Sustainable Living Fair 2010

VALET BICYCLE PARKING

Bike Fort Collins will be providing bicycle valet parking once again this year. See Fort Collins Bike Coop and Bike Fort Collins

POLL

Should Stacy Lynne be declared Queen of the Fair? Every week Stacy appears before the City Council Meeting to complain about city efforts regarding sustainability. This is all part of a United Nations conspiracy to take over local governments, etc. By acting this way Stacy has done more to publicize sustainability than platoons of environmental activists. An unintended consequence? You decide. See City won’t pursue charges stemming from failed recall effort. Thanks to the Fort Collins Coloradoan

MAIN FAIR WEBSITE

Main site of Rocky Mountain Sustainable Living Association is here.

NOW THE POLL

Posted by Gypsy Chief

Sales-tax effort aims to keep city great

Mary Atchison and Gary Thomas • August 23, 2010

We are writing this Soapbox to encourage you to join us in helping to keep Fort Collins great.

This fall, the voters of Fort Collins will be asked to support a measure to raise revenue for the city by increasing the sales-tax rate by less than one penny on a $1 purchase or, put another way, an increase of just 4 cents on a $5 hamburger meal. Groceries and prescriptions will not be taxed, and the measure will not apply to the current manufacturer’s use tax.

We strongly support the measure for the following reasons:

Do our community’s transportation, police, fire and parks efforts need more funding as described in the measure? The answer is an overwhelming yes. Already most people are noticing more potholes and rough patches in our roads; this trend will only worsen and become much more expensive to fix without an immediate increase in funding. Fifty of our city bridges are past their design life, putting drivers at risk.

Fortunately, most of us do not have routine need of police and fire services, but when we do, seconds count. Without this measure, response times would increase, and there would be less patrolling of our neighborhoods.

For the past few years, the city has been spending its reserves to keep our recreation facilities open and our parks maintained. But that cannot continue, and soon, we will see major declines in the maintenance of our parks and recreational opportunities, including possible closure of facilities.

Has the city cut costs enough to justify asking for more money? We believe the answer is again a resounding yes. During the past five years through its new Budgeting For Outcomes process, the city has reduced costs, eliminated more than 150 jobs, and reduced employee benefits and other expenditures. At this point, to achieve additional significant savings, major programs will have to be dramatically reduced or eliminated.

And therein is the heart of this whole issue. Could Fort Collins exist without parks or senior centers, with fewer police patrolling our neighborhoods or with poor roads? Yes, it could – but it would not be nearly as nice or as safe a place as it is today. Fort Collins is truly a great American city, and drastically cutting the services and facilities that have made it great would be a sad loss. Not only would our quality of life fall, but so would the economic advantages many businesses tout as their reason for being here.

Finally, is a sales-tax increase the best way to raise money? That answer is again yes. We served on a citizens committee that looked into ways a community can raise funds. It turns out that of all the possibilities, only a sales tax or a property tax can raise the necessary amount of funding for all of our needs cited above. And with a sales tax, 25 percent of the tax revenue comes from people who live outside the city but visit, work and shop here. Another advantage of a sales tax is that basic food and medicine can be excluded.

So we are throwing our best efforts into supporting this ballot measure to keep Fort Collins great. We hope you share this love for our community and will vote yes in November.

Mary Atchison and Gary Thomas are co-chairs of the committee to Keep Fort Collins Great and are working in support of the ballot measure. Both are active in a number of community endeavors.

For more in depth see Resourcing Our Future

Posted by Gypsy Chief

Betsy Markey, CO 4th District Rep.

Most Democrats voted with the House leadership Thursday evening as the House passed the Patrick Kennedy amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill of 2010.

I got the news live on The Rachel Madow Show But how did my congressperson, Betsy Markey, vote? A rollcall of the vote can be found here

Turns out that Markey voted with that other Congressman Markey, the one from Mass., she voted yes. By voting yes she proved once again that she is no Marilyn Musgrave. In case you do not remember, Marilyn, when she was our congressperson campaigned for a federal constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage. Imagine how she would have voted on the question to repeal DADT.

In researching this story I went to a favorite source, ColoradoPols They didn’t have any details of interest until the next day when they had a story headlined Colorado Delegation Casts Party Line Vote. I will let you find the specific reference on that site. About the same time, i.e. the next day after the vote, Politico had a credible story House Votes to Repeal ‘don’t ask’

Speaking of Politico, they had an interesting story in mid May about five Democrats, Markey among them, whose flip from no to yes provided the margin of victory for House passage of Health Care Reform. The other four Democrats are Alan Boyd, John Boccieri, Scott Murphy, and Suzanne Kosmas. All five have been targeted by the GOP.

