Artsy Fartsy Tricycle Art

Posted on May 14, 2013 by 6dogs

On display throughout May at Artsy Fartsy, 220A W. Telegraph St., are some very “cool” pieces of tricycle art created especially for Bike Month.

Steam Punk – Pam Black – $500

Vintage Jewels – Stephanie Short – $350

A portion of the proceeds benefit Muscle Powered

The Bike Smith
We had a good turnout at The Bike Smith Monday evening. Mickey, a natural instructor, provided all who attended a great lesson in becoming one with your flat tire. Zen tire repair? Thanks to everyone at The Bike Smith for offering this outstanding service to the cycling community.

Bike To Work Week Corporate Challenge 2013
The Bike to Work Week Corporate Challenge is off to a great start with some very impressive milage being logged. The data is trickling in:

Solo-In Town

Tom Tittle 34.67
Jason Gardner 26
Tammy Steele 21.1
david eiswert 16.7
John Aragon 14
Danny Miller 11.63
Ed Skudlarek 9
Srini Bokka 8
Brenda Horton 2.8
Candy Wilkin 2.46
Solo – Beyond City Limits
Janelle Thomas 70.6
Kim Gray 50.18
Mark Colley 38.56
Lucio Bolognani 26
Scott Robertson 25.5

I apologize, I ran out of time to load the team results so I’ll get to it this evening. – Jeff

Here are a few comments from our challengers:

“To feel useful and productive and socially connected, my bicycle needs me to ride it. It is a “we” thing. Replace the i in illness with we you get wellness. Be kind to your bike today.” – Ed

“commute from CC to Reno. Beautiful tailwind on a great day.” – Scott

“What a super day to commute from Reno to Carson City!!! A bit windy in the afternoon commute but as I always say “if it ain’t blowin’ we ain’t goin’”. Looking forward to tomorrow’s commute!” – Janelle

“Seen 5 snakes.. 3 to Reno route east lake blvd and 2 flat and crispy, route old 395.” – Kim

“Great start to the week. Thanks for the fun!” – Dierdre

And fun it is! Thank you all for the comments.

Next up: Stationary Bike to Work Week

Upcoming Events

Posted on May 5, 2013 by 6dogs

I hope everyone had a great time at Bike Habitat’s 6 Annual Tour of Carson!
From MP Board member Kelly Clark: “great Tour de Carson today, light rain did not seem to be a problem for the 60 or so riders who came out. I enjoyed it, especially the clean after rain smell. Awesome food, Denis Coyne and Bike Habitat folks did a great job putting it all together. A couple of renewals and new membersships came in at sign up–that is always good!”

Post ride parking at the T.O.C.

May 6 — BIKE MOVIE @ Sassafras
Oops! Due to a slight scheduling snafu on our part the bike movie that one reviewer described as, “riveting as “Plan 9 From Outer Space” and as moving as “Eraserhead”, The Flying Scottsman will be postponed to another night (TBD). But that doesn’t mean you can’t jump on your bike and pedal down to Sassafras and watch “Into the Wild” with old and new friends. So come on down and see if you can spot a bike in the movie.
Where: Sassafras Eclectic Food Joint, 318 N. Carson St. When: 6:30 pm

May 7 — Celebrity RIDE
What started out as one supervisor riding a tandem around town with a bike advocate has grown into a large ride with elected officials, city staff, and other notables. This easy 1-hour loop builds advocacy and showcases Carson City’s bikeability.
Where: Telegraph Square When: 10:00 am. Please arrive early for a brief safety talk.

Our 2nd Celebrity Bike Ride – May 2010

May 13-17 — Corporate Challenge
It’s Bike Week! Gather a team of co-workers and compete against other businesses and agencies for the most commute miles ridden during the week. Click on the Corporate Challenge page above for rules and registration information.

If you get a chance drop by Artsy Fartsy , 220A W. Telegraph St, and check the bicycle and jewelry art. You will be amazed!

Rusted Ride – Angie Fluitt $150

A portion of the proceeds from the bicycle art will be donated to Muscle Powered.

Show your support for Bicycle and Pedestrian project on Fifth Street

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Jeff Moser

A message from Patrick Pittenger, Transportation Manager, Carson City Public Works.

