Just get on with it...

Chicago resident who bikes, transits, walks and does just about anything to avoid driving... now with Divvy! Stage of life best described as "beginning of the middle..."

[justinhaugens]

One last request @Gabe_Klein, for you too @AldReilly and @Chicago_Police...

http://instagram.com/p/hWTahoIcM_/#

When education and media fails; when infrastructure and signage fails; the last resort is enforcement to ensure the safest passage for roadway users. In this case, a bicycle user is not receiving the protecting enforcement necessary to effectively ride down the Dearborn Bike Track.

What is a southbound rider suppose to do? They would clearly ride against traffic, only to get in the way of northbound riders on top of northbound drivers; or ride on the sidewalk which is against the law.

The cards are in your favor Alderman Reilly, CDOT Commissioner Gabe Klein and Police Superintendent Garry F. McCarthy, you're just overlooking the law as far as I'm concerned.

Ticket and tow while we complain about money. $150 fine for parking in the bike lane? $150 for towing a vehicle less than 8000 GVW? That's six vehicles at least, that's $1,800 right there. #youhavetostartsomewhere

[apolloadama]

At $10 an hour you’d have to work 1,250 hours to cover the UW’s $12,500 tuition (more, once you take out taxes). In a 12-week summer, that’s more than 100 hours a week. What really made me feel ancient is that the 1981 UW student guide shows the Med school charged only $1,029 a year back then. Today: $28,040! Now, I didn’t go to the UW. But I’m going down Husky memory lane because last week The Seattle Times featured a crop of harried UW students looking rueful and broke. The story said skeptical state legislators often say how “they worked their way through college. And then they ask: Why don’t students do that today?” Of all our delusions, we old farts cling to this bootstrap one the most. We worked our way up on sweat and chicken grease, we say. Can’t this generation? What’s wrong with them? What’s wrong is that after we got ours, we cut it off for them. The reason a summer at KFC could pay for a year of UW med school in 1981 isn’t that we were so hardworking and industrious. It’s that taxpayers back then picked up 90 percent of the tab. We weren’t Horatio Algers. We were socialists. Today, the public picks up only 30 percent of UW tuition, and dropping.

Danny Westneat, “Yes, summer job paid tuition back in ’81, but then we got cheap” (via obi-wankenblowme)

#also the minimum wage should be over $20 today #if it actually kept up with increases in productivity over these past few decades #it hasn’t

(via jesuisdelphine)

[justinhaugens]

I think we've touched a nerve

I live in Rogers Park, I'm also:

Infrequent user on Nextdoor, pending the topic

Member of a Participatory Budget committee, second year now

Interested in sunshine on politics and government

Recently, somewhat regrettably, a commenting user on Chevanston

Interested in bicycles

This has certainly turned into quite a mix of knowledge, situations and outcomes. But recently we've encountered the problem of a blog allowing Anonymous posting. While Nextdoor subjects users to a, more stringent than usual, security protocol, another site does not, Chevanston. These sites have different purposes.

The administrator appears to have meant well, I believe their objective was to allow a free flow of discussion by not hindering readers with registration. I respect that approach, though I disagree with it. I was, along with my wife, an unsuspecting victim of this problem, I let my guard down and another Rogers Park resident had used the Anonymous option and posted using my name. My wife had never even visited this site!

No, the name is not linked, there's no IP to track down, but it did state my name and others clearly accepted that it was me. I do not post anonymously. Let's make that clear.

The foundation of all this? Some Rogers Park residents disagree with me, though I know I'm not alone in what I would like to see change. That's all it amounts to. I don't have quantified results of who agrees with me, neither do those who oppose my suggestions. I don't hate the individuals who disagree with me, it feels as though some are approaching that level of dislike for me.

The topics at hand others dislike me for?

Safety improvements for bikers and pedestrians

Free street parking

I ride a bike

Parking garage

Inquiring with the alderman through social media channels

Expectation of Chicago Police to enforce traffic law

Welcome to the world of local politics is all I can muster for this situation. An individual, maybe a handful, has evidently figured out the Internet and lost any level of integrity and respect for a community and it's members. Meanwhile, some of those who disagree with me enable that individual because they're more opposed to me, than upholding integrity.

[justinhaugens]

Oh the joy of riding a bike and journalism covering it...

I can only imagine Copenhagen and Amsterdam residents watching the world's bike-friendly and bike-unfriendly groups take literary stabs at each other regarding bicycles.

In no specific order....

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/10/opinion/sunday/is-it-ok-to-kill-cyclists.html?pagewanted=all&src=ISMR_AP_LO_MST_FB&_r=1&

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2013/11/shafted-again.html

http://t.co/TkXF5dW9Ge

http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2013/11/cycling-v-cars?utm_content=buffer87fba&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer

These are all from the last 48 hours!

