https://atlanta.curbed.com/2019/1/3/18166676/artist-marta-maps-automobile-traffic-transit
Essentially, an urbanist artist rebuilds the map of Atlanta’s highway infrastructure as transit infrastructure, and looking at it paints a very different picture of a far more accessible city.
Monthly Archives: January 2019
Monday Night Recovery Ride
Just a reminder, the weekly recovery ride should return Monday with the holidays now over, and the weather drying out for a week.
6:45PM from Gate City in Roswell. 18 miles at about 15 mph, followed by beverages at Gate City Brewing. We have been parking around the back rather than the upper level parking area that has been charging $5.
Why Not Ride On The Right Line?
When you ride on the roads a lot, you learn that lane positioning and movement directly impact driver behaviors around you. Unfortunately, no amount of prevention can overcome the oblivious driver, as evidenced by the frequency of rear end crashes that occur daily, not just involving bikes. Sometimes it is interesting to see just what it is like to ride the white line as so many drivers think they want.
In the video, this is one ride, 11 miles in the middle of October. There are no bike lanes to be in, and the rider is aggressively trying to ‘share the road’…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAYqlz-Ahzs
More Infrastructure/Lower Usage
Sadly, this is a cultural issue. We do so many things to create a perception that riding a bicycle is too dangerous, or too inconvenient. We lack facilities to “clean up” or even safely change clothes at our workplaces. In short, while infrastructure is a part of the problem, our cultural reinforcement of the idea that climate controlled transportation is the only way for middle and upper class people to travel is doing nothing to help our over crowded roads and cities.
Fewer Americans are biking to work despite new trails, lanes and bicycle share programs
Welcome to 2019, a year of renewal
Welcome to 2019, a year of renewal2018 was a tough year for many. I would call my 2018 a mixed bag. Not terrible. Not great. I lost a lot of fitness. I gained some weight. I made some friend. I lost some friends. I watched friends and family deal with losses and struggles. I dealt with my own losses. My oldest daughter got engaged. She also graduated from college. And got her first “adult” job. My son has found his adult niche and happpiness in hist professional life. My younger daughter continues to amaze with her battles against her fears. My wife went through a difficult work transition in which she left one job without a safety net for her principles. She landed back in a Kindergarten Classroom after almost 15 years away. I have watched her succeed, and in many ways blossom in ways that she did not during her first stint as a Kindergarten teacher.
So while there have been some negatives in 2018, I have to look at the balance as a net positive for the year. Dwelling upon the negatives just feeds the dark aspects of human nature and my personality. So, I choose not to do these things.
Looking forward to 2019 it is time to focus on renewing my focus on the positive things in life. Time to continue not only working to be a better me, but also to make the world around me a better place for everyone else. This year my goals are small in scale, but also simple.
- Each day, I want to bring a smile to someone else face, even if it is nothing more than a momentary bright spot in an otherwise drab day.
- Help change reduce the car usage by being one less car on the roads as often as possible (telecommuting, bicycle commuting, better route planning)
- Regain physical fitness lost in 2018, without sacrificing the mental fitness I gained.