Minipost: Lubbock (and all US) Bicyclists - a Survey From People for Bikes

If you spend much time around here, you know I am a fan of bicycling, of making bicycling more accessible, and of People for Bikes and the National Bike Challenge. I received an email today from People for Bikes. They are conducting a national survey to help them focus on ways to improve cycling throughout our country. Please take a little time to fill out the survey so that they can have a better view of what our needs and wants are.

 

[By the way, filling out the survey will also lead you to an opportunity to win a bicycle.] Here is the info and link from their email:

Hi there,
PeopleForBikes is the national bike advocacy organization working to make bicycling better in the U.S. They're looking for riders of all types to tell them what it's like to bike where they live. Share your thoughts and give your city a roadmap for becoming a better place to ride.
Take this survey today:
http://peopleforbikes.org/communitysurvey
Thanks!

May we work together to create better opportunities for everyone who seeks healthier transportation!

Lubbock on a Bike: Shops, Bike Racks, and Feeling Welcome

Tell me it ain't true!

 

This one breaks my heart for a few reasons. First, it is the bike shop closest to my house. Second, the customer service was great AND a very friendly Australian shepherd greeted you at the door. The last reason is in the pic. That "store closing" sign is on a bike rack - one of two bike racks in front of the store.

 

When it comes to bike commuting and infrastructure, I believe in the Field of Dreams philosophy - If you build it they will come ride.

 

Worth a read for small business owners

 

Sun Adventure is/was the only bike store in town with a bike rack out front for customers. And I have loved that about them. I like businesses that actively promote and encourage local cyclists, and it seems like no one would want to do that more than a bike shop. Sure, you can always find a tree or a light post or a street sign, but that's just one more reminder your town gives little thought to those who ride.

 

So, Lubbock cyclists, please help me out here. Help me spread the word about businesses who do provide a bike rack, who make an effort to make a cyclist feel welcome. Please email or tweet photos of your favorite local business. MesquiteHugger@gmail.com or @mesquitehugger.

 

May you patronize businesses that support you in turn.

More dogs and cargo bikes!

This is a season where I stress my way through the days.

Kylie the Wundermutt and I were sitting on the couch yesterday afternoon. The TV was off. The house was quiet. She sighed with contentment. Yep, life is better with a good friend by your side. Stress, like butter left out, melted a bit.

This morning I rode the new electric Frankenbike to work. I crossed town on 38th. I did not head down Indiana Avenue. I did not get on the Loop. The bike kept me distant from the racing rats. Stress, like butter left out, melted a bit.

So, if bikes and dogs help melt stress, then...

Cargo bike here. Sharky the Shark Dog here, Eek!

 

As you can tell, I already have my dog and cargo bike inspiration, but I can tell that you are still on the fence about all of this. So, here is a video for you. This video is about Ollie, and it's about Howard's quest to help Ollie acclimate to riding on/in a cargo bike. Besides a dog and a cargo bike, you will get to take a short trip down the Santa Monica Pier. There's also a reference to Craigslist. This video has everything and bike lanes! Enjoy!

 

Ollie (Howard's dog) Riding a Cargo Cycle

 

Next up, let's head to a hotbed of bicycle culture - Copenhagen, Denmark to continue the inspiration. Copenhagen is the home of Nihola, a manufacturer of fine cargo bikes. These people get the whole dog/cargo bike connection. They even build a model especially adapted for dogs - the Nihola Dog. Check it out. While you are there, check out the intro video and the gallery of dog and bike shots. (One dog - the small, black shepherd - looks just like our Matilda.)

 

Nihola Dog!

 

Okay, I can see it in your eyes - you're starting to see how happy you and your Fido would be cruising about town. Yep, life is better with a good friend by your side.

 

May you and your four-legged furball find fun and butter in your quest for green transportation!

Protected Bike Lane Infographic - Ah, Lubbock Bike Geek Happiness

If you show up around here very often, you know there are three things that make me very happy - bicycles, infographics, and Vanguard Citicars. Lucky for me, people like to make infographics about bicycles. (I just did an image search for a Citicar infographic and found no such creature, but I did find a bunch of Mesquite Hugger images. The Mesquite Hugger staff is feeling somewhat internet famous.)

