Tuesday, February 03, 2004
TRAFFIC SIGNALS FOR CYCLISTS TOO / CMON PART 2
After exiting the alleyway I come out onto 16th Street and prepare to turn back onto Bridge St. When I first started my commute I would stay on the west side of Bridge until 16th (as opposed to the east side that I travel now by crossing and taking the alley). One of the main reasons I changed was because the traffic signal at 16th would not pick up any signal from my bike for the change from red to green. I sat at the intersection for 2 minutes and 30 seconds one day testing out how long it would take to change. It obviously won't change, unless a car comes along as I discovered, and it changes within 30 seconds in that case. So now I can more safely and legally turn out onto Bridge St. when the light is red by making a right as opposed to a left on red (though I did that a number of times after I discovered the sensor wasn't working for me). I'll draft a short letter below for sending to the borough about this issue, and would appreciate any comments from those who have encountered this situation, or just have ideas.
After getting back on Bridge the riding is easier as the road widens out and few parked cars if any ever dot my path. As you can see after a winter storm though, the ice and snow can be an issue. So I take it slower and keep an eye on my rear with my Reflex helmet mirror. Speaking of which, I recently contacted the manufacturer of the Reflex, Cycleaware, because the adhesive holding the mirror's base onto my helmet was weakening and the unit falling off (fortunately this never happened while riding) and they were kind enough to acknowledge the problem and promise to send me a new adhesive for the base, as well as pass along some helpful hints on better securing the new adhesive base. Thanks to them. I can't as yet say the same of FireTire who have ignored my last two contacts about my malfunctioning Tire Flare. They did ask me to send it in for replacement, but since I did that I haven't heard anything, including nothing from a follow-up email.
New Cumberland Borough:
I am writing to bring to your attention a problem with the traffic signal sensor at 16th and Bridge Streets. The sensor, when approaching the intersection on 16th, fails to pick up the body of a bicycle and turn the signal from red to green. This problem should be fixed by replacing the sensing hardware, thus making this roadway useable in a safe manner for bicycles. Please inform me as to how you will address this issue.
Sincerely,
Anyone want to jump in on this letter and help out with the draft? Anything I need to add from anyone's experiences in this situation?
After getting back on Bridge the riding is easier as the road widens out and few parked cars if any ever dot my path. As you can see after a winter storm though, the ice and snow can be an issue. So I take it slower and keep an eye on my rear with my Reflex helmet mirror. Speaking of which, I recently contacted the manufacturer of the Reflex, Cycleaware, because the adhesive holding the mirror's base onto my helmet was weakening and the unit falling off (fortunately this never happened while riding) and they were kind enough to acknowledge the problem and promise to send me a new adhesive for the base, as well as pass along some helpful hints on better securing the new adhesive base. Thanks to them. I can't as yet say the same of FireTire who have ignored my last two contacts about my malfunctioning Tire Flare. They did ask me to send it in for replacement, but since I did that I haven't heard anything, including nothing from a follow-up email.
New Cumberland Borough:
I am writing to bring to your attention a problem with the traffic signal sensor at 16th and Bridge Streets. The sensor, when approaching the intersection on 16th, fails to pick up the body of a bicycle and turn the signal from red to green. This problem should be fixed by replacing the sensing hardware, thus making this roadway useable in a safe manner for bicycles. Please inform me as to how you will address this issue.
Sincerely,
Anyone want to jump in on this letter and help out with the draft? Anything I need to add from anyone's experiences in this situation?
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