Are team Astana going to rename themselves as team Nur-Sultan ? 

(FYI: The Govt of Kazakhstan renamed the city of Astana to Nur-Sultan in March this year)

One can only hope,

Ah Brooklyn, I miss you.

https://youtu.be/S5k8cMoy1EU

The Supermint post about Robyn is quite beautiful.

https://www.facebook.com/supermintusa/posts/1809263149177100

-- gotta confess this one kinda hit me hard. 

It's those trucks. They shouldn't be allowed in built up areas like urban centers, I think.

Bruce van-Schalkwyk said:

There will now be a protected bike lane on Central Park West because a young woman was killed on that street last year.  It would seem it takes a death for each section of the city to become slightly safer.  No idea why we can't get in front of this, but there are more and more cyclists on the streets these days, and the car congestion continues to an insane amount.

Be safe out there.  And keep riding.  The more of us are out on the street, the safer it really does become.

I think I can answer the first question.

The reason "we" can't get in front of this is that there are powerful forces that resist and resist change.  It often comes in the form of local community boards (CB's).  These are often run by older, wealthier folk.  Many times, they work in local real estate.  But it's not a conspiracy.  It's that the people are stuck in their ways, are often car owners, and often view these changes from the seat of a car.  Many of the real estate people, in my experience, seem to be pro car, possibly because they figure their clientele will be.

Many times, the DOT has already gone to the CB and has proposed changes, only to get it shot down.  The DOT doesn't like to move forward without a CB's blessing.  But there's a caveat.  If they've come up with new design somewhere and the design has been shot down, they can move if a tragedy occurs.  Like people getting run over.  

FWIW, the CB in which much of the CPW bike lane will reside, CB7, has a transportation committee that is very pro-bike.  I went to one of their meetings, expecting the board members to chew out the DOT rep for not doing enough to protect parking places.  That's what was typical for my CB (CB10) and still typical for the CB next door (CB9).  But at the meeting the CB7 members chewed out the DOT people for not doing enough.


I also think keeping riding, and keeping advocating for bikes is what will change things.  It's never going to be fast enough.  All the same, if there's somewhere you ride rarely, it might seem like real movement.  I rode to the Velodrome on Sunday, and every time I make my way through Queens, there's something new on the road making it safer for riding.

Phil Maronilla said:

It's those trucks. They shouldn't be allowed in built up areas like urban centers, I think.

Hate to inform you, but trucks are probably necessary for at least "the last mile" of a good's travel.  But that doesn't mean it's essential they drive as far as they do, nor that drivers and their bosses should be allowed to operate with impunity.  

The driver claimed he didn't notice anything.  That is either a steaming lie or he's too oblivious to be a safe driver.  That he wasn't charged with any crime, let alone charged with manslaughter, is a travesty.  Cops generally operate on the principle that they won't charge a driver with any sort of capital crime if they've only broken one law.  This is why drivers get off when they kill someone who was in a crosswalk. But here, the guy not only failed to drive with requisite care, but left the scene of the accident.  

Agreed about the CB meetings.  Statistics show cars are owned by a low percentage of people in the city, but the owners have higher incomes.  The income thing makes sense, cars are expensive, but that a minority of owners is allowed to dictate how safe the city is for non-owners continues to be a problem.
I was surprised by the news of CB7.  I think it made news because everyone was.  Glad you're able to go to these meetings.

I really think we could ban commercial traffic, trucks over 6 wheels, between 8am - 7pm weekdays.  Give the drivers higher wages for overnight shifts, maybe then they'll make a living wage, and the city traffic is slightly more calm during the day.

No idea how to really change car culture.  My coworker is currently not speaking to me because I suggested he doesn't actually need his car in the suburbs since there are alternative means of transportation, including carpooling with neighbors.  I didn't tell him to give up his car, just suggested he didn't need it, and really, he's not talking to me.  Stop by my cubicle, it's funny in the most tragic way.

