i walk the line - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

09-25-2004, 03:11 AM

I dropped off my bike at the LBS on my to work the other night. Come the end
of shift I decided to walk home. The ~15 minute bike commute isn't too much
to walk and the weather at 6 am was a pleasantly cool mid-September
morning.. It gave for a different perspective walking the same route I
usually bike.

Things I noticed in random musings:

Wind matters. Although lately I've almost reach the point of upgrading my
clothing from shorts and t's to something more substantial, when walking the
lesser dress is quite sufficient given morning temps in the single digits C.

I saw more bikes [including the no-light-wrong-way rider of York Rd I have
seen previously]. I guessing when I'm on the bike we're all moving at the
same speed and are thus less likely to pass each other.

People are more likely to say hello in passing on foot than on bike. Makes
sense I guess - a slower closure rate.

Where the trail crosses the street I found myself automatically gauging the
gaps in traffic based on my bike speed - not my foot speed.

Nothing profound - just things that make Arsenio go 'Hmmmmmm'.

--
'Just because you're wearing a tie
Doesn't mean you're bloody important'
-chumbawamba

09-25-2004, 06:57 AM

"loki" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
> I dropped off my bike at the LBS on my to work the other night. Come the
end
> of shift I decided to walk home. The ~15 minute bike commute isn't too
much
> to walk and the weather at 6 am was a pleasantly cool mid-September
> morning.. It gave for a different perspective walking the same route I
> usually bike.

I did something similar, about 8 months ago -- I didn't ride the bike to
work but took the bus. I got off the bus at the freeway stop just before
downtown and walked to work from there, just so I could have a little
exercise. The walk duplicated about the same length as your walk back from
the LBS.

One of the things that really struck me was how I was oblivious to the
decorations that they put on the posts when you enter Chinatown. I guess
they are up higher than my eye level on the bike, and I have enough things
to look out for when on the bike.

You mention that more people greeted you on foot. I certainly got greeted
more by panhandlers while on foot, but this a function of the neighborhood I
was walking through. I also spotted even more debris by the side of the
road -- usually all I am focused on is avoiding that which is directly in my
direction of travel.

Something else I recognized was how much more willing I was to stop while on
foot. I walked by a bakery in Chinatown, and was much more willing to stop
and see what they had, for example. I wonder how much better/more secure
bicycle parking would make a difference in how likely people are to stop on
their bicycles. I also wonder how different it is for cars willing to stop
vs bicycles vs pedestrians, and if these sorts of things should go into the
consideration of the design of urban shopping districts.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
Home of the meditative cyclist:
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
Personal page: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
See the books I've set free at: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

09-25-2004, 06:57 AM

"loki" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
> I dropped off my bike at the LBS on my to work the other night. Come the
end
> of shift I decided to walk home. The ~15 minute bike commute isn't too
much
> to walk and the weather at 6 am was a pleasantly cool mid-September
> morning.. It gave for a different perspective walking the same route I
> usually bike.

I did something similar, about 8 months ago -- I didn't ride the bike to
work but took the bus. I got off the bus at the freeway stop just before
downtown and walked to work from there, just so I could have a little
exercise. The walk duplicated about the same length as your walk back from
the LBS.

One of the things that really struck me was how I was oblivious to the
decorations that they put on the posts when you enter Chinatown. I guess
they are up higher than my eye level on the bike, and I have enough things
to look out for when on the bike.

You mention that more people greeted you on foot. I certainly got greeted
more by panhandlers while on foot, but this a function of the neighborhood I
was walking through. I also spotted even more debris by the side of the
road -- usually all I am focused on is avoiding that which is directly in my
direction of travel.

Something else I recognized was how much more willing I was to stop while on
foot. I walked by a bakery in Chinatown, and was much more willing to stop
and see what they had, for example. I wonder how much better/more secure
bicycle parking would make a difference in how likely people are to stop on
their bicycles. I also wonder how different it is for cars willing to stop
vs bicycles vs pedestrians, and if these sorts of things should go into the
consideration of the design of urban shopping districts.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
Home of the meditative cyclist:
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
Personal page: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
See the books I've set free at: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

09-25-2004, 06:57 AM

"loki" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
> I dropped off my bike at the LBS on my to work the other night. Come the
end
> of shift I decided to walk home. The ~15 minute bike commute isn't too
much
> to walk and the weather at 6 am was a pleasantly cool mid-September
> morning.. It gave for a different perspective walking the same route I
> usually bike.

