April 2, 20121 Comment on A more pragmatic high speed rail plan
The California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) announced a new proposal that reduces costs while promising more immediate benefits during a press conference this morning.
December 21, 20113 Comments on Facebook transportation plan
As Facebook continues moving their people to their new Menlo Park campus (and the location of my former office), people in Menlo Park and East Palo Alto express concerns about the traffic generated through their towns.
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October 25, 20115 Comments on Transit and traffic congestion
Reminder: Transportation networks are built for people, not cars.
September 1, 20111 Comment on Google’s green transpo cred
Google’s Transportation Operations Manager, Brendon Harrington, says about 40% of Googleplex employees in Mountain View, CA get to work via modes other than driving in this video in which he brags about Google’s alternative transportation programs.
August 4, 20114 Comments on Open discussion: Bicycle access on trains
I wrote a post on my new blog, Grid Chicago, about bicycle access on transit in Chicagoland. It’s that metropolitan area with Chicago, Illinois, as a hub and reaches to a small part of southeast Wisconsin and northwest Indiana. We’ve got Metra trains (like Caltrain), and Chicago Transit Authority trains (like BART and Muni underground lines).
There are definitely ways to improve getting bikes on trains over here, and I opened up the discussion to readers to suggest improvements. I’m going to record everyone’s comments into a database so that when it comes time to push the transit agencies to make changes, we’ll know where to start.
July 23, 20111 Comment on Rave On
My son attends Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Tex and has finally given up on keeping his old Dodge RAM pickup running. For many months now I have been gently guiding him toward the bicycle as a form of transportation in a town not known for elevation changes.
Of the three bikes hanging in the garage, I gave him the choice of the three. He is built to be a road cyclist with the metabolism of a hummingbird and the lithe frame of an endurance athlete, and while he did choose my favorite road bike, he is not yet comfortable with drop bars.
This morning’s task was moving parts around all three bikes to make him one helluva lean flat bar road bike. Unlike other ‘hybrids’, this one truly is a road bike, with the geometry and road calipers vs. V-brakes (my preference). I don’t know why I didn’t do this before. The good news is that not only will he be saving a load of cash and staying healthier, but the 9 speed group that was on this bike are now on my other bike. No need to go buy stuff!
Wait, it gets better.
My LBS is a mail-order/online house mostly, but has a small showroom with the best peeps on the local scene. As it turns out, while down there picking up the FD for the bike build, the guy who helped me spent four years at TTU and grew up in southeastern New Mexico, making Lubbock a larger city nearby. I am not concerned with my son’s ability to ride a bike, but I am interested in the commuting climate, security on campus, and the bike shops in the area.
He knows the shop owners, the clubs, and the environment. Talk about a sign. I’ll be driving the bike down to Buddy Holly’s hometown in a few weeks and will take an extra bike for a ride down there myself. Lots of pictures to come and hopefully continuing good news of bicycle adventures in north Texas.