Sunday morning in Colliinsville

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This first photo isn't from this morning. I took it last Saturday evening at a dance held by The Oklahoma Swing Syndicate (TOSS). They're swing dancing fans who meet each week at a church in Tulsa. I was surprised to see how many people attended that evening. And of course, watching dancers offers numerous photo opportunities. This one was taken while the pair practiced a move, meant to be a lift, but they kept missing it.

Collinsville has a 25mph speed limit on every street in town, unlike most others here in northeast Oklahoma. This is the first time I've seen a Yield to Pedestrians sign anywhere in the area. I don't know if it's in compliance with the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (interesting reading if you suffer from insomnia) but it's heartening to see the signs.

One other thing - Collinsville PD is quite serious about enforcing that 25 mph speed limit. Keep a careful eye on the speedometer if you're going through town.

Many older buildings here are brick, often red brick. Towns throughout the region were constructed at roughly the same time period, so the architecture and building materials are common themes. This is the Collinsville municipal building, formerly the fire house which - in a bit of irony - burned down one night. They built a new fire house and renovated the old one for offices. It's all red brick. Many of the streets are red brick too. They're kind of wavy, but don't have potholes.

As I took these photos, a crew was installing fresh bricks on the west side of this building.

This is the town's train station, now being used as a museum. I don't know if it's open regularly. The area around it is used for storage of the bricks for sidewalks and streets. There's an active railroad track nearby, about a hundred yards east of the station, so there must have been a spur leading here at one time. It's long gone.


There will be more photos over on my Picasa web album, including color versions of those above. I used the Canon A590IS this morning and I set it up to do black and white JPEGS as well as RAW. I have to convert the RAW images over to color JPEGs later today. (The photos are posted as of 4:15 local time. I just discovered that Picasa displays RAW files, though they've been reduced in size from the originals. Still, they look good.)

But first, I need a cup of coffee.

Saturday Musette

21JUN2008

The following items are not specifically related to bicycling, but since I have a general interest in transportation, I've included them here. I'm especially excited about the mini-truck bill because small, fuel efficient vehicles have great utility here in Tulsa. The average commute is about 5 miles, so these small trucks and vans will be popular......Ed

(Image from KTUL. Note the bike rack on the front of the bus.)

Tulsa Transit Mulls Route to Suburbs

By RHETT MORGAN World Staff Writer

Tulsa World, 6/20/2008

Owasso and Collinsville are excited about a proposed bus route to downtown Tulsa.

The Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority is considering the addition of an express route from Collinsville and Owasso to downtown Tulsa.

Leaders from each city support the single-bus line, which would cost the suburbs a combined $40,000, said Tulsa Transit General Manager Bill Cartwright.

"Representatives from both cities are excited about the idea and feel like it's something that they need to do and implement as soon as possible," he said.

"I think that they feel pretty confident that that's going to happen."

Approval from Owasso's City Council and Collinsville's City Commission is needed for the plan to go forward.

Neither town has placed it on a meeting agenda, although that could happen this summer.

(Link to more)

(Image from Off Roaders)

Urban Tulsa Weekly, JUNE 18, 2008

First of Mini

New law paves the way for Japanese mini-trucks to roam Tulsa streets

BY BRIAN ERVIN

They're somewhat of an exotic species here in Tulsa, but Japanese mini-trucks might soon be as prevalent in urban and suburban Oklahoma as they are in Asia, thanks to a new state law that passed this year.

"They're like European smart cars, but Okie-style," state Rep. Don Armes told UTW.

...They're currently in use as off-road vehicles by an unknown number of ranchers and farmers throughout rural Oklahoma, but some are predicting that mini-trucks' miniscule appetite for gasoline will make them a common sight in Tulsa and other urban areas within the next year or so, once they're legal.

They get between 30-40 miles per gallon, depending on the model.

...They max at about 55 mph, though, so they won't be allowed on interstates or turnpikes, but they should be perfect for getting around Tulsa's city streets.

Most Americans are already familiar with the manufacturers that make them, like Mitsubishi, Mazda, Honda, Suzuki, etc.

(Link to more)

INCOG Bicycling Advisory Group Meeting

"We're gettin' the band back together, man."

