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Lead out in cuffs posted:To get away from D&D and onto something (maybe) less contentious, do any of the Florida traffic engineers have any idea of the state's long-term plans for dealing with tidal flooding of roads? Edit: It's temporarily disabled, but we have an online map app that displays road closures due to flooding in realtime. Varance fucked around with this message at 04:27 on Dec 27, 2015 |
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Dec 27, 2015 04:11
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Lead out in cuffs posted:Yeah, dyno lights was what I meant by "barely a thing". Most dyno lights are far more effective than battery powered lights. Also things may have changed a lot in 15 years, but I recall riding on a lot of streets outside of amsterdam. Edit: fishmech, the extra effort of modern dyno hubs and even modern sidewall dynos is really really small.
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Dec 27, 2015 05:56
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fishmech posted:To be willing to put up with the extra pedaling effort of dyno lights, versus just using disposable or rechargeable but non pedal connected lights... that seems like the opposite of "barely a thing". Maybe you meant something completely different from the way people usually use "barely a thing" but as it stands it's pretty self-contradictory. Oh Fishmech.    Pretty much what Baronjutter said -- dynamo lights are the option that comes with the bike, can't be stolen easily and honestly don't work very well for visibility. However, they do exist, hence my not saying that lights "aren't a thing" in the Netherlands, because dynamo lights mean that technically they are. Lights (and visibility) are, however, not a thing which most people bother to think about while biking in the Netherlands, or, phrased differently, "barely a thing". Varance posted:There's not much of a care factor on the state level, so it's up to the local governments to deal with it via stormwater improvements. For most, the other half of the answer is ArcGIS reporting. https://www.tampagov.net/floodmap That's kind of hilarious. "We aren't going to do anything about the problem, but the wonders of Big Data will enable you to watch our state sink beneath the ocean in real time!"
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Dec 27, 2015 05:58
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In my city we've just had a report released which classifies which properties are going to be potentially affected by rising sea levels. The owners of many of these properties are petitioning the local council to redo the report because it'll mean the property value will go down. And the council is listening. Absolute waste of money because when the report is redone its just going to come to the same conclusions.
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Dec 27, 2015 07:35
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Lobsterpillar posted:In my city we've just had a report released which classifies which properties are going to be potentially affected by rising sea levels. The owners of many of these properties are petitioning the local council to redo the report because it'll mean the property value will go down. And the council is listening. Hillsborough County (Tampa): http://www.tbrpc.org/mapping/pdfs/sea_level_rise/Appendix%20A%20-%201%20-%20Hillsborough%20SLR%20Map.pdf Pinellas County (St Petersburg/Clearwater): http://www.tbrpc.org/mapping/pdfs/sea_level_rise/Appendix%20A%20-%204%20-%20Pinellas%20SLR%20Map.pdf Manatee County (Bradenton): http://www.tbrpc.org/mapping/pdfs/sea_level_rise/Appendix%20A%20-%202%20-%20Manatee%20SLR%20Map.pdf Here in Tampa, one of those ArcGIS maps I mentioned a few posts ago keeps track of property already impacted. We call them redline properties: locations that will flood out in an amazing fashion during a major storm or other event that causes a rise in water level. Development on redline properties is restricted with specific stormwater improvements that *must* be made for construction permits to be issued. Edit: It's also available to the public: https://tampa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Viewer/index.html?appid=2f1e95810f124578975dea875e0ce378 Varance fucked around with this message at 08:36 on Dec 27, 2015 |
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Dec 27, 2015 08:10
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Oh come on, don't be silly and don't talk about the Netherlands like you know it if you don't live there. Most people in the Netherlands have LED lights these days, because they don't want to bother with the heavy dynamo. Also, most people do use them in the dark. I'd say about 20% doesn't, and everyone hates them for being goddamn idiots scaring the crap out of drivers when they suddenly turn up. Including other cyclists. Most of the people who don't use lights are high school kids who are too stupid to think. That's why there's often police posts right next to high schools during the dark winter months, so they can give every and each one of those idiots a big fine. The fact that there's still quite a few people riding around without lights shows that there should be more cops checking for this. If there's one big annoyance in the Netherlands with cyclists it's the idiots who don't use lights. Even when I'm riding my bike I don't like them, because you don't see/hear them coming at all, they're just suddenly in front of you.
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Dec 27, 2015 10:45
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Varance posted:We've mapped out Tampa Bay quite thoroughly. St. Petersburg becomes an island, and southern Tampa will disappear into the bay without the development of serious levee systems. I note that those studies just have the areas they think engineers will need to protect, not any actual commitments to protecting them. Also that they were done over ten years ago...
