Bike infrastructure
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Forest Pearson
Oct 4, 2011, 11:22:47 PM10/4/11
to TuckWayne, ClohoseyShannon, PaulDavis, TransitionWhitehorse, ja...@kza.yk.ca
An intersting article from Vancouver which shows how if we build the bike infrastructure, it will get a lot more people cycling. As you may know, I've spent the past couple of winters in Portland specifically because of the bike infrastructure. I know Whitehorse is a totally different scale than those places, but it is an interesting lessen in "if you build it, they will come":
-Forest Pearson
“Love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.” —Jack Layton, August 20, 2011
http://forestpearson.blogspot.com/
“Love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.” —Jack Layton, August 20, 2011
http://forestpearson.blogspot.com/
ycsenergyc...@gmail.com
Oct 5, 2011, 12:32:14 AM10/5/11
to ttwhit...@googlegroups.com, TuckWayne, ClohoseyShannon, PaulDavis, ja...@kza.yk.ca, Lewis Rifkin
I feel the same way about kicksled infrastructure. Unfortunately it's not the same as bike paths. Kicksled paths need to be hard packed (skidoo trails good) but can't be gritted, salted or shoveled to cement. Bike paths with their grit and proximity to vehicles make them kicksled unfriendly.
Personally, I am not a fan of winter cycling. Now I have a kid I am even less so. Especially since kicksleds are a far superior and safer mode of active transport in winter.
The biggest roadblock to the kicksled revolution is not only the lack of infrastructure (because there is some - the riverloop/millenium trail is perfect fyi, as are most sidewalks and some roads at times as only a light dusting of snow is required on pavement)... it's the lack of availability of the kicksleds themselves since Andy Lera of yukon kicksleds/solitude designs stopped making them.
I have an idea to import a number of Esla kicksleds from Finland and somehow sell them around the Yukon in the next month or two.
This is not yet a done deal as I'm still in talks with the Fins.
I'd like to do it as a public service (only profit enough to cover my costs and time) as the point is to make kicksleds accessible and affordable to get as many out there as possible.
Who wants one?
Join the kicksled revolution,
From tagish,
Anne
Personally, I am not a fan of winter cycling. Now I have a kid I am even less so. Especially since kicksleds are a far superior and safer mode of active transport in winter.
The biggest roadblock to the kicksled revolution is not only the lack of infrastructure (because there is some - the riverloop/millenium trail is perfect fyi, as are most sidewalks and some roads at times as only a light dusting of snow is required on pavement)... it's the lack of availability of the kicksleds themselves since Andy Lera of yukon kicksleds/solitude designs stopped making them.
I have an idea to import a number of Esla kicksleds from Finland and somehow sell them around the Yukon in the next month or two.
This is not yet a done deal as I'm still in talks with the Fins.
I'd like to do it as a public service (only profit enough to cover my costs and time) as the point is to make kicksleds accessible and affordable to get as many out there as possible.
Who wants one?
Join the kicksled revolution,
From tagish,
Anne
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.
From: Forest Pearson <fkpear...@yahoo.com>
Sender: ttwhit...@googlegroups.com
Date: Tue, 4 Oct 2011 20:22:47 -0700 (PDT)
To: TuckWayne<Wayne...@whitehorse.ca>; ClohoseyShannon<Shannon....@whitehorse.ca>
ReplyTo: ttwhit...@googlegroups.com
Cc: PaulDavis<pauls...@yahoo.ca>; TransitionWhitehorse<TTWhit...@googlegroups.com>; ja...@kza.yk.ca<ja...@kza.yk.ca>
Subject: [TTW] Bike infrastructure
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Forest Pearson
Oct 5, 2011, 12:59:25 AM10/5/11
to ttwhit...@googlegroups.com, TuckWayne, PaulDavis
Surprisingly, I can speak to this with knowledge. I lived for a year in Lulea Sweden, which is on the northern tip of the Baltic, at the same latitude as Dawson City. The city was designed in such a way to make driving inconvenient, but there were all these paved, lit, bike paths directly connecting everything, complete with bridges over the town lakes, etc. In the winter (which is when I was there), there was A LOT of spark usage (spark is the Swedish word for "kick"). Most older people, but some of us college kids too. Also, EVERYONE biked all winter long,
even little old ladies, with bags of groceries hanging off their handlebars! And it was way more treacherous than here because it would get warm sometimes, even in February, and things would melt and there would be ice sheets everywhere. We didn't have studded bike tires in those days, and it was still manageable. Anyway, they all shared the same bike trails. The trails were all regularly plowed and hard packed, but not gravelled/sanded.