(Back to our story) Green Living Ideas inadvertantly sent me a little love today when they posted an infographic about protected bike lanes. I get pretty excited about those too.

See the whole thing here

Protected bike lanes are a dream for me. Generally speaking, "protected" and "bicycle" are two words that don't fit together in Lubbock, but we do have a protected bike lane in Lubbock on Flint Avenue near Texas Tech. (There may be others somewhere, but this bike commuter has not encountered them.)

Here is half of it. (Thank you, Google Maps!)

Here is the other half of it.

Here is an aerial view of the entire "protected" portion of the Flint bike lane.

(BTW, I am so snagging excited to see those solar panels on that roof! You have to jump through some serious City of Lubbock zoning hoops and spend some serious money to have a solar system inside the Lubbock city limits. Bravo, you eco-rebel!)

 

[Sidebar note to Lubbock mayoral candidates - more protected bike lanes and allowing grid-tied solar in town would have this blogger voting and spreading the word for your campaign. Dan, Victor, Todd, how about it?]

 

I shared the Radwagon $500 drawing with a co-worker this week. He got quite excited about the Radwagon (cargo bike) and went home to share the good news with his wife and to start the campaign to invest that amount of money on a bike. Her response was quick, loud, and emotional. "Are you crazy? You can't ride a bike in Lubbock! You would die!" It's a prevalent attitude here. We have car-centric road system. Our population is terrified to ride. It's so strange to live in fear in middle-class suburbia, but we do and should.

 

Yep, that infographic makes me happy!

 

Want to learn more about protected bike lanes?

 

Check out the  Bike5 blog or check out People for Bikes' Green Lane Project.

 

Want to learn more about Lubbock bike lanes - check out this Mesquite Hugger post: Lubbock on a Bike No Love from the Mayor

 

May we find ways to make the world safer and healthier for all (and may we not be impacted by the price of oil).

Gratuitous Citicar pic!

Lubbock on a Bike - Why I Ride

The bike is one of my two big pushes for this year. The Lubbock mayoral race is heating up, and a safer town for biking is an issue I want to push, so let's discuss why.

Personal
I am forty-seven years old and I am obese - machines, mirrors, and doctors tell me so. I also have high blood pressure - again with the machines and doctors. I am obese and have high blood pressure because I have made a lifetime of lazy choices in food and transportation. In an effort to reverse these problems, I started commuting to work on a bike.

I have lost (some) weight and my blood pressure is improving, and some other things have improved too. I am happier. I like my town better. I have less anger. I have more energy. I am even eating better.

But lately I have backslid. I have gained a little weight. I have less energy. I like people less. I have even gotten depressed. Me and cookies? We're tight again.

What happened? At the beginning of December I parked the bike. I allowed cold weather and holiday traffic to temporarily discourage me from riding. After the holidays a big snowstorm hit and cold weather prevailed. The bike gathered dust in the garage.

Life is better when I ride.

On a bigger scale...
...the bicycle has bigger virtues. Most of those virtues involve treading lightly. The opposite of treading lightly is having each of us hopping in a 4,000 pound gas-powered vehicle every time we have a small errand to run. The same lazy choices that made me fat and unhealthy have led us (collectively) to even bigger problems. Each time we choose a car over a bike we choose to damage the air we breathe and we actively promote the destruction of soil, water, and the ability for life to thrive. We have reached a point where we understand the damage we are doing, but we choose the short-term comfort of easy (and poor) choices. Petroleum consumption also encourages us to be unethical in our acquisition of more oil. We love cheap oil no matter who we buy it from or how much damage it does. Those of us who live near the oilfields see the unemployment we create by buying cheap middle-eastern oil. It is a vicious cycle that leads us all to wonder why our society is going to hell in a handbasket. Everybody grows more hopeless, then we jump in our cars, drive terribly, and make each other madder and more hopeless. (Personally, I would rather see us pursue homegrown renewable solar, wind, etc.)

A simple question - are you happier or less happy after your drive to work, school, etc.?

[I blog (Yes, I know, this is a Why I Ride post...) to keep myself on track for making healthier choices, both for myself and everyone around me. What I'd really love, as a human and a blogger, is a revolution of healthier choices for all.]

