Friday can get Freaky...

[Edward Huls]

Fellow Bicycle Advocates~

Yesterday, I named "Freaky Friday" 'cuz of several reasons:

> most people, I'd say 80% of the population, work some dead-end 9-5 JOB (just over broke) and long for, cannot wait for, the "weekend".

> Friday's have come to be known as TGIF - "Thank God it's Friday"

> most people finish work, jump in their cars, and push hard to race home, or else to their favourite watering-hole, and lose themselves in drink and/or "emotional-comfort" food

> traffic during the week is pretty intense, yet on Friday's it can become "off da hook"!!

> bumper-to-bumper, irritability, anxiousness, frustration, anger, and "road-rage" become more evident

 I love my bicycle and bicycling.  It pretty much eliminates all of the above for me.  It serves me well as a "stress-buster", a healthy & strong body-builder, and as a "moving meditation" to quiet the mind, relax the heart, and center the breath.

I am so very proud and happy to be part of the bicycling community here in Hawaii, here in Honolulu ~ as well as being a member of the very pro-active MACB - Mayor's Advisory Committee on Bicycling.  And to have been part of the movement to get the "King St. Cycle Track" done, overjoys me.  Kudos to Mayor Kirk Caldwell, Chris Sayers, Mike Formby.

I ride the Cycle-Track most every day.  Yesterday was Friday and I rode the Cycle-Track from downtown to McCully (hung a right and into Waikiki).  For whatever reason, the one dynamic, danger, problem, and/or challenge came up for me not just once, nor twice, but five(5) times !!!  And that was out of the norm.

The dynamic, as those of you who ride the Cycle-Trac know all too well, is that of the motorist whom is turning left and crossing the Cycle-Track.  It happens at the inter-sections: Ward Ave, Piikoi, Kalakaua, Punahou, McCully, as well as other smaller streets and driveways leading into stores (i.e. Times Market et al).  The "turn", and anticipation of it, happens as you are blasting down King St. heading Diamond Head, plugging along at a good pace, keeping-up with traffic, noticing the upcoming left-turn, looking to your right noting if there are any cars in that left lane, and if there are, slowing down and hoping to get "eye-contact" with that motorist who is opposite you, to make certain that he or she notices that you are present, and then crossing that intersection with caution.

Yesterday, "Freaky Friday", on 5 separate occasions, that moment presented itself and on all 5 occasions the driver did not look at me. did not see me, and turned left without slowing down, and eyes straight-ahead.  Twice, I screeched my brakes to slow down.

We still gotta' ride with our "antennae"-up, with a complete "360-degree awareness", eyes, ears, mind wide opened.  Motorists, 80% of motorists, are unconscious, are locked-in to "other things" whilst driving their "killing machines" (i.e. smartPhones, texting, the radio/CD player,  children in the back-seat, et al).  This seems to be exacerbated on Fridays.  Please be careful, be vigilant, take nothing for granted.

Tomorrow, Sunday, we on the newly conceived MACB sub-committee named BTRT - Bike Theft Reduction Team (spear-headed by two new committee members, Soha & Sentwali), are getting together at the "Fresh Cafe", downtown at 3:00.  Any of you who wanna' do a drive-by, by all means, join us.  Include it in your Sunday afternoon bicycle outing...

http://www.freshcafehi.com/#about

*footnote:  Chris, Mike, Mayor Caldwell:  we really got to get the "makai-mauka" & "mauka-makai" streets hooked-up with "safe" bike-ways, and sooner than later !!    It seems to be getting harrier and more dangerous every time I'm riding one of these streets ~ I cannot wait to get to the safety of either my old friend, Young St., or my new friend, King St.

Cheers,

~Edward~

Mo'PoB - More People on Bikes

Edward Huls

Hawaii Fun Promotions

Ph #(808)227-2765

Email:  hawaiifun...@gmail.com

[Maaza Mekuria]

Ed thank you for your enthusiasm, it is infectious.

We have discussed the dangers associated with the traffic dynamics and the temptation to think cars and bikes are compatible at the speeds we like to ride especially on facilities such as the King Street cycle - track .  You are experiencing what is exactly expected on such facilities without the proper provisions i.e. separate signal phase.  The blind spot of the drivers is their assumption of no other users are entitled to the facility.   Yet we bikers are those that get the heavy physical injury and loss of life.  Therefore without adequate protection opening such a facility by the city seems to me a call to arms with a stick against another who is holding machine guns.  King Street has too much traffic to be useful for dri

That brings me the other question of forbidding riding on the sidewalk when

[Edward Huls]

Maaza~

Yes, passion can be infectious.  I'm not quite certain where you're going with the following train-of-thought 'cuz it stops abruptly in mid-sentence:

"Therefore without adequate protection opening such a facility by the city seems to me a call to arms with a stick against another who is holding machine guns.  King Street has too much traffic to be useful for dri

That brings me the other question of forbidding riding on the sidewalk when"

I'm not sure, but I believe that the path you're taking is that the "King St. Cycle Track" is premature, unsafe, and needs to be fine-tuned before bicyclists are permitted to use it?  Is this where you were going?

