Design Flaws: "a better solution re bike lanes"

London does not need to design or build many new bike lanes. The city is already covered with them, they're in just about all sections of the city, they are staring us in the face. They are called unused or under-used city sidewalks. They just need to be painted blue. Blue for bicycles.

["Red and blue go so well together"]

This brilliant cost-saving idea came to me while reading a recent letter to the editor. It says, in part:

     "...there's far less risk of injury to cyclists and
     pedestrians involved in a sidewalk collision than
     that of a car and cyclists, due to many simple
     scientific facts such as speed, mass, etc. and
     therefore, the safer option (sidewalks) should
     prevail until a better solution is found."
     [by K. Swallowell, Nov. 30, London Free Press]

I thought, better solution? I've got it. Why, there's almost no risk of injury at all if riders and walkers are on opposite sides of a street, e.g., cyclists on their designated blue sidewalk (aka bike lane) and pedestrians on the other one.

What makes this a brilliant solution to the 'we need more bike lanes'/'bicycles on sidewalks' debate?

Several things:

     There are under-used sidewalks in all corners of
     the city because most people travel by car. 

     A car's speed and mass make streets unsafe for 
     bikes. But, empty sidewalks are often steps away.

     Sidewalks follow almost as many desired routes
     inside the city as busy streets.

     The city does not have to paint half the sidewalks,
     just certain select routes through town.

     Putting bike lanes on busy streets seems like an
     expensive design flaw to me.

["My idea saves tonnes of dollars, but makes sense!"]

     Blue paint is cheaper.

     We could likely get it on sale at Wal-Mart.

     I'll paint the Wortley Rd. sidewalk myself (west
     side, from Askin to Elmwood) for free.

What do you think about this idea?

How long would it take people to develop new habits re sidewalk use?

Where can we get blue paint at the best price? : )

Psst. While we're thinking about design flaws. Does any brand of peanut butter come in shorter, wider jars? I hate having to work so hard to get the last bits of pb off the bottom of these tall ones.

Photos by GH

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Please click here to read dusted off your bike yet?

Live Small: "dusted off your bike yet?"

["1951 Dream Machine gets very good gas mileage"]

As transit fuel prices rise toward new heights we will find ourselves falling into two distinct groups. Winners and Losers. (All will learn to deal with the consequences).

["Can you think of other winners/losers?"]

Dust off your bike.

Photos by GH

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Please click here to read The News: "as gas prices continue to rise"

stay-cation vs road trip

In less than two weeks I'll celebrate my 11th year of retirement, and though I've had lots of opportunities, I've seldom taken a week off from active duties. My nature is similar to that of a worker bee's and taking a few hours or one or two days off here or there usually suits me just fine.

That being said, good weather ahead has me thinking about taking a few days off, and a couple of choices are lining up against each other inside my head, i.e., a stay-cation in my backyard and home city vs. bicycle trip to Port Bruce on Lake Erie or Port Franks on Lake Huron.

Early thoughts:

If I stay home I'll likely want to build two cedar lounge chairs for the back deck so that I can work on my tan in style

A couple of old Adirondack chairs are waiting for my about 70 Kms. west, beside a wee cabin in Port Franks

If I stay home I don't have to pedal 70 kms. west with supplies in a bike trailer

If I pedal to the beach I'll have lengthy, mostly undisturbed reading and writing times every day, just like last year at Port Bruce

I think I need to think about this some more.

What are you thinking? Stay or go?

Photos by GH  

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Please click here to read 'at a snail's pace 11'

Please click labels below for leads to past bicycle trips to Port Bruce

Fun and Fitness: “I stay motivated”

One down, six to go... for now.

I read while pedalling my exercise bike and the other evening I finished one thick book and quickly reached for another one in a short pile containing at least six more books. 

After reading 40 pages I’d say I made a good choice. Miles will pass, pedalling, while I turn pages. 

E.g., after supper tonight I’ll head downstairs to the exercise bike, and book, motivated to travel another 30 miles.