Now that I have the actual rollcall on DADT I decided to see if any of these ‘targeted’ reperesentatives voted no on the Partick Murphy amendment. The answer is that all five voted with the House majority. The one no vote that leaps out at you is Rep. Ike Skelton [D-MO] who is House Armed Services Committee chairman. Republicans voting yes include Ron Paul of TX, no surprise, the newest House member Djou of HI, and Cao of LA along with two others.

Posted by Gypsy Chief

The City of Fort Collins and its leaders have gone to a great deal of trouble to promote our metropolis as bicycle friendly. We are the Choice City which means that we can decide whether to drive, take the bus, or ride a bike.
In 1995 the city engaged Drake & Associates and others to prepare a bicycle transportation program plan emphasizing transportation riding.[1]

Then in 2008 there appeared a major update to the 1995 plan. As expected the update went through the 1995 hotlist of projects and published a project by project status report on them. The 2008 plan update built on the foundation from 1995 but includes a section about how downtown business interests support various aspects of bicycling. Bicycle events such as Collegiate National Champonships can be destination activities promoting tourism for example. The plan also includes a new Citizen’s Bicycle Advisory Committee. There is a discussion of bicycle racks downtown, etc. The 2008 plan update is an amazing document, but despite the overall strength of it, there is one obvious omission, maintenance, [2] which prompts this article, there is a humorous mistake [3] and there is a nit [4] or two [5] which I pick .

In the publicity surrounding the December 2008 release of the Bicycle Transportation Plan update I read somewhere that bicycle people want to portray bicycling as cool.

Oh, really?

I’ll bet that each of you reading this article knows someone in your neighborhood who has a bicycle. The bicycle is in their garage and it has a flat tire. How cool is that?

It is not cool, it is an excuse. That flat tire gives them an excuse to fire up the SUV to go two blocks for a quart of milk, a mile to get that book back to the library, etc. These are tasks which could easily be done by bicycle.

In order to be a cool bike rider, one has to be able to actually ride it, have air in the tires and it helps if there is lubrication on all bearing surfaces.

Bicycle maintenance does not get done for three reasons.

• Lack of knowledge
• Lack of tools
• Lack of will

We have this wonderful thing called the World Wide Web. If you want to find out about bicycle maintenance and repair there are numerous resources available on the web. In addition there are books available at the public library. Or you could volunteer some of your time at the Fort Collins Bicycle Coop, 331 North College Avenue. They are open on Wednesdays and Fridays from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm. That is a great way to get better at bicycle maintenance and contribute to the community at the same time. Despite these other resources this article concentrates on how to find repair tips on the web. Several years ago I started searching for these pages. Sites based in the U.K. showed up at or near the top of search results.[6] If you didn’t search anywhere else you could find out everything you need to know about routine maintenance by looking at Jim Langley’s Bike Repair Web Site. To quote Jim Langley:

One of the coolest things about bicycles is that they’re darn easy to fix; fun to fix, too. Everything’s right there, easy to see and figure out. With basic hand tools you might already have around the house, you can make many common repairs. Just by riding the bike, you can usually diagnose problems. And, with a little practice, even advanced bicycle repair such as wheelbuilding is well within your reach…

Suppose you know nothing about basic bicycle nomenclature? For that I found an American site Bike Web Site – Terminology I think there was a really good page like that at Recycled Cycles in Fort Collins last year, but this seems to have disappeared in a site makeover.

What are the limits of what you do yourself and what to leave to expert mechanics? This will vary. For me, routine maintenance and lubrication of the chain [7], front and rear hubs, bottom bracket are all achievable. I usually leave headset repair to the experts. This is merely because by the time I get to a headset it needs to be replaced not lubricated – and headsets come in numerous sizes. Should you true your own wheels? City Bicycle Works in Sacramento Basics of Wheel Truing has a good page. Remember the Hippocratic Oath of wheel-truing: First, do no harm. I had to do some emergency wheel truing miles from home when I hit a pothole. But lacking an emergency I’d rather have the pros handle this.

What about lubrication that needs to be done periodically? Major points include the front hub, the rear hub, and the bottom bracket. Of these, maintaining the front hub is easiest. If you do not do these routine tasks you risk having the ball bearings wear a groove in the bearing races. Once that happens you will never be able to adjust the hub properly; it will always be either too loose or too tight. Front hubs are easy. First I looked at a page which gave step by step instructions on how to do this. Next, I went to a bike shop and asked exactly which tools I would need to do this myself. Then I did the work. The bike rode like it was a different bike. Amazing.

