Bikesploitation!

Live From Memphis presents Bikesploitation!
A curated film festival.

MEMPHIS (March 28, 2011) - Live From Memphis is pleased to announce a special event: Bikesploitation. Deadline for entries is May 2, 2011. Bikesploitation will be held in conjunction with Bike to Work Day, Friday, May 20, 2011.

Bikesploitation is part curated film screenings and part contest.

Curated Films - Live From Memphis staff and volunteers are currently hand-picking short films from around the country to screen for your viewing pleasure. Bicycle films seem to be growing in popularity every year and we're working hard to bring some of the best to Memphis.

Contest - It's our pleasure to invite Memphis filmmakers to participate in the contest portion of Bikesploitation. Filmmakers have until May 2nd to submit short films (no longer than 10 minutes) about bicycles. There is no fee to submit your film! Cash prizes and awards will be given out to contest winners.

Part curated film screening, part contest, all awesome.
More details will become available soon. Please visit http://www.livefrommemphis.com/bikesploitation for updates or contact us with any questions.

Contact:
Sarah Fleming
Live From Memphis
901.523.9763
sarah@livefrommemphis.com

Peabody Place / Center for Southern Folklore Bicycle Rack

"Peabody Place Garage" for those of you that can't read upside down. But really a fallen sign is the least of this mall's problems. Take a look at their website. Quite an impressive list of restaurants and museums and several years ago the shopping was considerably more. So why just space for 5 bikes with all of those establishments? And why are you going to tuck it away on the building's back side where there's no foot traffic?


It was only recently that the city added bike racks of it's own around the downtown area; one being in the Peabody Place area in front of the Center for Southern Folklore.


That's nice and all but neither really solve the bicycle parking issue that occurs at what is more than likely Peabody Place's most popular establishment: The Flying Saucer


Remarkably all of these pictures were taken on the same day, merely an hour apart. There are five bikes in this picture alone; this does not include the other side of the Saucer which is where I normally park.

Here's how they all rack up:

Peabody Place Bicycle Rack
Form - Wave
Function - Fail (because of location)
Environment - This rack is desolate, just like it's environment
Points of Interest - Hooter's

Center For Southern Folklore Bicycle Rack
Form - Artistic
Function - Pass
Environment - In the proper light the shadows of the rack make a nice wave-ish pattern which reminds me of the river
Points of Interest - Belz Museum of Asian and Judaic Art, Majestic Grille, etc

Flying Saucer Newspaper Corral
Form - Newspaper Corral
Function - Double Pass (newspaper corral and bicycle rack)
Environment - I would say that it blends with the surrounding environment quite effectively
Points of Interest - The Flying Saucer, Beer

Tour de Grizz - Saturday April 2nd

Perhaps I'm too lazy to post all the details but I like to think that Kyle has already done a great job and if it ain't broke, don't fix it. No comments:

MATA North End Terminal Bicycle Rack

On my ride around downtown Memphis I was a little surprised when I saw this 11-bike wave rack at the MATA North End Terminal, though I shouldn't have been. I worked with John Lancaster and other MATA employees on last year's Bike To Work Day and all of the MATA buses now have bike racks on them. It just didn't occur to me that people who work there might need to ride their bikes to the station or that people use both bikes and buses for their daily commute. But looking back at this chart we see that the bus is the most fuel efficient way to travel second to bicycles and is actually more fuel efficient than walking. Perhaps they should change their name to Memphis Alternative Transportation Authority.


Not only do they have a bike rack but also there is a guide to the City's designated bike routes. Now these aren't the striped lanes, these are the signed routes that one sees around the city promoting various tour routes through the city. You can learn more about the routes here if you can't read the writing from my photos.



Here's how it racks up:

Form - Wave
Function - Pass
Environment - The rack's form does not mimic its surroundings.
Points of Interest - There's not much else around but hey, you're at a bus terminal!

South Central Bicycle Polo Championship

Do you Like bike polo?



