One interesting aspect that's been in the news last week was that we had the official report on the awareness campaign that NHP conducted down by Washoe Lake last week with respect to the 3 foot law. Officer Andrew McAfee reported they stopped a few less than 200 vehicles over 5 hours (quite a task in that time). This was because, basically every driver passed their cyclist too closely. They did write about 20 tickets before deciding it was time to switch from enforcement mode to awareness mode, as it was apparent most drivers didn't have a clue about giving appropriate space.
To be fair, NHP conducted a bicycle enforcement campaign the following week out on the Verdi Loop. Needless to say multitudes of riders (including a group of 17) were educated about not running stop signs and riding more than 2 abreast. He had a great video (which I'll try to get) of 17 cyclist blowing through one intersection and making a left turn in front of a large pickup who had the right of way. They actually split around him passing on both sides.....fricking unbelievable!! No wonder we can't get respect on the roads!
We also saw plans for a new roundabout on Mayberry Ave at Hunter Lake. This is a 5 way intersection that's due for a revamp. The design team has put a lot of thought into how to work with cyclists giving options both to take the lane in the circle and ramps for access to the sidewalks for less confident riders. I snapped a few pics of the presentation and traffic circle stats.
Next up we heard about a big ultra-endurance bicycle race that is 95% sure it's moving to Nevada! The AdventureCORPS 508...a 508 mile bike race that can be done as an individual time trial, as a team of 2, or as a relay of 4. It's long been run through Death Valley, but when the race was disrupted by the closure last year of the National Parks the directory started considering other options. Looks like we just might get it thanks to the efforts of Rich Staley of Great Basin Bicycles!
In other news, the 2014 bike route maps are just about ready for distribution and will be out before the May 10-16 bike to work week! You can click on the picture below to link to their site.
So, basically, there are a lot of bicycle things going on! Be sure to get out there and join in!
Thanks for the BPAC recap.
ReplyDeleteThe 508 sounds like a blast!! Are you going to do it?!