Why I ride? The decision to ride is a series of small but impactful choices: a less damaging commute, a happier life, better health, and a simple way to make life better for all. (By the way, I also like how much money I save by riding, but that's a topic for another post.)

May you find a way to make your own healthier choices, and may we see more people on a bike.

Lubbock on a Bike, a double re-think and a blog recommendation

I am taking a little bit of a break in my bike commute. It's a seasonal thing - but not a weather thing. While I love the reason for the season, I fear the reality of the season. (It's also a location thing.)

You see, I work across the street from the local mall. Ours is a "town" of a quarter-million people and the mall serves a population of more than a half-million when you look at the overall region. The mall is a magnet. As Christmas gets closer, the magnet gets more powerful and the drivers become more erratic, distracted, and dangerous. Consumerism at its most glorious! The anger, the light running, the honking, the middle-finger salutes, the wrecks, the sirens - all the signs are there. And there is no realistic way to avoid the mall in my commute. Our town is a less-than-bicycle-friendly place in the best of times, so I am laying off the ride to work for the duration of December. I still plan to ride to run errands and such, but the work commute (past the mall) is off the table.

I do, however, plan to come back with a vengeance in January. Details to follow in another post.

So, let's talk about the double re-think.

It's been coming for a little while and it's coming from many directions.

Cars
The money we are saving by driving old cars is wearing on me. I have recently had to put a throw-out bearing in my wife's truck. I had to fix the plastic underskirts of my wife's grandmother's hybrid. The daughter's headlights have quit working because the ballast went out. (Headlight ballasts? WTH!) And I need to replace the engine in my poor Lucy. My body is sore and my spirit is oh so weary. I am a desk jockey and that kind a mechanicking is a stretch.

And I have come to loathe things that burn gasoline, diesel, and other petroleum products. And my spirit is oh so weary of it.

Bicycles
While Lubbock may not like cyclists, this cyclist really enjoys his time riding in Lubbock. Every trip is an accomplishment. I am healthier. The world is healthier. And my spirit is slightly less weary.

Buses
My recent bus rides have actually been pretty pleasant and stress free - not bad for a handful of quarters.

My brain has begun to look like a much more jumbled version of this:

 

While all of this has been rattling around in my brain, I have found another Yes Man to influence my thinking. (A Yes Man for me is someone whose crazy thoughts are very like my own and will therefore encourage me to pursue a path I already wanted to pursue.)

 

Yes Man

Bob Sharpe is a blogger. (I like him already.) Bob Sharpe is a bicycle commuter. He is also not a young studly spandex model (at least that's my impression from reading Bike 5, Bob's blog). Bob's blog's subtitle is For trips of five miles or less, bikes are best! By the way, it is 4.9 miles from my house to my office. Can you see why I've adopted Bob as a Yes Man?

 

 

So here's my hypocritical double re-think. I am giving up my bike commute for the month. And I am committing to more commitment to riding. I am also jumping on Bob's Multimodal train (figuratively speaking - we don't have any passenger trains around here).

 

In case you too are looking for a Yes Man because you like bikes or you're cheap or you just want to humor the ol' Mesquite Hugger, here are a few Bike 5 posts I recommend.

 

What's the Real Deal, Bob?

 

If You're Not Cycling, You're Cheating Yourself

 

How to Pay Next to Nothing for Your Next Home

 

Bike 5's Position Statement on eBikes

 

Transportation and Health Tool Tags Cycling's Most Dangerous Places (included because the town where I grew up is mentioned)



 

So, get out there and ride something healthier than a car. And go find someone with healthy ideas that inspire you. And pay attention to what's happening in Paris this week. May you be healthy, joyful, and safe. 

Lubbock on a Bike: Winter Materialism

The ride to work definitely had Jack Frost nipping at my nose, my wrists, and one ear this morning.

Winter crept back in. I should have known it when my clock fell back. It's dark when I leave for coffee. It's somewhat dark when I leave for work. And holiday traffic is picking up.

My ride to work was cold this morning. The loose fleece jacket and the mechanic's gloves were just not fighting the cold. And my right ear was complaining too.

