Abby bikes and Amelia Rides Through the Streets of Delft

A bike box in Delft prioritizes bikes over right turning traffic.
In the Netherlands, right turn on red isn't allowed.

Abby and Amelia joined us on the third day of the class, which would end up 36 miles later going from Delft to the North Sea and back. It was all day trip with stops at a greenhouse control system company, a greenhouse, a central market along the way, and the beach. Leaving TU Delft (the University), we wound our way through the streets of Delft which are chaotic at times and really fascinating when you're able to wander through them. When you are on your bike, the facilities seem like a joy and you want to bring them back to the U.S. When you are on your bike beside your 8 year old, they seem too narrow, with scooters zipping by and cars that are still too close for comfort.

Since Abby is an accomplished rider, all in all they are pretty good facilities.  
On this trip to the beach we added a stowaway in the form of Amelia. Where is she in this picture you ask?
She's on a tag along rack, riding on a pillow. We saw the Dutch do this on so many occassions, we thought we would try it. It turned out it worked with some modifications. Later, we took Susan's backpack off which gave her a little more room to look around. It was also clear that we needed to slide up on the seat of the bike to make sure she wasn't leaning back, but that wasn't so difficult.

All in all, a good day and a nice way to get from the beach and back. 

Bike Snob Book Review: Use Lights

I am currently reading Bike Snob and I have been surprised with how well reasoned some of the chapters are. I am finding I can actually apply some of the ideas he has and it is pretty funny at the same time. I haven't laughed out loud while reading for awhile.

His characterizations of the different types of cyclists was spot on. In the chapter, Velo-Taxonomy: The Various Subjects of Cyclists, he describes The Roadie, The Mountain Biker, The Loan Wolf, The Messenger, and so on. The Chapter on "Why is Everybody Trying to Kill Me" features how to survive on a bike and discusses his approach to embracing conflict on the road. My experience has been limited since I am on the Springwater Trail, but the chapter is helpful to think about the responses of a cyclist when a motorist doesn't see a cyclist.  Rather than get angry, he suggests saying "Do you know you almost killed me back there?", hoping that the driver will than be conciliatory as opposed to escalating the argument.
He gives tips on Riding in Traffic

• Be Confident
• Don't Ride Next to Cars at Intersections
• Watch Out for Doors
• Use Lights

The Use Lights bullet reminded me of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance's clever video encouraging people that lights are an important part of the bike. He also makes a good point on the bicycle industry's failure to put lights on bikes, comparing this to the only other fast moving objects that don't use lights include missiles, bullets, and bombs.

There is some clever marketing around his book and how he released it.

Cycling through Delft

  Delft was a beautiful town with a central square (Markt) that was really quaint and large for as small a city as it is. This particular shop is where we picked up a few pieces of Delftware for the grandparents as a thank you for watching the kids.
We had a nice day cycling through Delft with the Northeastern University class that was spending a month in the Netherlands completing a college course. I was speaking to the class about traffic signals in Portland and how we were learning from European practice.
The cycling through the countryside was fantastic. We were getting a lot of nice information from one of the local regional planners from the area as a part of the first classroom lecture.
 
This picture of Susan is not even behind the biggest landmarks in the square, but I enjoy it anyway because it provides perspective on the cafes, the shops, and the chruches in the background.
We came across this gentleman in the community just crusing through. I had a chuckle becuase we were in the man's way and the group stopped him on his everyday trip to the store.  
 

I loved all of the train station bike parking areas. The number of bicycles at these locations was beyond consideration and seemed like every possible rack was full to the point where it was futile to add more racks because additional bikes would be added. Amsterdam and The Hague have structures for bikes both three stories high, which is quite an expense for infrastructure.

Bike Commute to Abby's School on Sellwood Boulevard

I couldn't believe it on Monday as I was taking Abby to school in the morning, I was being screamed at on Sellwood Boulevard while biking side by side with her. The person in the car was yelling to get out of her way and to "teach my kid to do something productive" and to "get out of the lane" (there's no lane "there" to go into).

I am not sure what my point is other than to share with you that this is part of the reality of what cyclists have to deal with. I had another experience on SE Stark Street awhile back where a person in their car honked and sped by Abby and I (while she was on the tag along) when we were going the speed limit (downhill)!

If it weren't for the politics being in the right place while I work for the City, I wouldn't be fortunate enough to work on making our bicycle infrastructure better every day. Some of my staff have suggested that we are discriminating against modes other than bicycles. To that I counter that there are so many facilities that are the reverse, that we need to work toward balancing the infrastructure.

I am hopeful to make all of the members of our community enticed to try to put themselves on a bike to experience life on two wheels.

With that being the goal, I would hope to have fewer experiences like the one we did this morning.

Morning Commute for the Kids with Susan's Broken Elbow

Susan's broken elbow has presented challenges to our initiative to be car free in our daily lives. Abigail has often been riding with neighbor Mike because she drives to pick her up after school. The xtracycle is a great tool for getting the kids there quickly and they seem to be proliferating throughout Portland as the bakfiets alternative.
I have been taking up the slack some days to get Amelia to school, riding the cruiser with the trail-a-bike. She sings to me as I take her to school and since it is only three days a week, I try to take her when I don't have morning meetings at the signal shop. It's been nice to get more time with the morning routine and nice that I am not travelling.

Another Great Transportation Blog

Urbanophile.com/ has a great posting on how citizens can fight a DOT over issues they are passionate about.