Bicycles on METRO light rail; your emails & attendance needed again

Please attend this meeting (see below) and express your opinion that we need 24/7 bicycle access to the light rail system in Houston, bike hangers inside the trains, and adequate bike parking at the stations. If unable to attend, please send your comments by email to Tim Lidiak at timothy.lidiak@dot.gov and make sure you mention that you are making comments concerning Houston's METRO.


------------------------------

Federal Certification Review Public Meeting

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) are hosting a public meeting for you to express your views on transportation planning in the Houston-Galveston Region.



Time: 6:00 p.m.
Date: Monday, December 1, 2008
Place: Houston-Galveston Area Council
3555 Timmons Lane
Houston, TX 77027
Room: Conference Room C
2nd Floor

This public meeting is a part of a periodic review process that will assess compliance with Federal regulations pertaining to the transportation planning. If you need more information or if you are unable to attend the meeting, you may submit your comments to either the FTA or FHWA by mail or email at the following addresses:

Contacts: Mr. Jose Campos
Intermodal Team Leader
FHWA Texas Division Office
300 E. 8th Street, Room 826
Austin, TX 78701
E-MAIL: jose.campos@fhwa.dot.gov
PH: (512) 536-5932
FAX: (512) 536-5990


Mr. Tim Lidiak
Regional Planner
Federal Transit Administration
819 Taylor Street, Room 8A36
Fort Worth, TX 76102
E-MAIL: timothy.lidiak@dot.gov
PH: (817) 978-0559
FAX: (817) 978-0575

The Monday 11/3 Ride Report

Every once in awhile you get a morning that makes up for every single pre-commute flat tire and a late start and reminds you of the better aspects of cycling. This morning was one of these as I got my tires aired up without ripping any stems and I actually managed to get out of the house a full 30 minutes early. The temperature was around 55° which was rather cold; however, I have been in worse. Although I am a warm weather person I recognize there's an inherent advantage to exercising in a cool environment. Once you warm up and get used to it the temperature is a little bit like having an entire body ice bag so you actually wind up slightly enhancing performance. This was quite true this morning as for most of the way I was averaging around 12.9 mph until I made my turn off onto hazard street. Because the hazard street is such a rabbit warren of intersecting streets I usually have to slow down while passing down it.

I only saw two other cyclists this morning. I saw a recreational rider as I transited through Memorial Park and once I got on the west Alabama I had to do a hard blink as at that point I crossed paths with somebody who was kitted out similarly to myself, a bona fide cycle commuter. The rest of the morning ride was fairly routine.

The Thursday 10/30 ride or How to Piss off a redneck without even trying

Today's morning ride was rather cold. When I woke up this morning weather underground told me that within a mile of my house it was 56°; however, because I am so close to my goal for the year I toughed it out and I rode. Even though I again blew out an inner tube on my front wheel which put me 15 minutes behind. Luckily it was not too much colder and within 3 miles is actually just right comfort wise; however, once I got to the office I determine that the cold weather didn't enhance my performance much as I averaged 11.8 mph for the morning leg.

The morning leg was pretty routine . I only saw about one other commuter this morning and oddly enough he was westbound going in the direction that I had just come from. As I passed through Memorial Park I recognized an old acquaintance of mine crossing the street and I said hello as I passed by.

The ride home was chock full of commuters I think I saw a total of 10. I also had a verbal altercation with a redneck As I was going down the Alabama St. right around Main. The light had turned red and I carefully worked my way around a white van that had stopped just a little ahead of me. right as I passed the passenger side window the driver yelled "hey;" however, I ignored him as I had begun to pass I sensed that I was going to get some lip from him. At the next light not only did he squeeze past me uncomfortably close, but he also yelled, "get out of traffic" then gunned his engine passing me and getting down the road. It's a real annoyance on how some people become so puffed up with courage from being inside a 3000 pound cage that they feel entitled to share their stupidity with the world.

As I cleared Midtown continuing down on Alabama is where I saw all the other commuters including somebody actually using panniers! The rest of the ride was pretty much routine. I did manage to improve my average speed from 11.8 back up to 12.08 mph by the end of the ride. The afternoon weather was positively delightful and definitely made me glad that I had stuck it out in the morning to ride.

The Monday 10/27 ride report.

I almost didn't ride this morning as I had only gone to sleep around 2 a.m. and only two hours of sleep makes for a rough ride and an even rougher day; however, I found myself curious as to what the weather was doing so I got up at four and took a look around. Much to my surprise I found the weather this morning not as cold as I had anticipated from the weather reports. The Weather Channel had said that that the temperature was around 55°; however, when I stuck a leg out the front door it felt more like 60 to 65° not warm but not overly cold either. So I decided to ride.

The morning ride is almost a non-report except that starting out I managed to rip the stem off of the rear tube. So replacing the rear innertube succeeded in making me about 15 minutes late. I also decided to run my tire pressure experiment this morning so I lowered my tire pressure to 115 pounds and headed out the door. The actual ride was a nonevent didn't bump into anybody and passing through Memorial Park I only saw two recreational riders running the picnic loop. It was a dead dead dead morning.

The ride home was also pretty routine up until I got to South Briar Hollow Lane, I use this street as a dog leg over to Post Oak which I use to cross under the 610 loop. as I was pedaling along I felt my cranks and rearwheel lock and then I heard a large "crack" and felt something fall from the bike. I could've sworn I was about to do an endo; however, the rear wheel started turning again and I was rolling along. I stopped to look back to figure out what had fallen from the bike and there in the road was one of my tire fly reflects. I jumped off the bike and leaned against a tree then walked back and picked it up.


Apparently the plastic mounting ears that held the reflects to the spokes had undergone structural fatigue and had let go. As I was standing there studying the broken one I also observed the same problem with the front one and to prevent it from also causing me problems I went ahead and broke it off. I'm feeling pretty fortunate
that the damn things didn't break any of my spokes or caused me to take a header.













The rest of the ride home was routine; however, once I got onto Westview I actually observed other riders. In fact, as soon as I got onto Westview I caught a glance of a roadie on a 47 inch frame; however, I was unable to pursue and get a closer look at his bike as I had not made my turn from off of Chimney rock/Wirt and by the time I did he was long gone. The next rider I came across was on a Wal-Mart wonder and he asked me if I had seen a friend of his on an orange mountain bike; however, I had not. the rest of the ride home was routine.

As for my tire pressure experiment. my average speed was nothing to write home about, and my overall time sucked. The ride on the other hand was a lot more compliant and less harsh than at 130 pounds tire pressure. I'm not so sure if I'm going to keep my tire pressure where it's at as the ride did not feel as fast. In fact, it kind of felt like I was riding through molasses.