Friday, January 20, 2012

Weird weather

We finally have been getting snow and some of the winter weather that you would expect for January in Boston.   Woke up to about an inch of snow on the ground this morning,  which was fine for riding in,  and temps felt warm in the high 20's.  We're supposed to get 3-5" tomorrow,  but then on Monday it's forecast to be 47 degrees!  What???   In January??  Strange, but I suppose it will help clear the snowbanks.

Cambridge did a reasonable job of plowing or salting the bike lanes, but then the private businesses cleared their sidewalks by pushing all the snow into the bike lane.  GRRR!
I think that businesses think "oh, there are no cyclists in this weather,  and there were fewer than usual, but there were two besides me that went by while I was standing there.

 That is not actually legal, and I filed a report with the city,  we'll see if they can do anything- remind them that they're either supposed to store it on their property or remove it from the site.
Unfortunately while I was taking the photo and filing the report,  my bike fell over- I had it parked a bit on a slope, and it just tumped over.  Not the first time it has happened, but one of my cork grips broke, and something somewhere is rubbing on one of the wheels.  I couldn't determine the source at a stoplight.

When I bike in snow, I do my best to get the slush off  the bike before I bring it into the building by "dribbling it"  bouncing it up and down a couple of times- wiping  it off with my glove if need be.   Then I either park it on a big cardboard box, which we keep under a desk for such days,  or in the electrical closet which has a vinyl floor so that it doesn't drip on the carpet.


Tonight before I ride home, I'll see if I can find the source of the rub, and hopefully I can fix it with the tools I happen to have with me (vice grips and a couple of box wrenches).   I like to carry some tools with me for a week or two after I do a major repair, just in case something isn't completely adjusted or needs tweaking.

3 comments:

  1. You know, after your post on the green bike, your bike really cries out for burgundy pedals! Perhaps that shortcoming is the real root cause of the rubbing noise?

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  2. How do you report cycling hazards to the city?

    I was so psyched to see the new raised cycle track on Concord Ave going toward Belmont, that was until I ran into 4 or 5 large blue recycling bins (the giant garbage can sized ones) right in the middle of the cycle lane. There was literally no way to get around them without stopping dead, swerving onto the sidewalk or worse, swerving over the curb and onto the road. It occurred to me that the people who owned those bins were probably just trying to put them as close to the street as possible so the garbage collectors could get them and I wondered what the best way was to get them to move them.
    The problem with Cambridge isn't the lack of bike lanes, but the fact that they seem to be invisible to so many motorists and residents. What good is a bike lane if people double park in it or leave their garbage cans in the middle of it? There needs to be more education on this front. Maybe Cambridge should put a message in the recycling guideline pamphlet they give out every year saying you must not block bike lanes with your garbage? Its maddening that you even have to say that. You wouldn't see people blocking a crosswalk or a driveway with their garbage!

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    Replies
    1. I would do two things-
      I would place a request on the "other" part of the CPW website
      http://www.cambridgema.gov/theworks/ourservices/administration/customerservice/servicerequestform.aspx. Click the box to ask them to follow up with you, and they'll keep you posted about what they do about it. I think that what is necessary is for them to do outreach specifically to the houses and businesses along the route about the best location to place the bins.

      I would copy the text of your report and email it as well to Cara Seiderman, the bicycle programs coordinator for Cambridge Cara Seiderman, cseiderman@cambridgema.gov, or 617/349-4629

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