So, these two are totally compatible, but not on the streets obviously.
P.S. - can you supply us with one
of these:
-Forest Pearson
“Love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.” —Jack Layton, August 20, 2011
http://forestpearson.blogspot.com/
“Love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.” —Jack Layton, August 20, 2011
http://forestpearson.blogspot.com/
From: "ycsenergyc...@gmail.com" <ycsenergyc...@gmail.com>
To: ttwhit...@googlegroups.com; TuckWayne <Wayne...@whitehorse.ca>; ClohoseyShannon <Shannon....@whitehorse.ca>
Cc: PaulDavis <pauls...@yahoo.ca>; "ja...@kza.yk.ca" <ja...@kza.yk.ca>; Lewis Rifkin <ycs...@hotmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, October 4, 2011 9:32:14 PM
Subject: Re: [TTW] Bike infrastructure
ycsenergyc...@gmail.com
Oct 5, 2011, 1:24:50 AM10/5/11
to ttwhit...@googlegroups.com, TuckWayne, PaulDavis
NO Forest, kicksleds do not have/are not gassholes.
I didn't mean to offend the cyclists in the crowd by my kicksled superiority claims. Maybe they are more or less a winter walker for the elderly (and a sled pram for moms) but they defo have a cool factor, can haul gear and are so darn fun for all ages.
But whitehorse isn't sweden, and in scandinavia I bet there aren't giant trucks driven by people with dollar signs in place of their eyes hating on pedestrians. I wish there were bike trails in whitehorse not adjacent to roads (MAKE 3rd and 5th aves PEOPLE POWERED) then we could cycle and kicksled all over the place and be happy and healthy in winter time talking to people in our community and not burning gas.
Forest, are you gonna get a kicksled? I bet your kid wants one. Or are you a portlandia put a snowbird on it?
Still kickin,
I didn't mean to offend the cyclists in the crowd by my kicksled superiority claims. Maybe they are more or less a winter walker for the elderly (and a sled pram for moms) but they defo have a cool factor, can haul gear and are so darn fun for all ages.
But whitehorse isn't sweden, and in scandinavia I bet there aren't giant trucks driven by people with dollar signs in place of their eyes hating on pedestrians. I wish there were bike trails in whitehorse not adjacent to roads (MAKE 3rd and 5th aves PEOPLE POWERED) then we could cycle and kicksled all over the place and be happy and healthy in winter time talking to people in our community and not burning gas.
Forest, are you gonna get a kicksled? I bet your kid wants one. Or are you a portlandia put a snowbird on it?
Still kickin,
Anne
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.
From: Forest Pearson <fkpear...@yahoo.com>
Sender: ttwhit...@googlegroups.com
Date: Tue, 4 Oct 2011 21:59:25 -0700 (PDT)
ReplyTo: ttwhit...@googlegroups.com
Cc: TuckWayne<Wayne...@whitehorse.ca>; PaulDavis<pauls...@yahoo.ca>
Forest Pearson
Oct 5, 2011, 1:46:30 AM10/5/11
to ttwhit...@googlegroups.com
I already got one, and actually use it....if you ever saw one on downtown on the streets, it was probably me.
but getting studded tires on xtracycle is kinda making the spark dormant - I can haul the kid plus beer plus grocieries all winter long ;-)
-Forest Pearson
“Love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.” —Jack Layton, August 20, 2011
http://forestpearson.blogspot.com/
“Love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.” —Jack Layton, August 20, 2011
http://forestpearson.blogspot.com/
Sent: Tuesday, October 4, 2011 10:24:50 PM
Stephanie Starks
Oct 5, 2011, 3:49:24 PM10/5/11
to ttwhit...@googlegroups.com
I’ve read that in Scandinavia there are issues with cyclists being disrespectful of pedestrians, so things are rarely black and white. I agree that bike trails in Whse not adjacent to roads would be wonderful.
Stephanie
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