I did something similar, about 8 months ago -- I didn't ride the bike to
work but took the bus. I got off the bus at the freeway stop just before
downtown and walked to work from there, just so I could have a little
exercise. The walk duplicated about the same length as your walk back from
the LBS.

One of the things that really struck me was how I was oblivious to the
decorations that they put on the posts when you enter Chinatown. I guess
they are up higher than my eye level on the bike, and I have enough things
to look out for when on the bike.

You mention that more people greeted you on foot. I certainly got greeted
more by panhandlers while on foot, but this a function of the neighborhood I
was walking through. I also spotted even more debris by the side of the
road -- usually all I am focused on is avoiding that which is directly in my
direction of travel.

Something else I recognized was how much more willing I was to stop while on
foot. I walked by a bakery in Chinatown, and was much more willing to stop
and see what they had, for example. I wonder how much better/more secure
bicycle parking would make a difference in how likely people are to stop on
their bicycles. I also wonder how different it is for cars willing to stop
vs bicycles vs pedestrians, and if these sorts of things should go into the
consideration of the design of urban shopping districts.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
Home of the meditative cyclist:
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
Personal page: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
See the books I've set free at: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

09-25-2004, 06:57 AM

"loki" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
> I dropped off my bike at the LBS on my to work the other night. Come the
end
> of shift I decided to walk home. The ~15 minute bike commute isn't too
much
> to walk and the weather at 6 am was a pleasantly cool mid-September
> morning.. It gave for a different perspective walking the same route I
> usually bike.

I did something similar, about 8 months ago -- I didn't ride the bike to
work but took the bus. I got off the bus at the freeway stop just before
downtown and walked to work from there, just so I could have a little
exercise. The walk duplicated about the same length as your walk back from
the LBS.

One of the things that really struck me was how I was oblivious to the
decorations that they put on the posts when you enter Chinatown. I guess
they are up higher than my eye level on the bike, and I have enough things
to look out for when on the bike.

You mention that more people greeted you on foot. I certainly got greeted
more by panhandlers while on foot, but this a function of the neighborhood I
was walking through. I also spotted even more debris by the side of the
road -- usually all I am focused on is avoiding that which is directly in my
direction of travel.

Something else I recognized was how much more willing I was to stop while on
foot. I walked by a bakery in Chinatown, and was much more willing to stop
and see what they had, for example. I wonder how much better/more secure
bicycle parking would make a difference in how likely people are to stop on
their bicycles. I also wonder how different it is for cars willing to stop
vs bicycles vs pedestrians, and if these sorts of things should go into the
consideration of the design of urban shopping districts.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
Home of the meditative cyclist:
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
Personal page: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
See the books I've set free at: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

09-25-2004, 01:06 PM

Sat, 25 Sep 2004 14:57:42 GMT,
<GHf5d.2821$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].pas.earthlink. net>,
"Claire Petersky" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote, in part:

>Something else I recognized was how much more willing I was to stop while on
>foot. I walked by a bakery in Chinatown, and was much more willing to stop
>and see what they had, for example. I wonder how much better/more secure
>bicycle parking would make a difference in how likely people are to stop on
>their bicycles. I also wonder how different it is for cars willing to stop
>vs bicycles vs pedestrians, and if these sorts of things should go into the
>consideration of the design of urban shopping districts.

We've seen the popularity of "drive-through" restaurants and services
in areas where the pedestrian traffic couldn't support a business.
Having sufficient volume of cars to sustain a "drive-through"
operation precludes having an adequate pedestrian customer base. The
scale and geometry is wrong for humans. These areas are places to be
merely passed through. Nobody lives there. Civility diminishes in an
inverse proportion to the amount of asphalt paving.

