Think you're the king or queen of bike commuting? Find out tonight
An Ann Arbor woman commutes to work on her road bike down William Street. As today is National Bike to Work Day, there will be a Bike Bash in Ann Arbor tonight where a king and queen bike commuters will be crowned after a three-round competition.
File photo | AnnArbor.com
The king and queen bike commuters of 2012 will be crowned tonight during a Bike Bash from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market space.
The event is sponsored by the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, and is a part of getDowntown’s Bike to Work Week of promotional events during the month of May for the Commuter Challenge.
Winners of the contest will receive bike helmet crowns about 7 p.m. today. Pre-registration to enter the competition is required.
Five men and five women have been randomly selected to compete in three rounds: Evening gown, questions and answers about bike commuting and a talent contest.
Crafts including a “bike bling station” will give cycling enthusiasts the chance to paint their own bike bell and make a spoke card.
Ann Arbor Police Officer Kathy Vonk will give brief classes on bike commuting from 5:30 to 6 p.m. and from 6:15 to 6:45 p.m. Topics covered include choosing a bike, gear, route and basic bike maintenance.
The Washtenaw Biking and Walking Coalition will have a photo booth at the event in Ann Arbor.
The group will also be leading a bike ride to the Bike Bash, leaving about 5:15 p.m. today from Liberty Plaza.
There will be live music form Joe Reilly and Lori Fithian, as well as food and drinks from Pilar’s Tamales, Silvio’s Pizza, Mighty Good Coffee, Mity Nice Ice and Everyday Wines.
Discounts at area stores for Bike to Work Week will end Sunday.
Amy Biolchini covers Washtenaw County, health and environmental issues for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter.
Comments
Dog Guy
Fri, May 18, 2012 : 9:16 p.m.
Formerly I would get impatient behind a bicyclist at half the limit in the only traffic lane. Now it's an opportunity to relax, enjoy the scenery, send texts, etc.
treetowncartel
Fri, May 18, 2012 : 7:51 p.m.
How did they know she is an Ann arbor woman? I'm not saying that she isn't, but I know people ride their bikes into Ann Arbor on their commutes or with the aid of the AATA.
Mike S
Fri, May 18, 2012 : 7:27 p.m.
Oy, fair-weather commuters. The king/queen contest should be held on a miserably cold and snowy day in January.
Ron Granger
Fri, May 18, 2012 : 3:48 p.m.
The Ann Arbor police should hold a remedial clinic for motorists with tips on how to pay attention, how not to run down a pedestrian, how to obey the speed limit, how not to roll through crosswalks and stop signs. They might also cover topics such as not eating while driving, not applying makeup while driving, and not reading while driving ;-)
Brian Genisio
Sat, May 19, 2012 : 11:46 a.m.
Not sure why this is so down-voted... it is a reasonable suggestion. Cycling on the roads is a fact of life in AA and it is only going to get more common over the coming years. We need to share the road... plain and simple. Motorists can use reminders about how to be safe with cyclists and pedestrians. Cyclists can use reminders about how to be safe on the road and yield to pedestrians. Pedestrians can use reminders about how to travel the roads more safely. If we can just cease with the animosity and start learning to respect each other (including knowing what the rules REALLY are), we will all be much happier and more safe.
zanzerbar
Fri, May 18, 2012 : 9:17 p.m.
Bike rider here, Actually I was run over by a jogger at Fifth and Liberty (true story). Attempting to maneuver between cars that were blocking the crosswalk, a jogger was running int he parking lane in the street going the wrong way..( Afternoon Delight Intersection). I could not see him until I got to the curb lane and he knocked me off my bicycle, made a brief apology and then ran off. ( That Damn Running Fit Store, I blame them)
djm12652
Fri, May 18, 2012 : 8:05 p.m.
How about telling the bikers to yield to pedestrians when we have the right of way, not blowing through the lights downtown and stop signs....4th Ave at Ann and Catherine, Liberty at 3rd are famous for this....sidewalks are for people walking and should not be cause for those of us walking to be endangered by bikers! When I do drive, I have to be very vigilante for those on bikes downtown running up on my right when I'm trying to make a legal turn.
golfer
Fri, May 18, 2012 : 7:18 p.m.
never going to happen. that is unless you go back to horse and buggy.
Jessica Webster
Fri, May 18, 2012 : 5:49 p.m.
Amen, Ron Granger!
Forever27
Fri, May 18, 2012 : 3:39 p.m.
"Ann Arbor Police Officer Kathy Vonk will give brief classes on bike commuting from 5:30 to 6 p.m. and from 6:15 to 6:45 p.m. Topics covered include choosing a bike, gear, route and basic bike maintenance" they might want to include "staying within the bike lane" and "riding single file" as well as "stopping at stop signs/red lights" in that class too.