Bottom brackets were always scary for me until I did one. If you are riding a bike with 26″ wheels the odds are that you have a one piece crank. There are pages on the Internet devoted to those bottom brackets. This can be a nasty dirty job depending on how long it has been since the last time it was done. Prepare to get your hands dirty. The upside is that your bike will ride so much better with fresh lubrication in the bottom bracket. Also, if I have a procedure which involves removing numerous parts I get an egg carton or muffin tin to put the parts in as they come off. That way I can get them back in in the right order Hansel and Gretyl style.

If you are going to do the front hub and the bottom bracket you might as well do the rear hub too. You can lubricate one side of the hub without taking off the freewheel or cassette. But I took the extra step of getting a freewheel removing tool for my bike. There are several different tools for this depending on which type of freewheel or cassette you have. Again, this is well documented on sites such as Jim Langley and Bike Web Site.

My goal here is not to give you step by step instructions on how to take care of your bike. These things are documented all over the web and done much better than I could ever do in this short review. My goal, rather, is to point out that the December 2008 Bicycle Transportation Program Plan Update did not say a single thing about bicycle maintenance and repair. One way to counter this omission is to do an Internet search for sites and pages which document these procedures. Your Internet search will be different than mine. Find the sites that interest you most and use the information.

Some other tips I found by looking around – does your bike have paint scratches? Find the same color nail polish; great for small scratches. Keep an eye on brake and derailleur cables. If one strand in a cable is broken the overall strength is decreased by 50%. Do you need to ship a bicycle? Look on the Jim Langley site for directions on how to box a bicycle. Bike Web Site has some tips on how to lock up your bike. And never throw away an old toothbrush.

Now a word or two about safety. If you are ever going to ride your bike after dark then working lights are a must, plus you risk a ticket if you neglect them. I’ve seen kids who took every light and reflector off their bike and then rode around long after dark. How cool is that? Does your headlight run on two C batteries or two D batteries? If so, you should replace it. Newer lights weigh less and are much more powerful.

Maintenance tips include instructions on how to adjust brakes and cables, how to adjust derailleurs and their cables. You may or may not decide to do this yourself. One thing you should not do is to take apart a Bendix coaster brake; you might wind up with parts scattered around surrounding neighborhoods.

Lets go back to that bike in your neighbor’s garage (or is it your garage?) – the one with a flat tire. Look for a patch repair kit. Nobody patches inner tubes any more. What you want out of the kit is the plastic tire irons. Please do not use screwdrivers to remove tubes and tires from the rim. If you are just starting on flat tire repair you may want to patch one tube to use as a practice tube. You want to get the tube on and off the rim without getting “snake bites”. If you do get snake bites it is a sign that the tube got pinched between the tire and the rim. After a little practice this should not be a problem.

Jim Langley says that your bike can be fixed with tools you may already have around the house. Well, yes and no. You do not want to use pipe wrenches. A metric wrench set comes in handy. But some jobs should be done with tools that are specifically made for bicycles. The Park Tool Company, in particular, makes bicycle tools. Most bicycle shops can order the right size Park tool for you or they have it in stock. Again, your Internet search will lead you to the right tools for whichever maintenance jobs you decide to do yourself.

This might be the toughest problem of all. Maybe you don’t want to take a few moments to oil your chain; you can always do it tomorrow. One way to fight this is to have a schedule. You make a schedule based on how much riding you do. Then you stick to your schedule. Stuff gets done on time and you feel good about it. Or, if you just can’t do this then you know that you should take your bike in and have the professionals work on it. A well maintained bicycle should be almost effortless to ride in Fort Collins on flat terrain.

If you do decide to put off chain lubrication until tomorrow, please remember the chain law. A rusty chain will always break when you are 35 miles from home.

The 1995 Fort Collins Bicycle Transportation Program Plan correctly identified maintenance and repair as ocurring on the cusp of two of the traditional Es – education and encouragement. The 2008 Plan Update did not say a single thing about the subject. I do not want to leave the impression that the 2008 plan update is not a good document. One way to think about this is to remember that any plan such as this is an instance of technical writing. There is a whole set of rules for good technical writing. One of the very first rules is that the tech writer must decide who is the intended audience. An extended discusion of bicycle repair and maintenance is properly directed at the bicycle riding public and they may not be the primary audience for the plan. If this is true then this article should be made available somewhere where the general public may find it. On a blog for example. That is the contribution I hope to make.

Remember, though, the Plan and the Plan Update are oriented toward transportation [1] riding. This means that there is a fleet out there in the community. Just like the bus fleet at Transfort the fleet needs to be maintained.

[1] What are the other kinds of bicycling? One is recreational riding, another riding for exercise. Then there is intercity riding or touring. Indeed, I think a milestone will be achieved when one can bicycle from Fort Collins to Greeley on bicycle trails.

