OKC Bicyclist

After being rumored for awhile, Oklahoma City is officially announcing their plans to implement a bike share program here in the city hopefully starting this fall:

A bike share program like those embraced in other cities will be started later this year in downtown Oklahoma City.

Such programs have “stations” where bicycles are checked in and out with a deposit placed on one’s credit card. A nominal charge is sometimes paid for use of the bicycles; final details of the downtown arrangements are pending negotiation of a vendor contract.

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So far in my little experiment, I’ve really only been bicycling between home and work, which isn’t really a big change for me except that it’s my only option now.  However, because I’m now completely reliant on the bicycle to get me around, I have been attempting to make myself absolutely prepared for as many problems as possible.  I’m glad I did, since yesterday I had a nasty multiple puncture flat which thanks to equipment and planning was easily handled.  In light of this and because for some reason I’m personally always fascinated by “what’s in my bag” posts, here are my commuting bag contents:

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For the past year, I have participated in a few 30 Days of Biking events.  I truly love participating in these events and it reminds me of how much I love cycling.  Lately, I have thought about my days in Chicago.  My bicycle was my only means of transportation and it was incredibly liberating.  I began to wonder how that experience would work in Oklahoma City, where car is king.  I know car-free people who get around Oklahoma City just fine, but they have a 9 to 5, Monday through Friday schedules and are near bus routes.  I neither work a 9 to 5 schedule nor have bus routes available.  After I first returned to Oklahoma City after years in Chicago, I thought going car-free would be impossible.  Now that I feel more comfortable cycling in Oklahoma City, I feel like it might just be possible and enjoyable to be car-free.  So, I thought a fun experiment would be to attempt a month of car-free living right here in the Wild West.

There is now one known velomobile gracing Oklahoma City.  News9 put together a story last night about the custom-built machine of Frans van der Merwe who uses the machine to commute back and forth to Guthrie (which is at least a 25 mile ride each way).  According to the story, he averages about 25-30 mph on his rides which really makes me jealous.  See the whole piece below:

Edmond has made several important bicycle changes lately including the simplification and clarification of bicycle regulations and the installation of new bicycle route signs.  It now appears that they are making a concerted effort to put together a bicycle master plan for the entire city.  They are currently seeking a consultant to provide “Engineering and Planning Services for a Bicycle Master Plan”.  Full details on the RFQ can be found here.   Glad to see that Edmond is putting a concerted effort to improve cycling in a town that I have always found difficult for cycling.

Norman becomes the second Bronze Level Bicycle Friendly Community in Oklahoma after Tulsa’s win in 2009.  The League of American Bicyclists website gives great praise to the efforts Norman has made to expand their cycling path and trail networks along with the recent passage of a three-foot passing rule:

Community Highlights:  Norman’s current Bicycle Advisory Committee has come a long way in the past decade to reinstitute old bike lanes while also extending the network with the addition of new lanes.  There is broad support for policies and programs suggested by the Bicycle Advisory Committee and from citizens and new ideas are always encouraged.The city hired an engineering firm to design the first phase of a 10 mile multi-modal path along State Highway 9 that will connect urban Norman to rural east Norman.  Norman puts a strong emphasis on keeping cyclists safe and educating its youth.  For example, Norman’s Public Schools participate annually in the International Walk and Bike to School Day. The city adopted a three foot passing law as a city ordinance so it can be enforced at a municipal court level.  The city sponsors Safety Town classes annually during the month of June for children under the age of six.  There are numerous bike clubs and groups, including youth and beginner, all the way up to road-racing teams that offer weekly group rides and annual road races and mountain bike trail competitions.

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With more than a little controversy, the Oklahoma City Council has approved a timeline for all the MAPS 3 projects. Included in this timeline for the 57 miles of new bicycle trails included in the MAPS projects:

Trails

• Fifty-seven miles of trails for walking, cycling and other outdoor activities are planned. The locations of the trails are still being worked out, but they expect to make use of lakes and other well-used areas of the city. They will be built in three phases beginning in 2013.

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[caption id="" align=“aligncenter” width=“500” caption=“Photo By: George Thomas”][/caption]

With the end of the legislative session, we now can report on the final disposition of the four major cycling bills that were being considered this year:

• SB443: Requires bicycle safety questions on the driver’s license exam. Passed and signed by the governor.
• HB2049: Designates Route 66 as the Historic Route 66 Bike Trail.  Originally, the bill only partly covered Route 66, but in the end it was expanded to cover the entire length. Passed and signed by the governor.
• SB487: Would have allowed for  an optional $5 donation during driver’s license renewals to go for bicycle safety education. Died waiting for final vote after reconciliation.
• SB951: Probably the most important bill in this year’s session would have clarified the 3-foot rule and would have increased penalties for people throwing objects at cyclists. Died in Senate Subcommittee.

Sad news to mark my return to blogging, a man on a bicycle was struck from behind in a hit-and-run accident early Friday morning:

A hit-and-run incident left a Norman man seriously injured Friday, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported.

Troopers said Brian Dressler, 32, was struck from behind about 4 a.m. while riding his bicycle on the shoulder of the Interstate 35 bridge over the Canadian River in Cleveland County.

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Sorry folks, but I’m back to playing catch up.  Firstly, the Oklahoma City Council is holding the public hearing phase on the major changes to the city’s bicycle ordinances.  The meeting is occurring today starting at 8:30 AM in the City Council Chamber on the 3rd floor of 200 N. Walker.

As you can see from the full agenda, there is a lot of ground being covered so I can’t really say when the ordiances will changes will be considered.  If it happens when I happen to have a free moment, I will be live tweeting the discussion at @okcbicyclist.