I think if we look at the areas of a city that have lively pedestrian
streets we'll see a whole different scale. The most popular areas are
generally those established before the suburban sprawl phenomenon
gutted the cities. They have narrower streets, fewer and slower moving
motor vehicles. They're usually well served by public transit and are
central to large population bases. Parking should be situated at the
edges of these areas to protect the qualities which make them good
places for people to walk.

I think Jane Jacobs and Christopher Alexander have long ago done the
research and identified the elements required for the successful
pedestrian shopping districts that are essential for creating livable
cities. Neither of them are huge fans of the impact car-culture has
had on civilisation.

Sidewalks in Vancouver's Chinatown are packed full of people and
wares. There aren't many convenient or designated bicycle parking
facilities in that neighbourhood. Parking meters and phoney poles are
about all there is handy for locking a bike. But, I don't think that
discourages anyone from riding there to do their shopping.
--
zk

09-25-2004, 01:06 PM

Sat, 25 Sep 2004 14:57:42 GMT,
<GHf5d.2821$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].pas.earthlink. net>,
"Claire Petersky" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote, in part:

>Something else I recognized was how much more willing I was to stop while on
>foot. I walked by a bakery in Chinatown, and was much more willing to stop
>and see what they had, for example. I wonder how much better/more secure
>bicycle parking would make a difference in how likely people are to stop on
>their bicycles. I also wonder how different it is for cars willing to stop
>vs bicycles vs pedestrians, and if these sorts of things should go into the
>consideration of the design of urban shopping districts.

We've seen the popularity of "drive-through" restaurants and services
in areas where the pedestrian traffic couldn't support a business.
Having sufficient volume of cars to sustain a "drive-through"
operation precludes having an adequate pedestrian customer base. The
scale and geometry is wrong for humans. These areas are places to be
merely passed through. Nobody lives there. Civility diminishes in an
inverse proportion to the amount of asphalt paving.

I think if we look at the areas of a city that have lively pedestrian
streets we'll see a whole different scale. The most popular areas are
generally those established before the suburban sprawl phenomenon
gutted the cities. They have narrower streets, fewer and slower moving
motor vehicles. They're usually well served by public transit and are
central to large population bases. Parking should be situated at the
edges of these areas to protect the qualities which make them good
places for people to walk.

I think Jane Jacobs and Christopher Alexander have long ago done the
research and identified the elements required for the successful
pedestrian shopping districts that are essential for creating livable
cities. Neither of them are huge fans of the impact car-culture has
had on civilisation.

Sidewalks in Vancouver's Chinatown are packed full of people and
wares. There aren't many convenient or designated bicycle parking
facilities in that neighbourhood. Parking meters and phoney poles are
about all there is handy for locking a bike. But, I don't think that
discourages anyone from riding there to do their shopping.
--
zk

09-25-2004, 01:06 PM

Sat, 25 Sep 2004 14:57:42 GMT,
<GHf5d.2821$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].pas.earthlink. net>,
"Claire Petersky" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote, in part:

>Something else I recognized was how much more willing I was to stop while on
>foot. I walked by a bakery in Chinatown, and was much more willing to stop
>and see what they had, for example. I wonder how much better/more secure
>bicycle parking would make a difference in how likely people are to stop on
>their bicycles. I also wonder how different it is for cars willing to stop
>vs bicycles vs pedestrians, and if these sorts of things should go into the
>consideration of the design of urban shopping districts.

We've seen the popularity of "drive-through" restaurants and services
in areas where the pedestrian traffic couldn't support a business.
Having sufficient volume of cars to sustain a "drive-through"
operation precludes having an adequate pedestrian customer base. The
scale and geometry is wrong for humans. These areas are places to be
merely passed through. Nobody lives there. Civility diminishes in an
inverse proportion to the amount of asphalt paving.

I think if we look at the areas of a city that have lively pedestrian
streets we'll see a whole different scale. The most popular areas are
generally those established before the suburban sprawl phenomenon
gutted the cities. They have narrower streets, fewer and slower moving
motor vehicles. They're usually well served by public transit and are
central to large population bases. Parking should be situated at the
edges of these areas to protect the qualities which make them good
places for people to walk.

I think Jane Jacobs and Christopher Alexander have long ago done the
research and identified the elements required for the successful
pedestrian shopping districts that are essential for creating livable
cities. Neither of them are huge fans of the impact car-culture has
had on civilisation.