So, this guy who has been working more at wanting less stuff is wanting a lot of stuff.

I want winter bike commuting gear.

I want to be seen. I want to be warm. I want to arrive at work relatively clean and dry. I don't want to add lots of extra time getting ready to ride. While I'm thinking of it, I also want the bike to have more cargo capacity. (I don't want much.)

Let's start with the first two.

There's a movement in the biking world that says cyclists don't need more safety gear, that we should stubbornly fight for better bike lanes and more respect from car drivers, that we should not be forced to wear helmets and bright colors just because a few car drivers are morons inattentive. And that all sounds pretty good in theory.

On the other hand, there is Newton's Second Law of Motion; you know, that's the one about mass and force and acceleration. In Mesquite Hugger terms, the bigger and faster a thing is, the more that thing is gonna hurt when it hits you. I don't care so much what the law is and how much my rights as a cyclist are being squelched; I care about being seen as much as possible and about protection when I get knocked over by things that don't see me (like potholes and Suburbans). I care about arriving home safely each day to kiss my lovely wife and throw the ball for the somewhat-less-lovely dogs.

So I broke down and spent some money today - a neon orange wind jacket with reflective accents and piping, a pair of touchscreen gloves (who knew?) with reflective accents, and a cheap but very bright LED bike light.

I still need to find some better headgear (ears, eyes, and head) but we are making progress. And it still beats the heck out of driving a car (or small truck).

May you be warm, safe, and green (or fluorescent  orange). And may we be watching out for each other.

Lubbock on a Bike: 3 Steps to Driving Bike-Friendly

[Blogger's note:  I have been working on this post in my head for about a year now. The list grew, then shrank. Then blew up, and now it's pretty short. The post on the other view (Cycling Car-Friendly) will follow soon.]

I can't point at any big reason other than getting caught up in the normal rat race, but yesterday was a crappy day. It felt like a dark cloud had formed just behind my eyebrows before I even sat down in my chair at work. We had high chances of rain yesterday, so I drove my truck to work. I don't think that riding a bike to work makes or breaks my day, but I do know that days are better when I ride. So today I rode, and the day already feels better.

But I left the house (and coffeehouse) a little later than usual. [Grizz and I were discussing  the virtues of a 1958 Greyhound Bus, the Chevy Volt as a gasless commuter, the Radwagon as primary transport, and a local band - Fellow Americans. It's always hard to leave good company!] When I pedaled away from the coffeehouse I dreaded the heightened traffic. There was a lot of traffic.

Strangely, though, traffic was very courteous to me. I usually feel that drivers in Lubbock view a bicyclist as a moronic nuisance, but today I did not get that feeling. Thank you, Lubbock drivers!

I'll stop rambling and do the list thing now.

 

In case you would like to be a more bicycle-friendly car driver, here are three tips:

Communicate - Use your blinkers all the time. Even when you don't think anyone is around.

A lot of cycling frustration for me comes from drivers not letting me know what they are up to so that I can adjust my actions courteously. If a driver is sitting at an intersection preparing for a right turn but not using a blinker, they are putting a cyclist's life in danger. The cyclist needs to get through the intersection too and proceeds straight ahead. The uncommunicative driver turns right and either hits the cyclist or forces the cyclist to bail out. Using your blinkers is a simple way of avoiding dangerous misunderstandings.

Stop! Come to a complete stop BEFORE entering an intersection.

Very few things are more terrifying and dangerous for a cyclist than the rolling stops and late stops.

My commute home includes a 3/4 mile jaunt on the Memphis Avenue bike lane. It should be a place where I can open it up and pedal fast, but it's not. Too many drivers use the bike lane as the last stage of their stopping zone where they can decide whether or not they need to come to a complete stop or barrel on through. And they get downright angry when they realize that I have invaded that space. UGH!

I also pass through one of the busiest intersections in town on my way to and from work - Slide Road and the South Loop. It's very dangerous. The scariest part for me is the southwest corner - very few drivers stop at the red light when making a right turn. And they get angry. I get honked at and flipped off on a regular basis for passing through the intersection on a green light. I operate on the assumption that they are not planning to stop there and make sure that I have made eye contact before crossing in front of any vehicle. If I were a little more of a videographer I would borrow Spencer's GoPro and make a daily clip of the panic turning to anger and then to rage (or shame) when they see a bike intruding in the land of the car. Spliced together, they could make a very enjoyable film!