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Dec 27, 2015 10:58
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Carbon dioxide posted:Oh come on, don't be silly and don't talk about the Netherlands like you know it if you don't live there. Fair enough, I concede.
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Dec 27, 2015 10:58
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Carbon dioxide posted:If there's one big annoyance in the Netherlands with cyclists it's the idiots who don't use lights. Even when I'm riding my bike I don't like them, because you don't see/hear them coming at all, they're just suddenly in front of you. This, so much. Nowadays you can also get those contactless induction lights. A magnet mounted on the spokes, and a LED lamp mounted so the magnet passes it when the wheel is running. The result is you won't even have to remember turning the lights on, they just activate whenever you ride, and there's practically no resistance on the wheels. It won't light up a dark country road, but it will give away your position.
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Dec 27, 2015 11:37
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Carbon dioxide posted:Oh come on, don't be silly and don't talk about the Netherlands like you know it if you don't live there. In my experience it's much more common in Amsterdam to see people without lights than elsewhere in the country, so maybe that's where people got the impression. They are a lot less necessary in the city, where many streets are lit well enough that everything is visible. I've also never seen anyone get fined for not having a light in Amsterdam, while it happens more often in other places, so that might be part of the reason.
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Dec 27, 2015 13:11
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The reflector thing is also incorrect, you are required to have reflectors on your bike if you go out in the dark. I estimate 90%+ of bikes have them factory standard. I think only (some) roadbikes come without reflectors. Non poo poo tier bicycles (Gazelle, batavus) have come with integrated LED lighting for years and a hub dynamo + batteries. Traditional dynamo lights are pretty much broken all the time and serve more as a fender ornament. E: Required reflectors in the dark or during bad visibility: * Non triangular red reflector on the back * Yellow reflectors on the pedals * White or yellow reflectors on the wheels Bicycles wider than 0,75 meters with 1 front wheel: * white reflector on the front NihilismNow fucked around with this message at 13:58 on Dec 27, 2015 |
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Dec 27, 2015 13:50
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Carbon dioxide posted:Oh come on, don't be silly and don't talk about the Netherlands like you know it if you don't live there. This makes a lot more sense, especially as you can't all be living places with streetlights galore.
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Dec 27, 2015 15:51
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Alkydere posted:Considering that large chunks of the Florida government wants to ignore climate change/rising sea levels, I think the part that does have to deal with it or wants to plan ahead has "cry tears of frustration into alcoholic beverage of choice" penned into their calendars at least once a week for the foreseeable future.
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Dec 27, 2015 18:10
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Lead out in cuffs posted:I note that those studies just have the areas they think engineers will need to protect, not any actual commitments to protecting them. Also that they were done over ten years ago... Exactly. The data's been around for over a decade, but Florida still hasn't done anything substantial because the state is reactive, not proactive. Also, we're really cheap, mainly because of the old people who come here to finish out their life for a decade or two. Many things that exist in other parts of the country, like "light rail transit," don't exist in Florida because there's a large chunk of the population completely unwilling to pay for it. Why spend money on things that 1) you don't need now and 2) probably won't need before you die? We'll be the first to driverless car tech, though, because it gets seniors around at their convenience regardless of health. Varance fucked around with this message at 18:43 on Dec 27, 2015 |
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Dec 27, 2015 18:34
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nielsm posted:This, so much. These are very very common in Copenhagen. They are also awesome.
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Dec 27, 2015 23:05
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NihilismNow posted:The reflector thing is also incorrect, you are required to have reflectors on your bike if you go out in the dark. I estimate 90%+ of bikes have them factory standard. I think only (some) roadbikes come without reflectors. I think that combination of reflectors is required in a lot of places. But, the kind of reflectors those laws describe are as good as useless for visibility, so the laws are only really there to give the cops an excuse to pick on cyclists (especially since those yellow ones on a lot of pedals tend to fall off). I kind of assume, when we're talking about reflectors in this conversation, we mean the kind that actually work, ie this stuff. In North America, it's not uncommon to have it stuck all over a bike and helmet, use tires with it built into the sidewalls, and for people to wear safety vests with it sewn in. Is that a common thing in the Netherlands? It's been my impression that it is not.
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Dec 28, 2015 07:30
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Almost every bike has at least a red reflector on the back, often mounted just below or above the light, and yellow stripes on the pedals. Some also have reflector lines on the sides of the wheels. Other than that, not much.
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Dec 28, 2015 10:35
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Lead out in cuffs posted:I think that combination of reflectors is required in a lot of places. But, the kind of reflectors those laws describe are as good as useless for visibility, so the laws are only really there to give the cops an excuse to pick on cyclists (especially since those yellow ones on a lot of pedals tend to fall off). Almost all bicycle tires have reflectors on the sidewall. I don't see a lot of stick on tape reflectors, most are hard plastic plates screwed into place. Why do you think those do not work?
