if your sidewalk is overgrown like this....

...please trim your shrubs. Thank you from all the pedestrians who need to walk here.

going out for a bike ride today?

Enjoy your ride. I hope it's a safe one. Here are a few tips for cycling in hot weather.

I'll add one to that list: carry an extra water bottle that's extra cold - either partially frozen or with lots of ice in it.  Wrap it in a towel and put it inside your pannier or rack pack to keep it cool.  Pour some of the water over your head and shoulders from time to time to help cool you off during your ride.

Take care and stay cool.

HB 3884 has potentially disastrous environmental consequences

I just learned about a bill that is scheduled for hearing before the IL House Public Utilities Committee on 2/28/12 - this Tuesday.

Help protect our trees! Illinois House Bill 3884 (Utility Damage Prevention Act) says that trees/vegetation planted within 20 feet of an electric utility pole or overhead electrical conductor could be removed. If this bill passes, many of our beautiful mature trees could be in jeopardy.

The presumed goal of this bill - preventing power outages due to tree damage - makes sense.  However, this is a heavy-handed way of going about it, which could have many disastrous consequences for our environment.

The bill, as proposed, could authorize the removal of most existing trees in many of our back yards, potentially many thousands of mature trees.  Removal of these trees would reduce the ability of our ecosystem to absorb heavy rains, increasing flooding; increase the urban heat island effect; destroy habitat for many wildlife species; remove shade from many yards and houses; greatly increase summer air conditioning costs; and result in a significant increase in air pollution from power plants created by the additional demand for electricity.   

It is possible to maintain trees in such a way as to minimize risk to utility lines and poles.  Our trees should not be condemned when there are workable alternatives.

Please contact your State Representative to ask for these amendments to the bill:
1. a specific definition of "20 feet" regarding the proximity of planted vegetation to utility poles or overhead conductors;
2. a requirement for utilities to consider specific impacts before removing trees;
3. a requirement that utilities give any affected property owners 30 days written notice of any potential tree removal, with contact information to work out a compromise plan; and
4. a requirement that utilities should pay for replacement trees.

Urge representatives to amend HB 3884 or oppose it if it is not changed.

Here's more info on the bill as proposed:

Synopsis As Introduced: Creates the Overhead Utility Facilities Damage Prevention Act. Provides that it shall be unlawful for any person to plant restricted vegetation within 20 feet of an electric utility pole or overhead electrical conductor located within the State. Provides that any restricted vegetation planted, whether by a person or by natural means, within 20 feet of an electric utility pole or overhead electrical conductor located within the State shall be subject to removal. Provides that any person who sells restricted vegetation within this State shall affix a label to each piece of restricted vegetation identifying it as restricted vegetation. Permits the Illinois Commerce Commission to adopt rules concerning the removal of restricted vegetation. Provides that it shall be unlawful for any person to interfere with an electric utility while performing vegetation management and removal activities. Also creates provisions concerning findings, definitions, and Commission enforcement. Effective immediately. 

Short Description: UTILITY DAMAGE PREVENT ACT
House Sponsors: Rep. Jack D. Franks
Hearings: Public Utilities Committee Hearing Feb 28 2012 3:30PM Capitol Building Room 114 Springfield, IL
Last Action Date: Chamber Action 1/24/2012 House Assigned to Public Utilities Committee
Statutes Amended In Order of Appearance: New Act

Please contact your State Representative TODAY!

has hell frozen over?

And I mean that in a good way.  I just got back from a walk to the health food store and a few other places on 95th St.

This is my 6th winter in the neighborhood, and today is the first time EVER that I've seen the sidewalk cleared around the parking lot at the SW corner of 95th & Damen. They must be using someone new to plow the lot.  There was clear access to the crosswalk in front of the library - without me having to make a phone call.  These changes get a BIG thumbs up!

Unfortunately, many crosswalks and bus stops are still blocked by snow.  That neglect gets a big THUMBS DOWN. Another thumbs down to Trinity UCC Community Center for their sidewalk - untouched, still full of snow. :(   The sidewalks were cleared in front of most properties, but there was enough snow left to melt and refreeze that much of it is icy this afternoon.

If we want a healthier ward and healthier business districts, people need to be able to walk and get to and from the bus safely.  It's a lot tougher to do that if snow at the curbs isn't cleared at crosswalk locations and sidewalks are left icy.  It also doesn't help when people who cleared their sidewalks beautifully don't finish the job by clearing a path through the wall left by the snow plows. 

Clearing our sidewalks is part of promoting community.  It's an opportunity to see our neighbors when we're spending a lot less time outdoors.  I'm a believer in having a real community, where people walk and ride bikes and talk on the street.  How about you?

how your ride affects what you see and how you see it

A while back, I was on vacation in Oregon. My reading included Pedal Power: The Quiet Rise of the Bicycle in American Public Life, written by DePaul political science professor Harry Wray, who makes many astute observations about contemporary America. I highly recommend the book.

