Wondering why there hasn't been a post in a while? The posters of Cascade Commuter are shifting over to BikeSeattle. Come on over and join Seattle's new online hub for cyclists.

Remember that name. Mr Penalosa is the former mayor of Bogota, Colombia and all around stand-up guy. Take a look at this interview he gave to the NYC Streets Renaissance Campaign:

http://www.nycsr.org/nyc/video-view.php?id=19

I like to dream big, but it's hard not to be discouraged by status quo defenders' false pragmatism every once in a while. Thats when I turn to stories like Mr Penalosa's to recharge my batteries.

PS. Thanks to Chris Cameron for the link.

There's an old saying that goes, "If it looks slippery, it is slippery." While I wouldn't exactly term this sagely, I think it goes a long way at this time of year.

I got to thinking about this adage when I noted my rear wheel fishtail a little bit when crossing some metal road plates in Downtown Seattle last weekend. If you can help it, go around those plates when they're wet…because when they take on the sheen of a reflecting pond your chances of staying upright are greatly diminished. Same goes for metal manhole covers. Don't turn, lean, or brake on these little Teflon tabs. If you do find yourself on a metal surface, don't fret; simply continue over them to the other side without making any sudden movements and you'll be fine. Remember, keep your head up and scan far enough ahead of you in order to pick your way around these metal menaces.

Hey, take the day off from cycling. It's cool. When the paper is running pictures of pedestrians getting knocked down by winds you have permission to chill out and ride the bus.

Of course, maybe you ride a Sail Bike and live for days like these.

How many trail conversations have you had with your riding buddies where you're in the back and yell, "What? I can't hear you!" and they turn their head so they can repeat what you couldn't discern? Well, my "What?" was timed perfectly for Patrick to take his eyes off the trail and meet wheel-on with something just slightly smaller than a fallen Sequoia.

I couldn't believe how quickly it happened; Patrick said he felt as though he was launching in slow-mo whereas to me it looked like he was violently flung from the top of the turnbuckle by the Fabulous Moolah to the mat before I could yell "Drop kick to the groin!" The next thing I knew I was riding over his bike and much to my amazement staying upright on my cross-tube journey. I think because it happened so fast I didn't have time to panic and reason my way around the pile of humanity and machine.

Couple of commuter learning moments here:

1. When you feel like you're slipping or about to fall, stay off the brakes and keep pedaling. This is a trick I learned from my mountain biking days. It's when you tighten-up (or really give-up) that things fall apart. Assume you're going to make it through the surprise attack and more often than not you will come out on the other side unscathed. (Patrick, in this case, didn't have a prayer because he was upended and spit out before he knew what was happening.)

2. Get a good headlight for your bike. I'm not a big fan of the little 1-3 watt lights that cost around $25-$45 if you're riding anywhere that's totally dark (like the section of the Burke-Gilman that Patrick and I were on last night). They simply don't call out the trail/road detritus/joggers/ninja cyclists far enough in front of you. Unfortunately, sufficiently bright illumination comes at a price. You're looking at a minimum of $85.00. (Light and Motion, NiteRider, Topeak, Blackburn are few good bike light companies to look at). The inexpensive lights, however, are typically fine when ambient lighting conditions are present if your commute is limited to lit city/town streets.

3. Pack a cell phone for emergencies. If Patrick had been seriously injured, I would have wanted to get him medical care as soon as possible (after going through his wallet for cash).

With that said, be vigilant in your dark-conditions riding. Keep your chin up and scan as far down the road/trail as possible. This technique will help keep you upright and much safer on your ride to and from home.

I was riding home last night on the Burke-Gilman Trail with my buddy, coworker, and fellow Cascade Commuter blogger Chris Cameron when I biffed. It was that part where the trail splits, just west of 40 Ave NE and the Metropolitan Market. My lights were on but they barely cut the darkness -- that section has no ambient light from nearby roads. I've ridden that section of the trail so many times now that I could almost do it by heart, so I was riding my normal speed of about 15 mph. It was pouring, and I was about to turn and yell something to Chris when I hit what felt like a curb, head-on, and pivoted at high speed into the ground, sliding for about 10 or 15 feet. Whoa! It's true that time slows down when you're crashing.