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Dec 28, 2015 15:04
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Reflectors on the tire sidewall? Do you mean the ones on the wheel spokes? Like these? That bike has what I consider a standard reflector configuration: white on the handlebars and wheels, red on the seat, and amber on the pedals. Every bike I've owned has been basically the same and rarely have I seen anything different on other people's bikes aside from a few idiots who have removed some or all of them. I wish more people who ride at night would add more and/or wear high-vis gear, but it's very rare that I've actually seen someone do it. I only bike for leisure so I don't bother because it's been years since I've been on a bike after dark, but I see people out late all the time riding along country roads while practically invisible until they're in the main beam of my headlights.
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Dec 28, 2015 23:16
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An image of what I think is a street in Belgium with a lot of bikes parked, and someone with a real bright light shining at the reflectors. See the wheel rims light up for the bikes parked in the front right? That's probably what NihilismNow meant. It's a strip of retroreflective material all the way around the wheel rim. It's not quite as effective as this extreme light picture makes it look, but still a good thing to have.
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Dec 28, 2015 23:49
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I meant the reflective strip on the sidewall of bicycle tires. The grey stripe below the lettering here is a reflective strip. Anyway reflectors are good and i think we can all agree on that.
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Dec 29, 2015 00:08
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Yes, that's the standard configuration in the Netherlands. Reflecting material all around the wheels, and the bike lights also contain reflecting elements so that headlights will light them up, even when they are off. And then the required plastic reflector plates NihilismNow mentioned, which you can also see in the picture.
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Dec 29, 2015 00:09
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Well, they finally blew up the Greenfield Bridge. It remains to be seen if they can get all the debris off the road to reopen by Thursday like they are planning. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CUODcl96ZY
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Dec 29, 2015 01:00
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Tzmy3AnsO8 Dutch Bike Infra year in review, covers things quite well. Lots of sexy infrastructure scenes.
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Dec 29, 2015 01:13
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This intersection was recently rebuilt in Durango: CDOT added that isolated left turn lane to take US 160 west and go across the bridge over the Animas River. will_colorado fucked around with this message at 05:41 on Dec 29, 2015 |
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Dec 29, 2015 04:34
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That seems like a really weird setup but I guess it works??
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Dec 29, 2015 04:56
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Entropist posted:Yes, that's the standard configuration in the Netherlands. Reflecting material all around the wheels, and the bike lights also contain reflecting elements so that headlights will light them up, even when they are off. And then the required plastic reflector plates NihilismNow mentioned, which you can also see in the picture. Regarding bike lights, I recently got a 8000LM CREE XML T6 with an external battery pack that is bright as gently caress for a front headlight, and I also have some a strap-on blinkey red taillight that's super bright, but coin cells don't have much battery life for how much I am riding. I am going to swap it for something with a rechargeable battery pack once I find something suitable. I also wear a hi viz vest, but don't have side reflectors on my spokes. I generally ride as if cars might suddenly being trying to murder me, though. That goes quintuple for cross traffic! I'll post a trip report somewhere once I get a chance to use my new light in my commute.
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Dec 29, 2015 05:43
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NihilismNow posted:I meant the reflective strip on the sidewall of bicycle tires. Reflectors are definitely a good thing, when on the road at night no matter what your chosen form of transportation it's good to be as visible as possible.
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Dec 29, 2015 07:07
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Baronjutter posted:That seems like a really weird setup but I guess it works?? It's basically a one-half Continuous Flow Intersection. ----- The October traffic counts are out, and it looks like the upward trend is continuing at a frenzied pace:  On the one hand, it's a sign of overall economic recovery. On the other, it makes my job a lot tougher and screws us over in the long run. ----- Anyone have any news on the Alaskan Way Viaduct? What're they doing to prop up the old structure while the TBM's stuck in place?
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Dec 29, 2015 13:19
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Hey Cichlidae, how long ago did you know the breach of contract thing for the Yard goats stadium was coming up? I've seen people who claim to be in the know say that if you look at the original order at all it was basically unavoidable.
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Dec 29, 2015 13:50
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osirisisdead posted:Regarding bike lights, I recently got a 8000LM CREE XML T6 with an external battery pack that is bright as gently caress for a front headlight, and I also have some a strap-on blinkey red taillight that's super bright, but coin cells don't have much battery life for how much I am riding. I am going to swap it for something with a rechargeable battery pack once I find something suitable. I also wear a hi viz vest, but don't have side reflectors on my spokes. I generally ride as if cars might suddenly being trying to murder me, though. That goes quintuple for cross traffic! There's also the bike commuting thread in W&W for this sort of thing: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3627612 They love discussing blindingly bright lights and all sorts of other gear, though don't you dare discuss bikes that actually come with practical things like lights as standard, those are too heavy and will slow down their lycra-clad commuting ritual.
