It's Spring at Saint Johns Ave

Some photos around the yard & new home...

National Bike to Work 2008

Here are some photos and stats from the event. We had a total of 2 riders this year. Better than last year because this is the first year that there was an Edina convoy. Pics below and reflections & stats below!



Some reflections:

1. What went well, and feedback for what we can do next year

The map planning and centralizing on the Bike Walk Week site went well. Our route was perfect and I liked the start time. Thanks to Shaun and team for the resources.

What I'd like to do next year is more advertising locally and via web sites for the convoy from Edina. Specifically, getting some flyers posted at bike shops, coffee shops, and other venues.

2. Any interesting stories

The funny thing is that the other person showing up had a Surly bike like me (hers was a Crosscheck and mine a Big Dummy), rear saddle bags, Shimano pedals, and we both had the exact same sandle-type biking shoes that we purchased at REI recently. We both work downtown Minneapolis and commute throughout the winter. We had a pleasant conversation and kept a good pace all the way to downtown. Then at the government plaza, I noticed another Crosscheck and I was about to say "Sue, look...your bike's twin" and then looked up to see my oldest and best friend riding that bike, Scott from the UoM. Saw lots of friends and acquaintences at the plaza, thanks for the food and displays from places like One on One (thanks for the socks, Geno!).



Also...from Shaun M., NTP Project Coordinator:

"We had 40 bike convoys and 3 walk convoys
190 workplace teams were formed
980 people attended the 12 downtown celebrations and free breakfast locations
2,400 people registered online – and of those 11% had never biked or walked to work before"

"Also, Fox 9 did a story on Bike Walk to Work Day. Tim Blotz even walked people through the process of looking for commuter convoys on a computer!

South View Middle School Bike Project

Here are a few photos from last Saturday's event. Alex D. and John M. did a wonderful job organizing this, and thanks to their classmates, parents, relatives, Mayor Hovland, and other community leaders for making this possible.

You Can Always Go...Downtown

Thanks, Petula. Here is our recent downtown bus excursion. (Alex got a near-concussion at school a few days earlier, BTW.)

The Big Trailer

Here are a few photos for the first haul for the new Bikes at Work trailer.

Capella Spring Bicycling Seminar

Here is a scene from our 2nd bicycle commuting seminar. Pictured is Mike, facilitator of this session's meeting. Like the last time, about 25 people attended. This was another great team effort. Momentum!

Capella Green Team

Prior to our annual meeting today, we had some employee groups set up tables. Here is a scene from the Capella Green Team table.

Mom and Dad High School

Taken around 1947. Roosevelt High School, Minneapolis.

Edina Convoy

Here is the route I'm leading for the Edina location for the national May Bike/Walk to work week. Site is http://www.bikewalkweek.org/. The date is May 14th. Meet at 6:50 a.m. at Jerry's Foods on Vernon Ave in Edina. We'll be leaving at 7 a.m. and will probably be downtown by 7:45 a.m. at the Gov't Center for the festivities.

Ceramics, Wallpaper, Chairs...

Haulin' Away...

Another interesting load for a neighbor. Nice going, Alex.

Goodbye and Hello

Saying goodbye to the kids as Lisa snapped a pic. They're off to visit family on vacation while I prepare for the big move on Thursday.

This was the last day they would be in the current house. We will miss our neighbors! But 2 miles away isn't far. I'm reminded of the changes we experienced on the house. Also more importantly the changes we experienced these past 14 years as a family...

We swung on the Highland swings
Dreaming of kids that would walk to school

Aliya's name arrived in Lisa's dream,
Artem's face in her magazine,
Vision of boys swimming near a fence;
Alex too, it made perfect sense.

Winter school carnivals,
New Year's skating at Highlands Lake,
Fall picnics at the Tree Park,
Walking to school is fun to do.

"Hello, hello
I don't know why you say goodbye
I say hello"

Autmn Blaze Maple grows higher; new family will see,
Dexter's ashes nourish the tree
While we begin a new adventure much more free

Meet new neighbors, bring a pie.
Polar Express fits on the shelf.

"Oh, no
You say goodbye and I say hello."

Frosty malts after the pool,
Another season to walk to school.

New Painting

This just in from Karen, my sister. She writes, "Here's a recent commission. (oil 16x20) I love painting horses and people! :~) "

We both like to ride. Being a city guy, however, my steeds are steel instead of flesh and bones.

