Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "bike advocacy"

Cycling is great until it's not!

2010-05-13T16:24:29Z

Do you remember the feeling of riding a bike for the very first time? I do.

I can recall the feeling of freedom, of gliding through the air under my own power, of the wind rushing past my hair and face. That was a magical feeling that can only happen once – the first time I learned to do something. But more than that, it is one my best childhood discoveries and memories. My entire body was uplifted and carried magically through space and time, and I felt that the whole world was mine and mine alone, until I crashed because I didn't know how to stop the bike.

Do you remember the first hard crash on your bike, leaving your knees bloody and your palms numbed and bruised from hitting the pavement? I most certainly do and still have a scar on my knee to show for it. I was 11 when I learned how to ride a bike and still have not mastered the art of bike riding.

Cycling is pleasurable, until it's not, as I'd like to say about most things in my life. It is like that, isn't it? Something is good until it's not anymore, but it definitely has the potential to be good again. Take bike safety, for instance. One moment you are riding along, not a worry in the world, and the next thing you know a truck pulls a left turn and swipes you off the bike lane, dumping you on the sidewalk, and there you splay and squirm in pain while the offender takes off. Well, this didn't happen to me, but to my brother-in-law, and luckily another motorist came along to rescue him.

If you are an avid cyclist, then you'd have your shares of injuries resulting from a driver's inability to share the road or see you in the bike path or in the gutter, eking out a space for yourself.

It's not easy either when a cyclist stays in traffic to make a left turn at the intersection when the light sensor does not pick up the weight of the bike, or drivers not being mindful of cyclists and not seeing them.

I am NOT an avid cyclist. In fact, I am somewhat of a fair-weather cyclist, as I have observed that most Americans are – are we not? I don't see hordes of bike commuters like in China or Vietnam here in Sacramento, not even in Midtown where it is so hip and popular, and not even in Davis where there are more cyclists per capita. Would I like to ride more? You bet I would, and who wouldn't?

But here lies the problems for me. According to City-Data.com (http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Pocket-Sacramento-CA.html), residents in my Pocket/Greenhaven neighborhood travel an average of 35 minutes each way to work. Mass transit and bike routes are intermittent and incomplete, lowering my desire to ride my bike and lifting the thing onto the bus racks, and hopefully getting to work in West Sacramento an hour and a half later versus a 15-minute drive from the Pocket.

According to the City-Data's pie chart of transportation modes to work, a whopping 76 percent of commuters drive alone (I was one of the guilty ones). About 15 percent of commuters carpool, 2 percent get there by bus and the remainder work from home and fall into the "others" category.

What about riding bikes to the grocery stores and on weekends to neighborhood coffee shops where the traveling is a mere two miles?

It's fairly safe in the Pocket neighborhood, just as long as I don't venture to Freeport Boulevard or spend too much time on Florin Road, riding to my bank for instance – which has no bike rack.

"Frivolous expenditure!" I can just hear the bank's execs or property managers barking their displeasure in the board room. Once there were two of us cyclists standing in front of the bank, sharing a laugh that we could lock both of our bikes together since there are no bike racks or structures to lock our bikes to.

Since May is Bike Month, I am venting and saying that walking and biking on the south side of town, as is with most places in Sacramento, can be a bit undesirable at best, and this perpetuates the vicious cycle of car dependency. Our city's infrastructure engineers and developers have not made this area walkable or bike-friendly, with the exception of the exclusive gated communities along Pocket Road.

I am stopping now at an intersection in Midtown, watching the invincible cyclists riding up on my passenger side and blow through the red light. They usually look so free and effortlessly disappear behind a sea of brake lights. I seldom witness this but it still makes me cringe every single time that I do!

I admire and envy their athletic ability and riding skills, but I know that a car can easily open a door and send them flying without helmets before they can brake or swerve. It is beautiful to watch them ride, until it's not, until some careless drivers talking on their mobiles suddenly veer to score a parking space for the Second Saturday Art Walk. My teenage son is an avid cyclist, and I am keenly and painfully aware of the risks he takes every day he goes on his rides.

It really hurts when someone goes down! Can we just please share the road, pay attention, and be courteous to one another? I am both a driver and a cyclist and really would love to feel safer out there when I ride my bike. And when I drive, I'd really love it if the cyclists, when in doubt, make sure they are visible and make eye contact with me. I can use some work on this myself, and I am just sayin...