After getting home, I started thinking about my impressions of Portland, Oregon. I got around primarily on foot and by public transit, with some time on a bike. Before leaving Portland for points south, I got a rental car for going to destinations that were not easily accessible by public transit. Portland was a pleasure to navigate without a car. On my one stop in town after getting the car, parking was a hassle. I was happy once I got away from the car.

At home in Chicago, I try to drive as little as possible. In a densely populated area, the car can be more of a trap than a source of freedom. We've reached a point where congestion and road rage can have a very damaging effect on our physical and mental wellbeing. Endless hours are wasted in traffic jams, creating a greater sense of urgency about reaching one's destination and enough frustration to motivate risky behavior. The current price of gas, combined with congestion, is igniting rage even in otherwise reasonable drivers. As a culture, the pleasure of our journeys has been mostly replaced by grimly creeping in traffic towards the destination.

This morning, I was visiting a few neighborhood destinations by car due to the cold weather.  These are places I usually visit by bike, and the lack of parking I encountered today made me appreciate how much easier these trips are by bike.

Traveling in neighborhoods where I am a minority, I've sometimes been the target of hostility when I am driving. BTW, it's a 20-year-old Honda Civic, not some fancy car. I've been yelled at, spit at, cut off in traffic, and been on the receiving end of nasty racial slurs, all while driving reasonably, without hostility. If I ride my bike in those same areas, at the same times of day, the response is more friendly - a smile, a wave, a little kid riding alongside smiling and just being a kid. If I'm waiting for a bus, the response is usually neutral or friendly. I am not isolated by the car. We are on equal footing.

If one's mode of transportation affects how one is perceived, this can also affect how experiences a place. The bike is a means of transportation that is affordable to all income levels. It promotes interaction with the environmental and is not threatening. In contrast, a car is a bubble around its occupants, more likely to create social isolation, with potential to injure or kill others.

One's mode of transportation tends to affect one's feelings about and reactions to a place. A car junkie's perception is often all about how much time is spent sitting in traffic and how much hassle it is to find parking. There may be beautiful gardens, interesting shops, interesting architecture and other small-scale pleasures along the way. A pedestrian would probably see them and be able to stop and check them out. A cyclist would have a reasonable chance of doing the same. Either might have conversations with others while waiting at lights. A driver would probably miss them entirely, preoccupied with getting through the next light before it turns red, or angry at being cut off by another driver or simply traveling too fast to notice them.

The culture of a place also affects one's perspective. Portland is considered one of the most bike friendly American cities. Its bike infrastructure is a big factor. Chicago is in the next tier of bike friendly cities. Bike infrastructure has vastly improved its bike friendliness compared to 20 years ago. However, infrastructure only goes so far. Portland is a peaceful, mellow place. In my experiences there, road rage was rare. In Chicago, the opposite is true.

We will never be nearly as bike friendly as Portland until Chicago experiences a significant cultural shift away from rage and hostility on our streets. This may happen when enough people get out of their cars if bike and public transit infrastructure continue to improve and expand to meet the demands of increasing ridership. It will require increasing maturity and tolerance on the part of both cyclists and drivers. Too many Chicago cyclists fail to understand that rude and reckless behavior will hurt ALL of us, because it provokes similar behavior from drivers.

Sorry, folks. Sometimes the truth hurts. To get good karma, ya gotta give it - to cars, pedestrians, and other cyclists. Otherwise the bad stuff you dish out will come back to bite you in the a$$ sooner or later. Let's try for peace in our lifetimes on our streets. If enough of us get out of our cars, it can happen.

Now we've got a unique opportunity to get better bike facilities in our neighborhoods.  The city's Streets for Cycling 2020 Plan offers regular people a chance to ask for bike lanes and bike boulevards in locations that matter to them.  The next public meeting happens on Wed. 1/25 at Woodson Regional Library.  I hope you can be there to ask for bike facilities that matter to you.

free health screenings today thru Sunday, and 7/12

This year Walgreens has teamed up with the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) to bring basic health tests to cities across the nation. The AARP/Walgreens Wellness Tour is in Chicago now. The bus will be at the African Caribbean Festival of Life at 5500 S. Cottage Grove today, tomorrow (7/3) and Sunday (7/4) from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., providing FREE health screenings to anyone age 18 and older.

On Monday 7/12, the bus will be at the Walgreens at 2924 E. 92nd St. from noon to 7 p.m.

The bus provides six basic tests including glucose, cholesterol, body mass index, waist circumference, bone density and blood pressure. It only takes about 15 minutes, and Walgreens representatives will go over your results with you. These tests typically cost about $140, but the tour is completely free.

You do not have to be an AARP member to get the tests, but you can get a one-year free membership to AARP for completing the tests if you want.

Many diseases can be detected long before symptoms are seen. Early detection can help you stay healthier.

more bugs in the world

This is an interesting way to make a point. It's great to see people like Bill Gates doing positive charitable things with some of the wealth they've amassed

slow down and enjoy

How fast you eat can affect how much you gain. A related article discusses metabolism and appetite.