Passes & Canyons Blog

This may sound strange at first but give it time to sink in. I know it can work because I’ve seen it in action.

We were struck this summer when we were over in Europe by how in the entire city of Rotterdam there must not be more than 30 traffic signals. Contrast that to any city in the U.S. where almost every single intersection has either a signal or stop signs. And yet pedestrians, bicyclists, cars and trucks, and people on scooter and motorcycles mingled easily and safely. How can this be?

If you want a better discussion of the concept than I can give, I refer you to this article in the Christian Science Monitor. It tells about a small town in Germany where the main street is a busy highway and yet they removed all signs and signals and also removed all curbs and sidewalks, making the whole thing into a “naked” square. And it works!

We saw the same thing in Bruges, Belgium. Bruges has several large plazas where the entire area is cobblestone, with no lanes or anything. Each person, whether on foot, bike, car, or what have you, takes the most direct route to where they’re going. The key is, rather than paying attention to traffic signals and such, everyone pays attention to everyone else. You have to pay attention to where you’re going and make eye contact with the other person when your two paths intersect. And it does work.

This excerpt from the article shows in part just how it works:

Two months into the experiment, “Instead of thinking, ‘It’s going to be red, I need to give gas, people have to slow down, to look to the right and the left, to be considerate” says Ms. Rubcic.

The bonus? Town people recognize they have become a bit closer to one another. “The whole village has become more human. We look at each other, we greet each other,” she says.

There are some issues, as there are with all changes. In particular, the new “shared space,” as it is called, can be difficult to navigate by those who are blind and who previously depended on sidewalks and signals. Efforts would surely be needed to address such issues, but surely answers can be found.

In the meantime, shared space experimentation is a variety of European countries has resulted in a reduction of accidents, and the idea is spreading. As high gas prices prompt changes in American transportation choices it seems inevitable that we will need to revise our thinking, too. I look forward to the discussion.

Biker Quote for Today

When everything is coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.

Live to ride. Ride to live.

That’s a slogan we all know and appreciate. And clearly the first half of it is especially important. In Colorado last year there were 90 riders and passengers killed in motorcycle crashes, the highest ever recorded. You’ve got to live or you’re not going to ride.

It seems appropriate then that when the State of Colorado set up a motorcycle rider training program they named it the Live to Ride Program. Here’s a look at what the state put together.

The Live to Ride program is based around what is called “MOST,” which stands for Motorcycle Operator Safety Training. The MOST mission is “to provide high-quality, low-cost motorcycle training to residents and active-duty military personnel.” The fees we pay for motorcycle endorsements on our driver’s licenses and motorcycle vehicle registration fees fund MOST. The law that set all this up specifies certain minimum requirements for trainers who wish to participate in the program. MOST training classes are based on the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) model.

A list of certified MOST trainers is listed on the site. Currently there are 12 organizations on the list, including, not surprisingly, ABATE, and a bunch of others that I have frankly never heard of. That sort of raises my interest. Maybe I’ll have more to tell you about some of them later.

So anyway, Colorado is putting our money where our mouths are by setting up this program. Now it’s up to us. I know I took an Advanced Rider course through the MSF some years ago, as well doing a training day at a racetrack that was set up through the Concours Owners Group. It’s probably time for a refresher.

If we don’t want the state imposing safety measures we don’t want, such as helmet laws, we have to make it our duty to bring down these accident statistics. Helmets are great if you go down but it’s more important to not go down in the first place. Fewer accidents, not safer accidents, should be the primary goal.

Biker Quote for Today

Ride To Eat! Eat To Ride!

Today I just want to point you to an interesting article I ran across on the MotorcycleUSA.com website. It discusses the many variations on the motorcycle theme that have been tried over the last 140 years and then turns to what future bikes may look like. Now, I’m not saying visually, I’m talking about their power plant and methods of motivation.

Bart Madson, the writer, starts out describing what is believed to be the first motorcycle ever invented, which ran on a twin-cylinder steam engine. A charcoal-fired stove sat under the seat to create the steam.

Then he continues saying:

Due to environmental concerns and the fact that $4/gallon gas is now a reality, the desire for alternatives to the internal combustion engine are more in demand than ever before. So, like automobiles, future motorcycles figure to be greener, more efficient machines.

