How about a distracted driving superblitz?

According to the Monitor, there will be a DWI superblitz all summer. As far as cyclist safety, I am equally concerned with driver distraction (see downloadable pdf courtesy of the AAA Foundation) as we cyclists are usually out during the day when driver inattention is likely to be more prevalent than driver drunkenness, at least here in BombTown.

Driver inattention (not having to do with a cell phone or similar device, apparently) almost took a local cyclist's life last summer and I suspect that is only the harbinger of things to come as more people get into the habit of texting, etc., while driving and our state legislature does squat about the problem. I would hate to wait until we have a dead victim in Los Alamos to name a County law after, either.

Lets face it, here on The Hill as at Lake Wobegon, everyone thinks their driving and multitasking skills are above average and they can thus multitask safely while driving. But the jury is back in: such behavior reduces our drivers to dangerous incompetence. Sure, most multitaskers don't intend to hurt anybody, but that won't stop you from getting hurt. Do you want to see motor vehicle operation reduced to Gumby Theatre? Probably not.

LANL to sponsor Traffic Skills 101 Course

In consideration of National Bike Month and the impending completion of yet one more segment of the Diamond Drive Bicycling Superhighway (see photo in link), LANL will sponsor another League of American Bicyclists skills course.

You will need to be a LANL employee to take this. However, if you are not a LANL employee and there is enough interest, the local LCI contingent can schedule another course not on company time.

Traffic Skills 101:

Friday, May 21, 2010, at Canyon School, Room 164, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Instructors: Khal Spencer and Neale Pickett

Description: The course covers bicycle safety checks, fixing a flat, on-bike skills and crash avoidance techniques and includes a student manual. Recommended for adults and children above age fourteen, this fast-paced, nine-hour course prepares cyclists for a full understanding of vehicular cycling.

Please note: The ABC Quick Check is a bicycle safety check performed to ensure your bicycle is fit for riding. Please make sure it is fit for the class in advance--see me if you have any questions. No point on showing up with a bike that is not safe to ride!

Questions? Leave 'em here or contact me at work.

Khal Spencer

It's National Bike Month!

After ramming my beautiful loaded touring bike into the garage (it was strapped onto the top of the car), I have nothing left but an 80s double-chainring Italian racing bike to get me in to work. It has an 11-21 6-speed freewheel, which means I attack hills or blow out my legs going slowly. I'm looking forward to getting my new Bike Friday New World Tourist, but it won't be here until June.

In the meantime, since I'm on a racing bike now, I may as well engage my fellow hill cyclists in the Silly Commuter Race. I have an FCN (Food Chain Number) of 15, which I think puts me just below Yehuda Moon. Woo!

Avoiding the Construction Zone

This from Jerry Merkey:


"I rode in today and got to the construction around 7:05. There was no backup at all. I've decided not to have to do a sprint through there so I go up Ridgeway and cut through the pathway (1/3 of the way up) onto 43rd St. From there go through the UNM lot and pathways back out to the bridge walkway. This adds a little time to the commute and you must be careful of walkers. You can also of course ride across the top of the western area on the streets.

Tonight's traffic jam on the way home should be spectacular. The fast bike route will be across the bridge walkway, Tour de Western Area, and come out to the light on Sandia. Go straight through the intersection onto Orange and turn left onto 39th. From 39th you can go "off road" for all of 4 feet to get onto the Diamond sidewalk near the end of the construction. Go 50 feet on the sidewalk and back into the bike lane at the curb cut. This should be the fastest and safest way home tonight (and for the rest of the summer)."

Jerry

I would only add that you need to look and see if there is traffic coming out of the construction zone. In that case, wait until it clears or stay on the sidewalk until you get to the Pueblo School driveway. Those motorists are shooting out of the construction zone chute pretty fast and its a tight squeeze if you hop off of the sidewalk right in front of one of them.

Oprah: Don't Txt N Drv

In today's NY Times.

My wife Meena said that a colleague of hers was rear ended the other day by a texting teen. Fortunately no one was hurt and according to Meena, a cop saw the person texting from his police cruiser, so this one should be sanctioned both by the courts and hopefully, a furious insurance company.

But what if Meena's colleague had been riding a bicycle or a pedestrian crossing the street? We have enough roadside memorials already.

Video courtesy of the League of American Bicyclists.

In a perfect world?