Take the Lane

We should drive as though we are sharing the road with cyclists

Here's a thought: drive like you're sharing the road with cyclists, even if there are not cyclists on the road at that moment.

So, what does that mean? It means driving at the posted speed limit. It means following the guidance of the roadway markings: pass when there's a dotted line, cross over a bike lane if a dotted line so indicates, stop before a bike box, not in it.

It means driving like you expect non-motorized users to appear at any moment. I hear a lot of non-cyclists say they won't mix with the traffic that goes zipping by. I'm pretty sure that's because the traffic is well over the posted limit. If cars were going at 50 km/h or even 40 km/h, perhaps "mixing it up" wouldn't be so daunting. When someone sees cars parked in bicycle lanes or cruising along in bike lanes well before the point where they plan to turn out, it just undermines the value of the bike lanes.

Why ride a bike in such an environment? And why do people drive like that to create such an environment?

 

This cargo bike is tres chic

What a bouquet of photos were waiting in my In box this morning! Check out this gorgeous laminated wood tricycle from the Paris design group Fritsch Durisotti.

Must be spring: it's easy to fall in love again, especially with a ride like this.

Designed to carry the weight of a rider and two small children on urban trips, the carrier-tricyle (Triporteur-bambou) is made of laminated bamboo and glue.

The frame is, ultimately, compostable, and the metal and rubber parts are recyclable. It's truly a recycle cycle.

The front platform is the attachment point for one basic that you might have wondered about -- handlebars. Add a cargo basket or a child carrier, itself made from natural rattan, as above, and install the handlebars (and presumably, the disc brake cables).

Overall, just a joy to look at. You'll have to get your sugar daddy or mama to buy you one. I expect this will be outside the household budget of the average cyclist.

The triporteur is just part of the design package that Fritsch Durisotti will be showing at the Milan Furniture Fair later this month. In case you needed a reason to go to Italy.

Say hello to a future cyclist

I've been off the grid for the past couple weeks, due to the arrival of a new family member and future cyclist.

Meet my granddaughter, Annelise Esme Kraemer, born Oct. 7. You may recall that I had asked earlier this year for information on baby bicycle trailers. I plan to haul this one around a bit, but I fully expect her to be pedalling early, and have already asked her about what kind of riding she would like to do. (No word yet.)

The way her hands curl, I think she would prefer grip-shifters, but I will certainly explain all options.

I have been off the grid doing grandfatherly things and Thanksgiving things, but plan to plunge back in shortly.

Being a proud first-time grandpa, I wanted to share the photo and news.

More baby bicycling alternatives

It is a pain that I cannot make the links work in comments, but I can republish the items, so here is what Gingerbeard has to say about baby carrying alternatives, and a couple of links:

"As I posted yesterday if you really want to see the little one in the trailer get a chariot side car,
and I did give a lot of alternatives to the expensive bike box including this us made Zigo.
To be really functional it does need more gears in that rear internal hub, but it is a cool design."