“Safe Cycling 4 Kids” Oct. 2000 VHS video showing how even young children can learn to bicycle safely on-road

(L to R) 10-1/4 Theresa, Verna, & Annie, 13, posing during on-road training just before navigating a four-way stop on 25 mph Frost Ave., Ferguson.
Still image captured from VHS video.

This video was originally shot in October 2000 during a program to promote bicycle transportation and reduce air pollution. The multi-year pilot project was funded mainly by a Federal Highways Administration grant awarded competitively through East-West Gateway Council of Governments, the St. Louis regional metropolitan planning organization, with additional support from the City of Ferguson in North St. Louis County, Missouri, USA. It was mainly aimed at adults to encourage a switch from motoring to bicycling, but a few young cyclists were also enrolled at the request of their parents.

In the class featured in this video, three girls from the same family, 10-1/4 Theresa, 13-year-old Annie, and 15-year-old Sarah James, participated, together with an adult cyclist, Verna Eastman. The course began with classroom instruction, including video and handouts and a 20 question knowledge pre-test. After the course the written test was repeated. [Please see below following the video for test results.]

This was followed by bike handling practice on the First Baptist Church of Ferguson parking lot when empty. It included riding along a straight line while scanning behind, as well as the preferred way to start and stop, and emergency maneuvers aimed at reducing the likelihood of a fall.

Finally, participants were led onto a course covering adjacent roads, starting with low-trafficked residential streets and working up to 4-lane arterials with 35 mph speed limits.

The results were informative.

15-year-old Sarah dropped out of the course before the start of the on-road portion, which wasn’t entirely surprising. Sarah’s focus was on learning to drive a car and she didn’t perceive the value of this course, even though much of it is transferable.

Her two younger sisters, Theresa and Annie, remained and were good students who were generally confident even when cycling in heavier traffic. That contrasted occasionally with Verna, who despite being a fit and mature motorist, showed a reluctance to control the lane when necessary on one occasion. This is often symptomatic of less-experienced or novice adult cyclists, who find bicycling on-road in traffic intimidating when compared to driving a car.

I admit to having felt the same way for many years myself when I started cycling to work in the late 1960s in England, and unable to find good information about safe cycling in traffic. I only became an informed and confident on-road cyclist after reading John Forester’s 1984 edition of Effective Cycling after starting a job in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, a book recommended by local cycling enthusiast, Bob Soetebier, to whom I’m indebted.

The video featured in this blog is in VHS format dating back to 2000, and lacks the quality attainable with today’s 2012 technology, but contains lessons that are still relevant. The original video commentary I recorded has been updated for this blog, and the commentary text is reproduced below.

Safe Cycling 4 Kids 2000-2

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20 question Pre-test vs Post-test comparative results (%):

Theresa: 60/85
Annie:    85/100
Sarah:    55/-
Verna:    75/95

Video commentary:

1. A convoy of cars and trucks on the road

2. Choreographed

3. Performing a sheet metal ballet

4. Bicyclists can join in

5. They just need to learn the rules

6. 10-1/4 year old Theresa, Verna, and 13-year-old Annie were videotaped after 8 hours of classroom, parking lot, and on-road instruction.
Intersections and turning movements are where the risks of vehicle collisions are greatest, so that is where practice is concentrated, starting with easier intersections first.

7. Theresa gives a left turn signal after stopping before turning left onto Frost, and also scans behind for a safe gap in traffic before making her U-turn. But she also makes several mistakes which are pointed out, such as not dismounting when stopped, and she repeats the exercise until getting it right.

8. Annie makes several mistakes, scooting to start and not scanning behind before turning, but is in the correct lane position for making a LT [= Left Turn], and gives a LT signal to show her intention.
She stops correctly, stepping down onto her right foot while waiting her turn, and starts correctly using the Power Pedal while simultaneously lifting herself onto the saddle.

9. Annie scans behind repeatedly for a safe gap in traffic before making a U-turn.

10. Annie stops correctly at the stop bar at the 4-way stop, again lifting her Power Pedal for a fast start when it’s her turn.

11. Turning right from the Lake Pembroke subdivision and making a LT at a stop light on a major 4-lane arterial isn’t difficult or dangerous if you understand and follow the basic principles of correctly yielding, judging a safe gap, and lane positioning.

12. This view, looking south, shows Verna waiting for a safe gap in traffic to her left. Before starting off, it’s also important to check to the right for any pedestrian or wrong-way cyclist.
Wrong-way cyclists are at risk of being hit by right turning motorists or bicyclists who are not expecting anyone approaching from their right.

13. After turning right from Frost on a green arrow Theresa fails to give a LT signal to indicate her intention to merge left in preparation for a LT, although her subsequent position in lane conveys that. And both Theresa and Annie incorrectly remain seated when stopped.

14. Annie is controlling the lane on a downhill stretch of 25 mph N. Elizabeth Ave. approaching the junction with Hudson Dr. where she plans to turn left.

15. Annie follows a path making her clearly visible to following drivers whilst signaling for a left turn onto Hudson Dr. just beyond the bend.

16. Theresa, leading, is not controlling the lane until already in the bend but does scan behind for a safe gap. Verna is only able to merge after the following motorist slows after seeing Theresa preparing to turn left ahead.

