Monday, May 17, 2010

Bike To Work Participants Should Be Prepared

As you get ready for Friday's Bike To Work Day you should think about your route to work. You can now view some of the unofficial-official routes for the Center City Commission's Bike To Work Day Event at their website: http://www.downtownmemphis.com/biketowork. The map on the right will take you to a tutorial page. There you'll learn how to use the map: figure out from where and what time rides are being led, the location of the energizer stations, or plan your own route.

Also check this video for some "cycle chic" downtowners:

This was kind of weird seeing this video because I used to live in the same building in the medical district as Dale, one of the people featured here. I haven't seen her in about 10 years. I remember I was giving her a ride somewhere and she was all, "Hey Cort, play me some of that freaky white-boy psychedelic shit!" She really dug the intro to Sweet Jane by The Velvet Underground.

While there will be refreshments at the energizer stations and at the Church Health Center (serving fruit, coffee and juice from 9am to 10am, and Ursula Madden will be broadcasting live, I'm gonna try to get on TV!) riders do need to take into consideration the road conditions. The recent storms have sent a lot of water rushing down our streets and the water carries sand and debris with it. Be careful on turns and don't ride too much in the gutter.


05-17-10 Main Street 002
Originally uploaded by Kermit43
As if trolley tracks weren't hazardous enough: for anyone who will be biking to work downtown please take a look at Kermit's flickr stream. He's posted some pictures of the Main Street Trolley tracks that are in disrepair.

Two Thursday's ago we had a wreck onaccounta the tracks on N. Main of which a few of these pictures show the hazardous conditions. The picture to the side shows obvious danger of pinch flats and OTB injuries. Thanks to Kermit for the Trolley Tracks photos.

It's not too late to register for Bike To Work Day. But you do want to make sure you go ahead and get your tickets for the Bicycle Film Festival before we sell out!

7 comments:

notquitealibrarian said...

It's cool and all that this exists, but why's it limited to downtown? Just curious.

Anonymous said...

I called Public works to fix the grates that are off on Main street. Then I called MATA to fix the asphalt on the inside edge of the rails on North Main street.

Numbers to have in your phone:
Public works (Fixes potholes usually same day if you call before noon.)
- (901) 528-2911

MATA Trolley (This is Trolley maintenance only)
- (901) 577-2655 Eli Williams is the Director

You can also report littering online at cityofmemphis.org

Anonymous said...

One last number Union Pacific:
1-800-848-8715
Call to report rough railroad crossings.

The crossing this pertains to is the Avery Street crossing between Hollywood and Parkway that has the 4 train tracks in a row that are always in disrepair. Every time I call they throw a little more asphalt down, maybe with enough calls it can be fixed right.

chuck said...

dale was in velvet undeground

Cort said...

Brett, the CCC is a downtown organization. Hopefully next year more organizations and businesses will get involved like CYCA and others.

Anonymous said...

Main street grates are fixed. North Main asphalt around the trolley tracks has not been fixed yet.

Anonymous said...

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/may/24/bicyclist-struck-vehicle-wolf-river-blvd-airlifted/