Have I mentioned helmetography on these pages yet?

Helmetography is what Aixe Djelal in Portland, OR calls her accidental photography as she rides around with her helmet-mounted Contour camera. The camera is programmed to shoot a photo every five seconds. She selects the best and posts them to her blog, Bicycle Head.

Her photos are generally much better than mine. I use a GoPro Hero2, which also has a five second intervalometer function. The above was shot last night during my commute on the Guadalupe River Trail in San Jose, California.

Hi all,

Last week I briefly tipped you in on an exciting new project I’m working on with local bike fashion blogger Lady Fleur, the San Jose Bike Train.

Bike train is a social bike commute designed especially to encourage newcomers by addressing route selection, personal safety and other concerns. San Jose Bike Train is a low-speed (~10 to 12 MPH), no-drop ride. We’re working hard to remove the intimidation factor, so people of all abilities, shapes, sizes, apparel and equipment are encouraged to participate.

Lady Fleur, a couple of other local volunteers and I will lead a twice-monthly “bike train” from San Jose Diridon Station to destinations along the Guadalupe River Trail beginning next Wednesday, February 5, 2014. The Willow Glen start location marked on the map won’t happen until March.

If you work near Hedding @ 1st, San Jose International Airport, Technology Drive, River Oaks, and the San Jose North 1st area, this ride is for you. A ride leader will take you to the front door of your office if you need help with the route. I will also lead a spur to Oracle’s Santa Clara campus on Agnew Road.

Meet Wednesday at 8:15 A.M. in front of the #2 bus bay just outside of the north “side” entrance at Diridon Station. This is the Amtrak bus shelter shown in this photo. We now depart from Bel Bacio Cafe in San Jose’s historic Little Italy, located directly off of the Guadalupe River Trail between St John and Julian Streets. Anyone is welcome to join our pre-ride coffee klatch from about 7:50 until ride departure.

We will wait for Caltrain 314 to arrive in San Jose and give you time to disembark from the train. We’ll do this rain or shine, but please watch me on Twitter for last minute cancellations or changes on the morning of. I’ll also watch Twitter for appeals to wait up a few minutes if you’re running late. Please ensure your bike is in working condition before your arrival at Diridon Station.

Depending on who shows up, we might very well make a coffee stop in Little Italy before continuing north. We begin very ride at Bel Bacio now. Let me know if you need help getting from transit to Bel Bacio.

This is a great opportunity to prepare for Bike to Work Day coming up in May. Please pass word along to your friends who work along this route and can make their way to Diridon Station.

Hedding Street trafic calming tl/dr summary

• Hedding Street reduced from four lanes to three lanes as a traffic calming project through a mostly residential area.
• As a bonus, bike lanes added.
• Traffic calming successful as speed reduced with minimal impact on throughput.
• But motorists driving through complain anyway. Numerous news reports since then highlight this as a bicycle lane project.
• San Jose Mayor candidate Dave Cortese now brings up Hedding Street as an example of an “out of touch” administration who, in fact, responded with resident concerns about traffic and safety. Current San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed now on record saying it’s time to re-examine city’s commitment to bike projects. No word from Cortese on what he plans to do in response to the 26 pedestrian fatalities in San Jose last year.
• Please contact the mayor and, if applicable, your local councilmember to let them know you support San Jose’s livability initiatives. Contact information at the very bottom of this article.

Hedding Street bike lane history

In 2012, the city of San Jose proposed a traffic calming 4-to-3 lane reduction for Hedding Street, an important east-west arterial that carries 16,500 vehicles per day. The Transportation Research Board Highway Capacity Manual shows three lanes is plenty for that kind of traffic volume, although the city did predict increased congestion during the peak commute at a couple of intersections.

The then-existing four lanes on Hedding would be replaced with two traffic lanes, a center turn lane, and wide bike lane on both sides of the street between the Guadalupe River Trail and 17th Streets. Residents along Hedding Street were overwhelmingly in favor of the traffic calming project with one exception: they objected to the proposed removal of street parking.

As a compromise, 3rd District representative Sam Liccardo proposed a green bike lane for much of the length of the project “to provide a visual differentiation from auto traffic lanes.” The city council approved of this compromise and now we have green bike lanes on Hedding Street.

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The city of San Jose active transportation program has announced a free bike helmet and light giveaway just in time for this Friday’s Ugly Sweater Ride.

Like the graphic says: adults only, must have bike, first come first serve in front of the MLK Library on San Fernando Street. My wife tells me I’ll be at a Christmas party with friends on Friday night but perhaps I can sneak by downtown first to shoot photos of this giveaway.

Here’s a tip: If you don’t need the helmet or light, don’t snag an extra for yourself just because it’s free. Leave it for somebody else who might not be able to afford an inexpensive light. Okay?