17. On this second approach to the bend Theresa scans behind earlier and after checking there’s a safe gap she merges left after giving a hand signal.
Scanning again, she sees the motorist close behind and confirms her intention by repeating the left turn signal and maintaining her position in lane.

18. For the benefit of a motorist waiting to exit Hudson, onto which she intends to turn, Theresa gives a LT signal and in the absence of oncoming traffic, she completes her LT.

19. This is a challenging intersection to cross, and turning right and doing a cyclist’s U-turn would actually be a better option.
Going uphill means a slow start and Annie only has a few seconds warning for a car from the blind bend to her left. Traffic from Hudson opposite also often turns left. ….
Annie has raised her Power Pedal and sprints across Elizabeth as soon as a safe gap appears.

20. How is it possible to cross Hereford on a bike with this amount of traffic?
In fact, because this is a staggered junction and one turns right from Adelle before turning left onto Nancy , it’s only necessary to cross 2 lanes of same-direction traffic at a time.
Verna demonstrates this, turning right onto Hereford when there’s a safe gap in traffic from her left, immediately moving into the inside lane, and then waiting for a safe gap in oncoming traffic to complete her turn onto Nancy.

21. Here, Annie is controlling her bike well while going slowly uphill in low gear, waiting for a safe gap in oncoming traffic before turning left.

22. Verna positions herself just to the right of the center line for a LT onto Nancy. Hereford has four 12 ft. wide lanes, so a bus or truck would either have to change lanes if safe or wait behind Verna, just as they would for a motorist. However, because a 12 ft. lane is narrow for sharing even with cars, a safer option is for the cyclist to simply control the lane.
It really isn’t all that difficult, once you learn and have mastered the basic rules of Safe Cycling on the Road.

Diana Lewiston’s “Bicycling in Traffic” curriculum for 13-year-old school children

Diana Lewiston taught a very comprehensive school-based bike education course for 13-year-olds as a Physical Education elective in the 1980s and early 1990s in Palo Alto, California, middle schools. I got to know about it and help her marginally with a problem she was having with baby alarms which were interfering with the walkie-talkies with which each student was equipped, attached to their helmets, during all the on-bike sessions.

Even though I was at the time a fairly knowledgeable on-road cyclist, having commuted to work by bike since the late 1960s, starting in England, I still learned valuable lessons from her curriculum which I subsequently incorporated into my own classes when I became a League of American Bicyclsts cycling instructor in 1997 and started teaching adults and the occasional young cyclist.

Among them was the Cyclist’s U-Turn, which is handy when wanting to turn left from a side street onto a busy multi-lane road, for example (please see page 18). Especially useful for the novice waiting to enter a stream of traffic is estimating when there’s a safe gap. Instead of trying to estimate the speed and distance of an approaching motor vehicle, the time it takes in seconds for that vehicle to arrive determines a safe gap, the minimum for safety being roughly 6 secs., depending on road conditions. (Please see page 5.)

Diana Lewiston recently gave me her generous permission to copy and disseminate her curriculum via this blog. I’ve copied each page as a jpeg and strung them out in order below. Altogether they total 54 pages, including 39 pages of detailed activities and 11 pages of appendices and other material, including the road map and a summary of each day’s course activities, which comprised 45 minutes each consecutive school day for 4 weeks, according to this curriculum.

Of those activities, the first 6 sessions were classroom-based, but most of the rest was on-bike, either parking lot or on-road, with the emphasis on the latter.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Although the material is copyrighted, it may be reproduced and used for the purpose intended provided only that this blog (thinkbicyclingblog.wordpress.com) is referenced as the source and Diana Lewiston is credited as the author and copyright holder.

The entire document is reproduced page by page below. It has also been saved as a single pdf document of file size 15.4 MB which may be downloaded: bicycling_in_traffic_lewiston_1988

P.S. On page 8 Diana Lewiston describes two methods for starting a bike from rest: the Rodeo start and the Step Over start. The first of these is a faster start and when I lived in England that was the only one I typically saw used. However, as John S. Allen, a highly knowledgeable cyclist, has pointed out, it is rather an unstable method and uses a good deal of lateral space on the road as the cyclist throws a leg over the frame.

John Allen prefers the Step Over start, where the cyclist is standing stably over the frame with one foot firmly on the ground. When ready to start the cyclist presses down on what Diana Lewiston refers to as the “power pedal” – the cyclist’s preferred starting pedal. This is demonstrated by Theresa James in the blog BIKE START-STOP MOVIE [or Around the world by bike in 4 seconds!]

Encouraging city & police cooperation with legal bicyclists on narrow multi-lane roads

This came about as a result of my being pulled over by a local police officer in Ferguson, North St. Louis County, where I live. I was controlling the 12 ft. curb lane on a four-lane MoDOT maintained 35 mph arterial road, heading south towards the Ferguson business district, when a platoon of cars caught up and passed me at around 11 am on a Monday morning. However, I observed what appeared to be a police car staying in lane behind me. A short time later I heard what sounded like a request to move over.