Since I am a cartographer, and a founder of Cartography for Nonprofits, (http://cartographyfornonprofits.org/) I've made a map called Safe Bike Map and invite you to collaborate with me on this civic project at: http://bit.ly/8YtOiB. Help me map the dangerous areas for biking, suggest alternatives for cyclists, and reccomend improvements to the city and county (Mapping Tutorials included). Please pass on your cycling's tips and tricks so we can survive riding on the streets of Sacramento. I am including in my article some pictures of the White Bike on L Street, recently displayed in memory of William Detore, who died in a biking accident. I sincerely hope that we Sacramentans won't ever have to see this bike again around town.

Here are some helpful links for cyclists and pedestrians.

www.sacregion511.org/videos/freedom-to-mobility/

sacbikekitchen.org/

www.sacbike.org/

www.peopleforbikes.org/

www.railstotrails.org/

Diggin' in and Diggin' it! Part II

2010-04-16T15:38:53Z

(Continues from Part I)

I must confess that I've never considered myself being homeless during
my family's first four months in America as refugees from Vietnam in 1975.
We were grateful to be alive and together in one gigantic tent
with another family. We lived in “Tent City” at Camp Pendleton, San Diego,
until we found sponsors for ourselves in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

April marks 35 years for me being in America, and a dear friend who
also made her first home at Camp Pendleton posted links to the photo
exhibit of the refugee camp in San Diego this week.

http://bit.ly/aBZZQA
http://bit.ly/bBAZrD

I could instantly smell the scents of what was then the exotic Ivory
soap and wet dewy April hay the moment I looked at pictures of
children in that barren tent city environment. This is one of
the reasons why I want to map for nonprofits in the Sacramento area. I
want to lovingly give back to my beloved community, which nurtured me
to who I am today.

After a couple of revisions, I turned in the computer file of the finished
map I’d made for Sacramento Loaves and Fishes to Justin, from
which he will print hard copies for his guests. He mentioned that he
would also put the map’s shortcuts on the laptops at their library for
quick reference.

While I was creating the map and its table of resources information,
I could see the faces at the park. I envisioned them using my map to
the food closet or the health clinic, either having to walk, bike or
taking the buses. I carefully checked and double-checked that I didn’t
transpose the phone numbers or addresses, that I got the bus routes
correct, because it could be their last dollars, and I could not
afford to make a careless mistake anymore than they could afford to
not go to their destinations.

They were the best clients I’ve ever had the privilege to serve, and
it was the most satisfying map I’ve ever created. You can see it at

http://cartographyfornonprofits.org/pdfs/StreetSheetTableNew.pdf

This was the glow that I wanted to bask in when I donated my meager
$20 to the American Red Cross for Haiti, and now I was feeling the euphoria by
mapping for the Sacramento area homeless. And this is my story of how
I created my nonprofit in January, called Cartography for Nonprofits and NGOs,
or CaN. Please visit my website and leave comments in the Guestbook section.

http://cartographyfornonprofits.org/

I have since created several Google Map-based maps for the Sacramento
area and responded to the request of Grace in Action in Davis to make
a social services map for their area. Another map in similar format
created for Sacramento Loaves and Fishes is in the making at their
request.

http://bit.ly/dnaUkR

This is what Cindy B. kindly said about the Google Map-based map
that I’ve created for her outreach: “What an incredible resource! We
(at Grace in Action) will use this resource frequently, and I can't
WAIT for the Davis version. Blessings and thanks so much for your
efforts to help those most in need in our community."

I will attempt to write weekly and share my thoughts with you as a
founder of a nonprofit, and how our organization is doing. Currently,
we’re incorporated and applying for our IRS tax exemption status. We
are feverishly working to prepare for our fundraising event at Bogle Winery on
Saturday June 12th, and inviting you to join us at this festivity.

http://cartographyfornonprofits.org/22401.html

I warmly welcome your thoughts and any ideas for maps that would be
useful and better serve the people in our area. This week, I invite your
collaboration in documenting the danger zones for biking and your
suggestions for better infrastructure or alternate routes for other cyclists.
Visit this link and view the screencasts on how to document and revise
your routes to make the Sacramento area a safer place to bike. Please
let me know how I can better assist you in this mapping collaboration project.

hoangchi@cartographyfornonprofits.org
http://bit.ly/950Zxu

I will leave you with some resemblance of a quote from writer Zadie
Smith: “Take something painful and make it into something beautiful.”