If so, please know that I, and others, have been riding the "mean streets" of Honolulu for 15+ years.  That I've become a "road warrior", not so much by choice but by necessity.  As bicyclists, our skill-level, our coordination, our physical and mental acuity is much higher than the average, slovenly motorist ~ If not, it had better be or else you should not be riding a bicycle.

We are a hardier, more resilient, more toughened lot, cut from a different cloth.   Bicycling is not for whimps !!  The "King St. Cycle Track" is awesome.  It's so much more than what we've had.  Yes, it can be fine-tuned and it shall be.  Soon the new lights will be installed along with "clever" signs posted along the route.  

Soon the "Beretania St. Cycle Track", heading Diamond Head to Ewa, will begin its construction.  And subsequent to that, the "makai-mauka" and "mauka-makai" hookups, making for an uninterrupted, safer, bicycling experience.

So please make up your mind ~ "Are you with us, or agin' us"?!...

Peace out,

~Edward~

Mo'PoB - More People on Bikes

[Maaza Mekuria]

Aloha, Ed:

I believe this is not joining a political party or endorsing a platform.  I have made up my mind my brother, I am not with anybody else. I am expressing my thoughts about a practical issue that needs to be addressed.  You think differently on the issue, I accept that.   

I am a member of Hawaii Bicycle League,  American Public Works Association, Institute of transportation Engineers,  Transportation Research Board, Hawaii Government Employees Association, Fellowship of St. James etc.  But I don't have to agree with everything that they are supporting and endorsing.  I am an engineer by training and I try, as best as I can, to have a dispassionate interest in the subject so that I can be useful not for political or personal reasons but for what I was trained for, professional engineering.  I am ethically bound to to say this is a wonderful thing when it is and vice-versa. You expressed your safety concerns and I offered a view point from my back ground on what is wrong here what might be the solution.  

You can disagree with me and I am willing to learn from you. But it makes me feel that I am in a mob when I can't disagree with what I see as being "Red" being called "Green". I think you would want me to "THINK" and I would also like to keep "THINKING", if you don't mind. I don't leave my mind behind anywhere I go, even what I consider to be the most holy and sacred place, the presence of God.  I have never been asked to leave my mind behind and enter empty headed anywhere. That is one reason I dislike alcohol or any thing else that would rob me of the ability to be rational.  I believe I am given this precious gift to think, learn and live honestly.  I don't want to ever leave home without it or sell it to the highest bidder. 

Mahalo Nui Loa,

[Edward Huls]

Dude~  your affiliations with all these various groups is off-da hook, impressive to say the least.  Hopefully you can honour and support all of them and not let any one of them get watered-down ~ but then again, there are only so many hours in the day, days in the week, weeks in the year, and years in our lifetime.   My mission is to optimize the remaining years I have left on the Planet and fill them with fun in the Sun.  One of my most respected teachers is Groucho Marx. who lived his life, I believe, much the way I do mine ~ "balls to da wall", never taking anything  too seriously, a certain amount of measured irreverence, and "always leave them laughing"!!    I subscribe to Groucho's motto:  "Any club or organization that wants me as its member, I don't want to be a member of".      You are very serious about certain issues, it's obvious. I truly do appreciate an independent free thinker.   You are educated and wise.  Whether or not you are "street wise" or not, I don't know 'cuz I've never met you nor have had a chance to sit down have a beer with you.  But with you not being a drinker of "adult beverges", then that ain't gonna' happen.  Historically, if I can't have a drink with a man, then I usually cannot befriend him nor do business with him.   And then you bring "God" Into this conversation, and maybe that's how you roll, but not me.  Yes, my God rides bicycle and has, so far, kept a watchful eye, and protective wing over me.  She has been very nurturing to me.  Anywayze, we've got a 3:00 BTPT subcommittee meeting tomorrow, Sunday afternoon ~ you gonna' be there?...   Cheers, ~Edward/ Mo'PoB~

[Aydee Zielke]

Please take me off of this email chain.

Thank you!

Aydee Zielke, LEED Green Associate, USURP Co-Chair

Master of Urban & Regional Planning Candidate

The University of Hawai'i at Manoa

Teaching Assistant for Daniele Spirandelli, PhD

PLAN 620 Environmental Planning

[Wayson Kobelansky]

Aloha All:

We must remember that the Cycle Track is a two year pilot program which allows for room to grow and experiment. We did discuss the ramifications of automobiles making left hand turns across the Cycle Track and overflow at main intersections that motorist will impede bicyclist crossing. Chris Sayer indicated during our meeting that signage for will be placed at main intersections to warn motorist of their responsibilities. All other left turns and concerns along the route were discuss but not thoroughly resolved.  Hopefully bicyclist and motorist will be heads-up in these situations.  The Cycle Track is not a perfect solution to integrating bicyclist and motorist but it is a step in the right direct. Bicyclist are using it and that is a good thing to keep the program alive. Hopefully the knowledge gain on King Street will help in future Cycle Track development.

Aloha,

Wayson

Sent from my iPhone