By a remarkable coincidence, I was passing the home of two local bicycling enthusiasts and one of them, Ms. Blue Tapp Scheffer, who works from home, heard the policeman’s order. Minutes later, Ms. Scheffer sent the following e-mail to local cyclists, as well as to Mr. John Shaw, Ferguson city manager, and Councilman Dwayne James, who has been promoting Active & Health Living in the community:

Hey everybody ~
A cyclist just passed my house (it might have been Martin) with a police car right behind him.  I think it was a Ferguson police car.  As they passed my house I heard the police officer say on his speaker “Get out of the middle of the lane” to the cyclist.   Martin, was that you?  I’m pretty mad about it and I hope we can find out more about what was going on. We need to make sure that Ferguson police officers know that we can be cycling in the middle of the lane!!!
~ Blue

Blue Tapp Scheffer
Blue’s ArtHouse Graphics & Web Design
705 North Florissant Road

I responded by moving into the inside lane and waving the police car to pass.

Instead the driver merged into the lane alongside me, causing me to swerve further left. The police officer told me to pull over to the side of the road. At that point I was just to the right of the median, which was an uncomfortable and potentially dangerous situation with little clearance between me and the police car, so I pulled off the road at the first opportunity, into the entrance to the First Baptist Church of Ferguson.

That led to a polite exchange with the police officer in which I stated that my position controlling the lane was consistent with an exception in both state and local laws which allow lane control when too narrow to be shared with a (motor) vehicle. N. Florissant Rd. at this point has a 12 foot wide curb/outside lane and 11 foot wide inside lane.

Section 307.190 in the Missouri State Statutes, on-line at http://www.modot.org/othertransportation/bike_ped/documents/MO_bikelaw_120505_000.pdf, with the relevant wording italicized in white text below, states:

307.190. Riding To Right, Required For Bicycles And Motorized Bicycles

Every person operating a bicycle or motorized bicycle at less than the posted speed or slower than the f low of traffic upon a street or highway shall ride as near to the right side of the roadway as safe, exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction, except when making a left turn, when avoiding hazardous conditions, when the lane is too narrow to share with another vehicle or when on a one-way street. Bicyclists may ride abreast when not impeding other vehicles.

Here’s the comparable section in the City of Ferguson’s municipal code, on-line at http://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientId=10768:

Sec. 44-364. – Riding on roadways.

Every person operating a bicycle or motorized bicycle at less than the posted speed or slower than the flow of traffic upon a street or highway shall ride as near to the right side of the roadway as safe, exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction, except when making a left turn, when avoiding hazardous conditions, when the lane is too narrow to share with another vehicle, or when on a one-way street. Bicyclists may ride abreast when not impeding other vehicles.

(Code 1973, § 42.92.3(2), (3); Ord. No. 96-2809, § 1, 1-9-96)
State law reference— Similar provisions, RSMo 307.190.

The officer started writing up a ticket, citing obstruction of traffic, but I’m glad to say he eventually relented after further discussion, but did express the view that I would be safer staying to the right in the lane.

The potentially useful outcome is that Ferguson’s City Manager, John Shaw, expressed a willingness to start a dialog on the subject, with the possibility of my giving a PowerPoint presentation on the subject .

I’d like to acknowledge the help of Cycling Savvy founder, Keri Caffrey, who kindly provided some very professionally produced graphics which are used with permission.

(Please note: The following PowerPoint package is 4.9 MB and should download with the video to allow it to be played.)

recommendations-for-cyclists-operating-in-narrow-lanes_2012-03-12

The day after the above incident my wife videotaped me cycling along the same stretch of road to illustrate that controlling the lane as I was doing when stopped by the policeman is consistent with safety and doesn’t typically cause unreasonable delay to other road users. (Frankly, in particularly heavy traffic, I’m willing to pull over briefly to let the platoon of motorists pass, and then resume.)

Following is the short video clip which should also be part of the above PowerPoint presentation. It can be downloaded separately by selecting the appropriate action from “Share” after clicking the video below.

Florissant_Rd_lane_control

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Please click the video a second time if it’s jerky the first time.

Below are excellent graphics produced by Keri Caffrey illustrating the issue.

2012-01-18 STL Beacon: “Knowledge is best protection for bicyclist”

The following article, which posted earlier today on the St. Louis Beacon, was a lot of work and went through many revisions before finally being submitted for publication. I’m grateful to my wife, Joyce, who isn’t a cyclist but was the first to review it.

Karen Karabell with statuary

Subsequent edits involved major revisions. This followed review by experienced cyclists, to whom I’m indebted: Karen Karabell (CyclingSavvy St. Louis), Keri Caffrey (CyclingSavvy), and finally John S. Allen (http://www.bikexprt.com/).

Keri Caffrey

Incidentally, Keri has posted a wealth of information and insights on cycling on the web which are highly instructive, and Karen has also started a similar interactive site at Commute St. Louis.

More about that later. I mentioned briefly in the article my early experiences as an adult cyclist over forty years ago, when I lacked good information to help make me feel safe when riding to work in England. It was many years before I finally discovered, after getting a job transfer to the U.S. and ultimately moving to St. Louis, that it was possible to use a bike for transportation without fear or anxiety on the road.

Over time, as I’ve learned more about what makes cycling safe, I’ve come to understand that the road system, as it’s designed, generally works well for cyclists. Attempts to use paint in place of knowledge almost always increases, not decreases, the risks of travel by bike.

I used to think that sharrows (Shared Use Arrows) were a reasonable compromise that I could live with, but after having seen some applied for the first time in Ferguson, not far from my home, I’ve concluded that isn’t even the case.

Sharrows convey to motorists that the cyclist must stay to the right of motor traffic, no matter what, and even when located in the middle of the lane I’ve come across a situation where they’re still unhelpful, e.g. when a vehicle is parked in the lane near the sharrow and the cyclist needs to move still further left.

