Maybe you could pop down there with a bunch of cycle pals & a bag of cement & a journalist / photographer from the local paper / TV station & do some repairs yourself – saying that the authorities won’t, so you need to? Authorities don’t like getting embarrassed like this & you might find they get onto repairs much more quickly after a bit of “publicity”.
This is a transcription of part of the reply I got from the supervisor of sewers…
”I would encourage bicyclists to avoid catchbasin grates when they are riding and if they are on a boulevard there because the traffic conditions of the location of the catchbasins. uh I would encourage bicyclists to ride over the middle of the grate as much as possible to avoid that edge. Um, otherwise, um, there is the chance to that, to uh, to be an issue, but as I said before that’s worker safety and then we would stand the chance of not hardly being able get those grates out or injuring employees, whenever we did try to clean those.”
I wonder, what part of the regular lane do they tell motorists that they shouldn’t be driving over? I remind them of this little piece of info….
”http://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/810.150
810.150¹
Drain construction
• compliance with bicycle safety requirements
• guidelines
(1)Street drains, sewer drains, storm drains and other similar openings in a roadbed over which traffic must pass that are in any portion of a public way, highway, road, street, footpath or bicycle trail that is available for use by bicycle traffic shall be designed and installed, including any modification of existing drains, with grates or covers so that bicycle traffic may pass over the drains safely and without obstruction or interference.”
I am surprised that I’ve yet to be able to find out what the min/max gaps are in catchbasins is here in Oregon. I couldn’t even find that info on the USDOT’s Federal Highway Admin website. (except in reference to sidewalks and the ADA (13 mm/ 0.5 in))
K’Tesh – if you could visit my area you might feel that that road and similar are well looked after!
A couple of years ago the bus route that is outside my house was being upgraded and along the whole route they not only improved the access for buses by widening turns/bends etc and providing refuge stopping areas where possible, they created some ‘bus only’ lanes (for taxis and bikes as well!). Consequently many regions were so badly chewed-up by the plant machinery that there was a region that only a well-sprung MTB could safely negotiate them.
My street is fairly steep hill and I can easily reach 20+ mph without pedalling from my house down to the junction at the bottom.
Before the ‘improvements’ I could easily steer around the bend and even had enough momentum to get to the shops as long as the road was clear and the traffic lights on Green. If I tried that today I would be thrown off the bike and end up in the garden of the RC Church at the bottom of the hill! The council doesn’t care about the shoddy work carried out by the bus company, only rattles on about providing a ‘better service’ for the bus passengers who have a 10-minute service now instead of 12-20 minutes! On the crossroads between Beake Avenue and Parkgate Road, the whole tarmac surface is broken up and getting worse with every bus that crosses it. (3 bus routes converge there!) I don’t know how to post an image else I would be tempted to…
AS a soon-to-be dad, I am hopeful that this will be the case with my kid, and that in a year or so when (s)he’s old enough to ride around with me in a trailer or seat that it becomes his/her every weekend morning request to go for at least a quick spin around the neighborhood… IOW, no pressure, kid, but I won’t love you unless you love bikes! JK
I can see this. Riding around in a car with windows so high you cant see much just doesn’t compare with the ride in a bike basket. Everything goes by at a speed you can keep track, complete with sound, smell, and fresh air.
I have great memories of biking my daughter to preschool. We’d sing songs and honk the horn along Miami’s hwy 1. The bike path ran alongside oncoming traffic that crawled for miles. Rarely did I see a happy face!
I have incredibly fond memories of hauling our girls all over San Diego when we were all a lot younger. Now I’m hauling my granddaughters all over Winslow. We have a trailer, which can only hold one of them now, and a tag along which I usually pull now while either my wife or daughter hauls the trailer.
The 2nd hand tag along is far from a perfect solution. I can feel every twitch behind me. It had enough slop that it tends to lean to the left. I’ve taken out most of the slop and straightened the attachment, but it still takes a pretty steady rider to tow it.
I wish my tantrums could be solved by going on a bike ride… (but that’s what usually gets me worked up in the first place)
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/595164-Advocacy-Thread…-What-Have-YOU-Done-Today?p=14115085&viewfull=1#post14115085
Maybe you could pop down there with a bunch of cycle pals & a bag of cement & a journalist / photographer from the local paper / TV station & do some repairs yourself – saying that the authorities won’t, so you need to? Authorities don’t like getting embarrassed like this & you might find they get onto repairs much more quickly after a bit of “publicity”.