Carson City Bicycle and Pedestrian Advocates-

I am contacting you to request your support this week for a bicycle and pedestrian project in Carson City.

The City entered an agreement with the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) to use Federal Enhancement funds to construct bike lanes and sidewalk on E. Fifth Street from east of Saliman Road to the E. Fifth Street freeway overpass. We received notice to proceed for design and submitted 90% plans this week. Unfortunately, NDOT used the Enhancement funds that were supposed to be for this project (and others in the state) for their own projects and transferred the funds to other programs, and now, as we’re almost ready to go to construction, there is no funding left for construction. Working with NDOT staff, we determined that there is about $1.5 in unobligated Safe Routes to School funds still available, and NDOT agreed to schedule a special meeting of the Nevada Bicycle and Pedestrian Board on February 28 to ask the Board to approve using those funds for three projects – the Carson City project and one each in Washoe and Clark Counties.

5th Street looking east towards the overpass

I just learned that NDOT staff has decided to present a total of six projects to the Board on February 28th to decide which of those will receive the available funds. I am asking you to attend the meeting on February 28th at 8:30 am here in Carson City to help support funding the project.

When:
8:30 AM, February 28th, 2013

Meeting Location:
NV Department of Transportation
King St. Facility
3rd Floor, Conf. Room
400 W. King St.
Carson City, NV

Download Meeting Agenda

The argument I will make – which I hope you will support – is as follows: The E. Fifth Street project should be selected because it meets the Safe Routes to School requirements of being located within two miles of multiple K-8 school facilities, and has many other factors in its favor. While high school students were not the target of the Safe Routes program, they too would benefit from this project. In fact, the entire community would benefit from this project because it serves to connect existing and planned facilities. While it would be possible to locate a project that is located in closer proximity to a K-8 school, this project should be funded because selecting, designing, and constructing a different project at this point would take years, whereas this project could be implemented this year. Additionally, Carson City has demonstrated a dedication to funding projects that would have otherwise been Safe Routes to School projects with other funds. Specific examples include using HUD/CDBG funds of over $400,000 around Empire Elementary School, using about $500,000 in Enhancement funds on Roop Street to provide a connection between a low-income neighborhood and Mark Twain Elementary School which serves it, and using city (non-grant) funds on streets like Thompson Street near Bordewich-Bray Elementary School (among other projects). We have clearly demonstrated our commitment to the intent of the Safe Routes to School Program by implementing projects – and not just with Safe Routes funds.

The E. Fifth Street Project is the only project in Carson City or the greater Carson Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) area to be before the Board on the 28th. It is also the smallest project financially among those to be considered at $225,000. Funding the project with these replacement funds still leaves sufficient money available to funds larger projects in both Clark and Washoe Counties. Finally, unlike other urban areas of the state, there are many fewer options available to Carson City to pursue to fund this project.

5th Street looking west towards Saliman Road

I appreciate your support, and would be happy to answer any questions you may have. Thank you for your support.

Patrick Pittenger, AICP, PTP
Transportation Manager
Carson City Public Works
3505 Butti Way
Carson City, NV 89701
ppittenger@carson.org
(p) 775-283-7396
(f) 775-887-2112

New Bike Rack at Curry and Proctor Streets

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Jeff Moser

With the great restaurants, brewery, and almost nightly entertainment downtown, bicycle parking is in high demand along Curry Street. It’s not uncommon to see bikes locked to lamp posts, trash cans, and anything else solid people can find. To help alleviate the bike parking problem, Muscle Powered has installed a bike rack at Curry and Proctor Streets.

Shawne Martinez prepares to install the bike rack

This rack had been previously installed on the other side of town, but sadly, the restaurant went out of business. Shawne Martinez lent Muscle Powered his expertise, and got the rack relocated for us. This rack will accommodate at least a couple bikes on each side, while still leaving plenty of room for sidewalk users.

Rack installed and ready for use

Muscle Powered has had requests for more bike racks around town, but all of the Muscle Powered racks are now in use. These racks were made locally several years ago, but due to their design, were quite expensive. There are similar designs available from national vendors that even have the option to include a company logo. But while the cost of the racks may be cheaper, shipping charges would drive the costs back up.