Here’s what I picked off the St. Louis Beacon website, with the photo of me below kindly provided by Karen Karabell of Cycle Savvy St. Louis:

St. Louis Beacon:
Martin Pion explains the drawbacks of supposedly bicycle-friendly infrastructure and talks about what he’s learned in 14 years as a League of American Bicyclists instructor.

Martin Pion, waiting patiently for a light change during a CycleSavvy St. Louis training ride led by instructors Karen and Harold Karabell in April, 2011.
Photo: Karen Karabell

Knowledge is best protection for bicyclist
By Martin Pion, special to the Beacon
Posted 7:00 am Wed., 1.18.12

A Jan. 5 article by Ryan Schuessler, “Great Rivers Greenway works to make the area bicycle friendly” described efforts by both Great Rivers Greenway and Trailnet to expand existing bike lane striping or similar road markings in the St. Louis area. The only criticism mentioned was that the pace of such efforts was too slow.

As a transportational cyclist for more than 40 years, the last 14 as a certified bicycling instructor, I have a very different view. Years ago, I concluded that what cyclists lack most are not bike lanes but knowing how to safely use the existing road system.

Let’s start with Missouri law, which says that bicyclists have the same rights and duties as other road users. On-road bike lane striping prejudices those rights by effectively confining cyclists to the extreme right edge of the road, creating conflict between cyclists and motorists.

Bike lanes do not readily allow cyclists to merge left safely in preparation for a left turn or to change lanes. When bike lanes are placed alongside on-street parking, there is the ever-present danger of the cyclist being fatally struck by an opening car door. Cyclists riding in a bike lane are also at risk from a passing motorist turning right across their path, a leading cause of car-bike collisions. Advance cyclist stop boxes at intersections do not eliminate this threat because the light may change as the cyclist is about to enter the box.

There is a belief that on-road infrastructure created especially for bicyclists obviates the need for any cyclist training. In fact, this infrastructure often is contrary to safe cycling practices, and requires more education and effort on the part of the cyclist to be used safely. Worse, it reinforces motorists’ belief that cyclists must stay near the right-hand road edge, increasing hostility toward cyclists who are driving defensively when controlling the lane.

I started cycling for environmental reasons in the late 1960s. At the time, I was a scientist working at ITT’s Central Research Lab in Harlow, England. Lacking good information on how to use a bicycle safely in traffic, I became a leading advocate for expanding the local system of off-road bicycle facilities.

My views only changed after getting a job at the former McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co. in St. Louis in 1980 and meeting Bob Soetebier, a local cycling enthusiast who introduced me to the principles of safe cycling. Subsequently, I learned that most bike crashes could be avoided by a combination of improved bike handling techniques and best practices for safe cycling on-road, which turns out to be the best facility for transportational cycling.

A fellow employee who jogged in frequently recommended living north of Lambert airport if I wanted to cycle to work. I eventually located in Ferguson, which proved to be a happy choice, with numerous routes available, both low-traffic residential and main road.

Fourteen years as a League of American Bicyclists (LAB) Cycling Instructor have confirmed my understanding of safe on-road cycling principles. For several years, I was also coordinator of a mainly federally funded bike promotion program for the City of Ferguson. This aimed to promote bicycling via bike education and such improvements as quality bike racks.

In 2006, 50 students from the St. Louis area participated in comprehensive bicycling education courses I conducted. Several went on to become League Cycling Instructors, among them Karen Karabell, who last year launched CyclingSavvy St. Louis. Founded in 2010 in Orlando, Fla., CyclingSavvy is spreading throughout the U.S. and is increasingly recognized as the leading adult bike education course. (Information at http://cyclingsavvy.org/ and http://cyclingsavvy.org/category/midwest-region/st-louis/ )

Videos showing knowledgeable cyclists coexisting safely with motorists in everyday traffic situations are now online. “Cyclist’s Eye View – Driving Your Bicycle In Traffic” features LCI Chris Quint demonstrating safe on-road cycling techniques while being videotaped by fellow LCI, Dan Gutierrez, using a small helmet-mounted camera.

The method was refined by Gutierrez and LCI Brian DeSousa, simultaneously taping each other. Their picture-in-picture video shows their interactions with both following and passing motorists, an excellent example being ”The Rights and Duties of Cyclists.”

As a 75-year-old cyclist with no special abilities, neither a road warrior nor a speed demon, I have no problem using my bicycle for transportation in Ferguson and elsewhere: knowledge of safe and proficient on-road cycling is the key.

When cyclists behave and are treated as equal users of our public roadways, it is both amazing and gratifying how well it works.

Martin Pion is an advocate for bicycling education. To reach him, contact Beacon features and commentary editor Donna Korando.

Protected: Merging left from a narrow bike lane doesn’t look all that safe

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Why did MoDOT locate this control box to almost completely block a sidewalk?

The view below, of a combination pole plus traffic control box near my home in Ferguson, North St. Louis County, illustrates vividly how sometimes traffic engineers forget about pedestrian traffic. Couldn’t this control box have been sited on a pole to be completely out of the way of pedestrians? It certainly appears so, given the multiplicity of poles at this intersection.

