Shady Grove is striped and signed for Bike Lanes

Partially, at least.

If you ride in Memphis for long, you will eventually ride Shady Grove. It is a good east-west connector route- pretty yards with lots of trees and flowers, slower, lighter traffic, and lots of other cyclists riding during great weather.

It has been partially striped for a bike lane now- from roughly Wolf River Boulevard on the east to Yates on the west.

I have ridden the new lanes from Yates to Wolf River Blvd twice- I think the lanes are properly designed. Coming from someone who is mostly anti-bike lane, that is a huge compliment!

And now the game is afoot- bike lanes can create as many problems as they solve. Many cyclists and motorists have dangerous and erroneous ideas about how bike lanes should work.

I'll be writing a more in depth post soon about how to ride (or not) in bike lanes, the "smart cycling" approach to bike lanes. There is the law, there is what people think, and there is what works-- they do not always correlate!

Wounded Warrior Bike Ride November 7th 9am

I got this from a friend- unlike most of how we ride every day, this looks like a very worthwhile ride ~~Cliff H. 

 

You've may have seen the information on their website, www.woundedwarriorproject.org.  The Soldier Ride coming here is called the Honky Tonk Challenge.  They have a number of rides around the country.  In some places it's huge with hundreds of riders joining the vets and a big event. 

 

They are arriving from Little Rock on Nov 6 and staying at the Hilton Hotel.  They would rather have stayed downtown but COGIC is in town. 

 

They are eating dinner at the Rendezvous that night and maybe spend some time on Beale Street.  There are about 20 coming which includes about 15 wounded vets and several Wounded Warrior staff and mechanics. 

 

They've got a couple of vans and a U-Haul truck (one of their sponsors) for the bikes.  Woody Groton, the Soldier Ride National Tour Director, said one of the mechanics owns a bike shop in Hopkinsville, KY, outside Fort Campbell, called Bikes & Moore.

 

On Nov 7 they will gather at Tom Lee Park and begin the ride about 9:00 am.  I think the ride goes down Union to Walnut Grove and ends at Macon Hall Elementary school. 

 

The map of the route is:  www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/tn/memphis/163100227.  I believe there is some police assistance but I do not know if it is for the whole route or just certain areas.  I think the route is about 22 miles.   The speed will be slow (10-12 mph) as a number of the vets will be riding hand cycles due to injuries.

 

I do not know if there is lunch at the end or somewhere during the ride.  Woody's email is wgroton@woundedwarriorproject.org and his phone number is 603-727-1294.  Feel free to email him or call to obtain more specific info.  I told him I would help advertise the event with the Memphis Hightailers and whoever else I could dream up.

 

One big note is the group will be heading directly to Nashville at the end and not coming back downtown.  So, anybody riding will have to make arrangements to either ride back downtown or have some other transportation arrangement. 

 

Please forward this email or any other with information about the ride to all your riding friends.  This group came through Memphis last year and had maybe one or two riders.  The ride is on a Friday which will make it tough for some people but what a great reason to use leave time.  We need a big crowd to join the ride!

 

It would be fun to join them Thursday night for dinner and/or drinks.   It would be great if you could put this info in the next couple of newsletters and maybe even send a special one out.

MHBC Newsletter posted

There is a new newsletter posted for the Memphis Hightailers at

https://memphishightailers.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=5&club_id=631861&item_id=7171

Hi y'all - I have been moving---

Low posting rate recently- I have been moving my business. That's a lot of work! I moved 5 loads with my bike trailer- at least that part was fun!

I'll be back to more frequent posting in a week or two.

Roll on, y'all.

Police Enforce Bike Law To Combat Crime

Hey, any of y'all been "just ridin' around" in West Memphis?