The Big Dummy Has Landed!

Flew in from Chicago and took the train to downtown, walked to One on One Bicycle Studio, paid for the piece of work (almost all used parts!), and rode home. It was fantastic!

My first ride carried two spare tires, all my luggage, and a bag of papers, cereal, and a banana. Here is the first photo as dusk set the same night.

12 people already rode it those first few hours. Ellen (pictured below) borrowed the bike to deliver Girl Scout cookies with two of her daughters on the deck. This bike is sick! It's everything I had hoped it would be...and more.

Encouraging Sprawl

What do you think about this statement: "This [cheap gas in the U.S.] allows us to move further away from the city and buy houses 30% bigger and buy larger, more powerful automobiles."

From CNBC this morning: "Discussing the economy, with Wilbur Ross, Jr., WL Ross & Co. chairman/CEO; Mike Jackson, AutoNation CEO; John Hofmeister, Shell Oil U.S. Operations CEO and Robert McTeer, former Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas president"

I'm at a school colloquium in Chicago and turned on CNBC. Panelists this morning are spouting off on the advantages of cheap oil in the U.S. which keeps our gas prices historically low as a portion of our income.



Sometimes I think we are in denial. Yesterday while walking to class I saw other headlines "World Environment in Peril" with shots of melting glaciers and other havoc.

Environment aside, what are the advantages of spreading humanity out to cover up the diminishing prairies, grasslands, farms, and forests? What is the cost of the extended sewer systems? The cost of additional pollution as people use more and more fossil fuels to use those "larger and more powerful" cars as they move away? What is the social cost of kids not growing up near neighbors and adults not having friends within walking distance? What about the loss of the "neighborhood school" where people actually walk to school? The walking/busing/biking ease of getting to work? Sure, short-term economic gains can be enjoyed from the incessant need to increase shareholder value year upon year. But where are the measurements for "gross national social stability"? Air quality? Carbon footprint reduction? Oil-inspired wars?

OK, now the New York auto show is being featured. My parting thoughts are that 14 bicycles fit in a standard car parking lot space. At a fraction of the energy required to melt, build, transport, and sell one regular car.

Bicycling (and other human-powered transport), busing, and other good choices are good for health, society, and the world in both political and environmental aspects. It is apparent that stakeholders such as Shell Oil, energy investors, lobbyists, and many government leaders might need further proof to see the situation in a longer-term perspective. What do you think? What will you do?

Big Dummy Ordered

G.O. at One on One Bicycle Studio was able to locate a frame for me...might come this Friday. I predict that 2008 will be the year of the utility bike. Look for continued excitement in the media, more long-tails showing up on the streets, and more positive trends for bikes as transportation and utilities. The image below is from surlybikes.com; visit the Frames section.

"...it hauls your groceries, tools, human and animal friends, surfboard, work duds, briefcase, vacuum cleaner, firewood, moonshine, camping gear, banjo, mulch, and anything else you can imagine, while providing the functionality, durability, and sweet ride characteristics that Surly bikes are known for. Use the Big Dummy for commuting to work, running errands, taking the kids to school, farm/yard work, touring, or just riding around cuz it’s fun."

P.S. I couldn't sleep today and woke up at 2:30 a.m. thinking about it. Guess it's time to ride to work....

The first photo is from the Surly blog. The next photo is not mine. Credit to Mountain Bike Review.

-14F & Still Biking Strong

My favorite biking season is winter. My favorite biking conditions are snow and ice. Have you ever ridden on freshly fallen snow? Sounds like squeaky marshmallows. How about packed snow at -14F? Sounds like pleasant but slightly unsettling alien metallic humming. Cracked ice at zero F = Rice Krispies on steroids. In the future I hope to prepare an audio file of these for your enjoyment. For now, here are some of my favorite winter images.

New House?

Current house (link)

New house? Slideshow below.

Give Me a Break...

...with THAT KIT KAT BAR! For the full commercial, visit this vintage video. For the full size image of what happens when you mix a Kit Kat with a Ghetto Mocha, click the delicious image. Photo credit: AQ.

P.S. Does mixing a Ghetto Mocha with a Kit Kat remind you of this?

My Next Bike?