If you're able to make it over to Little Rock to watch this it should be a wonderful time. Good luck to the Memphis teams that are entered! We'll be rooting for you from home!

BPAC Meeting Tonight

BPAC = Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee

Emily and I will hopefully be riding to the meeting tonight provided the rain is out by then. We hope to see you there!

From Kyle Wagenschutz:


This meeting will allow everyone to view the completed work from our last two input
session, check for accuracy, and make final comments before the MPO staff begins
developing the actual plan document. There will not be a formal presentation at this
meeting. Instead, everyone will be free to come and go at their leisure, speaking
with MPO staff, and providing written comments.

Like the previous two meetings, we will be at the Church Health Center Wellness
Center at 1115 Union Avenue, Memphis, TN 38104 in Conference Rooms A and B. A link
to a map and a schedule of the times and topics is listed below:


Map & Directions

March 23, 2011 - Review and Revise Phase 2 Findings - 5:30-7:30pm

Please plan to attend. We need to hear from you about how we can advance our efforts
in formulating a regional bicycle and pedestrian network.

Feel free to pass this information on to anyone that may be interested in attending.

Kyle Wagenschutz
Memphis MPO
Bikeway/Pedestrian Coordinator
kyle.wagenschutz@shelbycountytn.gov

Powerhouse Bicycle Rack #1

Yes, Powerhouse Bicycle Rack #1. The Powerhouse, a now defunct art gallery is home to 3 bicycle racks. This rack is a standard wave rack capable of holding 9 bicycles: seven within the rack and 2 on each side. You are probably asking, "Why does an empty building need all this bicycle parking?" Then you remembered, "Oh yes, the Memphis Farmers Market!" (Which starts in about a month!) The plaza which contains the bicycle rack has ample seating in case you need to change shoes or pack your panniers or trailer with groceries.

Here's how it racks up:

Form - Wave
Function - Pass
Environment - The rack's form does not mimic its surroundings.
Points of Interest - Memphis Farmers Market, Blue Monkey Downtown, Earnestine & Hazel's, Arcade Restaurant, South Main Arts District

Greenbelt Park Bicycle Rack

The Greenbelt Park Bicycle Rack was created by Jill Turman in 2002. It reminds me of the magic trick from Cracker Barrel that I solved once but could never remember how I did. It serves its intended purpose quite nicely, with the added benefit of being a climbing structure for kids. I don't know if that was intended but If I was a little one I would be climbing all over that thing! I'm sure that plenty of events take place throughout the year at Greenbelt Park but the only one that comes to my mind is the annual Outdoors, Inc. State Cyclocross Championship. Keep in mind if you want to ride here you have to climb the Auction Street Bridge.

Here's how it racks up:

Form - Artistic
Function - Pass
Environment - The rack's form does not seem to mimic its surroundings.
Points of Interest - Greenbelt Park, Harbor Town, Miss Cordelia's, Pizza & A Movie, Paulette's, etc...

And yes, the river is very high in that picture.

Ride The Divide Monday Night

I would attend this film even if it wasn't presented by my friends at Victory and benefiting my friends at Livable Memphis.

Tweed Ride - St. Patrick's Day

Check the facebook page here.

Walk This Way

Sitting in the BPAC meeting talking about pedestrian facilities, specifically crosswalks and it occurs to me that automobiles have such a sense of entitlement to the road they rarely slow down when they see a pedestrian in the street. I'm not innocent, either. I've been driving before and seen someone in the middle of Poplar and said "Hey dummy, use the crosswalk!"

And by law they should use a crosswalk. That often means walking out of your way to get to your destination; and we know how lazy Americans are.

So we can do several things:

Non-traditional crosswalks. In the same way that people often don't use the exact paved path between buildings on campus and instead make their own natural more direct path let's put some crosswalks in the middle of the block or at a three-way intersection.

Eliminate jaywalking fines. You shouldn't be punished for walking. It seems this fine only serves to make automobiles a priority.

Increase hit and run fines. I looked for statistics on Memphis fines but it proved kind of difficult on my phone. But if we really value human life prove it.