Please, stop before the intersection, take a close look, and pull through if it's safe (and legal) to do so.

Get over yourself - it's not all about you!

Look around as you travel. Each vehicle (car, truck, bus, motorcycle, bicycle, skateboard, flip-flops) is being operated by a human being who has one single reason for being there - to get somewhere else in one piece. And each of those human beings is just as important as you are - really. If we can start viewing others as people and not as obstacles in our paths, we might make some progress.

May you arrive safely without rage. May the people around you do the same.

PS. Here are a few things from the longer list.

Hang up/put down the phone.
Leave home five minutes earlier.
Use your headlights at dusk and dawn.
Take a deep breath every few minutes.
Chill out, Dude!

Go read somebody else's blog about Parking Day today, please!

Do you ever feel that you're on the cusp of something but you are not sure what? Yeah, me too.

This photo was also ripped off lovingly borrowed from DIYbiking.com

This may seem redundant, but I really appreciate a good blog. I have been reading DIY Biking for a few years now. It's been a sporadic but well-written and thought-provoking blog out of Stamford, CT. Recently, the blog's writer, a guy named Mike who likes to create bike-traffic di-o-ramas, pulled up his kickstand(s) and moved to the other side of the country. He blogged the journey and he's started blogging about his new home. (See yesterday's MH post - there's a reference to Good Karma Bikes that came from a DIY Biking post.)

But the 8-31 DIYB post is a throwback to Stamford, isn't (much) about biking, and is very much about shifting our culture. And it's the type of post that makes me say that I really appreciate a good blog. It's also one of those posts that makes me want to crawl out of my cubicle and do something. The post is about Parking Day. It even made me want to write a post about Parking Day, but there's no reason - Mike did it already and you should read it. Period.

Why You Should Take Part in Park(ing) Day

May you be blessed with a good blog and may your spaces - parking and otherwise- be better used.

Lubbock on a Bike: A Book, Articles, an NBC Update and the BellaMonster speaks

You never know when you'll get good advice from a prairie dog!

My friend JG has been riding a bike a lot more lately. I'd like to think that it comes from her reading this blog, but I know the real reason - her daughter, the bella monster, has recently learned to ride without training wheels. With this newfound mobility, they've been talking a lot about bike safety/the rules of the road/common sense and common courtesy. And the kid is sharp. She asked her mom why there weren't any designated places for bikes to ride in safety. Her mom pointed out some of our miniscule bike lanes around their neighborhood. (They live near one bike lane that is one block long.) Mom also explained that there are few cyclists in town so the city does not bother to add more lanes. So her daughter asked a simple question, "Wouldn't more people ride if there were more bike lanes?"  This particular kid already has a way of asking questions in a way that implies Duh, isn't this obvious?

Links:
A book recommendation from Jesse over at Just a Car Guy - Roads Were Not Built for Cars. This one looks very interesting. I hope to purchase it soon.

Two more thought-provoking Lloyd Alter article from Treehugger this week - Sign the Pledge: "It's a crash, not an accident." and Bikes are not cars, and infrastructure is better than helmets. Lloyd and the bella monster have a lot in common.

As for me and the National Bike Challenge, I have been stinking it up pretty badly. It's been hot and breezy around here, so I've dusted off the electric bike and I rode it to work three days this week. The ultimate goal is carbon-neutral transport with exercise, and it is pretty darn close. And I still have the energy to accomplish things around the house when I get home. On hot and breezy days on the pedal bike, I take about an hour to recover, and I often lose momentum and opportunity. So, yes, I am still biking, but I am not logging the miles.  The electric bike definitely helps to level the terrain and help with the wind.

Well, I better wrap this up. The Lubbock Downtown Farmers Market beckons and the backyard jungle has swallowed another explorer.

May you pedal one way or another!