Bruce van-Schalkwyk said:

I really think we could ban commercial traffic, trucks over 6 wheels, between 8am - 7pm weekdays.  Give the drivers higher wages for overnight shifts, maybe then they'll make a living wage, and the city traffic is slightly more calm during the day.

No idea how to really change car culture.  My coworker is currently not speaking to me because I suggested he doesn't actually need his car in the suburbs since there are alternative means of transportation, including carpooling with neighbors.  I didn't tell him to give up his car, just suggested he didn't need it, and really, he's not talking to me.  Stop by my cubicle, it's funny in the most tragic way.

Commercial traffic is tricky.  If you ban it during the day, it means deliveries all night--and people don't want to hear trucks idling or reversing, and people talking as they un/load in the middle of the night.

I've been to CB10 meetings.  When the building that houses the Whole Foods on 125th was going up, there was much discussion about deliveries.  The residents on 124th, living opposite the garage where the trucks would do the deed didn't want overnight deliveries.  The guy who was managing the building project could promise that all the stores but whole foods would only do deliveries during normal business hours. And this is a situation where the trucks would pull up, the loading bay's door would open, the truck would back in, the door would close, and the delievy would be done inside.

Car culture is so baked in so much of America's life that it's hard for many people even to realize how dependent they are on it.  And then many resent it when you point it out--they think it's natural and what you're suggesting goes against the laws of nature.  At least we live in the Northeast, where many areas were built up before the car, and thus are less reliant on it.  Go to much of the sun belt, and their entire way of life is built around people driving--to work, to school, to shop to play.  Almost nothing is close enough, and even when it is, it means riding on a 45mph or faster highway.  

I really do not miss my daily commute in & out of manhattan. Every time I see a NYC headline about a cyclist hit I'm dreading it's someone I know.

I had a close colleague whose fiance was killed on a bike by a speeding suv. Basically it was an "affluenza" case that was completely heartbreaking. The driver walked free.

Stay safe out there guys.

I strongly believe that is simply to easy to obtain a driving license in this county,

Typical learner drivers in Britain have 40 to 50 hours of lessons and need an average of two test attempts and the government are planning on increasing this to 120 hours, there are things that become ingrained as part of repetition in a young driver ,

I have been commuting pretty much every day since i was sixteen years old , and everytime a vehicle overtakes me to turn left(daily), i think back to my driving lessons , we can eliminate the car culture ,we should educate the drivers,

Also , pretty much everyday of my commute a cyclist does something stupid also 

Never let it be said I’m not willing to own up when I’m wrong. After years of giving @Thierry Bonnaire occasional grief for his fandom of French cycling - it’s taken all of 72 hours to remind me that France very well my be the pinnacle of modern civilization. Infrastructure that makes Singapore look middling plus all the food, coffee and of course, TDF.

Jules said:

Never let it be said I’m not willing to own up when I’m wrong. After years of giving @Thierry Bonnaire occasional grief for his fandom of French cycling - it’s taken all of 72 hours to remind me that France very well my be the pinnacle of modern civilization. Infrastructure that makes Singapore look middling plus all the food, coffee and of course, TDF.

We had some spirited discussions on this topic for good fun sake and I am thrilled that you finally see the light 

I was wrongly McWrongerson. Now please pass the coffee. Somehow I have to consume enough to tide me over until la prochaine...

Anybody using veloviewer? Looks interesting but I'm not excited about yet another monthly fee to see my own data

Jules said:

Anybody using veloviewer? Looks interesting but I'm not excited about yet another monthly fee to see my own data

I am guessing some teams are sponsored, but totally obvious in most team videos that the thing is ubiquitous on most male and female pro road teams.

So guessing is good to preview routes.

I've become a big fan of ride with GPS, for planning and managing routes, but rwgps is notorious for underestimating the grade of climbs, which can have a severe impact on the enjoyment of a ride. I am not likely to try VeloViewer any time soon, but hope they are infinitely better at estimating grade and climb difficulty. 