Police Enforce Bike Law To Combat Crime

West Memphis, AR -- Police in West Memphis, Arkansas are enforcing a decades old bike law in effort to fight crime. The law requires bikes to have a white light on the front and a red reflector on the back. The light must be visible from at least 500 feet. Police say someone committed a rash of residential car break-ins in the city’s North Ward from August 6, 2008 to September 10, 2008. They believe the same person committed the crime and may have used a bike to get a away. They believe enforcing the state bike law will help keep would be criminals on the right path. “Enforcing the bike laws, the restrictions on the lights, gives you legal opportunity to make contact with people to see what they're doing,” said West Police Captain Donald Oakes. Anyone not abiding by the bike law can be cited and fined. Anyone with information about the recent car break-in is asked to contact the West Memphis Police Department.

Bike Friendly States - Tennessee ranked at #36

Well gee, I'm surprised TN is ranked so highly. Chattanooga has bike-friendly city status, so that probably helps our overall state ranking. ~~ Cliff H.

From http://www.bikeleague.org/index.php

The League of American Bicyclists has announced our first annual ranking of Bicycle Friendly States, scoring all 50 states on more than 70 factors. The states were scored on responses to a questionnaire evaluating their commitment to bicycling and covering 6 key areas: legislation; policies and programs; infrastructure; education and encouragement; evaluation and planning; and enforcement. The highest and lowest scoring states overall were:

Top 5

1. Washington
2. Wisconsin
3. Arizona
4. Oregon
5. Minnesota

Bottom 5

46. North Dakota
47. Mississippi
48. Alabama
49. Georgia
50. West Virginia

More details on how each state ranked can be found by going here and clicking on each state.

Andy Clarke, president of the League, said, “While every state has room to improve in making bicycling a preferred mode of transportation and accessible form of recreation, Washington is making the greatest strides to make this a reality.” Clarke points to Washington’s model bike laws, signed and mapped statewide bike route network, dedicated funding from the state for bicycle related programs and projects, and an active statewide bicycle advisory committee as a few examples of why Washington ranked the highest.

The bottom end of the ranking paints a different picture. “West Virginia may offer some great trails and mountain biking resources, but otherwise fell short in every category," said Clarke. "Their low bicycle usage rates and high cyclist crash and fatality rates are indicative of a state that does not adequately provide for the needs of cyclists.”

The annual state rankings are the first part of this new program. States are encouraged to further apply for award recognition of bronze, silver, gold or platinum status, similar to the League’s popular Bicycle Friendly Community program, now recognizing 85 communities across 32 states. Award recognition will be accompanied by technical assistance and further support as states work to become more bicycle-friendly.

The League of American Bicyclists promotes bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation, and works through advocacy and education for a bicycle-friendly America. The League represents the interests of 57 million American cyclists, including its 300,000 members and affiliates. For more information or to support the League, visit www.bikeleague.org

The Bicycle Friendly State program is generously supported by program sponsors Bikes Belongand Trek Bicycle Corporation.

2008 STATE RANKINGS

1 Washington
2 Wisconsin
3 Arizona
4 Oregon
5 Minnesota
6 Maine
7 California
8 Illinois
9 New Jersey
10 New Hampshire
11 Utah
12 Michigan
13 North Carolina
14 Hawaii
15 South Carolina
16 Massachusetts
17 Vermont
18 Wyoming
19 Nevada
20 Florida
21 Iowa
22 Colorado
23 Virginia
24 Indiana
25 Kansas
26 Louisiana
27 Rhode Island
28 Missouri
29 Kentucky
30 Texas
31 Delaware
32 Ohio
33 Nebraska
34 New York
35 Maryland
36 Tennessee
37 Idaho
38 Pennsylvania
39 Arkansas
40 Alaska
41 South Dakota
42 Connecticut
43 Oklahoma
44 Montana
45 New Mexico
46 North Dakota
47 Mississippi
48 Alabama
49 Georgia
50 West Virginia

Wal-Mart Bicycling Shopper Strips

Try this on your next trip to WalMart- be sure to have someone available with bail money.

I found this on http://inthebluff.blogspot.com/ . The rest of the post is from that blog, which I highly recommend if you are a Memphomaniac.

The Consumerist is one of my favorite blogs (tho, for the life of me, I can't figure out why) and today they have a little bit about a Wal-Mart shopper who wasn't allowed to bring her $600 bike into the store.

