Dreaming Out Loud

Riding in this morning, I noticed a long poem written along the PATH trail, but I was riding right-to-left and this wasn't in Hebrew. I thought if there was enough light coming back home the poem might make a nice video.

Once again, bike speed is the right speed.

This isn't far from the Chicken Feet sculpture I wrote about a couple of weeks ago.

Commute Summary

Round Trip Distance: 18.6
Number of Cyclists seen: 12
In-bound Route: Goofin' 9.6
Out-bound Route: Emory via Clifton
Weather: Chilly enough to pull out the gloves for the first time this season.

Wings for the Bike Angels

From Atlanta-13.1-2009

Maria Isabel was collecting hugs. The wheeler that Doug escorted repaid appreciative dividends that exceeded Doug's investment. Butch was sharing the great feedback we got from the runners. We were all glowing.

From Atlanta-13.1-2009

The photo above is at the starting line of the Atlanta 13.1, a half-marathon starting and finishing at Oglethorpe University. The cyclists pictured escorted the lead male and female runners as well as a single wheelchair racer.

Once we escorted the leaders across the finish, we were ready to do it all again. So we did, falling in behind the end of the pack to escort them through the course, at a much different speed, but no less rewarding.

You can click on these next two images to view a short video clip.

Here's the #2 female at the turn from Peachtree onto Lanier next to Oglethorpe escorted by Jonathan:

From Atlanta-13.1-2009

This is the wheeler Peter as he approaches the finish line:

From Atlanta-13.1-2009

When we talk about the economy, we measure our lives in dollars, but dollars really have no meaning. Conversely, what is meaningful -- how we feel about ourselves and others -- has no price. I'm going to feel priceless for quite some time.

Light One Candle

Sometimes, when I'm working through a difficult situation at the office, I get frustrated that the person I'm working with just doesn't get it. It might be their lack of time, or their lack of interest or knowledge, but I become convinced that if only I were working with a more capable person, we could reach a solution more quickly.

Wayne Dyer once sarcastically asked an audience to round up all the people who were making them miserable, bring them to him so he could give those people therapy, and then the audience would be better. The point is: Why should we let our happiness depend on the capacity of others to treat us well?

It certainly is nice working with good people, but we don't always have that choice. It's up to us to decide how we want to react when our options are limited.

Gandhi had said, "It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness." Sometimes it gets dark at the office. I have to remember to light a candle instead of cursing that darkness.

For commuters in their cars, the darkness might be rush-hour traffic. Gandhi's quote then becomes: "It is better to remove one car than to curse the traffic."

MLK

I ride my bike past the Martin Luther King National Historic Site on my daily commute. When the vision of our leaders is as bright as Dr. King's, it is worthwhile to find its applicability outside of the lives they lived. Riding my bike beneath his sculpture has allowed me to consider the struggle of cyclists in light of the Civil Rights struggle.

It would be wrong to suggest that a bicycle rights movement carries anything near the weight that the Civil Rights movement carries, yet there are similarities that are worth looking at.

One of the great debates -- for both struggles -- has been integration vs. segregation. The case of racial integration has been thoroughly covered. Regarding the integration of motorists and cyclists, there are arguments both ways. Some feel that cyclists and motorists should be provided with separate facilities while others feel it is safest for both sides when the two share the same roadway. The lessons to be learned are the same in both cases.

Both struggles have been hindered by stereotypes. Racial stereotyping is not unlike the stereotyping that occurs between motorists and cyclists. Instead of seeing individuals with differing beliefs and behaviors, we sometimes take a mental short-cut and make a snap judgement based on limited information. The brain is useful that way when we need a snap judgement, but our fellow human beings deserve more consideration.

Both require and ask for tolerance. The tolerance makes it possible for different groups and individuals to see each other as wanting the same outcomes, wanting the same respect, and ultilmately, recognizing that underneath the exterior, we are the same.

I wish to take nothing from MLK's Dream, but I dream of a day when cyclists and motorists can ride alongside each other on our roadways with mutual respect and the courtesy that allows us to safely reach our destinations. For many of my interactions with motorists, that day has come, but we still have a ways to go.

Commute Summary

Round Trip Distance: 18.7
Number of Cyclists seen: 13 (5 in AM and 8 in PM)
In-bound Route: Goofin' 9.6
Out-bound Route: Emory via Clifton
Weather: Above freezing with threat of rain

Charter for Compassion - An Exception?

A neighborhood friend forwarded a link today. As a rule, I don't forward links, but for this one I'll make an exception.

A Charter for Compassion is an ambitious effort that taps into that side of human beings we call "dreamer". Usually, "dreamer" means it can never happen in the real world, but this one might be the exception.

In the words of the email message:

At TED2008 in March of this year, TED Prize winner Karen Armstrong was granted a wish to change the world. This is what she asked for:

"I wish that you would help with the creation, launch and propagation of a Charter for Compassion, crafted by a group of leading inspirational thinkers from the three Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam and based on the fundamental principles of universal justice and respect."

Since then support for idea has built among numerous religious groups, spiritual leaders such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan, and Britain's first female Rabbi Julia Neuberger have joined a special Council to oversee the Charter, and Kluster, a collaborative decision making platform, has built a groundbreaking site that will allow anyone to contribute to the Charter.

Universal justice and respect. That would be exceptional.

This is certainly much bigger than riding bicycles, but wouldn't compassion and universal respect smooth over many of the conflicts between cyclists and motorists?

Getting more people on Bikes

Greg Raisman is a Portland resident who recently wrote about how people like you and me can make life better for cyclists. He has a good bit of experience since his job promotes cycling safety with the Portland Office of Transportation.

