On a more positive note, however:

A few weeks ago, I received an email message from one of the folks at the Undriving site, asking me for an interview. Apparently something about one or another of my responses to their posts on Facebook caught the collective eye of their writers, and one was nudged into initiating contact.

A few emails and a phone call later, this post on the Undriving web site appeared!

A tip of the helmet to David C, who reminded me some years ago of the existence of the Disney short mentioned in the article. I've cited and linked that short many times, here in my own blog and on Facebook. I still find it wryly amusing, and relevant in a stereotypical manner.

Egads

I was truly hoping that Louisville would remain behind the curve on this mad rush to spill green paint on the streets and call it a bike box.

'Twas not to be. Louisville now has a couple of bike boxes.

Pretty green paint does not make an intersection safer--behavior does. New "No Right Turn on Red" signs don't make an intersection safer--many motorists will ignore those signs (I ride through an intersection featuring "No Right on Red" regularly, and see someone turn right on red at least every other time I am sitting at that light). Unwary cyclists will think it safe to barrel through the intersection, never mind that car with the right turn signal flashing.

What can go wrong?

I wonder how many cyclists will get mowed down before people realize that they need to sue the city for criminally bad "engineering?" Is the city immune to such lawsuits?


Edit: After a few questions here and there, I have learned that someone in Public Works has "wanted to try bike boxes" for some time.

"Try" implies a trial or experiment of some sort. Who would be the subjects of this experiment? Humans, of course.

A small problem comes to mind, however: Over the last sixty or seventy years, human society has increasingly frowned on the idea of subjecting humans to trials unless said subjects have expressed informed consent. This is especially true when there are known risks involved, such as the blatantly obvious potentials for hazardous interactions I've mentioned above.

I cannot imagine an informed human who would be willing to consent to such an experiment.

It's been three weeks already!

...and we haven't gotten ready to put on a Cycling Savvy class!

As mentioned, there is a fair bit of work to do in preparation for opening the school, so to speak. Jenn has been busy with work-related projects, I've been adjusting to the sometimes-random-seeming schedule associated with being a part-time "associate" at that orange box of lumber and stuff, and doing the odd job here and there for existing clients.

I even did another stint on the sidewalk the other morning. By "on the sidewalk," I mean that I was one of those folks wearing orange vests helping clients of a clinic get past the phalanx of anti-choice zealots there to shame them out of caring for themselves. There was some web traffic regarding the crisis pregnancy center next door to the clinic, and a call went out for a few extra volunteers. I was able to help out, and did.

That was the only time I remember being in the car over the last week.

For a recent job, I needed to rent a ladder, as my extension ladder was a bit short for the task. Of course, my Bikes at Work trailer makes easy work of such hauling tasks. I had used it a week before to haul two loads (ten 2-cubit-foot bags) of mulch home on consecutive days. Some of the folks at the store know how I roll, and get a kick out of it.

I had the video camera going on one of those mulch-hauling trips, and as it was facing rearward, got to see just how far back most of the overtaking road users were changing lanes to pass. It was pretty cool to realize that motorists can figure out that they need to change lanes at a quarter mile distance in many cases, and at least a tenth of a mile most of the time. A few fail to recognize the situation until they are closer, and I figure that having to wait a while is a mild punishment for their inattention to the road ahead.

All that said, I was pulling the empty trailer to work on Tuesday, figuring to haul the aforementioned ladder home from the store, and felt a nudge while sitting at a traffic light. Sure enough, the motorist behind me had eased up and nudged my trailer. I got off the bike and walked back to about her fender, yelling that she had hit my trailer (having figured out on the way that no harm was done--this time). She had the nerve to respond that my bike was well ahead of her car, after which I reminded her that I was, indeed, pulling a trailer and that she had pushed my trailer (and, thus, ME), which led to my yelling at her to get her head out of her car seat.

Some clueless people!