What is it about former aussi pros offing themselves? Is it the brutal kill or be killed AIS team pursuit programs?  
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/australian-former-pro-jonathan-cantwell-dies-36-399311

JohnMalcolmson said:

What is it about former aussi pros offing themselves? Is it the brutal kill or be killed AIS team pursuit programs?  
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/australian-former-pro-jonathan-cantwell-dies-36-399311

Mental illness is just as deadly as heart disease or cancer. 

I couldn't help myself 
https://sports.theonion.com/cubs-team-doctor-recommends-anthony-rizzo-rehab-injured-1838235721

Hmmm

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-030-27928-8_102

(do we have a thread for 5-0 incidents?)

On Friday, I got a ticket for running the red light in Central Park at W72nd.

Seems the NYPD is kind of doing a ticket blitz.  

The officer who ticketed me and the guy I was with, was pretty chatty.  He said he was out as a result of the cyclist who died by E72nd in the park the other week and apparently another cyclist also died just south of CP recently as well.

 He told us he had mostly been doing afternoons (it was 10:30am), and he was pretty clear that he pays attention to E72nd, W72nd, and the crosswalk by Columbus Circle.  We got "failure to yield" tickets.  $50, as opposed to $190.  

He told us he wouldn't have given us the ticket if there hadn't been anyone in the crosswalk.  The guy I was with, Duncan, was pretty annoyed with the ticket, pointing out that we had crossed behind the pedestrian, and that we had nearly been hit by two runners running diagonally across the road at W77th moments ago.  The cop told us he had also been ticketing jaywalkers if they're crossing against the light with cyclists rolling through and runners who do things like that.   

When we complained, politely, a bit further, he suggested going to the Community Council meeting at the Precinct the next time it happens.  As he didn't have power to change his assignment, or priorities, but speaking there could make that change.

So, I'm thinking of going to the next one.  It's tenatively scheduled for the second Wednesday in November at 7pm.  Maybe we can get them to get cops out of cars and directing people to archways, or change enforcement priorities.  

https://www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/bureaus/patrol/precincts/central-park-precinct.page

mugwump said:

(do we have a thread for 5-0 incidents?)

We do, it's often in "close encounters" but the larger point is that you had an (all things being equal) a rather benign encounter. It could have been much worse, in other words.

Jules said:

mugwump said:

(do we have a thread for 5-0 incidents?)

We do, it's often in "close encounters" but the larger point is that you had an (all things being equal) a rather benign encounter. It could have been much worse, in other words.

D'oh!  Totally spaced.

Somewhere on that thread I probably recounted how some jerky cop in Central Park wanted to bring me in because he wasn't following the law, but that possibility was prevented because he was driving a teensy smart car.  He called for backup and didn't get it.  It was at that point I surmised that the police probably thought he was a jerk, too, which is why he got the smart car and no help to bring in a 'dangerous' cyclist.

mugwump said:

Jules said:

mugwump said:

(do we have a thread for 5-0 incidents?)

We do, it's often in "close encounters" but the larger point is that you had an (all things being equal) a rather benign encounter. It could have been much worse, in other words.

D'oh!  Totally spaced.

Somewhere on that thread I probably recounted how some jerky cop in Central Park wanted to bring me in because he wasn't following the law, but that possibility was prevented because he was driving a teensy smart car.  He called for backup and didn't get it.  It was at that point I surmised that the police probably thought he was a jerk, too, which is why he got the smart car and no help to bring in a 'dangerous' cyclist.

I remember that story!

Funny stereotypes

https://pvcycling.wordpress.com/2019/11/05/cyclists-you-dont-so-secretly-hate/

Deleted and posted in close encounters instead. 

I've been selling a rapha jacket on ebay , and for the second time it sold to a bidder for an over inflated price , but both times it they didn't purchase , when you look at the buyers feedback they have positive feedback indicated , yet the comments are all ,"deadbeat, non payer scam account" etc

I'm trying to understand why someone would do this , what are they trying to achieve and how are they trying to scam me?

^that's pretty weird for sure. Probably just someone drunk bidding.