edges force riders farther into the lane and are a hazard for everybody. I emailed the District 5 DoT engineer but no response. Be careful up there and call the Dist. 5 engineer. After all, we got all that surplus state money from the Permian Basin production, right?

That's how deep some of the drops are up there. Yes, that is the quick release at road level.

More roadside hazard

I was hoping this was a sign that the state was fixing the roads but a park ranger said it was work they were doing on their driveways

And Saturday's Attempt at the Darwin Award Goes To...

...the two cyclists who shot down Calle Nopal on Saturday morning and ran their stop sign at West Alameda at high speed, just as I had stopped at the 3 way stop while heading SW on West Alameda. If I had gotten there a couple seconds sooner I probably would have been in the middle of the intersection as they bravely ran the stop or conversely, tried to avoid an endo while doing an emergency stop. Likely results include broken carbon frames as well as broken body parts. Don't ride stupid.

Cyclists wonder why the general public sometimes takes a dim view of Mr. and Mrs. Spandex B. Lycra. The kind of cyclist who, like certain motorists, thinks laws were written for all those other people. Honest mistakes are worth a gentle ribbing but deliberate malfeasance is not good. As a Brit once quipped to me as I confusedly entered my first British roundabout going in the American direction, "we'll get you next time, Yank", and undoubtedly, when the inevitable crash occurs after blatant disregard to safety, the cycling advocacy movement will say the roads are "too dangerous". So it goes.

Free parking at Iconik.

I took a grind up Hyde Park Road on Friday in honor of my impending semi-retirement goal of getting my ass in shape. Almost did my own Darwin Award entry as following a high speed descent down Hyde Park and through Vallecita, I popped my front inner tube just as I got to the intersection of Bishop Lodge Rd. and Paseo de Peralta. It was a spoke hole pinch as the rim strip had moved from its center position. Don't leave a ratty and misaligned rim strip on a front wheel for sixteen years, I guess.

Saturday I took a short and casual ride to run some errands in town. That included a stop at  Iconik to grab a bag of beans and nurse the obligatory free cuppa Joe. And, of course, to enjoy a lovely afternoon. Thankfully, Iconik has bike racks out front of its Lena St. location and this time I remembered my cable lock. Riding home, I was happy to see the city had finally repaved the South end of Placito de Oro where it hits Alameda. That intersection was starting to look like it was being prepped for a reenactment of the Battle of Stalingrad.

La Tierra looking south. 
Hey, O'Grady. Where are you?

 Today was back to the present effort to get somewhat back in shape, so that amounted to a couple hours of fun up on the La Tierra Trails. Those trails never fail to amuse me.

Lots to do this time of year. Be safe out there.

Bored with the trails? Try the Tour de Tano

Kill With a Car, and Victims Don't Even Get "Thoughts and Prayers"?

Used with past permissions, i.e., this time I didn't ask

  Sent to Mayor Webber and Councilors Lindell, Villarreal, and Coppler

Someone, anyone, please explain this travesty to me. Cruise down the road while allegedly talking on the cell phone and kill someone. Whoopsie! You get what looks like a free pass.

So is Marco Serna running for Congress so he can do as good a job in DC as he is doing in the DA’s office? That’s choice.

And, of course, the guy who got himself and his son killed was, according to this article, doing almost twice the posted speed limit on St. Francis Drive. He isn’t around for charges to be filed and his kid is in the Hereafter rather than late for school. That’s a lesson all parents should think about.

All well-deserved sarcasm towards certain public institutions aside, people (and society) take driving for granted rather than thinking about the risks they are imposing on others. We do so damn little to fight that complacency.

Got yer man card yet?

Back to “thoughts and prayers”. That “Consider Your Man Card Reissued” Bushmaster selling pitch made me want to vomit and has contributed to efforts to ban these "weapons of war". But what about “Closed Course, Professional Driver, Don’t Try This At Home”? Some ads are so bad they have been banned abroad. Driving is serious business done with other people around. Take it seriously.

Scrooge’s famous retort in Christmas Carol is getting to be one of my favorites after reading the morning paper: I’ll retire to Bedlam,

Khal Spencer

Current Member, BTAC and longtime Transportation Board Chair in Los Alamos, speaking for myself Santa Fe, NM

Last Gasp of Bike Month

Get out and ride two wheels. Any two wheels.

"Do Epic Shit"

Patrick O'Grady from Albuquerque, Pat O'Brien from Tucson, and Pat's nephew Andy from Florida wandered up this way to do the Santa Fe Half Century today. Mind you, Andy lives at sea level and had been up at 7000 feet all of one day, after spending two days at Pat's home south of Tucson, which is bit lower than our nosebleed altitude here. But Andy started the fifty miler with yellow "Do Epic Shit" socks.