New bike rack throws a great evening shadow

One option may be to change the design of the racks, so that they can be made locally for cheaper. Another benefit of this option would be that we could better match a rack with it’s planned location and expected capacity. A simple inverted U-shaped rack may be all that is needed at some locations, while a rack that locks six bikes may work better somewhere else. Whatever decision is made, the racks would be modern, both in design and proper placement. The old style racks placed up against a wall that only hold a front wheel just aren’t adequate in most situations.

What do you think? What’s most important to you? Is there a rack shape that works best for you? Is style important, or would you just like to see more racks regardless of the design? Where in Carson City would you like to see a bike rack?

Roop Street Bicycle and Pedestrian Project to Begin

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Jeff Moser

Construction of bicycle and pedestrian facilities is about to begin on Roop Street between Winnie Lane and Northridge Drive! Although short, this stretch of road is currently one of the more dangerous areas in town for cyclists and pedestrians. Safe and well used bicycle facilities exist on either side of Lone Mountain, but cyclists must brave fast traffic and a crumbling shoulder if they wish to connect the two areas. And although pedestrians are instructed not to use this route, no other reasonable routes exist nearby. It’s not uncommon to see a baby stroller being pushed through the dirt and gravel on the side of the road to get over the hill to the shopping center.

Roop Street over Lone Mountain in 2009

Here are the details from Carson Now about the project:

Work is expected to begin August 27 on a Carson CIty project to provide bicycle and pedestrian improvements on North Roop Street from Winnie Lane to Northridge Drive. The Carson City Regional Transportation Commission has awarded a contract which will connect existing bicycle and pedestrian facilities in Carson City, according to a news release. Roop Street between Winnie Lane and Northridge Drive currently does not have a sidewalk or bike lanes, and people often try to use a narrow strip of concrete against a wall to travel this section of road. After the project is completed this fall, there will be bike lanes on both sides of the road and sidewalk connections to existing sidewalks on North Roop Street and Northridge Drive.

There has been widespread support from the City’s bicycling and walking community and from school district representatives. City representatives are very pleased that this project is being implemented. “We’re happy to implement a project which connects other existing facilities and will provide for safety improvements” said Patrick Pittenger, Transportation Manager in the Carson City Public Works Department.

The project is being funded primarily by a Federal grant acquired by City staff through the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT). This project is one of several bicycle and pedestrian projects recently funded through grants overseen by NDOT. “The Nevada Department of Transportation is pleased to work with our local partners to implement a project with funds secured by the State” said Tracy Larkin-Thomason, Assistant Director of Planning for the Nevada Department of Transportation.

The road is expected to remain open to traffic except for a one-week period planned for early October. Motorists are thanked for their patience and safe driving in the work zone.

For additional information, please contact Patrick Pittenger at (775) 283-7396.

When completed, Roop Street over Lone Mountain will safely connect neighborhoods and businesses on both sides of the hill. It will also further complete the longest, continuous north-south bicycle route in Carson City, stretching from Emerson Drive on the north to Silver Sage near the county line on the south. It has been a long time coming, and we can’t wait!

Kings to Ash Canyon Trail Update

Posted on August 2, 2012 by 6dogs

On August 2nd Open Space Manager Juan Guzman presented the Cooperative Agreement between Muscle Powered and Carson City to the Carson City Board of Supervisors for approval. Included in the Agreement is that Carson City will provide workers compensation for volunteers working on City land. The Agreement passed with a unanimous vote, with Mayor Bob, Shelly Aldean and Karen Abowd praising Muscle Powered’s efforts.

Before

After

Muscle Powered signed a Volunteer Service Agreement with the U.S.F.S in June and Muscle Powered crews have been building trail on U.S.F.S land since June 29th. Our crews have been working on a difficult section of trail preparing a safe route for volunteers to get to the work site. We should have this section finished by next week.

The Great Basin Institute (NCC Trail Crew) will start building trail on August 6th. Construction will begin at the top of Waterfall Rd and work north towards Ash Cyn. They’re available for two weeks, with the possibility of working an additional week at the end of August. This will give NCC crew leaders an idea of what to expect for next year’s build season.