MoDOT traffic signal control box on east side of Florissant Rd. looking north

My wife relies on walking for her exercise, while I prefer bike commuting, but recently I’ve been accompanying her on her preferred 1.4 mile route around Ferguson, which ends up with a short stretch along Florissant Rd. before returning to our subdivision. Florissant Rd. is a 4-lane major arterial, running north-south through Ferguson and this section is a MoDOT-maintained road with a 35 mph speed limit.

In the past, MoDOT was not allowed to provide sidewalks for pedestrians so to get around that they created what they called “raised shoulders” which were ostensibly for emergency parking. This was MoDOT’s way of providing for pedestrian travel while still abiding by the letter of the law.

The fact that it’s a mountable curb already creates problems, because it invites motorist parking, which blocks pedestrian traffic. However, that’s another issue. This MoDOT traffic control box, while it’s been rotated on the pole to allow more room on the sidewalk, still represents a significant obstruction for walkers. Note that even the pole location doesn’t show much consideration for pedestrian traffic: it’s almost in the middle of the sidewalk.

The control box is located on the east side of Florissant Rd. near its intersection with Albert-Powell Avenues which run west-to-east, as shown in the plan view immediately below. That is followed by a motorist’s eye view looking north along Florissant Rd. (Please click repeatedly to enlarge images.)

mapquest plan view of N. Florissant Rd. & Albert-Powell Avenues.
Please click repeatedly to enlarge.

View looking north along N. Florissant Rd. just before Albert-Powell Aves. intersection.

I first considered a pole almost directly opposite on Florissant Rd. on which the control box would have been completely out of the way of pedestrians. This is illustrated in the first two photos below.

View looking south along Florissant Rd at its intersection with Albert-Powell Aves.

Pion at corner of Florissant & Albert-Powell Avenues pointing to nearby telephone pole while waiting at crosswalk. View looking north.

On a subsequent visit I noticed a pole on the same side of Florissant Rd. as the existing control box but a little closer to the corner which also appears to be a candidate. This is shown in the view below, looking towards Florissant Rd. from Powell Ave.

View from Powell Ave. to N. Florissant Rd. showing existing and possible alternate location for MoDOT control box

Actually, only 0.2 miles north is the far busier intersection of Florissant Rd. and Frost Ave. with a similar control box on the east side of the road, but here the treatment is completely different and definitely pedestrian-friendly. The two locations are shown at A and B respectively on the map immediately below, followed by a view of the control box taken from Google view.

Powell Ave. heading north to Frost Ave. along Florissant Rd.

Florissant Rd. traffic control box on east side of the road at Frost Ave. junction

If we want to make cities and towns more pedestrian-friendly these details need much more attention. Correcting the problem afterwards is expensive and not always possible. Doing it right the first time is always preferable.

December 3, 2011: Last Ferguson Bicycle Shop ride of the year

Gerry Noll, owner of the Ferguson Bicycle Shop in downtown Ferguson and a bicycle enthusiast, sent out the following invitation to those on his anonymous e-mail list recently:

Please join us for the last ride of the year on Saturday, December 3!

We will meet behind the Ferguson Bicycle Shop (429 S. Florissant) at 11am, ride for about an hour, then arrive at the Whistle Stop around noon for lunch. Charlie Stark, one of the owners, tells me that their new gourmet hot chocolate is awesome!

And for a special treat while we’re there: the local Morse Telegraph Club will be demonstrating the use of vintage telegraph equipment beginning at 1pm, using Morse Code to communicate with others around the U.S. As the club members put it, this method was “texting before cell phones”. You can read more about them at:

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/article_1fd4fe8d-8d16-5b35-bab4-642c70be8200.html.

Dah-dit-dit-dit dit-dah-dit dit-dah-dit dit-dah-dit? That’s Morse code for “Brrr?” It might be chilly but it won’t be real cold Saturday. So come on out and join us!

Gerry

The evening before the ride it rained unexpectedly, and the morning of the ride was a gray day in the 40s Fahrenheit with a high of 59F predicted. Fortunately, the clouds actually cleared and by midday when I rode to the Whistle Stop to join the riders for, in my case, brunch it was sunny although there was a strong southerly headwind.

To my surprise, no cyclists were at the Whistle Stop when I arrived and ordered a ham roll at 12:02 pm (according to my credit card receipt) so I parked my bike inside, as I normally do when I’m alone. (When I conduct a bike training ride I park outside, using the bike racks that were installed in 2006 as part of the Pilot BIKE Transportation Promotion Project I coordinated for the City of Ferguson, with the help of a federal grant.)

Some members of the Morse Telegraph Club were already there, setting up their equipment, and I took the opportunity to photograph the person actually using it, Derek Cohn from the City of Clayton, about 10 miles away. Formerly, members used equipment kept in a locked display case along the wall, which is still there, but this time they had carried in a new self-contained unit mounted on a board laid on one of the tables nearby, as shown in the photos below, the second photo showing the original equipment.

Derek Cohn of Clayton preparing to communicate by Morse Code at the Whistle Stop with other enthusiasts around the country

Derek Cohn in foreground and behind him at left is another member of the group at the plexiglas cabinet where the original equipment was housed

I had almost finished my meal when the first contingents of Gerry’s ride arrived. Apparently there had been some mechanical delays on the way, which had resulted in the ride being shortened. I took photos of some of the ride participants, as well as their bikes occupying quite a lot of room in the parking lot. I hope that Gerry can furnish some details of the ride.