Lubbock on a Bike Minipost: We Made the List!!! (107)

(Click here to see Lubbock in the NBC)

I have a hard time saying that Lubbock is a terrible place to ride because I really enjoy riding here, but I cannot say that I feel terribly welcome on the streets. (That may be true of anyone on any Lubbock street - we cyclists just take near-death encounters very personally.)

Today on Grist I saw an article touting a list of bike-friendly cities. I read the article and clicked on the list specifically to see how Texas fared - not Lubbock, since I did not expect to see it on the list. But there we were at 107. Wow! It must be the fairly nice weather and the lack of hills. Anyway, it was a shocker for me.

The Grist Article

The Actual Redfin List

Another shocker for me was Texas' top bike-friendly city - way to go, plain old Plano! You are rocking it at 67! Biking anywhere near the Metroplex freaks me out a bit, so I salute your bravery!

From a Texas ego standpoint, it was a little rough to see our Kansas, Louisiana, and New Mexico neighbors higher on the list, but I wouldn't mind biking in Albuquerque either. And we were ahead of Oklahoma, which must be worth something.

May your city be friendly to you on your bike, and may you return the favor!

PS. Have any of you spent time in Boise City, Idaho? What's it like? It's on the list and I am curious about it. Idaho looks great in pics!

[Loyal MH readers, I promise I will publish something non-bike-related soon.]

Lubbock on a Bike: Cyclists Be Heard Tonight (UPDATED 2/17/15)

I had the good fortune to ride my bike to work three times last week - that is 60% of my commute for the week. It's been a rough winter on many fronts, and biking just hasn't been an option much lately. It was a good week. I find that I like people, myself, and work better when I get to ride. And I noticed a lot of other people riding last week as well; and, even though they looked a bit winded, most of them were smiling.

More bikes = less cars = healthier people = cleaner air = more enegy independence = more funds = an ongoing list of advantages in increasing the number of bike riders in our town.

I have been following the cycling in Lubbock issue closely since the mayor referred to cyclist concerns as a "niche issue", and I was glad to read that there will be a public meeting tonight at 6pm at Cavazos Middle School to deal with the possibility of making our roads safer and more inviting to bicycles.

City exploring feasibility study to address cyclists' concerns

So Lubbock cyclists, here is an opportunity to have your voice heard. May we work together for a safer, heathier, happier town.

[UPDATE]
Snagit! That was frustrating. The city was not exploring a feasibility study to address cyclists' concerns -  the city was informing North Lubbock residents about the North University beautification project. Basically, they discussed nicer and more accessible sidewalks along with new streetlights.

At least fifty cyclists showed up for the niche issue - most can be found linked out from this page. I am assuming (yeah, I know the danger in that) that most were road cyclists; there were lots of jerseys, but the cyclists had no voice in this meeting. We milled about frustrated and confused.

I did find some irony (before knowing the miscommunication) in the meeting's location. I realized on the way there that I would have been very intimidated by traffic had I been riding my bike to the meeting. Yes, Mr. Mayor, we are a niche issue - we are too damned scared to ride in our town.

Lubbock on a Bike: No Love from the Mayor

An article in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal this weekend has had me thinking about bicycling in our town. In the article, cyclists were minimalized by our mayor, Glen Robertson. "...cycling is a niche issue that concerns a small segment of the population." I also learned that the mayor feels that bike lanes are a waste of money. (To be fair, though, he was elected through a campaign based solely on saving money for our citizens - not on improving life, health, or safety for those who live here.)

Road Rage: Lubbock cyclists decry lack of safety

I have been a bicycle rider all of my life, but somewhat recently I turned into a bicycle commuter. I live in the center of town and my home is located five miles from my office. In case you are familiar with Lubbock, my commute requires me to cross Indiana Avenue, 50th Street, Quaker Avenue, Slide Road, and Loop 289 South. People who know my commute refer to me in terms ranging from brave to suicidal. I am surrounded by people who would love to ride, but they are too scared to ride in this town.

USDOT Survey: How Bike Lanes and Paths Make a Difference

I love riding and the benefits of riding; however, I am a fearful man and I have learned the most dangerous obstacles in my commute:

• unleashed dogs
• mothers in GM SUVs
• men in F250 Ford trucks
• anyone driving an Escalade
• people who roll through stop signs
• anyone on the phone while driving

And it is very clear that most of these resent my intrusion on their territory.  They bark, honk, flip me off, and occasionally swerve at me.