He then goes on to talk about electric bikes, fuel-cell powered bikes, and even bikes that run on compressed air. All of these are under development somewhere, and some are available now.

Madson focused specifically on bikes such as the Suzuki Crosscage, the Piaggio HyS Hybrid, the Killacycle, the electrobike Pi, the Zero X, the Brammo Enertia, the Vectrix ZEV, and the Yamaha BOBBY. Never heard of any of those? Neither had I. Interesting stuff.

Go check them out. You could be riding one of these some day.

Biker Quote for Today

The best modifications cannot be seen from the outside.

If, like me, you’re a guy, you may not be aware what a large group of women riders there is out there. Believe me, though, they know. And they’re in touch with each other.

It’s not until you wander into some community page that your eyes open. This happened for me recently when I got a link exchange request from Kristen at VaVaVroom, a website where they sell “motorcycle clothing and gear for her.” Not being female, and my wife having all the gear she needs, I wasn’t much interested in the main part of the site but they have a link for “Community” where they say “The VaVaVroom Community Pages are a great resource for women riders (including those of you who ride two-up) to connect, learn what’s going on in the industry, find out about upcoming events, meet other women riders and unearth whatever you may need to enhance your overall riding experience.”

Going one step deeper for “Links,” when I clicked there it hit me. Here were links for a whole world of organizations I didn’t know existed. These included, to name just a few:

• Women Riders Council
• Women’s Riding School
• VTwin Mama
• RideMyOwn.com
• Her-Motorcycle
• Girls in the Game

Plus a whole lot more, including some that are relevant for bikers of either sex.

Now, I’m not naive, I’ve known that there are plenty of women riders out there, and especially at Sturgis in 2006, I saw more women on bikes of their own than I had ever seen before. I just didn’t realize the size and extent of the group.

All I can say is, that’s great! More power to all of you. It seems like more often than not it is women who say “But motorcycles are so dangerous.” The more women who ride and know the true nature of the experience the better for all of us.

Biker Quote for Today

You’re a lucky guy if your woman rides her own.

It’s not that we hate advertising on television or radio, it’s that we hate boring, who-gives-a-damn stuff that just interferes with the show. If an ad is really entertaining, heck, people will go to YouTube just to watch it.

The Allstate Garage is an online ad for Allstate Insurance, and it is one of those you actually want to watch. It’s called viral advertising, and in this case it works.

You can see from the image here that you’ve got three guys in a shop, and what they’re doing is building a motorcycle right before your eyes. They actually do it and it takes about 15 minutes, so you might want to do something else and check back in every couple minutes.

But there’s a lot more going on than just building the bike. For instance, the TV fritzes off and on periodically and if you click on it it takes you to some information about Allstate insurance. Likewise, you can click on the telephone, the yellow warning sign, and a whole lot else to bring up other information.

Most interesting, however, is clicking on the link that opens when you move your cursor to the bike being built. That link will allow you to custom build your own bike. Pick the frame. Pick the tank, the seat, the fork, and on and on. Don’t like your selection? Pick something different. Customize to your heart’s content.

This thing is really kind of fun. It’s advertising, but who cares?

Biker Quote for Today

Practice wrenching on your own bike.

It had been a long time since I’d been to Crested Butte, but I had really good memories of it years ago. So when I built this website I included a page for the road up from Gunnison, but had no pictures to show what it was like.

Well, this summer I finally got up that way again and I was a bit chagrined. First of all, despite my “memory” the road is no big deal. It’s certainly not worth going out of your way to ride this road when there are so many truly terrific roads in Colorado to ride.

Second, oh my god, what have they done to Crested Butte?! This beautiful, picturesque little town has been engulfed with condos, malls, and everything else from which it was once a refuge. So I can’t even suggest you go to Crested Butte for the town. The old part of town is still there but it is totally touristed out. The mountains are still beautiful, but that’s about it. It’s not worth the trip. Don’t go.

Really, about the only reason to go to Crested Butte now, as far as I can see, is to ride Gunnison County Road 12 over Kebler Pass. This gravel road is in good condition, even good enough for Gold Wings, and comes out onto CO 133 along the south side of McClure Pass.

I’m sorry, all you Chamber of Commerce types in Crested Butte, I just call things the way I see them.

Biker Quote for Today

Life is too short for bad rides.