If you would like to sign up for upcoming trail work days please contact me at jeffpotter@musclepowered.org

Thanks

“Road Diet” for Carson Street?

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Anne

The notion of putting downtown Carson Street on a “Road Diet” has emerged again, this time championed by local business owner Doreen Mack. According to Dan Burden, a consultant who coined the term and now travels the country helping cities figure out how to put their roads on a diet, “A road diet is anytime you take any lane out of a road.”

According to Streetfilms (www.streetfilms.org) “Road diets are good for pedestrians: They reduce speeding and make vehicle movements more predictable while shortening crossing distances. They’re good for cyclists: Many road diets shift space from car lanes to create bike lanes. They’re good for drivers: Less speeding improves safety for motorists and passengers, and providing left-turn pockets allows through traffic to proceed without shifting lanes or waiting behind turning vehicles.”

You might remember that NDOT gave Carson Street back to Carson City a couple of years ago. We – that is, broadly, the people of Carson City – own and maintain it now. The City planned to redesign Carson Street to make it more friendly to pedestrians – and to downtown businesses – when the City undertook ownership. Unfortunately, that idea, like many others, was shelved during the great recession that has had such a continuing impact on our state.

Meanwhile, downtown businesses suffer. Who wants to walk downtown except on Nevada Day or during Taste of Downtown? Yet downtown businesses need pedestrian traffic to stay alive. As Doreen says, “Downtown parking and fence removal is essential for retail shop owners and customers. It creates synergy. When people see activity, they want to stop and see what is going on. In essence (a road diet) would create more foot traffic and bring in more business for the shops in surrounding areas, not to mention more jobs.

There will be a informational meeting about the Carson Street road diet on August 21 at 5 pm in the Sierra Room of the Carson City Community Center.

Rush to Washoe Walk and Bike Ride

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Jeff Moser

$400 Million Dollars have been spent, and soon you will have a nice new bridge to walk or ride your bicycle across. But only for a few hours, so listen up!

Rush to Washoe! Run, Walk, or Bike the New I-580 Freeway. The public is invited to join the Nevada Department of Transportation in celebrating the soon to open I-580 Freeway, Saturday, July 28, 2012. Activities start at 7 a.m. and continue until 1 p.m. with the opportunity to bike, walk, or run along the freeway, including the Galena Creek Bridge – the longest concrete cathedral arch bridge in the nation.

The event will include informational displays at various locations along the freeway describing many design features as well as an opportunity for an up close look at some of the heavy equipment used during construction.

Bicyclists riding from Carson City and the Washoe Valley will have access to the freeway in the area of the new Bowers Mansion Interchange – signs will be posted and volunteers available to assist in directing bicycle traffic entering from the south end of the new freeway. Pedestrians will not be allowed onto the alignment from the south end – pedestrians must access via the Mt. Rose Highway.

Schedule of events:

7:00 AM: Start of bicycle ride from the Mt. Rose Interchange to the Bowers Mansion Interchange (roundtrip)
7:30 AM: 5K/10K “Fun Run”
8:00 AM: Booths open and freeway open to general event traffic
1:00 PM: Vehicle and pedestrian access areas at the north end of the freeway will be closed to incoming traffic. Event areas close and remaining vehicle traffic will be directed to exit the freeway via the Bowers Mansion Interchange.

The $400 million project involves constructing nine bridges and an eight-and-a-half-mile freeway from the Mount Rose Highway in Reno to the north end of Washoe Valley.

Galena Creek Bridge - Photo from Wikipedia

The freeway will officially open to traffic in late July or early August. I don’t believe bikes will be allowed on this stretch of freeway, but the good news is that when much of the auto traffic is diverted to the new freeway, riding your bike through Pleasant Valley on the old road will be…well, pleasant!

More details (including entering by bike on the Reno side), rules, and safety tips for this event can be found here: http://www.freewayextension.com/I-580_2012JulyEvent_Details.pdf

2012 Corporate Challenge Final Results

Posted on May 21, 2012 by 6dogs

Muscle Powered
Bike to Work Week
Corporate Challenge Results
Total Miles – 6132.32
Total Trips – 1646

With 6,132.32 miles biked or walked to work, and 1646 trips on foot or by bike, this was our most successful Bike to Work Week Corporate Challenge ever. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Looks like CC Supervisor Karen Abowd is havng a great time during the Celebrity Bike Ride.