Our system leaves unbearable pain for many people, especially the
marginal and the forgotten returning veterans. My heart aches for
them, and I cannot right the wrong without the help of people like
you.

First Sacramento tweed ride a grand success!

2009-11-09T17:43:27Z

At 9:00 am, nearly a hundred cyclists showed up for Sacramentos first Tweed Ride sunday for the all day neighborhood bike ride. Amazing as the idea gave birth just a little over a month beforehand. Thanks to powerful internet networking the idea traveled fast and soon the restaurants that accepted to participate got what they reserved, a lot of love from the enthusiasts dressed in fine vintage tweed.

The scramble to amass the finer vintage look was on and the final result a best dressed contest showed us the need for such an event. The enthusiasm was contagious as was the creative impulse for both vintage bike and dress alike.

Many cities have such a ride already in place. New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Chicago to name a few.

Erin and Rick Houston organized the ride with great care and the stops were spaced out perfectly so we all could admire such a great turnout. The ride started at the Sacramento Bike Kitchen with Old Soul Coffee to give us the kick we needed.

First stop the Capital for a group photo. More than 80 perhaps close to 100 cyclist on the steps of the dome of all things poitico. Then a nice slow paced ride to Onespeed Pizza for some breakfast where we peacefully took over the fine eating establishment. The restaurant was literally encased with over eighty+ fine bicycles. Riding a Yellow Schwinn tandem for three, One speed creator Rick Maham was also on hand to see first hand the ever increasing bike culture paying tribute to Ricks own love for fine food, bikes and good companionship. If you havent you simply must check out this place and if you can, ride there on your bike.

Our next destination was the famed Bon Lair pub on 37th and J st. It was the perfect place to have a pint and feel a bit Scottish. Again the bikes and great beer gave the feel of a wonderful Dutch or Danish neighborhood.

Next stop was a wine tasting at Revolution Winery Sacramento's one and only urban winery. Great people with a passion for wines and it showed. It was here where we had our best dressed contest and handed out prizes, As Rick Houston said so elequently "after all we are all winners".

Feeling the need for more Carbs our next Stop was Hot Italian where we gorged on wonderful pizza and drank Racer 5 from exotic hand blown pitchers. Hot Italian is yet another great eating establishment that embraces the bicycle as a viable mode for a day on the town.

Finally last call at the Rub. Thats Rubicon for those that frequent the grand daddy of riding destinations.

ALL in all it was simply marvelous to see so much enjoyment on the greatest machine ever created by man.

Help is on the way; The grand opening of the new Sacramento Bike Kitchen

2009-01-02T18:01:00Z

Its party time come this Second Saturday. You see the Sacramento Bike Kitchen has a new center and we are throwing a grandopening party. The Bike Kitchen otherwise known as SBK is a nonprofit org(501(c)3) with the intention of keeping you on your bike and more importantly creating more advocates who create a more bike friendly community, one bike at a time.

Heres how it works. For a small fee you can have someone show YOU how to fix and maintain your bicycle. A sort of teach a man to fish philosophy. We survive on donations such as unused bikes and bike parts. Unused, tools, and bike stands are gladly accepted as well. 2 hats we are wearing is the recycler and educational center for all things cycling. We are made up of bike advocates who simply want to accelerate the bike boom in Sacramento. Less cars and more bikes will make Sacramento a happier place to be.

Safety classes, how to fix a flat, as well as how to adjust your brakes will be part of our tools in creating a better biking Sacramento. Your old parts will be recirculated into your community, creating affordable quality bikes on the streets which will intern create a demand for new bikes and so it goes. The only people that should fear us are the big box store owners who sell poorly made bikes that are not even fitted to the rider. (boy do we have stories)

Our new building is at 1915 I street, on the tracks between H and I The space is well, spacious with high ceilings. The exterior is Ivy covered industrial with a big roll up door.

So come to our grand opening this Second Saturday. Refreshments will be available. We only ask you to ride your bike and if you would like to, donate to the common good a bike that is just gathering dust . We will find someone who badly needs a good affordable mode of transport. Our help is yours.

See you at the party.

go to www.sacbikekitchen.org for more info