Brian Genisio
Sat, May 19, 2012 : 11:40 a.m.
@SonnyDog09 Yep. That goes along with cyclists following their laws. The law for cyclists after dusk and before dawn is that they have a white light in front and a red light in back. (sound familiar?) The cyclists, as you described him, was certainly a knucklehead.
SonnyDog09
Sat, May 19, 2012 : 10:47 a.m.
I would also add having lights and reflective gear on while biking at night to the list of things to teach cyclists. The other night I passed a knucklehead cyclist out with no lights on. The only reflective clothing he had on was a little strip on the backs of his tennis shoes.
Brian Genisio
Sat, May 19, 2012 : 1:07 a.m.
@Mort Sorry, Mort, but that is not correct. Two abreast riders MAY ride in the lane. Cyclists may ride in the traffic lane. The bike lane is certainly the safest place to be when it exists and is free of obstacles... but it is perfectly legal for bikes (two-abreast or not) to ride in the regular lane. You may not like this, but it is the law and you are required to abide by it. Conversely, cyclists are also required to abide by their laws which I'll admit is a problem that needs to be fixed.
Brian Genisio
Sat, May 19, 2012 : 1:01 a.m.
@hail2thevict0r I agree that cyclists (I am one) need to be consistent. Absolutely. It is a big problem that you can't predict what I am going to do. However, please know that if a cyclist is in the bike lane, the are NOT a pedestrian by law. They are a cyclist who has to yield to pedestrians and have 99% of the same rules as cars. The slight differences are that they are allowed to rid in the bike lane, which motorists may not do and cars must yield to them. There are a couple others, but for the most part, the laws that apply to motorists apply to cyclists. This is where cyclists need to wizen up a bit and take the law more seriously.
golfer
Fri, May 18, 2012 : 7:21 p.m.
two-abreast does not mean going into the traffic lane. they can go in two's but stay in the line painted. so do some don't.
golfer
Fri, May 18, 2012 : 7:17 p.m.
you hit it right on the nose. "they might want to include "staying within the bike lane" and "riding single file" as well as "stopping at stop signs/red lights" in that class too."
hail2thevict0r
Fri, May 18, 2012 : 6:45 p.m.
I think what it comes down to is that if a bike is riding in the road they should/must obey all rules and regulations that a car is held to. If they're riding in the bike lane, sidewalk or any non-road area than they should be treated like a pedestrian. The thing that makes me nervous when driving around bikers is that you don't ever know how they're going to react. You don't know if they're going to blow through a stop sign, crosswalk or turn in front of you. You don't know if they're going to act like a pedestrian or act like a car; which is why a lot of non-bikers end up building this hatred of bikers.
Brian Genisio
Fri, May 18, 2012 : 6:05 p.m.
@Forever27 Right on. Yeah, the two-abreast thing works really well in group rides... times when you really need cars to go around the group. It aids in visibility. I also agree with your clarification of the in/out of the lane comment. The crosswalk should NEVER be a shortcut for a cyclist. It IS legal to ride on the crosswalk, but IMO you should be riding no more than 3 mph while doing so. Switching between road rules and sidewalk rules on a regular basis will only confuse drivers... predictability is safety. So, yeah, I was referring to switching to the car lane when it makes sense to do so (obstacles, left turns, narrow streets, passing other cyclists, bad road conditions, etc). IMO, all cyclists AND motorists need to learn best practices when it comes to cycling. This includes staying off the sidewalks, following moving laws/regulations, and being visible. It turns out that some of the best practices are counter-intuitive. Some great resources for anyone who wants to learn best practices (motorists too!) are "Street Smarts" (http://bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/usa/) and "How to Not Get Hit by Cars" (http://bicyclesafe.com/)
Forever27
Fri, May 18, 2012 : 5:06 p.m.
@brian, i don't know why people downvoted your comment. i didn't realize that the law allowed for two-abreast. Even if it is legal, it is often used in situations where it is terribly dangerous (huron river drive from my experience). as for going in and out of the bike lane, my comment was more referring to those who go from "vehicle" to "pedestrian" whenever traffic flow suits them. I don't think that's what you were talking about in your comment (which i have no problem with, if the circumstances determine it necessary). "stopping at stop signs/red lights" is a problem that i see multiple times a day during every commute, and this is no exaggeration. Just now driving down Hill street I saw three (THREE!) bicyclists in a row blow through the stop signs at Church st. and E. University.
Brian Genisio
Fri, May 18, 2012 : 4:41 p.m.
You won't expect "staying within the bike lane" or "riding single file" in a course like that... neither of these things are the law, nor are they always the best practice . Cyclists may leave the bike lane at any time and there are many cases where doing so is prudent. Michigan law allows for two-abreast, which also has many reasons why it makes sense to do so. "Stopping at stop signs/red lights" -- Hopefully, that is taught... as it IS the law.