saw this post on the BikePortland site:
http://bikeportland.org/2009/12/07/did-you-fight-the-cold-today-if-so-who-won/
this isn't the first time they had a post like this. another time, there was a light dusting of snow and the blog was a-flutter and people were complaining that the city didn't salt/plow fast enough. then the city apologized.
Case in point from an older post.
This is their "snow"
then it went on to say: Has this weather deterred you or your friends from riding? Yesterday I was at the City of Portland building and I was shocked to see just one bike in the usually overflowing bike racks.
wimps
i love the pictures of the people "bundled up."
i know, boo frickin' hoo. maybe the city will start providing heated bike lanes for them.
erok this is your best post ever.
"maybe the city will start providing heated bike lanes for them."
Think you guys can get that here? ;-)
I'll gladly send in another $10 if bike-pgh can pull it off.
I'll throw in a tenner of if erok can rig up a pellet spreader to his ute. If we use calcium chloride on the jail trail, one would only need to throw a layer down once a week, maybe?
You know, a salt bike isn't a half bad idea.
You know, a salt bike isn't a half bad idea.
Agreed. Strangely enough, the idea seems to come up every year around this time...
I'd think that a good approach would be to keep an eye out for a cheap/used recumbent delta trike (one wheel in front, two in back), one of the heavy-as-hell ones they sometimes stock in bike rental places. Throw on some studded tires, beef up the brakes, gear down the drivetrain, and work out power takeoff from the rear axle to the salt spreader.
Anymore, we get two or three snowfalls a year. On the jail trail, public works has gotten pretty good with making a pass with a plow the same day so the primary concern is clearing the Hot Metal Bridge. There have been a number of discussions in the forums on how to manage that.
Lots of other stuff on the web. Specifically.
http://www-bdnew.fnal.gov/pbar/organizationalchart/peterson/snowplow_files/Bike_Plow.html
http://www-bdnew.fnal.gov/pbar/organizationalchart/peterson/snowplow_files/Page2.html
@kordite huh? 2-3 snowfalls? last year, really? what about icefalls?
Yea. Pretty much. I only recall a few days that I didn't ride into work because of snow on the trail. Or rather, the snow on the trail having been packed down into icy cratered grooves and ridges.
ahhhh, so day not ridden into work because of snow = snowfall. I see. :-)
If the snowfall doesn't affect me, then it doesn't count. Or rather, it's not enough cause for me to remember it. Similarly, I don't remember how may times it has rained over the past year because raid does not prevent me from riding.
It's not the day of a snowfall that's an issue, it's the several days afterward of dealing with the compacted snow and ice that makes the trail impassable. When I notified 311 of the icy conditions around the county jail last year, the public works response was that the ice doesn't go away because of the shade.
that icepack doesn't stop me
I almost wish for more ice so I can feel like I get my money's worth from my studded tires.
I definitely think it's the melted-refrozen ice that usually ends up being the deal-breaker. That stuff can stick around half the damn winter.
my biggest issue isn't so much the ice, but that since they only get the main roads, the back streets that i've incorporated into my route are too messed up to ride. it makes me use the main thoroughfares that i don't like
my biggest issue isn't so much the ice, but that since they only get the main roads, the back streets that i've incorporated into my route are too messed up to ride. it makes me use the main thoroughfares that i don't like
Are you implying that if pittsburgh had a defined bikeway network, then these roads would receive priority equal to the primary motor vehicle network?
I really hoped this thread would start a portland<->pittsburgh bike forum flame war. come on guys...
someone....yinzer dave... is trying to start something over there. could that be you???
haha. west coasters doesn't always get east coaster's biting sarcasm
"erok this is your best post ever."
i agree
also, salt bike.
also pgh vs pdx = BRICKER vs BRICKER
@erok :-) they're too busy babying the paint job on their custom city/track/cargo bike to ride it in the "cold".
man, you are really trying to fan the flames
troyer, i'm calling you out for not being a yinzer
offer into evidence # 325: when you google "portland" and "football" the first hit is for portland's adult flag football league
Fine.... Portland checks in to find PGH to be a troll board trying to initiate flame wars. Good luck with that.
@Bob_M You're right, we really should hand this one off to Minneapolis or Winnipeg.
flame war, friendly ribbing...same thing
Biggest wimps EVER??
The Steelers just got beat by the laughable Raiders. Heck, the Little Sisters of the Poor could beat the Raiders.
I know Portland isn't a big league sports city, and I guess Pittsburg isn't either.
ouch, you're probably right. your flag football team could probably beat the steelers this year.
and hey, there's an "H" at the end of our city. people fought for that "H" over a hundred years ago. show some respect, PORTLAN
;)
I think it is important to remeber here that the so-called Pittsburgh Steelers are not owned by the people of Pittsburgh. The steelers are owned by rich people living off your tax money.
The Green Bay Packers are owned by the people Green Bay, so there is at least some justification for Green Bay folks adoring the team. (And, Pittsburgh doesn't even come close as far as fandom goes). The Packers can't simply pick up and leave if they get a better offer.
Now, mind you, in Pittsburgh, our tax money goes to the team in a variety of different ways - all of them dishonest. I understand that neither Pittsburgh nor Pennsylvania owns that fine stadium that our taxes paid for.
Of course, even though your taxes paid for the Stadium, you have to pay through the nose to actually go in the Stadium.
People playing flag football are doing a sport. People smoking cigars, eating chips, watching TV, and making bets on the steelers are not.
So, when you get google "Portland" and "football" don't feel superior. You don't get a site that points to billionaire welfare recipients suckering the town folks, the way you do with "pittsburgh" and "football."
Mick
i guess biting sarcasm gets lost on east coasters too. i should just quit the internet
Minneapolis: America's hardest bike city. Not even gonna be above 20F for the next week.
You must log in to post.