Check it out at about 2 minutes:

When 9-Year-Olds Use Email

Click to expand. I laughed pretty hard seeing the apparent change in attitude after not getting responses fast enough. Funny to think of how kids new to email might not quite get the concept of asynchronous. The girl pretty well mastered attitude on email.

Can You Go a Year Without Buying New?

Check this out: http://www.startribune.com/business/13513951.html . I need to think about this.

I Like the Tall Bike

Winter Riding

Here are a few shots of Alex and I goofing around in the driveway.

Family Fun

Family fun, compliments of Susan Reid.

Mother Died

Here is the obituary for my mother. Pictured below are my mother and father taken at my wedding in March 1993. You can visit the family wiki for my mom.

Johnson, Lois M. (Beamer) age 77, of Green Valley, AZ (originally from Minnesota), passed away 11/29/07. Survived by loving husband, Logan Johnson, sister Shirley Beamer and brother Richard Beamer; and also 4 children, 9 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren: Daughter and son-in-law Karen and Keith Kersten and family; daughter and son-in-law Barbara and Greg Peppersack and family; son and daughter-in-law Bruce and Tricia Johnson and family; son and daughter-in-law Kirk and Lisa Johnson and family. Memorial service will be held Saturday, January 26th at 4:30 p.m. at Colonial Church in Edina (952-925-2711).

Cool Logo

Source

Paint the Pavement

News byte from Community Design Group: "Out in St. Paul, a project to calm traffic, increase pedestrian and bicycle safety, and connect neighborhood residents with each other. First two intersections are Englewood Avenue & Syndicate Avenue, and at Van Buren Avenue & Pascal Avenue" (pictured below).

You might also enjoy viewing 40+ images at this Flickr account I found thanks to Kevin Hendricks.

Fall Photos

Here are some things our family has been up to, including Uncle Slurpy.








Plus a photo taken a bit later at mom's memorial service:

Bike Plan Presentation

This is a message I sent to members of the Bike Edina Task Force. I'm posting it here because the accomplishments and possibilities truly represent what we can accomplish as citizens, as volunteers, as government officials, and as members of a society that better walking, biking, and transit options.

Hello friends, I have some great news to share with you about last night's Edina Transportation Commission (ETC) meeting. Also I have a recap of recent and next activities that are helping us make prpogress on our Bike Edina mission statement.

First of all, there was strong bike plan support expressed by the comissioners at the ETC meeting last night. Dwaine, Alice, Matthew, Antonio, and I attended on your behalf. Last night's presentation that Antonio gave included several core concepts and striking visuals depicting current roadways before and after bikeway treatments. Comments such as "this is a wonderful plan" and "this is one of the best plans I've read" were just a few that you can hear for yourself if you watch the meeting video. After the meeting, I actually got a high-five from one of the commissioners! What impressed me was that the questions reflected thoughtful considerations of what the possibilities are. I am truly optimistic that the Bike Edina community, the ETC, the City Council, and the Planning Commission are already demonstrating genuine interest in our new comprehensive bike plan. Tactically, Mr. Sullivan suggested a mid-December ETC workshop to go through the bike plan, and so this is one of the actionable items where we can make a positive difference as we partner together. More to come on that later.

Second, apart from our specific bike plan presentation: We observed considerations, questions, and comments about bicycling while talking about transportation in general. Specifically, during the other agenda topics, the Chair (Les W.), the other commissioners, and the other presenting consultants (we heard from the Northeast Edina Traffic Study Implementation, the Edina Gateway - Pentagon Redevelopment, and comments about the roundabouts) were doing things such as showing photos of bicyclists, talking about bicyling experiences, addressing bicycle safety at an initial level, reducing the carbon footprint, and other bicycle aspects. I believe this is a remarkable indication that our collective efforts are making a positive difference already. This will be reflected in the upcoming plans and decisions that our community will make regarding transportation options.

Our Transportation Commission is a hard-working, thoughtful group that is addressing a vast amount of issues and projects. Dwaine and I will continue to be your bike representatives to develop relationships with the ETC. We will partner together constructively, and we always welcome more particiaption when you can regarding our link with the ETC. Others in the bike group are doing the same thing with City Council and the Planning Commission.

Our collective efforts will increase the quality of life in Edina in health, safety, environmental, and social aspects--you have made a difference already! Thank you for your efforts to get us this far! I am so thankful to Steve for starting the BETF. I'm grateful for everyone's contributions during the past months, and CDG has been wonderfully supportive.