We hope you enjoyed the Bike Month events that were partnered with or organized by Muscle Powered:
Bike Habitat’s Tour of Carson
Celebrity Bike Ride
Wednesday Cruiser Ride
Corporate Challenge
Bike to Work Day Party at the Firkin & Fox
Family Bike Ride w/CHHS & CC Parks & Rec

Upcoming Muscle Powered activities and projects:
Carson City Bicycle & Pedestrian Map Revision
Tuesday Evening Walks
Farmers Market Bike Valet
Kings Canyon to Ash Canyon Trail Construction

If you like what we do please consider becoming a member.

These three riders from the WNC team rode all the way from Douglas County during the Corporate Challenge. Bravo!

Solo

Miles
Troy Orosco    119.04
Danny Miller      84.46
Tammy Steele   68.25

Private Business

% of Participation
Redrock Dental Molar Cyclers 73.30%
Capitol Automotive    50%
Alison – MacKenzie 23.70%
Hair Studio & Spear Me          23.3%
RCI Flyers                                   11%
Tahoe Fracture                          4.60%

Miles
Lumos & Assoc.                      393
Tahoe Fracture                          160
RCI Flyers                                 150
CV Sports                                  126
Alison – MacKenzie                    102.6
Capitol Automotive                     92.7
Redrock Dental Molar Cyclers   77
Hair Studio & Spear Me             29.5

Trips
Alison – MacKenzie                  73
Lumos & Assoc.                         60
Redrock Dental Molar Cyclers 59
RCI Flyers                                  54
Tahoe Fracture                         39
Capitol Automotive                     20
CV Sports                                  16
Hair Studio & Spear Me             10

Public Agency

Trips
NV Guard Rough Riders   161
NDEP We’re No Fuels         133
DETR Cyclepaths                126
NDOT – M&T Lab Rats     113
NDOT – ROW                   110
NDOT -Team IT                98
NDOT-Planning Division      96
DHHS- Central                     75
EITS                                     74
WNC – 1                               66
DMV – OBL                           52
USPS                                   45
WNC – 2 45
WNC – 3                               44
USGS                                   41
CCSD School Bus Drivers   20
NLCB                                   12

Miles
NV Guard Rough Riders   880
NDOT – Team IT                  624.93
DHHS Central Office           436.45
NDOT – ROW                      371.7
NDOT – M&T Lab Rats        340.5
NDEP We’re No Fuels         308.7
USGS                                  307.7
NDOT-Planning Division    246.62
DETR Cyclepaths                208.91
NLCB                                   200.65
EITS                                    186.5
WNC – 1                               161.65
WNC – 3                               149
WNC – 2                               93.56
USPS                                   73.4
CCSD School Bus Drivers   64
DMV – OBL                           64

% of Participation
DMV – OBL                         75%
NDOT-Planning Division     41%
NDOT – Team IT                 16.90%
NDOT – ROW                     15.50%
NDOT – M&T Lab Rats       11.40%
DETR Cyclepaths               10.80%
USGS                                  9.80%
USPS    7.30%
NLCB                                  7.20%
DHHS Central Office         7%
EITS                                  5.60%
NV Guard Rough Riders    5.30%
CCSD School Bus Drivers 5%
NDEP We’re No Fuels       3.40%

We look forward to seeing you next year!

Bike to Work Week – Thursday

Posted on May 17, 2012 by 6dogs

Muscle Powered Fact: Muscle Powered, a grassroots citizens organization advocating for better bicycling and walking conditions in Nevada’s capital city, decided last year to make the passage of a Vulnerable Users Law a priority for the Nevada 2011 legislative session. – Anne Macquarie.

Read the entire article HERE.

Commuter Tip: When commuting to work with a friend it’s necessary to point out road hazards such as potholes and road debris by announcing, pointing to, and safely navigating around, the hazard. Failure to do so could result in an injury to your riding partner and damage their bicycle.