I've had this idea of Recreational Commuting that I've been kicking around -- commuting and fun go together when you're on a bike -- and Greg's article puts some teeth in that idea.

Greg mentions Portland's "Breakfast on the Bridges" (video), for example. Lots of folks ride alone into the office, but what if you could meet several like-minded commuters for breakfast? This might be all it takes to tip someone off the fence.

Greg reminds us that "Safety in Numbers" works for cyclists and those numbers become self-increasing. He points out, "The more you ride your bicycle, the more likely it is that your friends will ride." Sand dunes are built one grain at a time.

I was also pleased the article mentioned family rides such as the one we have planned for Saturday.

Further supporting this idea of Recreational Commuting is this post on Commute by Bike. The stream of comments left by readers is impressive in both its number and the breadth of experiences. There are an awful lot of ways to get more people on bikes.

Commute Summary

Round Trip Distance: 18.0
Number of Cyclists seen: 20 (17 commuters)
In-bound Route: Wednesday Bike Train
Out-bound Route: Emory via Clifton
Weather: just below freezing in AM and windy; good afternoon temps and less wind.

Wikipedia's Vehicular Cycling

The first time I stumbled upon Wikipedia, the sun was coming up before I realized I had missed going to bed. I couldn't stop digging into every little nook and cranny of this endless stream of interesting knowledge.

When I stumbled across the Vehicular Cycling article, I managed to get to bed, but not until I had compared it to other articles hoping to find something more concise. This is the best I found.

The Best Practices section contains my new single-page cheat-sheet of "what to do" and "what not to do" for cyclists. Do respect traffic controls. Don't ride on sidewalks. Stay out of the door zone. Don't jump across lanes. It's like a recipe for being safe and earning respect.

Of course, Vehicular Cycling isn't fully appreciated by simply listing a bunch of rules to follow. We've all heard about "Taking the Lane", but exactly what is that?

On our Sunday ride a couple of weeks ago, we found a median under construction down a stretch of one of our favorite roads. This prevented traffic from being able to get around us so we took the lane. Once the traffic was able to pass, they were hollering at us to "Share the Road". I wanted to throw this URL at them. (Would that be hURLing?)

The section "Common Misconceptions about Vehicular Cycling" makes its points by contrast. For example, the misconception that "VC means not riding in the Bike Lane" is an opportunity to distinguish between following a stripe versus positioning yourself where conditions dictate.

Wikipedia's article quality varies greatly and this one is not quite "Featured" status yet, but it is still a fine piece of work. I encourage you to share it with others for its fair and accessible treatment of good cycling techniques.

Good Cycling - Better Cycling

I measure stuff. I count the cyclists on my way to the office. I log my bike miles and the cost per mile to operate the bike. I particularly enjoy watching my fitness improve: weight loss, resting heart rate, how fast I can climb a hill. By measuring, I can see the results of the work I put into my cycling and can judge if I'm making improvements.

A ride that improves my fitness is a good ride. What makes it a better ride? Are there other ways to measure a ride?

Besides physical fitness, I take note of my mental fitness. Even a rainy, cold commute to the office when I could have worked from home is more uplifting than the most pleasant of car trips. A better ride sets our spirit free.

Since most car trips are within a couple miles, bike trips can replace many of these car trips. A better ride would save some gas, reduce demand for road and parking space, and help improve air quality.

Cars remain the dominant mode of transportation in the US and will probably remain dominant -- at least until perhaps September or so . A better ride would make the best of sharing roadways with traffic. Each negotiation for space between cyclists and motorists is an opportunity to earn mutual respect and improve our capacity for courtesy and safety. A better ride would leave smiles on everyone's faces.

I wish I had an odometer that recorded not just the miles, but also the good karma I've created by riding my bike. By any measure, cycling is good karma made real -- fitness, air quality, sustainability, and an improved sense of community -- yet it remains hard to chalk up. Can anyone invent a smile-o-meter?

Great Streets

This post falls under the "help lights shine brighter" category.

On the blog Bike Year, I ran across an architect's view of streets. What caught my attention was the term "pedestrian nostalgia", loosely defined as that good feeling we remember about being able to walk everywhere. What kept my attention (besides the 47 comments) was getting into the head of someone who designs these spaces for a living.

The author describes a meeting held to discuss the importance of green spaces and how bureaucracies can be worked to make the green space a reality. It turned into a disappointing meeting, but several good points were brought out:

• Are streets for people or for cars?
  
• College campuses as the ultimate human-scaled living spaces.
  
• What makes a great street, and especially, how is community fostered?
  

The article takes a pedestrian's perspective, but the discussion is completely appropriate for cyclists as well. The comments move the discussion forward into other interesting nooks and crannies.

This is my photo offering for the day. This is the entrance to the Lullwater Conservation Park. It makes a good example of a space with human scale.

Commute Summary

Round Trip Distance: 15.0
Number of Cyclists seen: 13
In-bound Route: Lullwater/PATH
Out-bound Route: Highland Automotive to pick up the car
Weather: Sunny, dry, warm

I got a kick out of showing up at the automotive shop on a bike. The car needed some work and my wife was busy so I picked up the car on my way home. Reminds me of the days when I kept a bike in the back of the car in case the car broke down.

This morning before I left the house, I kept getting calls that kept me near the home computer. It was getting close to lunch time and I was considering just working from home, but I really wanted to get outside on my bike. I should probably post this separately: a guy who could have been working from home, but decided to go into the office because he enjoys his commute so much.