Outside of these groups, though, I find most of our drivers to be friendly and courteous.

PeopleforBikes.org: Protected Bike Lane Statistics

Memphis Ave south of 50th St

(You can see where the lane/stripe ends)

No stripe

I do not feel welcome on our streets. I do my best to stick to our infrequent bike lanes and nebulous bike routes. (If you are wondering about the difference, a bike lane has occasional signs and painted lines, a bike route has occasional signs only. In Lubbock, bike lanes are suspended as they near busy streets and public schools.) I mostly use the lanes and routes located on Flint Avenue, 42nd Street, and Memphis Avenue. (If you would like to experience the challenge of maneuvering a Lubbock bike lane, try crossing 50th street at Memphis on a bike. It's like being a mouse at the cat farm.) I try to stay on residential streets and avoid school traffic. I do my best to follow traffic laws and to be courteous, and I never ride in traffic on busy streets. I even use bike lights and a helmet. I love my wife dearly and want to return home safely to her every day.

Cyclists, please be safe out there and watch out for yourself.

May you live in a place where your elected officials view you as something more than an insignificant niche.

Combating Lubbock Boringitis: Urban Tech

Imagine living in a place where there is always something to do.

In case you haven't heard, our fair city has once again been voted the most boring town in America. And it is not hard to see why we have such a reputation. If one is not interested in going to a movie, attending a sports event, or heading down to the Depot District to drink a lot of alcohol, well, you are going to have to do some digging.

Don't do it!

But there have been many glimmers of hope in the last few years. Two that stand out happen in the downtown area: the LHUCA First Friday Art Trail and the Lubbock Downtown Farmer's Market. If you have been fortunate enough to visit either of those recurring events, you've had the chance to see local folks out enjoying the place we call home and the company of our neighbors. And it's pretty darned awesome.

Another group that is working in the same direction is Urban Tech. They are an offshoot of the Texas Tech College of Architecture. In their own words:

A place for students to think, draw, design, model and create.
A product of ideas and information in public exhibition in the form of drawings and models and transportable information via digital media.
A process of civic engagement and exploration.
Urban Tech will clarify the public benefits of architecture, promote the creation of new knowledge and serve as a laboratory for ethical professional behavior where community needs supersede private agendas. (I really like that last sentence!)

Urban Tech has been stepping away from the drawing board lately and taking their work and ideas into the street downtown. And if you have not made it out there, you still have time this week to head over to Avenue J to see what's up and to support the idea of resurrecting our downtown to create an area where people would love to live, work, and play. Besides the cultural events, you can check out the functional art, the pocket park, and the prospective graphics on the windows. You can even pick up one of the cool t-shirts for $10.

Bands on Friday Night

Coffee in the morning and live music during the lunch hour and after work

Last night's Broadway & Gourmet on Ave J

If you are one of those who keep complaining about how boring our town is, here is your chance to truly be the change you wish to see in the world. Get out and support a future that can be.

May you live in an interesting place that inspires you!

PS. Be sure to check out a few of the other projects on the Urban Tech website. BIKE!

Bicycle Friendly America: How Bike Friendly Is Your Town?

The League of American Bicyclists. You may remember them as the group that organizes the National Bike Challenge. (And, yes, I am still at it. I will post another update at the end of this month.) The league has many tire irons in their fire.

One of those is the Bicycle Friendly America program. In their words:

The League’s Bicycle Friendly America℠ program provides a roadmap, hands-on assistance and recognition for states, communities, universities and businesses. The BFA program is a tool for states, communities, business and universities to make bicycling a real transportation and recreation option for all people.

I was reading over a BFA brochure today and found a community scorecard. Sure, this little survey is not as much fun as learning which Star Wars character you would be or how compatible you are with different types of pets OMG - not Jar Jar Binks and a teacup chihuahua! How can this be?!!! But, I thought you might lke seeing where your town fits in.

The entire brochure can be found here:

http://bikeleague.org/sites/default/files/BFAbrochure2013-rebrand.pdf

May your town and your bicyclists be mutually friendly!