A couple of mountain bike friends of ours (Cagney & Lacy*) decided a number of years ago they would like to try road riding and purchased two road bikes. But because of their work schedules and office location (Cagney worked in Reno and Lacy in Carson City) they didn’t ride together right away. Lacy liked road riding. We rode with her often, teaching her the skills and etiquette required of a “roadie”.
We taught her how to draft, ride in a paceline, and to point out road hazards.

When Lacy was able to finally go out for a ride with Cagney they rode from their home in south Reno to Washoe Valley and back. Everything was great during the first half of the ride. Cagney being the stronger of the two rode in front. Lacey, happy to sit in the draft on the fun descent through Pleasant Valley, rode in the back. It was on the return trip that things went awry. Cagney, not having been taught proper road etiquette, employed his mountain bike skills and expertly dodged the fast approaching 2×4 laying across the road. Lacey wasn’t so lucky. She plowed into the 2×4 and flew over the handlebars. Fortunately for Lacey she wasn’t hurt too bad, just a little banged up, bruised and jittery. But the trust was gone. Unfortunately for Cagney, Lacey never let him forget this incident. Point out road hazards!

*Not their real names.

Lee Harter successfully negotiates Jeff Potter’s release from the hands of justice. photo by Ashley Dale

Bike to Work Week Corporate Challenge results so far…
Solo
Tom Tittle 85.98
Danny Miller 84.46
Troy Orosco 80.91
Tammy Steele 28.84

Private Business
Trips
Alison – MacKenzie                42
RCI Flyers                              34
Redrock Dental Molar Cycles 34
Tahoe Fracture & Orthopedic 23
CV Sports                                8
Hair Studio & Spear Me           8
Capitol Automotive 4

Miles
Tahoe Fracture & Orthopedic 110
Redrock Dental Molar Cycles 90
CV Sports                               87
Alison – MacKenzie                49.8
RCI Flyers                               49
Hair Studio & Spear Me          22
Capitol Automotive                 18.4

% of Participation
Redrock Dental Molar Cycles 83.30%
CV Sports                               28.50%
Alison – MacKenzie                 22.20%
Hair Studio & Spear Me         22.20%
RCI Flyers                              11.60%
Tahoe Fracture    5%

Public agency
% of Participation
DMV – OBL                    87.50%
NDOT – M&T Lab Rats    25%
NDOT-Planning Division 17.30%
USGS                              14.10%
NDOT – Team IT              11.60%
DETR Cyclepaths            10.90%
NV Guard Rough Riders 9.30%
DHHS Central Office        7.30%
USPS                                7.20%
CCSD School Bus Drivers 7.10%
EITS                                   5.60%
NDEP We’re No Fuels       3.20%

Trips
DETR Cyclepaths    80
NDEP We’re No Fuels 75
NDOT – M&T Lab Rats 71
NDOT – ROW               68
NV Guard Rough Riders 65
NDOT – Team IT           60
EITS 44
WNC – 1                        42
NDOT-Planning Division 30
DHHS Central Office    29
USPS                              27
WNC – 2 27
WNC – 3                           26
USGS                               25
DMV – OBL                       22
CCSD School Bus Drivers 18
NLCB                                  9

Miles
NDOT – Team IT           394.61
NV Guard Rough Riders 350
NDOT – ROW    242.7
NDOT – M&T Lab Rats 184.5
NDEP We’re No Fuels 172.1
DHHS Central Office    166.1
USGS                           159.4
NLCB                            149.4
DETR Cyclepaths           138.51
WNC – 1                          107.99
EITS 105.3
NDOT-Planning Division 78.16
CCSD School Bus Drivers 59
WNC – 3                           53
WNC – 2                           50.26
USPS                               38
DMV – OBL                       32

Nice job everyone!

	2013 Bicycle Commute… on 2013 Corporate Challenge Resul…
	Bike to Work Week 20… on Bike to Work Week 2013
	Jenny on Upcoming Events
	Upcoming Bike Month… on Upcoming Events
	Lucio Bolognani on Corporate Challenge 2013

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Citizens for a Walkable and Bikeable Carson City

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