Long story short: no broken bones, just a row of scrapes down the right side of my body where I slid. One broken spoke on my rear wheel where Chris ran over it (he managed to stay upright). Some wounded pride. The culprit? A downed branch perpendicular across the trail.

What went wrong here? A couple of things. First, I was riding too fast for the conditions. The trail was almost pitch black and rain was pouring down. Even if I had noticed the branch in my headlight I wouldn't have been able to stop or avoid it in time. Familiarity bred complacency. Second, my attention wasn't on the trail when I hit the branch. I was trying to continue a conversation that Chris and I had started back on a safer part of the trail. Maybe if I had been more attentive I would have been able to ride over the branch instead of biffing.

So now I have some painful scrapes to remind me to be more careful in the future. I hope you'll learn from my mistake! By the way, I'd be interested to hear how the rest of you keep safe in dark, wet conditions.

Cycling is getting a makeover in Seattle. If you're interested in how we'll look when it's all over (and want a say in the result), don't miss the two Seattle Bike Master Plan public meetings taking place this week. Check Cascade's Bike Master Plan page for the latest info.

When it is released in early 2007, the Bike Master Plan will be the document that guides the installation of bike accommodations in the City of Seattle. For example, right now it's not obvious or particularly easy for a new cyclist to get from, say, the U district to Northgate. Until we make it simple and accessible for everyone, cycling will continue to be a niche transportation mode. Imagine if our buses had no posted route information and you were forced to jump in as they rolled by. Who would use them?

Now, think of how it will be when there is a posted bike route from your origin to your destination. Not only that, but in many places you will have your own space on the pavement. Intrigued?

See you at the meetings.

At Cascade Bicycle Club we spend a fair amount of time reviewing development and transportation projects, some of which neglect the needs of bicyclists and pedestrians. The argument we hear in many of those cases goes like this: "People will never get out of their cars."

Cars dominate our transportation system at the moment. But is a trend the same thing as fate?

I say absolutely not, and Enrique Penalosa has my back. Take a look at this fine article he wrote back in October about transportation choices. I think you'll come away impressed at how arbitrary the transportation system is, how advantageous change can be, and how quickly change can happen when the people decide to make it so.

The San Francisco Bike Coalition and the citizens of that fine city are no doubt bummed after learning their bicycle plan may not make additional physical improvements to the cityscape until they conduct an environmental impact review or become exempt from their state environmental review process.

For big projects environmental impact statements cost buckets of money and take months to years to complete. Ouch. Now I'm not suggesting the City of San Francisco should be above the law, but I can't help but puzzle over the choice of the bike plan by the "Coalition for Adequate Review" as their test case. In an era of obesity, oil wars, and global warming, the use of environmental regulations to attack efforts to solve our oil dependency seems shortsighted, to say the least.

Just a quick note to remind bicycle commuters to get a white light (preferably with a "blinking/flashing" mode) on the handlebars or a helmet-mount in conjunction with a blinking red light on the back of the bike or helmet. It's so important to your safety as well as others'. I should also mention that it's the law in King County to have an operating white light on the front of your bike and a red reflector on the rear. It's an $80.00 fine to be cited without one, and that cash could buy some pretty sweet lights.

I saw (just barely in some cases) many cyclists/walkers/runners out on the Burke-Gilman Trail tonight without any lights or reflective gear. I can't over-emphasize how dangerous and vulnerable someone is without some sort of protective illumination.

I'll be posting my thoughts on good bicycle commuter lights in the next week or so. If you need a quick recommendation, check out Light and Motion's new "Vega" rechargeable light.

So, promise me kind reader, that you'll go out to your local bike shop today and do "the bright thing".