ABC Ride: Wednesday, August 27, from behind the IHOP in Milford

[Joel Arbeitman]

Hi everyone.

The Ashland Bike Club’s next ride has been scheduled for this Wednesday, August 27 at 10:30 a.m. from the IHOP in Milford.

GPS Address:  17 Medway Rd (Route 109), Milford, Ma (park behind IHOP off Veterans Memorial Drive)

Route Name:  ABC – Milford, Hopedale, Mendon, Blackstone, Bellingham

Ride Rating:
Distance:  Moderate (24.7)
Elevation:  Challenging (61)
Total Gain: 1501 feet
Steepest:  7.7%

Wednesday’s Weather
WEDNESDAY’s forecast promises a beautiful sunny day, temperatures between 68 and 73, and a light breeze.  It looks like perfect riding weather!!

The Ride
ABC’s super-sweep John Connor discovered this great route while out riding on his own during the pandemic.  After a quick mile on a bike path, we’ll make our way on some semi-busy Milford roads for a couple of miles, but then we’ll explore some very rural backroads.

Although ABC has done rides with more climbing, this is one of the hilliest rides we do.  If you hope to get stronger on the hills, ride more hills.  This ride will make you work but it will also make you a better hill climber and a stronger rider even on flatter rides.

En route, we’ll pass through the Quisset Wildlife area although the only lions, tigers, and bears we’re likely to see will be escapees from the Southwick Zoo in Mendon where we have a rest stop scheduled.

We’ll also stop at a small bridge over the Charles River to take in some remarkably pristine wilderness.  Walking your bike across the bridge (there are no railings) is probably a good idea unless you’re planning to take a dip (or wash your bike) in the Charles!

Finally, after still more country roads, we’ll finish the last mile of our ride back on the Upper Charles Trail.

A post-ride lunch might be a possibility if you’re interested.

And, we expect to be joined on our ride by a very special mystery guest whom we have not seen heidi nor hair of in about a year! Please don’t ask for hints.

Here’s a link to a map of Wednesday’s hilly route:  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37554388

You can print our “official cue sheet” for the ride by clicking the link above, then click “More”, then click “Print Map and Cue PDF”, and finally click “Print Official”.

Off the Route
Our “Off the Route” feature includes interesting topics that we think are worth sharing with the ABC cycling community.  Please let us know what you think.

Ashland Bike Club Radio
Simon and Garfunkel – At the Zoo

CBS Fails the ABC Test
There’s an old saying in the news business that “if it bleeds, it leads.”  Cover the most dramatic news events and you generate more “eyeballs” and more revenue.

Last Tuesday, a woman and her baby being pushed in a stroller were hit by a car while crossing Route 126 where it intersects with Route 135 in Framingham. The woman suffered some broken bones and the baby received a bad scratch.  Both are expected to make a full recovery.

The pedestrians were crossing in a crosswalk and had the walk signal.  The van had a green light.  This type of intersection is governed by what is called “concurrent signals”. At no time, though, is it legal for a vehicle to fail to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk.  The driver has been charged with a “crosswalk violation.” CBS did a good job highlighting the preceding facts but totally failed to provide even an iota of policy analysis about what improvement might be considered to enhance public safety.  For example, should Massachusetts do away with these “concurrent signals”? This, by the way, should also raise questions about the safety of “right turn on red” and how that impacts (pun intended) both pedestrians and cyclists. CBS? Crickets!

But there were more problems visible in the CBS video (see link below) that CBS totally failed to see or comment on. Let’s look at these.

Pause the video at the 1:49 mark and check out the young man on the e-bike waiting to cross Route 135 using the crosswalk. You can tell it’s an e-bike because the bike starts moving forward (at 1:50) and his feet are not on the pedals. He started from the sidewalk and then appears to return to the sidewalk after crossing the road.  It is not legal to ride an e-bike on the sidewalk in Massachusetts!  CBS? Crickets?

The rider was clearly not wearing a helmet.  Massachusetts law requires all e-bike riders to wear a helmet regardless of age.  For non-e-bike riders, helmets must be worn by riders under the age of 17. CBS? Crickets!

And, finally, this little CBS omission. Watch the pedestrian signal when the e-biker begins crossing the road in the crosswalk.  It appears he correctly waited for the walk signal before he started riding through the crosswalk. But, just before he reached the other side, the signal turned “red” (at 1:54). You have someone riding at e-bike speed and they couldn’t make it all the way across the intersection before the signal changed. Imagine, now, a mother pushing a stroller, or an elderly person, or parents walking with a very young child, or someone with a physical ailment. Is the amount of time provided to get across the intersection adequate? CBS? Crickets!

I’m glad CBS “covered” this story but ABC, our ABC, is giving them a big fat “F” for their lousy, incomplete coverage. What are your thoughts?

Check out the article (with included video):  https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/video/concerns-about-traffic-safety-in-framingham-after-a-woman-pushing-a-stroller-is-hit-in-the-crosswalk/

Beam me up, Scottie!!
There’s an old joke that emanated from the old Star Trek series that said “Beam me up, Scottie, there’s no intelligent life down here.”

An average of 40,000 Americans die every single year in roadway accidents. This is kind of like fighting a war and losing 40,000 soldiers every year. At least with warfare, someone, however misguided, might have thought the war was a good idea.  No one seems to be happy with all the roadway deaths we keep seeing and, yet, the numbers never seem to improve. Apparently there really is no intelligent life down here.

But, though it’s little more than a drop in the bucket, a new law was just passed (effective 2029) in the state of Washington called the BEAM law. It raises all kinds of points worth discussing. The BEAM law states that “repeat speeding offenders” and “reckless drivers” must get technology installed in their cars that would limit the speed they could drive to no more than the posted speed limit. I have no idea how the law would be enforced if they drove someone else’s car or rented a car.

So, what do you think about this law? Will it reduce speeding and the death and destruction speeding often causes? And, let’s go really crazy, should this “speed control device” be installed in all non-emergency (police, fire, ambulances) vehicles? We post speed limits for a reason.  Is it “imposing on our freedoms” to actually try to enforce them using technology? Is this “big brother controlling our lives” or should we demand major reductions in roadway deaths and injuries?

Personally, I’m all for civil liberties and maximum freedom IF WE CAN FIND LESS OPPRESSIVE SOLUTIONS.  If not, more restrictions are needed.

What are your thoughts about using technology to control speeding? Is it too intrusive or just what the doctor ordered? It’s just possible sometime soon that this could be “coming to a theater near you.”

Check out the article about Washington’s new BEAM law:  https://www.lagradaonline.com/us/washington-beam-law-speeding-technology

Please remember to check your email after 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday to make sure the ride was not cancelled or postponed due to weather or other reasons and … don’t forget those helmets. 

See you Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. behind the IHOP in Milford.  Don’t miss this one … it should be great!

Joel