HTH
Can’t fix it myself… however, embarrassment to the agency comes from rising simple questions…
http://bikeportland.org/2012/04/19/activist-exposes-gap-in-safety-of-citys-storm-drains-70598
This is a transcription of part of the reply I got from the supervisor of sewers…
”I would encourage bicyclists to avoid catchbasin grates when they are riding and if they are on a boulevard there because the traffic conditions of the location of the catchbasins. uh I would encourage bicyclists to ride over the middle of the grate as much as possible to avoid that edge. Um, otherwise, um, there is the chance to that, to uh, to be an issue, but as I said before that’s worker safety and then we would stand the chance of not hardly being able get those grates out or injuring employees, whenever we did try to clean those.”
I wonder, what part of the regular lane do they tell motorists that they shouldn’t be driving over? I remind them of this little piece of info….
”http://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/810.150
810.150¹
Drain construction
• compliance with bicycle safety requirements
• guidelines
(1)Street drains, sewer drains, storm drains and other similar openings in a roadbed over which traffic must pass that are in any portion of a public way, highway, road, street, footpath or bicycle trail that is available for use by bicycle traffic shall be designed and installed, including any modification of existing drains, with grates or covers so that bicycle traffic may pass over the drains safely and without obstruction or interference.”
I am surprised that I’ve yet to be able to find out what the min/max gaps are in catchbasins is here in Oregon. I couldn’t even find that info on the USDOT’s Federal Highway Admin website. (except in reference to sidewalks and the ADA (13 mm/ 0.5 in))
Sorry if I’m a little grumpy… Good to see Fizz back! (Where’s the cat?) Cake!
Welcome back, Fizz. Where ya been?
I love the ‘Tantrum arms’ waving around
K’Tesh – if you could visit my area you might feel that that road and similar are well looked after!
A couple of years ago the bus route that is outside my house was being upgraded and along the whole route they not only improved the access for buses by widening turns/bends etc and providing refuge stopping areas where possible, they created some ‘bus only’ lanes (for taxis and bikes as well!). Consequently many regions were so badly chewed-up by the plant machinery that there was a region that only a well-sprung MTB could safely negotiate them.
My street is fairly steep hill and I can easily reach 20+ mph without pedalling from my house down to the junction at the bottom.
Before the ‘improvements’ I could easily steer around the bend and even had enough momentum to get to the shops as long as the road was clear and the traffic lights on Green. If I tried that today I would be thrown off the bike and end up in the garden of the RC Church at the bottom of the hill! The council doesn’t care about the shoddy work carried out by the bus company, only rattles on about providing a ‘better service’ for the bus passengers who have a 10-minute service now instead of 12-20 minutes! On the crossroads between Beake Avenue and Parkgate Road, the whole tarmac surface is broken up and getting worse with every bus that crosses it. (3 bus routes converge there!) I don’t know how to post an image else I would be tempted to…
“I don’t know how to post an image else I would be tempted to…”
Create a free account on Flickr.com, post the link to the photo.
Thanks K’Tesh – I will look into it.
That works with my toddler too. She gets disappointed if we don’t go on the bike, then the tantrums start!
AS a soon-to-be dad, I am hopeful that this will be the case with my kid, and that in a year or so when (s)he’s old enough to ride around with me in a trailer or seat that it becomes his/her every weekend morning request to go for at least a quick spin around the neighborhood… IOW, no pressure, kid, but I won’t love you unless you love bikes!
JK
Congrats! BlindPilot! Let us know when the day comes!
No such thing as spoiled kids… just well trained parents!
@Pops: I thought spoiling kids was the grandparents job.
I can see this. Riding around in a car with windows so high you cant see much just doesn’t compare with the ride in a bike basket. Everything goes by at a speed you can keep track, complete with sound, smell, and fresh air.
I have great memories of biking my daughter to preschool. We’d sing songs and honk the horn along Miami’s hwy 1. The bike path ran alongside oncoming traffic that crawled for miles. Rarely did I see a happy face!
We took our youngest to school first on a trailer bike and later on a tandem. Enhanced his school cred.
I think Fizz ought to be a little darker complected… Her mom unit’s genes are dominant…
Yeah Fizz!!!!
I have incredibly fond memories of hauling our girls all over San Diego when we were all a lot younger. Now I’m hauling my granddaughters all over Winslow. We have a trailer, which can only hold one of them now, and a tag along which I usually pull now while either my wife or daughter hauls the trailer.
The 2nd hand tag along is far from a perfect solution. I can feel every twitch behind me. It had enough slop that it tends to lean to the left. I’ve taken out most of the slop and straightened the attachment, but it still takes a pretty steady rider to tow it.
The girls LOVE to ride with us.
We used an Isla trailer bike – very steady, no slop. The geometry was right. Visible here: http://www.hembrow.eu/personal/trailerbikes.html
Eeyup.
Through various kid-on-bike variations, (Trailer, bakfiets, BoBike mini + Trailgator, WeeRide + solo riding, Runbike), it works every time!
“Would you like to come with Daddy to get some bread and milk”
“Nawww…… [thinks]…. Can we RIDE!?”