Some want to lose weight. Good motivation. I lose weight while turning pages, thinking about more important things. Better motivation, I say, though paperbacks get a bit wet in the process. 

Hey, things ain’t perfect but I’m working on it.

[Photo by G.Harrison]

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How do you keep yourself motivated re fitness?

Please click here to read more about Fun and Fitness

Fun and Fitness: “I’ll do it my way”

As long as I’m having fun, I’ll keep riding my bike, playing hockey, and walking here and there to maintain my superb fitness level.

[Tangent: About my ‘superb’ fitness. Between periods of a recent hockey game a young friend said I was looking really good. I put it down to the angle between us... and florescent lighting.]

Last week I had three good bike rides (RD - ave. 31 miles each), one hockey game (HKY - my older son scored our team’s only goal), and three brisk walks (WK), for a total of 112 miles or points, 12 above my weekly goal. 

That gives me 603 extra points (EXT). And if I keep doing it my way, I’ll set a new record for EXT by mid-November, and celebrate with a cold IPA. 

Talk about yer motivation!

[Photo by G.Harrison]

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What motivates you to exercise?

Please click here for more http://www.itstrikesmefunny.blogspot.ca/2012/10/fun-and-fitness-reset-mode-set.html

Discovering the World in One Pair of Pants

I recently returned from a very exciting bicycle and camping trip to Port Bruce, Ontario.

A brilliant video was produced of one short part of my ride home (2 min.). Please view the YouTube video here.

And please read the final chapter of the story about the trip here. Chapter 8 - Brief Debrief

Bicycle London: “Cyclists, use designated sidewalks”

The London Free Press got it wrong. Jeff’s letter wasn’t about “get off the sidewalk.” It was about “use it responsibly when you must.”

 [I say, “Times may be a-changin”]

Three “rights” make two “suggestions”

[“Roads are dangerous. Right!”]

Right. Roads can be dangerous for cyclists.

Right. Cyclists shouldn’t make sidewalks dangerous for pedestrians.

Right. Not all cyclists ride dangerously on sidewalks.

[“Here’s one suggestion, then another”]

One. Cyclists should use some sidewalks responsibly.

Two. Cyclists should use designated sidewalks.

There are, without question, many sidewalks in London that are rarely used by pedestrians. E.g., the Gainsborough Rd. sidewalks, on both sides of the road, from Wonderland Rd. to Hyde Park. Miles of concrete sit unused most of the day. Designate the north sidewalk as a cycling route. Direct the few pedestrians to the south sidewalk.

Study London sidewalks in areas where they appear on both sides of a street. Where pedestrian use is low (likely in all corners of the city because most people are travelling by car, van, bus, etc.), could we not designate one of the sidewalks for cycling?

["White Oaks Rd. South; nice bike lane; however,

more are needed in high traffic areas"]

Without question, more safe and wide cycling lanes would be welcomed by cyclists and harried pedestrians alike.

London has accommodated cars, vans, buses, etc. for decades by building mile upon mile of tarmac roads, and while doing so, rarely thought of the needs of cyclists (or pedestrians in many cases). Several safe sidewalks designated for cyclists would be a small, cost-effective gesture.

[Photos by G.Harrison]

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Please click here for more Bicycle London

(2) Discovering the World in One Pair of Pants

London to Port Bruce, four days, by bicycle

“I settled on lunch under a shady tree at New Sarum Diner at 12:45.”

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CHAPTER TWO   -   A detour and a free lunch   

I left my house and my anxious wife (“What will I do with all my free time, now that he’s gone?” she wondered.) at 9:45 a.m. on Friday, the 24th of August, and headed to a nearby bike shop to buy pedals with toe clips, but I found it was closed, so I past some time by pumping up the tires on my bike and heavily-loaded trailer, and tapping my feet. 