Because there were no bike racks at that particular location, the cyclist thought she'd just take the bicycle with her into the store, something she'd done in the past. But a Wal-Mart manager argued that she couldn't bring it into the store because the store sold bicycles.

From her posting on Bike Forums:

"I was starting to get really frustrated since I had ridden all the way there seemingly for no reason, so I asked her if they also sold shirts in the store. She said yes so I took off my jersey and said well then I'd better not bring this in either. She got kind of flustered and said that it was a different situation but couldn't explain why. So I said that if they also sold shorts in the store that I'd better not wear those in either and I took off my shorts. Same goes for the shoes and sunglasses. Now I'm standing there in my spandex and a sports bra and I ask here if I can leave my things behind the customer service counter where they will be safe until I finish making my purchases and she said that I couldn't come into the store without shoes on, to which i responded 'but I certainly can't wear shoes into the store because you sell those here and someone might think I've stolen them.'"

Scenic Commute Cuts Stress --- Even with more traffic, driving through the woods increases patience.

Maybe this is one of the reasons I like riding to work via Shady Grove so much.....

Scenic Commute Cuts Stress --- Even with more traffic, driving through the woods increases patience.

By: PT Staff

Finding a shortcut to work may not be the only way to improve your morning commute. People have more patience for on-road stresses when they drive through scenic, nature-lined streets. This is the case even when judged against roads that have less traffic, but are surrounded by sprawl.

"Not only do we like natural scenes, but they have a physiological effect. People are, in fact, calmed down and relaxed by them," says coauthor Jack Nasar, professor of city and regional planning at Ohio State University.

For the study, 106 participants watched a simulation of a morning commute. Some were shown a four-lane road passing woods with little development. Others were shown commutes with fewer cars on the road, but with more strip malls and less vegetation.

Before the simulation, the participants had been given tests designed to increase frustration—for example, anagrams that had no solution. After their "drive," researchers measured the participants' stress levels with a questionnaire. The drivers who had been on the greener but more congested road were less frustrated.

Nasar gives an evolutionary explanation for the calming effects of natural scenery. "There is an innate response to nature: it has a healing and restorative effect," he says.

Wharton on Biking, and Let's Roll, y'all.

From the Memphis Flyer: (and also http://inthebluff.blogspot.com/ )

Shelby County mayor A C Wharton said that when he was first elected, it became clear to him that we were "creating disposable neighborhoods."

That realization eventually led to his Sustainable Shelby initiative, which included yesterday's call to action at the Memphis Botanic Garden.

"A few years ago, people thought they looked stupid if they rode a bicycle," Wharton said of Germany, a country he just visited and where a gallon of gas costs $8. "Now the only people who look stupid are those driving to work alone in their car."

Perhaps things are changing -- we'll see. I am hopeful but skeptical. I will be at the meeting tomorrow night at CBHS regarding bike lanes on Shady Grove and Brierview.

You can ride your bike with others to the meeting -- be sure to bring headlights and tail lights so you will be legal and more visible on the ride home after the meeting.

From Midtown, consider riding with the gang from Revolutions: from Anthony Siracusa: The shop will be closed on Thursday during our normal hours (6:30-8:30 p.m.) in lieu of a meeting held by the City of Memphis to discuss creating bike lanes on Shady Grove Road and Humphreys near Shelby Farms. Revolutions has organized a ride from First Congregational to Christian Brothers High School where the meeting will be held. The ride will leave from Revolutions at 5:15 p.m. in order to make it to the meeting by the start time of 6:30 p.m.. Please join us, or head over to CBHS at 6:30 p.m. Attendance and riding time count towards earning volunteer hours at Revolutions. Don't forget a blinky light and a helmet if you'd like to ride with us.

From East Memphis, cyclists will gather at the Super Lo parking lot on Southern- the ride will roll out at 6 pm sharp in order to get to CBHS on time.

And, if you just ride down Shady Grove, you'll probably eventually meet up with other cyclists heading to the meeting.