Yesterday, we had the first meeting of the new Indian Nations Council of Governments bicycle advisory group. Since this was the preliminary meeting, it included introductions and a brief discussion of goals and brought us up to date about on-going projects. This group may be meeting once a month, so there should be more to report shortly.

INCOG BAG Meeting

17JAN2008 1130A

Members

Ed Wagner

Monica Barczak

Josh Gifford

David Darcey

Chris Zenthoefer (not present)

Tom Brown

Lisa Frankenberger

Patrick Fox

Mark Brown (not present)

Glen Sams (not present)

The Big Picture

The subcommittee is composed of people with diverse backgrounds in cycling. There are current and former racers, tourists, and commuters representing a variety of occupations.

We share a common goal – to get more people on their bikes in the Tulsa region – and we realize that the vast majority of existing cyclists are recreational riders rather than transportation cyclists. However, it's critical to recognize the impact of infrastructure, particularly traffic lights and bridges, when it comes to transportation riders. For a recreational cyclist, a road or bridge closure is a nuisance, but easily avoided. For a transportation cyclist, it can represent a major problem if it prevents riding to a destination like work. As the plan evolves, it must encompass the needs of all cyclists.

Naturally, we embrace the traditional five E's of bicycling advocacy: Education, Engineering, Enforcement, Encouragement, and Evaluation. We support the development of a comprehensive master bicycling plan, that includes elements from Complete Streets and Safe Routes to School.

The Nagging Little Details

It's easy to get bogged down in discussions about plan details. A perfect illustration: Patrick showed the group one of Portland's blue bike boxes, and we were sidetracked for a few minutes talking about it. Anyone familiar with the email advocacy groups will be aware of what I've called how-many-bicycling-advocates-can-dance-on-the-head-of-a-pin arguments. The people involved care passionately about their positions, but to the vast majority of readers, the discussion is a waste of time. Unfortunately, I'm one of those people who bite hard on such arguments.

(As an aside, be aware that I use the word 'argument' in its primary definition, a reasoned discussion. If I want the other kind of argument, the knock-down-drag-out kind, I need only say the wrong thing to my spouse.)

Monica yanked us back from that fruitless pursuit and I thanked her for it. For the present, we need to focus on that big picture up above and use it to set our goals, then develop a plan to reach those goals. The plan is a series of steps, some interlinked and some independent, almost like a road map. And the nagging little details are the individual steps necessary to achieve those goals.

Some of those steps may include:

Public service announcements modeling safe and proper bicycle use, both from a cyclist's viewpoint and that of a motorist.

Funding for BikeEd in an effort to reach school children, adult cyclists, and motorists.

Include knowledgeable cyclists in street planning as a normal part of the process.

Efforts to change building codes to incorporate bicycle parking.

Encouraging employers to promote bicycle commuting.

Promoting Bike To Work events.

Comprehensive Bicycling Master Plan, a larger document that includes the Trails Master Plan and much more.

Most of that list is nothing new, but they are popular efforts that have met with some success. As always, the devil is in the details. Another way to phrase that is the large print giveth and the small print taketh away. A plan can have glowing, laudable goals, yet if it lacks supporting details, it will never come to fruition.

Trail Projects and Updates

The locally infamous 'FEMA' bridge project over Little Haikey Creek should start moving dirt this month. The bridge was backordered. It's a pre-fabricated construction.

The Mingo Valley Trail is in negotiations with ODOT over bridge placement at 71^st Street.

The Osage Prairie Trail Extension is looking for funding to continue trail construction north of Skiatook. Ultimately, the plan is to extend it to Barnsdahl, or if possible, Pawhuska.

The River Park Trail will be re-located west of the Creek Nation Casino, possibly funded by the Creek Nation. An astounding information tidbit – the new dual trail costs $290 per linear foot!

2007 Enhancement Grant Awards

South River Parks Extension

Fry Ditch Creek Trail (Bixby)

Mingo Valley (Admiral to I-244)

Osage Trail Trailhead (Skiatook)

Sand Springs, Visual Detection

A word about Sand Springs – the city is looking to attain LAB Bicycle Friendly City status.