In all I waited about 15 minutes but couldn’t wait any longer because the thought of riding 60 kilometers weighed heavy on my shoulders, as did the extra pounds of gear I had behind me... compared to a similar trip earlier in the summer. (My large can of Irish Stew with its ‘preformed chunks of meat’ alone felt like five pounds of excess cargo during the first two blocks of pedaling. I decided to keep it on board anyway, along with a lot of other stuff I used once - or not at all - during four days of camping. My packing skills are a work in progress).

“Forget about the pedals,” I said and headed south toward Bradley Avenue, Pond Mills and Wilton Grove Roads. They led me to my favourite route south to Lake Erie, i.e., Old Victoria Sideroad.

Though Old Vic has a few sections still in gravel (the road isn’t called ‘Old’ for no good reason), the hard-packed dirt is a decent ride and the lack of traffic is a welcome relief. When motorcycling to Port Bruce in the past I often used the road at low speed for sight-seeing. I once spotted elderberry bushes in bloom and another time wild turkeys on the run - nearly 50 miles per hour it seemed - in harvested corn fields.

On this day I found it closed due to construction.

[My favourite route is closed]

“Darn it all,” I said, though not politely. “Now I’ll have to take the Belmont Road to New Sarum (on Highway 3).”

On the plus side I would have all paved roads. On the minus side I would have heavier traffic, more noise - compared to birds - and less solitude. And I like solitude. I like stepping off the bike in quiet spots and listening to the wind in the willows, chirp of golden finches and quietness of wide open spaces.

[Sometimes, on a quiet day, I hear corn grow]

Not today, I thought. At least, not until I get to Quaker Rd. south of Highway 3.

My trip diary - it’s always close at hand - records the following: I continued east (RATS!) on Wilton Grove Rd. = busier, w chewed up shoulder. Belmont Rd. was OK w shoulder and I arrived in Belmont @ 11:50 but pressed on (w 2 major hills) to Mapleton. Made good time so settled on lunch under a shady tree @ New Sarum Diner @ approx. 12:45.

According to my well-organized ‘camping menu’, which I kept on a separate piece of paper in my wallet (close to my money, as if to say, “Go easy, man. Stick to some sorta budget”), I planned to buy myself, as some kind of reward for endurance, a nice lunch at the New Sarum Diner, the home of ‘four-penny cheese’ in the not-too-distant past. 

[I planned every meal. But didn’t stick to it!]

But my wife had packed a lunch for me so I relaxed in the shade outside the diner, stuffed my face for free and put the frustration of the detour behind me.    

[In the shade, outside the diner]

Note to readers: I wrote a column in The Londoner (London’s finest community newspaper) several years ago re the New Sarum Diner and their world famous ‘four-penny cheese’. If it wasn’t world famous then, it is now. 

When I find a link to the actual column I will provide it. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!

Please join me soon for CHAPTER THREE  and more PHOTOS FROM ALONG THE WAY.

[Photos by G.Harrison]

  

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Please click here to read CHAPTER ONE

Bicycle London: “Time for a spin”

Cut the grass, bag up a few beets for my brother, and take out the old ’51 CCM for a spin. Sweet ‘to-do list’.

I’ve got a nice afternoon for it.

[Photo by G.Harrison]

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Please click here for Zoom w a View bicycle style.

Zoom w a View: 1951 was a very good year

Q: So, how did this ‘new old bike’ find its way home?

A: One of my last columns with a community newspaper inspired a reader to go hunting.

[Photos by G.Harrison]

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Please read “Retired. Now cycling” for more details.

IT STRIKES ME FUNNY: “Retired. Now cycling.”

Since retiring from The Londoner (community newspaper) three weeks ago I’ve had more time to doodle - and work at other important projects. As well, one of my last columns linked me to a new hobby.

When I’m not writing ‘Bury Me At Sea’ or smacking nails into a new birdhouse I’m riding around on my new red CCM bike. It's from 1951. So, "new old bike" is more appropriate.

I tip my hat to neighbour Derrick D. Great find. Great work.