Bikes parked outside the Whistle Stop after ride participants had arrived, overwhelming the capacity of the three inverted U racks on the concrete pad at left

Pictured below are Carl Thorn and Dick Bowes preparing to leave the Whistle Stop after lunch. Both Dick and Carl are experienced cyclists. Carl took a bike ed. course I conducted in Ferguson in 2001 and was already a confident on-road cyclist.

Carl Thorn after lunch at the Whistle Stop

Dick Bowes about to leave

Ride participant Jerren McKenney about to leave after lunch

Ride leader Gerry Noll (and owner of the Ferguson Bicycle Shop), at left, with fellow riders John Baer, Lou Axeman, and Joseph Brown, who lives in St. Louis

BIKE START-STOP MOVIE [or Around the world by bike in 4 seconds!]

Theresa James demonstrating the correct bicycling start/stop technique in July, 2004 (see video below)

In August 1999, John S. Allen visited St. Louis at my invitation to conduct the first-ever St. Louis Bicycle Transportation Symposium. Allen is a leading expert in the subject of bicycle transportation and has written extensively on the subject, including the comprehensive and highly recommended booklet “Street Smarts“, available from Rubel BikeMaps. (You can learn more about it directly from John Allen’s bicycling website at http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/index.htm)

While here, Allen demonstrated some of his fundamental teaching techniques, including the correct way to start a bicycle, called the Stand-over Mount. He also demonstrated three others – the Cowboy Mount, The Shuffle Mount, and The Flying Leap – that are not recommended. Evidently many who bicycle or give advice on bicycling lack knowledge on the preferred way to start and stop a bicycle.

Electra Townie comfort bike

For example, the “Your Time” section of TIME magazine of July 26, 2004, recommends the Electra Townie bicycle shown at right, which features an unusually low saddle, for ‘rusty or neophyte adult riders.’ The article concludes:
‘The Townie’s innovative design also lets you place both feet on the ground when stopped, so you don’t have to wobble on your tippy-toes at traffic lights. This should lessen your chances (and your fear, if you have it) of falling.’
The author of this comment clearly doesn’t know the correct way to start and stop a regular bicycle, and believes you remain seated on the saddle when stopped, which is something I frequently observe, even among experienced cyclists.

Starting and stopping a bicycle are such fundamental operations – after learning to balance – that it’s surprising that they are not taught routinely. Theresa James, aged 13 at the time I shot this, demonstrates the preferred start/stop technique on the parking lot of the First Baptist Church of Ferguson, Missouri, in July, 2004. The video is posted on YouTube:

NOTE: Theresa’s bike is not equipped with mini-toe clips, which I use and recommend and which just grip the front of the shoe (see photo below). The lack of such toe clips leads to three problems:

Strapless mini-toe clip

1) Theresa’s foot slips forward on the pedal so the ball of the foot is not centered over the pedal axle, which is the optimum position. Consequently, she is losing important leverage.

2) Instead of being able to use the toe clip to lift the pedal back up to the start position she has to remove her foot and lift the pedal from underneath and then place it back on the pedal.

3) Her foot is more likely to slip off the pedal, especially when pressing hard, which can lead to loss of control and a fall either onto the top tube (not likely with this frame) or the road.

I also recommend that those just starting to learn this technique lower their saddle so they can place both feet firmly on the ground until they acquire the confidence and skill they need, and then raise the saddle to the optimum height where the knee is slightly bent at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Below is a detailed written description of the above technique.

STARTING

N.B. Whichever pedal is the one used to start is referred to as the “Power pedal.” For control, keep the brake(s) applied until you’re ready to start.

Step 1. Lift the Power pedal to the 2 o’clock start position. (In the absence of toe-clips, this must be done by placing the foot under the Power pedal to lift it to the start position.)

Step 2. Press down firmly on the Power pedal to start, at the same time lifting yourself up onto the saddle.

Step 3. Press down on the non-power pedal and continue pedaling.

Step 4. As you speed up, change to progressively higher gears by using the rear derailleur to move the chain from the large rear sprocket to smaller sprockets.

Note: For a faster start, e.g. if starting off to cross an intersection from a stop light, keep pedaling without immediately sitting on the saddle.

STOPPING

Step 1. Change down to low gear by using the rear derailleur to move the chain to the largest rear sprocket. (If you’re going to be starting on an incline, consider also moving the chain to a smaller chainring using the front derailleur.)

Step 2. Stop pedaling, with the Power pedal in the 6 o’clock position.

Step 3. Start braking to slow down, using both front and back brakes together, or just the front brake if braking gently.

Step 4. Just before braking to a stop, swing yourself off the saddle, supporting your weight on your Power pedal, and place the other foot on the ground to stop from falling.

Step 5. Raise the Power pedal to the 2 o’clock position ready to start again.

The late Sheldon Brown wrote on this subject extensively, and included the video of Theresa James posted above for illustration. He details the four ways to start and the drawbacks with each apart from the Stand-over Mount recommended here. Please click on: http://sheldonbrown.com/starting.html

Please feel free to use or distribute this page provided attribution is made to: Martin Pion, “Think Bicycling!”

First CyclingSavvy St. Louis course, April 2011

The first-ever CyclingSavvy St. Louis course took place at the end of April, 2011, and was intended as a training session for a potential crop of CS instructors later in the year to “spread the word.” I was fortunate to be included, and the class comprised talented and interesting people, many of whom I met for the first time.

