ACK! Maybe this is just a scare tactic by T.A., but I just received the missive below and it sure gave me the heeby jeebies.
I have no idea if anyone reads our little blog. And if you do, I am guessing you probably already get the full slew of T.A. stuff. So, maybe you have already sent something in.
But if you haven't done the e-fax thingy, please do. Trite but true: it takes but a moment and it can't hurt to have our voices massed and shouting!
Thanks and ride on...
Click here to send your E-Fax To Mayor Bloomberg
Dear T.A. Brooklyn Committee member,
The Kent Avenue bike lane is in trouble. Local elected officials are bending to the will of drivers angered at the loss of parking, and are calling for the lane's removal. We need you to reach out to Mayor Bloomberg, who has the final say, and affirm the value of this critical link in the bike network.
We would not be reaching out to you if we didn't think this project and future lanes in North Brooklyn weren't in jeopardy. To prevent this lane's removal, please help by sending this e-fax now . You can modify the text as you see fit.
The Kent Avenue lane is not perfect. T.A. supports the efforts of Community Board 1 and the DOT as they identify addition parking and loading zones on adjacent streets, and work with businesses to find solutions to loading difficulties. But we firmly oppose the premature calls of residents and elected officials for the lane's removal in order to preserve convenient parking spaces for area car-owners at the expense of bicyclists' safety.
The Kent Avenue bike lane is the precursor to a fully-formed Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway. This plan, including the removal of parking, was overwhelmingly approved by Community Board 1. T.A. supports the Kent Avenue bike lane as a way to hold the future greenway's footprint, and protect the thousands of cyclists who use this dangerous street.
Send off the e-fax today . T.A. will cc your other elected officials and community board, multiplying the impact of your statement.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
All Wet
It was gross and wet last night. Really gross and really wet.
And I am a stone cold fool! I rode all about in the gross and wet.
With my backpack.
Which contained my laptop.
ACK! Like I said: I am a stone cold fool!
When I got home, I delicately unearthed my laptop from my backpack. Needless to say, I feared the worst. But, by some minor miracle, my laptop was a-ok: bone dry and booted fine.
It would appear that my backpack--the dubiously named Hacker Daypack by Timbuk2--is that most marvelous of modern marvels: a truly waterproof bag.
And yet, when I rooted about the bag to grab some nighttime reading material, I found that my book was soaked. In fact, everything else in the bag was soaked.
WTF!?!
I won't bore you with a full review of the Hacker. It's not a bad bag: the laptop stayed dry because it's under a genuinely waterproof flap (it was also nestled in a corduroy pocket...which just can't be waterproof). But it's not a great bike commuter bag by any stretch. It's too small for real big loads. And it didn't come with a sternum strap, which just baffles me.
SO...what IS the ideal bike commuting bag for a smaller gent who likes a two strapped backpack?
I will say this: I tried the mini Ortlieb backpack and HATED it. Yes, it's a teutonic waterproof wonder with all sorts of shiny cool. But it was basically a cumbersome sack that did not fit my 5"4 frame. Damn tall Krauts!
I will also say this: I have a really sweet looking ReLoad Midpack. But beautiful as it is, the bag is NOT waterproof. And a really cruddy sternum strap. To their credit, the good folks at ReLoad have recognized these flaws and unleashed a new and seemingly VASTLY improved Midpack.
Anyone tried the new Midpack?
Anyone got a better Timbuk Bag?
Anyone got a waterproof, laptop lugging, two-strap, comfy, ergonomociallyummy-but-not-clunky bag they'd recommend?
Not that I have the wads of cash to buy it, but if I go sallying about in the rain again, I want ALL my crap to be dry.
And I am a stone cold fool! I rode all about in the gross and wet.
With my backpack.
Which contained my laptop.
ACK! Like I said: I am a stone cold fool!
When I got home, I delicately unearthed my laptop from my backpack. Needless to say, I feared the worst. But, by some minor miracle, my laptop was a-ok: bone dry and booted fine.
It would appear that my backpack--the dubiously named Hacker Daypack by Timbuk2--is that most marvelous of modern marvels: a truly waterproof bag.
And yet, when I rooted about the bag to grab some nighttime reading material, I found that my book was soaked. In fact, everything else in the bag was soaked.
WTF!?!
I won't bore you with a full review of the Hacker. It's not a bad bag: the laptop stayed dry because it's under a genuinely waterproof flap (it was also nestled in a corduroy pocket...which just can't be waterproof). But it's not a great bike commuter bag by any stretch. It's too small for real big loads. And it didn't come with a sternum strap, which just baffles me.
SO...what IS the ideal bike commuting bag for a smaller gent who likes a two strapped backpack?
I will say this: I tried the mini Ortlieb backpack and HATED it. Yes, it's a teutonic waterproof wonder with all sorts of shiny cool. But it was basically a cumbersome sack that did not fit my 5"4 frame. Damn tall Krauts!
I will also say this: I have a really sweet looking ReLoad Midpack. But beautiful as it is, the bag is NOT waterproof. And a really cruddy sternum strap. To their credit, the good folks at ReLoad have recognized these flaws and unleashed a new and seemingly VASTLY improved Midpack.
Anyone tried the new Midpack?
Anyone got a better Timbuk Bag?
Anyone got a waterproof, laptop lugging, two-strap, comfy, ergonomociallyummy-but-not-clunky bag they'd recommend?
Not that I have the wads of cash to buy it, but if I go sallying about in the rain again, I want ALL my crap to be dry.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Broadway 5th ave Bike Lanes - Not So Good
There has been a plethora of bike lanes springing up all over our fair city, but under the ever watchful eye of the Flatiron building, something un-kosher has crept up on Madison Square. It's most noticable when you ride downtown on Fifth avenue and all of a sudden you realize that the bike lane that used to be there is hidden behind a wall of potted plants.
In fact, to be able to get back on the bike lane parallel to Madison Square Park, you'd have to take an almost impossible 90 degree left turn onto the green painted lane.
What is the point?
Isn't the point of bike lanes - to make a safe place for cyclists that is also well integrated into the street?
To et on the bike lane, you'd have to put yourself perpendicular to traffic which seems extraordinarily unsafe.
Can anyone explain this to me?
The DOT powerpoint slideshow that was used to sell the lane is not helpful.
In fact, to be able to get back on the bike lane parallel to Madison Square Park, you'd have to take an almost impossible 90 degree left turn onto the green painted lane.
What is the point?
Isn't the point of bike lanes - to make a safe place for cyclists that is also well integrated into the street?
To et on the bike lane, you'd have to put yourself perpendicular to traffic which seems extraordinarily unsafe.
Can anyone explain this to me?
The DOT powerpoint slideshow that was used to sell the lane is not helpful.
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