Sidewalks in Vancouver's Chinatown are packed full of people and
wares. There aren't many convenient or designated bicycle parking
facilities in that neighbourhood. Parking meters and phoney poles are
about all there is handy for locking a bike. But, I don't think that
discourages anyone from riding there to do their shopping.
--
zk

09-25-2004, 01:06 PM

Sat, 25 Sep 2004 14:57:42 GMT,
<GHf5d.2821$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].pas.earthlink. net>,
"Claire Petersky" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote, in part:

>Something else I recognized was how much more willing I was to stop while on
>foot. I walked by a bakery in Chinatown, and was much more willing to stop
>and see what they had, for example. I wonder how much better/more secure
>bicycle parking would make a difference in how likely people are to stop on
>their bicycles. I also wonder how different it is for cars willing to stop
>vs bicycles vs pedestrians, and if these sorts of things should go into the
>consideration of the design of urban shopping districts.

We've seen the popularity of "drive-through" restaurants and services
in areas where the pedestrian traffic couldn't support a business.
Having sufficient volume of cars to sustain a "drive-through"
operation precludes having an adequate pedestrian customer base. The
scale and geometry is wrong for humans. These areas are places to be
merely passed through. Nobody lives there. Civility diminishes in an
inverse proportion to the amount of asphalt paving.

I think if we look at the areas of a city that have lively pedestrian
streets we'll see a whole different scale. The most popular areas are
generally those established before the suburban sprawl phenomenon
gutted the cities. They have narrower streets, fewer and slower moving
motor vehicles. They're usually well served by public transit and are
central to large population bases. Parking should be situated at the
edges of these areas to protect the qualities which make them good
places for people to walk.

I think Jane Jacobs and Christopher Alexander have long ago done the
research and identified the elements required for the successful
pedestrian shopping districts that are essential for creating livable
cities. Neither of them are huge fans of the impact car-culture has
had on civilisation.

Sidewalks in Vancouver's Chinatown are packed full of people and
wares. There aren't many convenient or designated bicycle parking
facilities in that neighbourhood. Parking meters and phoney poles are
about all there is handy for locking a bike. But, I don't think that
discourages anyone from riding there to do their shopping.
--
zk

09-25-2004, 05:37 PM

"Claire Petersky" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:GHf5d.2821$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].pas.earthl ink.net...
> "loki" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
> news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
> > I dropped off my bike at the LBS on my to work the other night. Come the
> end
> > of shift I decided to walk home. The ~15 minute bike commute isn't too
> much
> > to walk and the weather at 6 am was a pleasantly cool mid-September
> > morning.. It gave for a different perspective walking the same route I
> > usually bike.
>
> I did something similar, about 8 months ago -- I didn't ride the bike to
> work but took the bus. I got off the bus at the freeway stop just before
> downtown and walked to work from there, just so I could have a little
> exercise. The walk duplicated about the same length as your walk back from
> the LBS.
>
> One of the things that really struck me was how I was oblivious to the
> decorations that they put on the posts when you enter Chinatown. I guess
> they are up higher than my eye level on the bike, and I have enough things
> to look out for when on the bike.
>
> You mention that more people greeted you on foot. I certainly got greeted
> more by panhandlers while on foot, but this a function of the neighborhood
I
> was walking through. I also spotted even more debris by the side of the
> road -- usually all I am focused on is avoiding that which is directly in
my
> direction of travel.
>
> Something else I recognized was how much more willing I was to stop while
on
> foot. I walked by a bakery in Chinatown, and was much more willing to stop
> and see what they had, for example. I wonder how much better/more secure
> bicycle parking would make a difference in how likely people are to stop
on
> their bicycles. I also wonder how different it is for cars willing to stop
> vs bicycles vs pedestrians, and if these sorts of things should go into
the
> consideration of the design of urban shopping districts.
>
>
> --
> Warm Regards,
>
> Claire Petersky

Claire, do you work downtown seattle? Have your used that new place where
they watch your bike? i have a new class downtown and want to bike there but
don't know where's the safest place to keep it.
-alan