Hump Day

Parts of Texas is into day 40 with high temperatures above 100 degrees, and they’re well on track to beat their previous 42 day record set in 1980. When a strong high pressure like the one over Texas occurs, instability around the edges of the system can results in storms along that periperhy. That’s why we have rain and thunderstorms along northern Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas today.

That Texas high pressure is so strong it’s even affecting our weather in California half a continent away. Our summer has been unusually cool, especially along the coast, because of a strong onshore flow. The US National Climate Center says July was the most extreme on record.

Yay fun. Bike news below the fold.


Pirate riders


Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (which includes Santa Cruz) wants more accurate bike traffic counts.

Traffic planners have long known how to count cars, a critical task when it comes to designing road projects and deciding which ones to fund.

But bicycle planning has long been guided as much by intuition and experience as it has the cold, hard eye of evidence. With millions of dollars pouring into local bike projects, some planners are working to change that.

The Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments, a regional planning body, is developing a bicycle planning tool that analyzes traffic counts, route data gathered through Android and iPhone apps, inventories of existing bike facilities and a statewide survey of travel behavior to improve planning for bicyclists. The hope is people will switch to more environmentally friendly modes of transportation.

AMBAG’s deadline for proposals to develop this app was Tuesday evening. I wish I paid closer attention and noticed this sooner — I could’ve submitted a proposal on this.

Sunday Streets San Francisco returns to the Tenderloin this weekend.

VTA updates Santa Clara bikeways map for 2011.

Bike Party spreads to the Peninsula, with rides planned Saturday August 27 and Friday September 30. Bike Party began in San Jose and has spread to San Francisco, the East Bay and, more recently, to Santa Cruz.

Slate: Carbon cost of bike commute.

Ontario Medical Association says cities must redouble efforts on bike lanes.

David Suzuki: Bike infrastructure pays dividends.

I’m pretty sure I don’t like this “bike safety” campaign in Florida. I’m glad Florida bike advocates agree: “It uses combat iconography,” said Brad Kuhn, director of Bike/Walk Central Florida. “You get a tank versus a guy in Spandex.”

Why HTC Highroad was a success.

Pizza delivery by electric cargo bike. Unbelievably, I still see people delivering pizza by SUV.

Stay cool, y’all.

One Comment

  1. It really isn’t as bad in Texas as those lot will try to tell you. Everyone know they are famous for tall tales.

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