It was conducted by newly-minted CS instructors, Karen and Harold Karabell, both of whom I know well, who made two trips to Orlando, Florida, earlier this year to become certified. They live in the Central West End and also provided space for the audio-visual presentation they gave during a three-hour session on Friday night.

Karen is also a League of American Bicyclists Cycling Instructor, receiving her LAB Road I certificate at a course I conducted in Ferguson in 2006, which qualified her to take the instructor certification. (See “So You Think You Know How to Ride a Bike?”)

Harold attended the first-ever 4-hour B.I.K.E.Right course I gave in Ferguson last year, after he’d prompted me to offer such a condensed course. (B.I.K.E. stands for Bicycling Is Kind to the Environment. The blog describing the course is here: 09/05/2010: BIKERight “4-hour” Ferguson bike education course)

One of the participants in the CyclingSavvy St. Louis course was Andrew (“Andy”) R. Cline. Ph.D., from Springfield, Missouri. Andy maintains an active cycling blog and also writes extensively on a variety of subjects on his facebook page from which I took the accompanying photo of him.

Andy posted an early review of the course worth reading on his blog at http://isocrates.us/bike/2011/05/cyclingsavvy-first-report/. He has followed that up with video footage he shot during the ride titled: “THE STREETS OF ST. LOUIS.”

The only thing on which I disagree with Andy was in his rejection of John Forester, to whom he alludes in his introduction but avoids even mentioning by name. Andy’s review, called “CYCLINGSAVVY: FIRST REPORT” begins as follows:

“So I took the classroom and road components CyclingSavvy this weekend in St. Louis. I’ll post some video of our Tour of St. Louis ride soon. But for now I want to talk a little about the program features I found most compelling :

A theory that works: I’m trying very hard not to type the words “vehicular cycling” because that concept carries so much troubling baggage (largely associated with a single, troubling personality and his army of internet flamers). So let’s call it something else, or, rather, let’s use an apt metaphor: a dance called traffic that bicyclists must lead. I’ve highlighted the following video before. It’s worth watching again because it is the theory upon which CyclingSavvy is built.”

John Forester, circa 1970s?

I have to disagree with Andy somewhat because I know John Forester personally and have a lot of respect for him. If I hadn’t been introduced to Forester’s seminal book, Effective Cycling, published by MIT Press in 1984, I would never have gained the knowledge and confidence to ride safely on the road as a vehicle operator.

In fact, before emigrating to the United States in 1977 for a job transfer from ITT’s Central Research Lab. in England, I had been a strong advocate for segregated off-road facilities because I was unable to find good information to address my fear of sharing the road with motorists after I became an adult bike commuter.

Where I agree with Andy is in John Forester’s oft-confrontational approach. When Forester analyzes and critiques the work of those with whom he disagrees he doesn’t pull any punches and doesn’t indulge in niceties. He tends to attack the messenger as well as the message. This is where I disagree with Forester. I suggested to him that he adopts the precept of “disagreeing without being disagreeable.” His response was that he has a role to play as critic of those talking nonsense or obstructing vehicular cycling. Forester’s 1993 sixth edition of Effective Cycling, chapter 42, “Cycling in Society,” is devoted in part to the subject of how cycling has been constrained in the U.S. and those responsible for it. John Forester maintains a comprehensive web presence, accessible at http://www.johnforester.com/

Forester also produced a more technical book I have called “Bicycle Transportation,” also by MIT Press, and geared more towards traffic engineers. It doesn’t have the polemics of “Effective Cycling” which is intended for a more general audience, and I recommend it as adding important information missing from that other book. Both can be found on-line with a Google search, e.g. from MIT Press.

Gary Cziko, who took the course, posted a comment on Andy Cline’s initial blog describing his view of CyclingSavvy St. Louis. Gary not only utters the phrase “vehicular cycling” but also makes a good comparison between LAB’s Traffic Skills 101 (TS 101) and CyclingSavvy (CS). The following is excerpted from his comment:

“It’s been a couple of years since I took TS 101 but I remember enough to compare it with CS.

One main difference is that CS focuses on knowledge, skills and practice in vehicular cycling (there, I said it!) while TS 101 includes many other topics, including bike selection, bike parts, bike repair, food and hydration, etc. By focusing almost exclusively on vehicular cycling, CS has more time devote to this. The graphics, animations and videos used in CS are very sophisticated and quite effective. ….. the road ride for CS was far more educational and challenging than what we did in TS 101 (just a group ride to and from lunch). This may be at least partly due to having done TS 101 in little Urbana and CS in big St. Louis. Also, the CS participants were mostly skilled bicyclists with many LCIs among us.

But I got the impression that the CS instructors go for the biggest and baddest intersections and segments available for the “Tour of ___” part of the course. They … want to show that the baddest conditions can be cycled safety by being predictable, visible and controlling your space, which is very liberating. …. (TS 101 and CS) are both good bike education. Get as much of it as you can and tell others to take advantage of whatever is available in their communities.”

The following group photos were taken near the end of the on-road ride on Saturday afternoon, April 31st, in downtown St. Louis.

In response to my request for background academic information, participants also provided the notes added below following the group photos.