[Photos by G.Harrison]

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Please click here for more It Strikes Me Funny

Bicycle London: Meadowlily Hill is a steep one

Friends and I biked east from Wortley Village on London's pedestrian/bike path yesterday and visited an old relic... Meadowlily Bridge. The hill on the other side was too steep for us to attempt, but go for it next time you’re out cycling. It’s a workout in itself.

The more times I’m on the bike the more enjoyable the rides get. The collection of paths available to cyclists is certainly one thing I like about London. (“But please, sir. I want more.”)

You can read more information about the significance of the bridge at historicbridges.org

E.g., “The bridge still stands after almost 100 years of service, but is in poor condition. It is maintained for pedestrian usage only. A high chain link walkway was erected down the middle of the bridge for safety reasons. It consists of 3 spans over the South Branch of the Thames River.”

Have you been cycling more this summer than in the past? Why?

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Please click here for more about cycling.

Discovering the world in one pair of pants: July 19 - 21, 2012 (Pt 2)

Recently, upon my new Miele 21-speed bicycle (with a trailer attached bearing some of my worldly goods, incl. beans and spare socks), I journeyed 80 - 90 kilometers (not as the crow flies) from London to Springwater Conservation Area, on mostly paved roads through some of Ontario’s finest landscape.

I share the following photos in the hopes that you’ll consider a bicycle vacation as well in the future and that you’ll let me know about it, or share some photos of your own. Perhaps you’ll come across the red squirrel that stole my rye bread and discover a way to deal with the little beggar. Let me know!

Photo 1: Heading out of London

I stopped to admire the bike lane on White Oaks Rd. I wish there were more like it, for safety’s sake.


Photo 2: A lovely laneway

Jennifer and Luc win first prize in the “Long and Lovely Laneway” category. Don’t ask me where the lane is located; I didn't write it down. Maybe Edgeware Rd.?

Photo 3: My trusty Kelly kettle

I travelled to Thunder Bay and back (3,300 km.) in 2007, taking only a Kelly kettle to heat water for meals and tea. Sure, I ate a lot of instant oatmeal and Mr. Noodle, but Canada is the land of twigs after all, so I saved a fortune in fuel costs. Oh, a fortune to be sure.

Photo 4: My tiny ‘pocket rocket’ stove

Even though I could easily use a Kelly kettle (w special attachment) to heat my stew, I depended on my propane stove. Stir the stew, drop twigs into the kettle for tea. Stir, drop, stir, drop. Two things at once. Easy kap-easy.

Photo 5: Once upon a time

Behind my can of Crazy Canuck beer sits my bag of rye bread. I ate 1.5 slices for supper. Later in the evening the rest was stolen by a ferocious wild animal. Photo to follow.

Photo 6: Ferocious beast

Though outweighed by the many grey and black squirrels in the area, the wild red squirrel (as of yet, no one can claim to have definitively tamed one) is a master at defending his territory, i.e., all of Springwater Cons. Area. And this one can cart off a loaf of bread in the blink of an eye.

Photo 7: Big appetite

Though I searched the grounds thoroughly around my campsite after the theft, I found not one crumb of bread or piece of leftover plastic bag. All I found was the hole to a hideout. A red squirrel’s home? I don’t know! I wasn’t about to stick my nose in there!

More to follow.

Photos by G.Harrison

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Please click here to view Discovering the world in one pair of pants: July 19 - 21, 2012 (Pt 1) 

  

It Strikes Me Funny: “Would Londoners enjoy a bicycle museum or industry?”

This week’s column relates to a search I’m conducting for a 1959 red CCM bicycle - like one I received for my 10th birthday.

Though I have a great new bike, I began to think more earnestly about finding a ’59 CCM after encountering three people last week who ride lovely old bikes. (They’ll each be mentioned in the column, out on Thursday).

