Yikes! it’s May already and we need to make plans for the bike month, bike week, and bike-to-work day! A couple years ago, Bikeithaca.org kicked off with a quickly-organized plan. We had groups of people sign up to ride together to common destinations on Bike to Work Day. This was the most successful city-wide event of the kind that we’ve had, so we should try to improve on it this year. I’ll try to get the supporting stuff — maps, chat pages, etc., — ready in a few days so that we can turn to recruiting people and matching them up for the ride.

The second annual Earth Hour Night Ride was enjoyed by over 25 participants on a crisp, clear evening along the Waterfront Trail in Ithaca’s Cass Park.

Adding vitality to the group this year were some 7 or 8 youngsters whose energy was a bit more than the  slow pace of the ride could fully engage. But, they coped with their impatience by riding back and forth within the peloton and found time to agree that the scene was truly beautiful.

Following the official Waterfront Trail loop, most of the group continued on toward the Commons. We emerged as an enormous-seeming train of bicycles with bright front lights and blazing rear blinkies, easily holding our place in the very light traffic of State/Martin Luther King Street. At the Commons, we all dismounted and walked across to Aurora Street to get some hot beverages at College Town Bagels.

It felt like a good Ithaca tradition was being set in place.

This year’s Earth Hour Night Ride will take place on March 27.

Meet at about 7:45 pm near the Cass Park Turtle.

After getting acquainted, adjusting our lights, blinkies, and reflectors, and checking in on why we’re doing it, we will take a leisurely ride around the Waterfront Trail. When we get back to the Turtle, those who want to extend the evening (and who have lights and skills for riding at night through the city) will take the path over to State/Martin Luther King Street, and ride to the Commons. There, we’ll assemble for some more schmoozing and beverages — the precise location TBA.

Earth Hour 2010 printable flyer.

Last Year’s Ride

Well, it was a year ago that we did our first Earth Hour Night Ride. Steve Powell shot a bit of video of us all riding out of the parking area, but I never figured out how to post it. So, here goes. By the way, as far as I can tell, everybody has a light. Let’s get a lot more people out there this year!

Sunday, December 20, 1:00 pm
Cass Park to the Commons

Meet in the parking area near the Turtle in Cass Park.
If there is precipitation, we can gather under the pavilion.

It’s time once again for the Shortest Ride on the Shortest Day, a celebration of cycling and friendship, an affirmation that every day is a good day for a ride. Sponsored by both Bike Ithaca and Bike It, we’re looking to surpass last year’s distance by riding a full two miles this time.

Last year, we were riding in the aftermath of a pretty good snowstorm (see photos), but it only made the day more fun. Everyone is invited to join us. No special bikes, skills, or  clothes are required. We’ll stay together safely as a group (or several small groups) and ride from Cass Park to Gimme Coffee on State St., using the Waterfront Trail and the public streets; then, looping past Gimme on Cayuga St, we will arrive at our destination at the Commons via Tioga St. It will be great to sit around for a while in CTB, warm up, hear more about the ride to Detroit in June as welll as other rides coming up.

One of the themes of the Tour de Solstice is to demonstrate ways of adapting to cold weather cycling. If you’ve thought about using your bike more — commuting, shopping, doing errands or just riding for exercise and fun — you’ll meet people who have done all those things and can offer sound advice. All of us can share tips and experiences along the ride.

This year’s event is jointly sponsored by “Bike Ithaca” and “BIKE It,” a project aimed at getting people from all over the country to bike to Detroit next June for the US Social Forum. Visit bikeit.org to see what’s up. BikeIT’s organizer, Claire Stoschek will give us an update on plans and opportunities.

All our cycling must at all times follow the rules of the road — stop for traffic signals, stay off sidewalks, signal turns, etc. In addition, participants in these activities must wear an approved cycling helmet.

Steve Powell (pictured) and I spent a couple pleasant hours on the sunny Ithaca Commons today, telling people about our bikes and bike tours and answering questions. There were other tables set up with info about Tompkins Share, Cornell’s high-efficiency car program, and several other organizations with relevance to a more sustainable way of life on a small planet. It was really fun talking to the many people who came to affirm their commitment to sensible and sustainable living. Surprising, though, was how many reported that they had biked a lot until their bike was stolen — what’s with that? Read the rest of this entry »

The Bioneers is an organization that’s trying to bring widespread awareness and action to our most pressing environmental issues. “Bioneers is inspiring a shift to live on Earth in ways that honor the web of life, each other and future generations.” And, this weekend, the Bioneers are in Ithaca coordinating activities with the main 2009 Conference in San Rafael, California.  Most of the Ithaca events are taking place at Ithaca College, but there will be some festivities — music, big-group photo, exhibits –  on the Commons at noon and bikeithaca is going to join them with an info table. We’ll just have some bike safety tips, info on bikeithaca, an invitation to try cycle touring from the FLCC, some high-vis safety vests, and whatever else seems appropriate to promote the most appropriate of transportation modes. I hope to see some familiar faces down there noon-2:00 pm.