In closing I think that if you are not already very proud of our group's results, and proud of our City staff, commissions, councilmembers, Community Design Group, citizens, and others for what has been initiated...well gosh we can definitely feel that way. The proof is in the November 5th City Council meeting, this ETC meeting last night, and the various efforts underway. We still have a lot of work to do. I hope that this message offers some helpful information and will motivate you and your network to stay engaged.


--
Kirk (Logan) Johnson
Kirk.johnson@LoganLogic.com

When Road Diets Don't Consider Bike Vehicles

Here is a recent roadway change on Cornelia Drive in Edina that did not take into consideration how bicyclists might best navigate through the streets. Because bicycles have the same rights and duties as motorists on our roads (MN St. 169.222), it is important to consider biking when building and changing roads. Bikers have a risk index of injury that is 5 times greater when riding on sidewalks; additionally, it is against the law to ride a bike on some business district sidewalks and wherever posted.

Photo courtesy Barry Hans

Barb's Bike Bonanza

Today we (Alex, Artem, Barb, and I) had an AWESOME day biking along my bike commute route to downtown Minneapolis. From there, we explored on the Heritage trail while also visiting Mill City Ruins park, the Stone Arch Bridge, and the new Guthrie Theater. We then headed through Seven Corners then south along Hiawatha to the Midtown Greenway. Stopped at Ben & Jerry's. Encountered a refreshing rain and then enough wind to get mostly dry before returning home. Barb did great...muscle power! We covered 22.3 miles and here is the Bikely map.

Critical Mass Minneapolis

Some photos from the Strib's photo gallery. Here is one, photo credit to Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune:


This was a well-attended event. Reports say 600 but I am certain there were more than 1,000. Based on the interactions I experienced with people watching and participating, it was overall very positive. This is the first time I've ever seen residents come out on their balconies and front yards on Franklin and Lake to cheer and jump up and down. Lots of friendly comments and smiles from pedestrians and even motorists.

Below is a short clip from youtube:

Downtown Girl

Aliya and I took the morning to goof around downtown and at the U. Camera battery went out, so here are some other memories that didn't make it in the photos below...Walker Art Center invisible floor and long escalators, open market Honey Crisps, Bridge Number 9, 35W bridge view, Washington Avenue Bridge, Bell Science Museum (Bicycle Film Festival), Dinkytown.

GnomeTown

The kids have some gnomes and fairies in the backyard. Here is our garden project to make it a better place for imagining, playing, and being a kid again no matter what your age is.

Freeride 2007

It was a fun afternoon and evening. Fun to ride with friends. Met at CRC on 34th and Lyndale, then to the Alt, then Peace Coffee, then The Nomad, and then One on One Bike Studio.

All-City Championship

Here is our route. Scott had GPS. I've had a busy week. Summary: THIS RACE WAS A BLAST! Here is a note I wrote to my sister:

"Hi, the alleycat race was awesome. Incredibly excellent! The neat part was that the organizer had a manifest (list of trips to make) that no one could see until the beginning of the race. It had things like: Go to 1724 Kenwood Pkwy and get the year the brick water tower was built. Count the window panes at the Lake Harriet bandshell. Buy a banana somewhere and eat it at the tent in Powderhorn Park where you'll put your manifest in a sealed envelop to deliver to Grumpy's bar in Northeast Minneapolis...and so on it went. At some of the stops there were free socks, bike parts, or drinks. And some were like get the number from the blue hat in the mural at such-and-such address and use that number for the missing number in the next address on the list. It was about 35-45 (?) miles total zipping around all the "burrows" of Minneapolis (plus one cross-town stop in St. Paul). There were bikers all over the place because no one takes the same course unless you are riding with a few friends, which is pretty common.

The night before the race there were crazy contests like track stands (balancing without moving on the bike...some people did it for 10 - 12 minutes), sprints (pairs of people going full blast for a block or two for mini races) and skids (seeing how long you can skid the back tire...all on fixed gear bikes with no hand brakes or coaster brakes). Those contests started at 10 p.m. after registering at a bar (pay $10 and get a spoke card for the race) and were only halfway done at midnight...I had to bike home and miss some of it. Lots of drinking, music, and a little mayhem but all respectful fun...