First CyclingSavvy St. Louis class, April 31, 2011. Photo by Harold Karabell
Please click to enlarge

From left: Andy Cline, Kit Jenkins, Martin Pion, Gary Cziko, Karen Karabell, Melissa Brown, Matthew Brown, Gerry Noll, Mary Ruth Casey & Kris Schell.

Group photo with Harold Karabell posing in place of Karen. Photo by Karen Karabell Please click to enlarge

Andy Cline

Andy Cline: Has a Ph.D. and is Associate Professor of Journalism, Missouri State University, and also author of the Carbon Trace weblog.

Kit Jenkins

Kit Jenkins: “I have a BA in English Literature and an MA in Marketing.
Professor Kit Jenkins, Accredited Business Communicator, Webster University.”

Martin Pion

Martin Pion: “I have a B.Sc. in Physics & Math. from London University, UK. Passed M.Sc. qualifying exam. but research thesis was not submitted, Instead got a job at ITT’s Central Research Lab. Came to St. Louis to set up a laser diode lab. at the former McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co. in 1980. Left to set up home-based business selling scientific software in 1991.”

Gary Cziko

Gary Cziko: “I have a BA in psychology from Queens College of the City University of New York and MA and PhD in psychology from McGiill University in Montréal.
I am professor emeritus of educational psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.”

Karen Karabell

Karen Karabell: “I have a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.”

Harold Karabell

Harold Karabell: “I have a BA from Washington University and did graduate work in American History at Rutgers University. Many of the worst riders whom I encounter on my commute in the Central West End are riding to and from  the Wash U. medical school & Barnes Hospital. Presumably,  the majority of these red light running, door zone hugging, and sidewalk surfing scofflaws are or will be highly degreed and highly compensated medical professionals. “

Melissa Brown

Melissa Brown: “ My highest degree is a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Community Health, with a focus on Behavioral Science and Health Education, which I completed at SLU. I also am a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) from the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing.”

Matthew Brown

Matthew T. Brown: “Research Patient Coordinator at Washington University School of Medicine. My degrees are: MPH (Master’s in Public Health) with a concentration in Behavioral Science and Health Education from Saint Louis University, and a B.A. Biological Sciences from the University of Chicago.”

Gerry Noll

Gerry Noll: “I have a degree in eBusiness that I earned completely online through the University of Phoenix. Never saw a fellow-student or teacher until graduation. It was very instructive in that every class had components that required students to form teams and complete assignments without actually meeting together.”

Gerry recently retired after a long career at Emerson Electric and opened his Ferguson Bicycle Shop just one month ago. He also has a facebook page.

Mary Casey

Mary Ruth Casey: “I have a B.S. In Nursing from SLU and an M.S. in Information Systems from UMSL. Have worked as a nurse in the past but now work part-time in a hospital in their Information Systems department.“

Kris Schel

Kris Schell: “I am a PT with an advanced CHT degree who has specialized in the treatment of the upper extremity – Upper extremity is your arm: shoulder to finger tip.”
(PT = Physical Therapist; CHT = Certified Hand Therapist.)

“Leading the dance,” or equality on the dance floor?

One of the people I met recently in the first CyclingSavvy St. Louis course, intended primarily as an introduction to the CyclingSavvy approach to adult bike education and pre-qualification for the instructor course in June, was Andrew R. Cline, Ph.D.

Andy is Associate Professor of Journalism at Missouri State University and author of the Carbon Trace weblog.

After the CS St. Louis bike training ride in which Andy, I and others participated he posted a couple of interesting related articles on his blog, including video he’d taken with what had looked like an ordinary camera mounted on his handlebars. It’s posted on-line at THE STREETS OF ST. LOUIS

The first article Andy posted – CYCLINGSAVVY: FIRST REPORT – included a vimeo of Keri Caffrey, one of the two creators of CyclingSavvy, titled Bicycling in traffic is a dance you must lead.

Exploring Andy’s blog I came across his article echoing this theme called “OMG! BICYCLING IS SOOO DANGEROUS! published on May 5, 2011. Andy had illustrated it with the graphic at left.

The metaphor “leading the dance” when you’re a cyclist reminds me of one I came up with years ago after listening to a fund drive for KWMU, St. Louis Public Radio. One of the anchors waxed poetic, describing listeners driving their cars on the road as performing a “sheet metal ballet.” It struck me that bicyclists were part of that too, only for them it was a tubular steel ballet.

That dates this observation, since at the time I was riding (and still ride) my 25-year-old chrome-moly Terranaut. Back then, aluminum frames were still something of a novelty, at least to me, and carbon fiber frames may not even have existed.

Anyway, it occurs to me that when I’m cycling on the road I’m not literally leading the dance, and typically if I am, my slow speed means a platoon of motorists will soon catch up with me. If I’m bicycling from my home to downtown Ferguson on four-lane 35 mph Florissant Rd. in the 15-25 mph range, I control the curb lane and motorists either wait behind me or pass when a safe gap opens up in the inside lane.

The metaphor that more aptly describes how I view cycling is to have EQUAL ACCESS to the dance floor. I don’t want others to argue that I’m in the way of other dancers on the grounds that they paid for the dance floor and I shouldn’t get in their way, for example.

This IS a public dance floor, after all!

Of course, there are going to be some limitations placed on access. For example, some level of age-related competence is expected: it’s reasonable to exclude a young child, just as there is an age requirement for motorists to obtain a license. But for everyone else, as long as they’re adhering to the rules and looking out for others on the floor, well why not?