[justinhaugens]

It is a choice, you have a choice.

It's a choice, you have a choice to continue being a slave to car ownership. You have a choice of how you take control of your life and your form of transportation. Americans are willing to spend $31,252 on the purchase of a new vehicle, a used car can cost up to $14,375 for a vehicle up to eight years old. You can buy a cargo bike for just over $3000. Even lower when buying used, just like with a vehicle. Even if you buy a cargo bike on top of buying a standard city bike, or even as a family total cost will likely remain lower than the purchase of a used vehicle! This line of thought does not include maintenance, fuel, storage or any other costs associated with the car ownership.

With a bike as your main form of transportation, you're looking at $500 per year for maintenance and maybe a 5-10% increase in food consumption. That food cost increase is roughly $100 more per month based on a family of four. Totaling $1,700 per year cost to operate a bicycle(s). This calculation might even be beyond the actual cost according to Mint.com.

Car ownership doesn't compare... We continue to say that we can't afford X, Y and Z; but in reality it's the choices we make that force us to work more hours, more than one job or have double income households rather than trying to find ways to lower the cost of living.

Isn't it time to reconsider our choices?

[justinhaugens]

How else do you enforce traffic laws?

Police officers have been around for ages, then along came TMA, Traffic Management Authority, and someday you'll encounter a type of authority who has more power than TMA but less than police officers.

TMA's main objective is to control situations of high traffic volume, at one point they were also responsible for writing parking violations. This responsibility appears to fall primarily into the hands of the Department of Finance.

Police officers are burdened with responding to crime, domestic calls and other non-traffic issues. They have the authority to write tickets for speeding and failure to obey traffic laws--but don't, or rarely do. As someone on reddit said, "If you're pulled over by a Chicago cop, you've done something unspeakably wrong."

As urban areas become increasingly non-POV oriented, the interactions of pedestrians and cyclists with drivers may potentially turn even more negative and catastrophic in their ending.

There are ways to combat poor driving, some are fixed costs while others are variable and ongoing. Cities can develop their communities using traffic calming measures that are fixed in cost but may require future maintenance. Another option is an increased activity level from police officers patrolling for moving violations--not just crime.

This departments sole objective is traffic enforcement. The objective would not to remove traffic enforcement authority from police officers, but to simply implement a group that fills in a gap.

So where is a balance struck? I'm not advocating for this type of authority, only opening this up for thought and discussion. It seems like a logical next-step to help "resolve" the issue of poor driving.

[npr]

The New York Subway Sign Experiment highlights an odd rule that subway conductors have to follow.

[justinhaugens]

In defense of drivers...

Justin, LOL. "Taking back their neighborhoods." Makes it sound like you don't understand that your neighbors, who make up your neighborhood, are the ones who drive the cars parked in your neighborhood. Also, yes, there is a happy middle ground -- and you clearly don't represent it. Drivers and pedestrians should benefit equally, especially considering they are often the same exact people. I've walked 2,000 miles in the city this year alone. That's a lot of miles. I also drive. So, I see both sides and I don't believe that either side is better than the other, unlike you. Good luck on your anti-car brigade, but I think they're here to stay. I'm done with this discussion, Justin. This is your cue to make claims that I won't argue against and try to act superior. Goodnight.

I don't understand my neighbors? I've posted three different group suggestions from a neighborhood assembly that happened in the 49th Ward Participatory Budget. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinhaugens/10107547853/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinhaugens/10107421574/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinhaugens/10107426074/

Notice how little is suggested in favor of vehicles specifically while anything related to them either is for multipurpose use or is aimed to inhibit vehicle mobility? I'll be sure to present the list of suggestions when the Community Representative meeting comes around.

There is no "happy medium" at the moment on Chicago streets. That could likely apply to any American city's streets.

On a final note, no, drivers and pedestrians should not benefit equally, they should benefit more. Even if you were to view it as an equal benefit, pedestrians would be cared for far more than they are now. They are a second thought, just like bikers.

[justinhaugens]

If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything.

I'm amazed by this quote, there's power in the simplest statements. If only we sought after integrity to ensure those we inform are not misled, wouldn't that be amazing?

We must remember that once we've said something, if it's inaccurate, it's more difficult to correct than to be right in the first place. We'd rather hit "Share" or "RT" without reviewing context or accuracy.

This was said by Mark Twain in 1894 and Albert Bigelow Paine included it in his Mark Twain Notebook written in 1935.

[justinhaugens]

Equipment and Safety

Is it time we begin to discuss what a bikers equipment is setup for?