You know, some of those race ideas (the alleycat race with the surprise manifest before the beginning so that no one can prepare) might be suitable for a horse event. I guess it is sort of like a scavenger hunt in a way.

I actually think horses are more interesting than bikes in many ways. I'm sure that if we compared history, contributions to society, culture, etc. that bikes and horses would go neck-and-neck. However, bikes don't poop! Your horses are so lucky! If only all horses could get the care you offer."

I'm ready for the next one! Here is one person's Flickr show. Scott S., we might have to split up next time to avoid jousting at the end!

Alleycat Comin' Up

Last night was the registration at The Nomad...about 60 (?) people were there and more people will register today. We rode up to the Hennipen Ave bridge, and then on the east side had trackstand comps, then rode to the warehouse district for paired sprints. So cool. Met lots of new people.

I left a little after midnight and they hadn't even started the skid contest. Got some zzz's and am looking forward to a rainy 3-hour race event today.

Edina Connections for Bike Plan

Today I photographed and labeled several access points to other cities plus some interesting roadway issues. This is for preparing the 10-year comprehensive bike plan. Click the photo album cover below and then you can see a slideshow if you click the option.

100 Mile Bike Trip

Here is an English century (going 100 miles on one day). Today I wrote Slurpy, my fixed gear bike. The group was Dublestylee, Philbilly, Atomkinder, Chelsea, and The Other Scott plus me. No one had any mechanical problems on the group ride, and we all pretty much rode the same speed. Averaged 16 mph. I hit 104 miles. I didn't get sore or any pains except the bottom of my feet. What a great accomplishment for everyone.

Dublestylee put together the map, which took us from the Stone Arch Bridge through White Bear Lake to Marine on St. Croix at the Minnesota/Wisconson border. We took a break there and had lunch at Roberta's. It was a good group. No incidents except an isolated pickup jerk, and a minor dropout wheel problem I had. This was all new territory for me, including the Gateway Trail on the way back. Good weather and a great day to complete this feat.

Biking 16 Miles with Kids

All 3 kids biked with me on a 16+ mile route. We stopped at a playground for our picnic lunch and played tag on the play set. We had so much fun that when we got to the bike shop, it was closed. Here is the gang.

Bridge Biker

Please view this powerful slideshow with audio commentary. I think the biker's name is Dan Schueller: http://www.startribune.com/slideshows/rich_media/1344505.html



Also, there is an account of this story, briefer and in text, in MplsBikeLove.

Dog Bite

So I was biking south on Yosemite in St. Louis Park last night and a girl had two dogs off-leash on the street. One greeted me with this bite mark. The intersting thing is that with a little imagination, it looks like an evil little face. The penetration is very deep in this wound although you can't tell by the photo. I have discussed with both a nurse, a doctor, St. Louis Park Police, the dog's neighbor, the dog's vet, and Animal Control. So far, the owner(s) have chosen not to communicate with me.

I filed a police report because there should be public record of the combination of a biting dog and an irresponsible owner. People that own dogs need to be responsible, and it helps if they are courteous, too.

8/5 update: Case # 07004761. Animal control: 952-924-2618. / 952-924-2125. Officer Bahe.
8/6 called Eric at this number to get a status...left a voice message 11:02.
8/7 called Eric again -- did not hear back -- left another message at 7:13 a.m. The neighbors are at 3929Called again 11:15 a.m. and Eric said he'd call back in 10 minutes. Result: He said I can call at the end of the week.

8/11: More Information:

MN Statutes:
http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/bin/getpub.php?type=s&num=347.50&year=2006
Subd. 3. Potentially dangerous dog. "Potentially dangerous dog" means any dog that:
(1) when unprovoked, inflicts bites on a human or domestic animal on public or private
property;
(2) when unprovoked, chases or approaches a person, including a person on a bicycle, upon
the streets, sidewalks, or any public or private property, other than the dog owner's property,
in an apparent attitude of attack; or

St. Louis Park
DOG OWNER RESPONSIBILITIES in SLP
http://www.stlouispark.org/residents/pet_owners.htm#150
City ordinance requires that Dogs be on a leash that is no more than six feet long when they are being walked.