[“Jessica Bryce of London with her mother’s 1985 Sakai”]

[“A mid-1980s Miyata ‘Two Ten’, owned by

the proprietor of The Village Idiot, London”]

[“Reg Watson, of Wortley Rd., London is proud

of his Sakae Custom 10-speed, circa 1975”]

[“Reg W. also owns a rare Eatons 3-speed cruiser,

purchased used in 1974 for $50”]

And while writing the column about people and their appreciation of good old bikes, I thought that London could easily create an interesting bicycle museum. Many Londoners would surely also benefit from a bicycle industry, bike accessories industry, more bike paths, etc. Do you think so?

[Photos by G.Harrison]

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Please click here for more It Strikes Me Funny

Ollie and Me: “We need more seeds”

Ollie doesn’t mind going for a bicycle ride with me even though his legs are longer than his perch in the bike trailer. And I don’t mind hauling him on London’s bike path system - we have miles of good path starting near my front door - although a couple of the hills I encounter force me to jump off and push the bike to the crest. (I just need a bit more practice!)

While I parked the bike yesterday at Ivey Park, at the Fork of the Thames, Ollie rushed down the riverside stairs and tossed seeds at the ducks. By the time I joined him quite a crowd of geese had joined him as well and the seeds were almost gone.

I’ll take twice as much seed next time because he liked the idea of feeding the ducks in Gibbons Park too, then jumping through the water at the splash pad. 

Note to self: Twice as much seed; wear swim trunks.

[Photos by G.Harrison]

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Please click here for more Ollie and Me

Vancouver Island or Bust PT 2: “Yes, I can afford Paris. You can’t?”

[“Plus, 30 days on a bike and 4,700 km. of tarmac is twice the trip I took in 2010 (to Halifax) and my hinder parts are now two years older.” It Strikes Me Funny, Mar. 28]

I’m taking a train west to Vancouver in April, not my motorcycle, and though I’ll miss the freedom associated with riding a bike for about 4,700 km., from London, Ontario to the ferry terminal in Horseshoe Bay, British Columbia, travelling via The Canadian (a unique Via Rail train) offers many benefits as well.

For example, The Canadian cuts the duration of the trip in half, thereby forcing my wife to cancel several house parties and celebrations in honour of my absence. I no longer have to plan sleeping and eating arrangements for 20 - 22 days along the Trans-Canada highway or sweat about keeping my motorcycle perfectly tuned along the way, not including 5 - 6 days on Vancouver Island. (Just one mishap or one over-night delay would knock a long line of dominoes, related to reservations at hostels and motels, completely out of whack).

As well, though there’s nothing wrong with my cooking, the dining car on The Canadian will undoubtedly be a step up from my typical hostel or ‘side of the road’ fare, and going to sleep to the sound of a gently rocking train car will likely be easier than dropping off between a stranger’s snoring in a male hostel dorm in a Winnipeg, Saskatoon or Lake Louise (etc.).

Even if I took the train home, in order to save time, I’d still have to trouble myself with selling the bike in Vancouver or shipping it back home.


["A trip to Paris, with camping gear on board - easy ka-easy!"]

Really, the train is just a whole lot easier on my psyche and my wallet. Already, I'm more relaxed about the big trip, and with the money saved I’ve purchased half of what I need to get safely to Paris in style, along with Vienna, Zurich and Brussels. Why, even Damascus isn’t out of the question while we’re talking about the plans I have in the future - once returned from Vancouver Island - and once I’ve purchased a decent bicycle to go with my new blue CCM bike trailer.

Besides the aforementioned towns and villages in Ontario well worth a visit after a day or two of hearty bicycling, there is no end to similar, pretty, restful locations on my doorstep, or at least within a 100 km radius of my front porch.

However, I’m getting ahead of myself. I haven’t even visited Vancouver Island and already I’m talking about Paris, Ontario.

It just goes to show you how excited I get whenever I make a big savings.

More to follow.

[Photos by GHarrison]

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Please click here to read more Vancouver Island or Bust

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Rare Family Photos: Rare photo. Rare bicycle?