Climbing to the top of the climb on US 285 coming into El Dorado, I guess Andy asked Pat "is this epic shit?". I think for a first timer on his first long ride, doing it on no altitude training at 7k feet, yep, it qualifies.

Nice day, if a bit cold and windy. But it is, after all, spring in Northern NM. At least it didn't snow.

Patrick, Pat, and Andy (left to right) suiting up for the start

Obligatory pictures at Galisteo rest stop

More obligatory pics at Galisteo
l. to r. Pat, Patrick, Yours Truly, and Andy

Vintaage UK bike at Galisteo
Note the half step plus granny gearing!

The "Mad Dog" finds a road named in his honor on the climb to El Dorado

Coulda used a few more porta potties at Galisteo!

A Nice Little 20 Miler in North Santa Fe

For those days when there is a lot else to do.

Start out in Casa Solana or DeVargas Mall. I crossed St. Francis on Camino de las Crucitas and got on Paseo de Peralta. Turn East on West San Francisco towards the center of Old Santa Fe. Turn right at the cathedral onto Cathedral Place. Turn left onto East Alameda. Head east along the Santa Fe River. Turn left onto Gonzales Rd. This is the only tough climb in this little loop. Turn Rt. on Hyde Park Road. Go about 100 ft and turn left onto the continuation of Gonzales Rd. Veer left staying on Gonzales and it will turn into Vallecita Drive. You can add what looks like a mile by turning rt. and taking Paseo del Sur on a loop to where it hits Vallecita (if you do this loop, you will turn rt onto Vallecita). In either case, follow Vallecita west. It zigzags and turns into Valley. Turn left at Valley and take it west to Bishop Lodge Rd. Turn right onto Bishop Lodge Rd. and take it to the Tesuque Village Market. Turn left onto Tesuque Village Rd. and head south back towards Santa Fe. Cross under the highway and turn left onto Opera Drive. Take that south. It will turn into Tano Rd. Follow Tano west-northwest. Turn left onto Camino de las Montoyas. Take Montoyas south across State Rt. 599--be careful when crossing 599 as it is a high speed divided highway. Montoyas merges with Buckman Road and Paseo de las Vistas to become Camino de las Crucitas at the dog park and you are back in town again.

Lots of loops and options once you know the area. I have to explore these. A visitor at one of our downtown hotels could start and finish near the plaza and have the same route.

My start/finish here. https://www.google.com/maps/@35.6909056,-105.9522326,17z

Fred Meredith, 1941-2019, Will Ride With the Angels

Back around 2005, I took the League of American Bicyclists League Cycling Instructor class and became a newly minted LCI. The rider/coaches were Preston Tyree and Fred Meredith. Today I assisted with this weekend's LCI training class in Santa Fe, where one of the Houston based rider/coaches informed me that a couple weeks ago, Fred passed away. The obituary is here.

 Fred was, in addition to a gifted teacher, a great all around guy who was active in the League's governance, as you can read in the obit. That was in addition to all the other stuff he did. Back over a decade ago Fred's graciousness in governance came in handy when I got into a verbal brawl with a former LAB board member. One can guess what happens when two opinionated, ego-driven males get into "mansplaining" things to each other over e-mail, a medium which can be easily misused even on a good day. Fred interceded and saved me from what probably would have been a mutually acrimonious divorce from the LAB.

The world will miss the Fred Merediths. We could all learn a thing about teaching, listening, learning, and being a good citizen from folks like Fred. So when you are on your bike this weekend, catch a wheel in the shadow of that rider who is now riding up in the heavens.

LANL Awarded Bicycle Friendly Business Bronze Designation

On today's League of American Bicyclists Web site.
Kudos to the LANL Bicycle Safety Committee!

Click to enlarge if you can't read it.

Get Gates Belt Drive, Comrades. You Have Nothing to Lose But Your Chains

And Happy May Day to All!

John Allen

The Author

The Originals

Amended 5 Foot Bill Vetoed, Gov Lujan-Grisham Says Come Back Soon and Fix It

Sez it all. Thanks to Santa Fe New Mexican reporter Andrew Oxford for tweeting this out.

Maybe this picture explains the language in that veto letter.

Will She or Won't She? HB 192 Remains to be Signed

And on that note, my conversation on KSFR during this morning's Wake Up Call With Tom Trowbridge.

Direct link.

http://traffic.libsyn.com/ksfrnews/040419-HB_192_Update.mp3