The handouts are also here as PDFs:  Explore the World by Bicycle,  Cycling Classes

The History of Early Bicycles by Donna Scott

October 6, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm

(6:30 pm light refreshments)

400 Riley Robb Hall at Cornell University

This interactive presentation is suitable for the entire family, and is free and open to the public.  Sponsored by The Cornell Local Roads Program, Cornell Department of Transportation & Mail Services, and BikeIthaca.Org .  For more information visit www.commuting.cornell.edu Read the rest of this entry »

Earth Hour Night Ride 2009, sure to become a favorite tradition, Ithaca’s first Earth Hour Night Ride went off without a hitch last Saturday evening. Weather forecasts had been a bit ominous, predicting arrival of rain toward nightfall. Instead, we had a beautiful spring evening with temperatures around 60F and no wind.

People began arriving at the parking lot next to the Cass Park Turtle around 8:00 pm and by half past we had a dozen and a half cyclists ready to go. It was nice to see Jennifer Dotson at another of our events — I think she represents Ithaca’s first ward and all of Ithaca’s cyclists on Common Council. It was gratifying to see that everyone actually had equipment for night riding. Brenda Smith and her son, Jordan, spent some of our socializing time getting brand new lights attached to their bikes.

At around 8:30, two headlights glided into the parking area from the north to join our Night Ride: it was Juan Salazar and Jamie Gartenberg, just at that moment completing their ride of over 200 miles that they had begun at 4:00 that morning.

With the total of 19 participants, we then proceeded on our formal circumnavigation of the Cayuga Waterfront Trail in the park. It really was a magical evening with so many bicycle lights gliding along next to the water. Though it was Earth Hour and we were observing a time to turn off lights, there was the usual twinkle of Ithaca reflecting in the water of the Inlet.

After completing our loop, most of the participants continued out of the park and about a dozen headed down Martin Luther King Jr. Street toward the Commons. After walking the length of the Commons with our bikes, we found a welcome at College Town Bagels — Juan and Jamie finally could have the coffee they had been desperately needing.

The group finally dispersed after ten o’clock, resolving to repeat the event next year.

Saturday, March 28, people around the world will be observing Earth Hour by turning their lights and other electric gadgets off for one hour. There are over 2,000 cities and towns in 80-some countries committed to this symbolic gesture of concern for the Earth. The event is put on by the World Wildlife Federation.

In Ithaca, some of us will turn off our lights (and leave our cars) at home and go for a bike ride — the Earth Hour Night Ride around the Waterfront Trail in Cass Park. This will be a leisurely meander along the path, suitable for everyone from young children to old-timers, the confident and faltering alike. Enough of us will have bright headlights and rear blinkies so that even those with no lighting equipment will be able to see well enough. And there will even be a few extra “emergency headlights” to hand out to early arrivals who need them.

• • When: Saturday, March 28, 8:00 pm
  • Where: Cass Park, next to the children’s Turtle
  • Who: Everyone with a bike of any kind, and even no bike — come for a walk.
  • Why: Show our concern for our world and have some fun being together

After the loop around the park (about 2 miles) those with adequate lights for street-safe and street-legal travel will ride together to the commons and find some refreshment with which to congratulate ourselves. Read the rest of this entry »

How can we get Ithaca started with its own “Kidical Mass” rides — like they have in Eugene, Oregon (where the photo was taken).

We have a number of suitably safe neighborhoods where it could take place and, I think, lots of parents who would be happy for an opportunity to expose their kids to a bike-oriented social occasion.

As the kidicalmass.org FAQ emphatically states, the similarity of “Kidical” to “Critical” is a joke and the rides are not like Critical Mass rides — they obey the law and ride in a safe and orderly way. The object is first to set a safe and responsible example for kids and only secondarily to further purposes of publicity or persuasion.

Read the rest of this entry »