DOGS NUISANCES in SLP
http://www.stlouispark.org/residents/pet_owners.htm#148
"Dogs may be declared a public nuisance and destroyed if a sworn complaint to a Hennepin County court judge indicates that the dog has attacked or bitten a person outside the owner's or custodian's premises "

ANIMAL BITES in SLP
http://www.stlouispark.org/residents/pet_owners.htm#105
After 10 days, a city staff member will contact you to confirm if your pet is still in good health.

Be sure to report any animal bite: call the St. Louis Park public safety dispatcher at (952) 924-2618.

Sauntercycling

Sauntercycling: Bicycle rides starting at your front door with no time limit, pre-defined route, or destination. Required packing list is water and a credit card. The purpose is to have a spontaneous bike adventure, returning anytime you want.

Jain: "Want to ride out to Bryant Lake Bowl for some beer?"
Axel: "Too much structure. Let's go sauntercycling instead...I don't need to work until tomorrow night."
Jain: "Dude that is sick. Spontaneous adventure. I'm in!"

Steve Gets Fixed

Today after lunch with Steve and Dave, we had a little fun on W 77th street. Steve was in an adventurous mood and gave Slurpy a little ride. Tentative at first, within seconds there were snickers. Then laughter. Grinning ear-to-ear, there was boisterous laughter altnerative with comments like "This is fun!" "I didn't expect this to be so fun," and "I get it now!"




Pictured here is my rear cog, served on ice. So pretty.

I would say that Steve's maiden voyage was one sweet ride. Next time, Dave?

Oops: 10 MPH Speed Limit

1. July 26th: Commuter path workers spray-paint dozens of "10 MPH" on the Kenilworth and Cedar Lake Trail bike paths which are heavily used by bike commuters that often hit 20 MPH or more including yours truly
   
   
2. July 27th: My friend Scot Gore posts a message on MplsBikeLove.com saying,

   Just did my commute ride in to work this AM and noticed new 10MPH stencils on the Kenilworth connector trail and the Cedar Lake Trail. It leaves us transportational cyclists 3 choices
   1) Break the speed limit all the time.
   2) Shift our routes out to Cedar Lake Road or Hennepin Ave
   3) Give it up and get back in the car.
   
   All bad options. I also think it a big deterent to new commuters. Makes biking the commuter trails as slow and frustrating as sitting in traffic. I've left a couple of messages this AM to see if I can learn more about the why's, the what for's, and the how do I make it go away's. Scot

   
   
3. July 28 to July 30: More than 1000 views from the MplsBikeLove community (just one forum example) and more than 60 active posts in the thread, covering the various government leaders and transit leaders (including biking and other) that were contacted. Let's just say that the proverbial phones were rattling off their hooks...
   
   
   
4. July 30th response that dozens or more received from Don P. from the City of Minneapolis:
   

   The MPRB did this by mistake. They are working to correct this. It was never intended to place a speed limit along our commuter trails.

   
   

I was impressed: Within a matter of a few days, the bike community organized itself without any leader and accomplished a very quick visibility and turnaround from the right people. I'm grateful for involvement in this from the Transit for Livable Communities (Steve Clark), the later involvement by the City of Minneapolis (Don Pflaum), the scores of others.

Hmmmm...very interesting you say? Whether this was really just a bone-headed mistake (Park board worker: "But those are our favorite stencils for around the Lakes!") or something more sinister ("Quick, Karl...how can we spin this awful mistake?"), I love how the collective understanding of these bikeways was reinforced to be COMMUTER facilities.

Yes, we have froot booters, dogs on really long leashes, giant unicycle riders reading novels (yup, it happens!), spandex-clad racers, and vegan utility riders hauling goods from Whole Foods...believe me, there is NO reason to start imposing arbitrary rules such as a flippin' speed limit.

Note to spray paint stencil workers: Please do not inhale the product.

Besides, since when were bicycles required by law to inform their drivers what speed is being registered? Unlike cagers, bicycles don't really go much faster than 20 MPH in most conditions for most riders. The important thing, dangit, is to PASS WITH CARE. Believe me, an idiot can do lots of damage at slower speeds.

If you don't believe me, try getting your ass hit by a 200-pound biker going at 9.5 MPH while you're strolling along listening to The Fray and smelling dandelions. Now, wouldn't you rather have a biker going 20 MPH that actually gave you 3 feet of clearance and also bothered to say "On your left" if you were walking like Captain Jack Sparrow?