Finally, bicyclists should learn the basics of bicycle repair and maintenance. Poor maintenance can
contribute to bicycle crashes and take some of the pleasure out of riding. Many bicycle repairs, especially
emergency “on-the-road” repairs, such as flat tires, are easy, once the basic procedures are explained.
Some people don’t ride because they are intimidated by the thought of changing a tire or adjusting the
height of their bicycle saddle. Do-it-yourself bicycle maintenance and repairs can be taught to people of all
ages.

[2]. Drake & Associates, City of Fort Collins Bicycle Transportation Program Plan, 1995, page 16. There is no equivalent reference to maintenance in the 2008 plan update. This is a major mistake in my opinion.

[3] The 2008 plan update identifies Critical Mass as Critical Masses. This proves that the authors are not experts on alternative lifestyles. Critical Mass claims to be a bicycle advocacy group. I see very little evidence to support this notion.

Real bicycle advocates do hard work. They attend city council meetings and planning sessions. They advocate for budget alternatives. They alert authorities to “go fish” problems on bike trails. Critical Mass would rather taunt the police, it seems to me.

Instead, I think that Critical Mass is a group which has an absolute First Amendment right to peaceably assemble and ride as a group. This does not give them the right to ride after dark without lights, or to block intersections.

[4] The 2008 plan update has numerous photographs which add to its interest. The next time there is an update I’d like to see photographs with callouts like we would see in an appriasal report: e.g. “Looking Southwesterly along River Rats Trail about 700 feet northerly of intersection with Bla Bla Road.”

[5] If they are going to include photographs in plan updates I’d love to see before and after shots of projects on the hot list.

[6] The reason is that English kids are born with an adjustable spanner. This helped the RAF keep going in the early days of World War II.

[7]WD-40 is great for squeaky barn door hinges. Please keep it away from your bike chain.

Posted by Gypsy Chief

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

I for one am glad to see Marilyn Musgrave resurface this way. Some people express disappointment that Betsy Markey seems to be more of a conserv-a-dem than they would like.

Well, having Musgrave resurface this way just reinforces Gypsy Chief’s take that conserv-a-dem or not Markey is vastly superior to the congressperson she replaced.

Posted by Gypsy Chief

Project Area

On April 8 the City of Fort Collins, Transportation Planning Department had a public open house to introduce Phase II of the North College Avenue street improvement project. Phase I, completed, ran from Jefferson to near Vine. Phase II runs from Vine Drive to Conifer Street. The open house was conducted at The City’s Streets Department building on the South West Corner of Vine Dr. and Lemay Ave.

I’m glad I went. The open house was well attended. The Gypsy Chief noticed Mayor Doug Hutchinson fresh from a 60 something to 30 something election victory. The mayor looked pleased … he quipped about barely squeaking by. I did think the mayor having a name tag was a bit of overkill. We would have recognized him anyway. Honest.

The City’s project staff as well as consultant team were very much in attendance along with representatives of CDOT, various members of other city departments and quite a few members of the general public.

City staff as well as project consultants distributed questionaires soliciting input from the public. They also gave out those round colored sticky things you can get at the stationery store. In view of attendance by state highway personnel we decided to call them Cee Dots.

This is a complex project for a number of reasons. North College Avenue is a state highway. It is lined with strip commercial with a wide variety of setbacks and front parking. There is plenty of bicycle traffic to contend with as well. There are some pending right of way issues and landscaping needs. The project team included a consultant landscape architect who was busy answering questions. The open house featured numerous exhibits, aerial photographs, Gantt charts, etc.

North College Avenue since it is an important bicycle route may receive some funding from a program known as safe route to work …

Gosh, where have I heard that phrase before? Oh yes, during the discussion of the Obama administration stimulus plan there was criticism of bicycle paths by Senator Fake Suntan [R-NV]. The senator claimed that construction of bicycle paths doesn’t create jobs, etc.

Anyway I did some research and found an organization called The National Center for Bicycling and Walking which I put in the public interest section here at the Gypsy Chief blog. The center has a lot of information about the safe route to work program. So, apropos of that it was a special treat that the City of Fort Collins city bicycle coordinator David Kemp was seen at the open house.

The project team asked the public to choose among three options in case not all funding can be found in time for project start.

The Bottom line

• Do light to moderate improvements along the entire corridor
• Do more complete improvements at specific locations or intersections
• Start at one end and construct as far as possible with available funds

Make no mistake about it, this is an important project which the city just has to get right. The Gypsy Chief is certainly happy to see how Phase I of the project turned out. 2009 is an exciting year as the project moves toward 2011 construction start .Transportation Planning webpage There will be more open houses later this year. Stay tuned.

Posted by Gypsy Chief