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Dec 29, 2015 17:59
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I'll go check it out and probably post. I do wear a spandex cycling bib because I wear out normal pants too quickly, but I also ride a heavy steelframe monster touring bike and am shopping around for "industrial bikes" that can carry 500 pounds as a festival hauler. I came in here because I've bike-commuted in Albuquerque, Dallas, Portland, and Boulder and currently don't ride much except when I'm on campus because of what, to me, seems like an actively-designed-deathtrap of a bicycle system in Arlington, TX. Most of the driveways have an inch to an inch and a half lip on them, that are perfect to wipe out on, and all of the bike lanes are basically just poorly maintained gutters with white stripes painted on them. There are bikeshare lanes that swap from the right to the left lane around blind turns in 40mph traffic. It's loving ridiculous. I got distracted by the shiny things. Anyway, here is an interesting article that is more infrastructure-related. https://newrepublic.com/article/125530/americas-cities-still-afraid-make-driving-unappealing Cyberpunkey Monkey fucked around with this message at 18:54 on Dec 29, 2015 |
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Dec 29, 2015 18:51
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Cichlidae posted:The October traffic counts are out, and it looks like the upward trend is continuing at a frenzied pace: b-b-but millennials hate driving! culture shift! new paradigm! How could this possibly be happening?! Per capita VMT is still lower than the peak in 2005, but at this rate and barring any huge increases in fuel prices, we'll blow through that in not too long, too.
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Dec 29, 2015 20:52
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Dominus Vobiscum posted:b-b-but millennials hate driving! culture shift! new paradigm! How could this possibly be happening?!
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Dec 29, 2015 21:10
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Cicero posted:Because our infrastructure still greatly favors driving over other methods of transportation? People will do what works. I (usually) bike to work, but most of my other routes I drive because biking there sucks too much, even if it's only a mile or two away. Yes, of course, but over the past few years we got promised the end of VMT growth without any attendant changes in land use patterns and public transit accessibility. Now all those arguments about not expanding highways are flying out the window. We couldn't plan our transportation systems to attempt to reduce VMT; it was just magically happening and magically sustainable for nebulous reasons that clearly fell apart in the last year.
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Dec 29, 2015 21:37
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Skeesix posted:Hey Cichlidae, how long ago did you know the breach of contract thing for the Yard goats stadium was coming up? I've seen people who claim to be in the know say that if you look at the original order at all it was basically unavoidable. I don't know any more about the stadium project than any other member of the public. The City's been awful about coordination all throughout. They had a bunch of meetings with us, all the while we were refining the travel demand model and doing our traffic analyses, but we didn't find out about the stadium and the adjacent development until the day it was announced by the Courant. But just as an engineer, knowing the state of the City's government and the way it controls its finances, I assumed the ballpark wasn't going to happen as planned. They already did $4M of cost-cutting, and now the contractor wants an extra $10M to open the stadium by April. I understand lawsuits are inevitable in civil engineering, so I am not going to comment on the ability of the City to write a solid contract, but when you basically design a project completely free of public oversight, of course it's going to gently caress up. And that's before we even think about the development that's supposed to go along with it. Last I heard, that got delayed by a year. Who knows if it'll ever happen. Dominus Vobiscum posted:Yes, of course, but over the past few years we got promised the end of VMT growth without any attendant changes in land use patterns and public transit accessibility. Now all those arguments about not expanding highways are flying out the window. We couldn't plan our transportation systems to attempt to reduce VMT; it was just magically happening and magically sustainable for nebulous reasons that clearly fell apart in the last year. I went to a talk by the Strong Towns guy a couple months back and he was showing the graph cropped to 2012 to show "see, it's going down forever!" Academic dishonesty at its finest.
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Dec 29, 2015 22:37
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VMT never really went down here anyway so I don't know what you guys were smoking over there in the US, and our economy has been a lot more anaemic 
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Dec 29, 2015 22:49
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Is there anywhere to see the VMT data split out among the states or metropolitan statistical areas?
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Dec 29, 2015 23:42
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fishmech posted:Is there anywhere to see the VMT data split out among the states or metropolitan statistical areas? Knock yourself out.
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Dec 30, 2015 00:23
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Right now it says "The service is unavailable." I guess everyone's trying to view the VMT data! 
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Dec 30, 2015 00:33
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