The last rare photo posted here, showing my mother working on a tobacco farm in 1939, is still a puzzle.

For example, I don’t have answers to the following questions: Who is Mr. Lee, one of five gentleman in the picture? Did my mother and I work for the same family during our youth, though 30 years apart? Why didn’t I inherit her good looks?

And a person I turned to for help left me with another puzzle. How did mother get to work?


["Mother relaxes on or near her childhood home, circa 1939"]

I don’t know. However, I do know her mother and siblings were penny-pinchers because they had to be. I know an uncle who lived nearby shared produce with them from his garden. And thanks to today’s rare photo, I know my mother could have biked to work, though, because she wasn’t typically known as an early riser, she might have grumbled at the 20 - 30 minute commute after a very early start to the day.

The photo is likely from the late 1930s and contains a few details about my hometown of Norwich. It’s Main St., running left and right one block north of mother, was dominated by the two-story red brick Post Office, and its clock tower is visible over mother’s head. (The telephone pole almost completely hides the round face of the clock, and from inside the square tower, for many years, the clock chimed to mark each quarter-hour. Also behind mother’s head is a round globe atop a street lamp pole; the pole bears a very distinctive design, and the next rare photo will show it more clearly.

Just out of the picture and to the left stands her uncle’s house, with a healthy garden to be sure. Beside it is the Knox Presbyterian Church (both it and uncle’s house remain today), and though the church was close by, my mother was known to attend the Quaker meeting house, two miles away on Quaker Rd., now the site of the grave yard in which my mother is buried.


["Metal emblem on my 1964 Raleigh"]

If you can, tell me what kind of bicycle mother owned. A Raleigh? I’m not at all sure. But I’d be interested in knowing.

Wouldn’t it be nice to toot around Wortley Village, London on such a bike in spring? I think so.

[Photos by GH]

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Please click here to see more Rare Family Photos

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Planning Ahead PT 2: “A bicycling and hockey history trip to Brussels”

[“Perhaps I’ll want to relive my glory days in baseball and revisit the grassy fields of Foldens, Oxford Centre, Holbrook and Mount Elgin...” G.Harrison, Oct. 3]

As the proud owner of a new bicycle I can safely say many bicycle miles lie ahead because the city of London, my current hometown, is surrounded by intriguing places to visit.

Paris is a short jaunt east of town. I’m told it’s beautiful. And I just have to get on Dundas St., or Highway 2, and pedal. And pedal some more, until I’m there.


Brussels (It’s quite famous. Known for its fine beers.) is 100 km. (approx.) north of London. I just have to remember to aim for Listowel and turn left at Newry. I look forward to the ride through some of the finest farmland in Ontario.

On my way to Brussels I’ll stop for lunch in Mitchell, then look for the local museum and brush up on the hockey stats of Howie Morenz, one of the region’s famous sons.

Did you know Howie Morenz was hockey’s first superstar?

Did you know he was born 21 June 1902 in Mitchell, Ontario and died 8 March 1937 in Montreal, Quebec?

Did you know the following:

“Howard William ‘Howie’ Morenz was known for his amazing speed and intense concentration. Dubbed ‘The Mitchell Meteor’ and ‘The Stratford Streak’, he played for the Mitchell Juveniles for the 1917-18 season and then in Stratford, Ontario for the next five years. In 1923, Morenz was offered a place on the Montreal Canadiens and, in his very first season there, he finished eighth in league scoring and helped the team win a Stanley Cup.


[Link to more info and photo at wikipedia.org]

No? You’re not alone. I knew he was from Mitchell, how to spell his name (almost) and link to an informative website.

If the good people of Brussels have no room for me I’ll bike a few miles farther to Wawanosh Conservation area and pitch my 1.5-man tent.


I have many miles to ride. I’d better get my tender hinder parts in gear!

More to follow.

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Please click here for PT 1: “A bicycling and camping trip to Paris”

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