I know questions are asked of whether the person in an accident wore a helmet, wore high visibility clothing or even question the infrastructure situation.

Let's start asking if they had lights. Front and-or back? Do they have reflective wall tires? Or even have a bell or horn?

These concerns matter and while our infrastructure improves slowly, though faster than driver behavior, we must consider them as part of the discussion.

I ride with lights, day or night, have reflective sidewalls, a bell AND horn. I have had close calls and frustrating moments, though I feel far more visible than other bikers on the road.

[justinhaugens]

The Idiot Divvy User(s)?

Did I just have an epiphany? Or has this already been discussed, chewed up, spit out and driven... err Divvy'd over?

Chicagoist posted an article about Dutch visitors who will discuss bicycle infrastructure tomorrow and the replies are nothing but the usual, that's not my direction though.

A commenter said:

Maybe they can start by handing out helmets to people on those Divvy bikes, the majority of whom don't seem to understand traffic laws for cyclists or cars in this city, and thus are the people who need helmets the most.

Wait a minute, so we're talking about Divvy users and it's possible to say there's a fair share of them who are drivers, or former drivers, and only most recently picked up bicycling as transportation.

Now they're on bicycles and don't know the rules of the road. But likely drive, or used to.

Let's put it all together:

Divvy users

New bike riders

Drivers

Do not know the rules of the road

What does that result in?

A Divvy user who has experience driving, little adult experience bike riding and does not know the rules of the road.

This is what it's really saying:

Drivers don't know the rules of the road regarding bicycles.

I know I didn't have an epiphany, just wanted to get that off my chest.

Chicago Department of Transportation Tips for Motorists

Municipal Codes of Chicago (MCC) and the Illinois Compiled Statutes

[justinhaugens]

View my 2 latest photos on Flickr: http://flic.kr/u/P8YDG/aHsjHXs1Nu

[justinhaugens]

This picture has two meanings, can you guess them? on Flickr.

[justinhaugens]

Congress Will Keep Senators' Tax Reform Wishes Secrets €”for 50 Years

So here’s what we know about Baucus and Hatch’s “blank slate” process, which wipes the tax code clean, forcing senators to justify every loophole they ask to have written back in. We know that some of the loopholes just aren’t defensible, so toxic to voters that not only can we not know them, we may not ever know them. I will probably not live to 2064; the genes aren’t as good on my father’s side. I would, however, like to be able to decide how to vote in 2014. Senators have to please both constituents and donors. I get it. Money is speech. But any senator with a tax plea so secret it has to be physically locked away is definitely, absolutely not requesting it for the voters.

My feelings, summed up. I was going to type something, but this snippet is beyond my writing skills.

[venture-deactivated20180822]

#BucketList Item No. 51 | Stroll along Australia’s Beaches

Inspired by @StayAdventurous

Typography by Leah Flores

With well over 30,000 miles of coastline, finding a beach in Australia isn’t a challenge. And with easy-to-earn miles from your Capital One Venture Card, getting there doesn’t have to be a challenge either. So what are you waiting for?! Start planning this #BucketList getaway!

[justinhaugens]

Been there, done that! Manly and Bondi to be precise. Next time we must venture out of Sydney!

[justinhaugens]

Ending a part of my life...

Feels like a long time coming, but I'm fairly certain that next fall I will separate from the Guard. Some frustration, restraint, lack of focus elsewhere and who knows how many other things I could come up with as reasons why.

I haven't accomplished anything special, though I've been able to see and do things most individuals will never do. I have never seen combat, a deployment or even fired more than a few hundred rounds. Some say that's luck while I feel I haven't done my part.

It will be eight years when I finish and all I can think of is how much others have accomplished in months or a few years of their military career.

I'm sure I can be swindled into staying, though it will require drastic changes not just professionally, but personally. Professionally, more training is a core item while personally we must improve our position in life to make sure remaining in is a viable choice.

Already feel like it's happened and have had moments of "I'm going to miss this because of x..."

[justinhaugens]

Unused Policy: @ChicagoDOT Complete Streets

I was excited, State and Polk was finally being opened up completely with the completion of the building on the Northwest corner. The intersection had been suffering from blind spots, closed lanes and the general rumble tumble of construction.

Protected walkways had been removed, the sidewalk poured and now the final element, resurfacing and striping:

But what's wrong with this picture? These beautiful new international crosswalks and smooth resurfaced asphalt should be perfect!

Problem is that Chicago's Complete Streets Guidelines says otherwise on page 106:

Marked crosswalks should not be longer than three lanes.

This is a policy that Chicago's DOT implemented, nobody is holding a gun to to their head to enforce it. Well, except the residents of Chicago.

Why create a policy that you avoid using?