See Click Fix

See Click Fix may be the answer to our dreams. Todd and I were trying to cadge together a reporting system for bike commuters and sidewalk walkers. We used Twitter feeds and an interactive map for users to post their reports.

Chapin Spencer pointed us to SeeClickFix, which does much of this and also allows you to set Watch Areas and direct reports from posts in those areas to the appropriate public official. Here is a first draft:
http://sites.google.com/site/bikereportvt/southburlington/south-burlington-seeclickfix-map

Tweeting the Maps

This blog is about creating tweets that report conditions on bike routes. These link to markers on an interactive map that in turn point to reports on conditions for walking and biking in the Burlington, Vermont, area. Is that clear?

I've been having lots of fun riding around taking pictures of conditions on our bike path system and posting them on an interactive map. Todd Taylor and I established a Twitter account called BikeReportVT. If you post a report on Twitter and use the tag @BikeReportVT, the tweet will show up on the BikeReportVT page . There you can click on a link in the tweet to be taken to an interactive map where you can see the conditions and also add reports of conditions by tweeting from your own Twitter account. Pretty cool.

Here are some recent reports:
davidjacobowitz @BikeReportVT Bikes are not allowed on sidewalks in the Inner Fire District (Great name for a band). http://bit.ly/3frCsD

davidjacobowitz @BikeReportVT Hadley Road one-way is now 2-way for bikes: http://bit.ly/1n4awv

davidjacobowitz @BikeReportVT Now that bollards have been removed from the corner of Swift and Farrell #SBVT, cars have left-turn lane http://bit.ly/44s948

davidjacobowitz @BikeReportVT Recent paving on North Avenue near Burlington High School: http://bit.ly/21hLvI

davidjacobowitz @BikeReportVT Colchester Airport Park bathrooms are closed. Port-a-potty is open: http://bit.ly/2w2rzB

davidjacobowitz @BikeReportVT Bollards on Swift St at Ridgewood Estates removed, bikes riding eastward ride counterflow near traffic: http://bit.ly/2uBIgn

davidjacobowitz @BikeReportVT Bollards removed from the Swift / Spear intersection #SBVT http://bit.ly/LyB4b

View @BikeReportVT in a larger map

Morris Batzer Decommissioned

Every time we tried to retire the old wooden double named Morris Batzer, we couldn't quite bring ourselves to do it. Maybe another layer of fiberglas, clean him up to put on the wall some bar, make an end table... Finally it came to this, October 31, 2009.

From GMR_Boathouse

UVM and Middlebury were dueling it out on the river while we put the SawzAll to the lovely dark plywood shell. Rest in peace.

Bicycle Culture

I got an email from Joshua Lambert, a student at Burlington College. He is doing his 'capstone project, which is documenting the Burlington Bicycle Culture through photographs and audio.' Would I be willing to talk with him?

This made me give a little thought to what makes up the bicycle culture around here.

Here is a list with links.

1. Local Motion
2. Community: Bike Recycle Vermont
   
3. Burlington Walk/Bike Council
4. Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition
5. South Burlington Recreation Path Committee
6. Safe Streets Collaborative
7. Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization
8. Bicycle Polo
9. Burlington Bike Path
   
10. UVM Cycling Club
11. Green Mountain Bicycle Club Discussion List
12. Skateboard/Bike Park
    
13. Critical Mass Ride
14. Ski Rack (shop)
15. North Star Cyclery (shop)
16. Old Spokes Home (shop)
17. Earl's Cyclery and Fitness (shop)
18. The Alpine Shop (shop)
19. Commuting Bike Report (traffic and conditions)
20. Touring Group: Silver Spokes
21. Touring Group: Silver Streakers
22. Touring: Colchester Causeway Bike Ferry
    
23. Touring with GMBC
24. Touring: Annual VerMontreal ride to le Tour de l'Ile Montréal
25. Maps: Lake Champlain Bikeways
    
26. Maps: Local Motion Trailside Center Sales
    
27. Racing: Green Mountain Stage Race
    
28. Racing: Burlington Criterium is part of the GMSR
    
29. Racing: Mountain Bikes at Catamount: Cyclocross
    
30. Racing: Mountain Bikes at Sleepy Hollow
31. Fellowship of the Wheel, FOW
    
32. Racing: Colchester Triathlon
33. Racing: Burlington Triathlon
    

Visit from Librarian

Jessamyn visited last evening and helped me figure out a bunch of techie issues. I've been working with Todd Taylor at Local Motion to put together a system for reporting bad conditions on the paths and bike routes around here. We are using Twitter to gather reports, which are then posted at a website along with an interactive map to give users an idea of where the problems lie.

Albuquerque

In late October I flew out to Albuquerque to visit my cousins Beth and Judy. Beth is 6 months older than me and Judy is about Ira's age. We timed the trip to meet Ira and his motorcycle buddies Bill Leenheer and Wayne Miller.


Motorcycle Gang: Ira, Wayne, Uncle Bill, (Judy, Bike Chick).


Beth's boys are Steve Shain and Matthew Shain. They are each married and each has a child.
Steve and Stacie are parents of Kadin, and Matt and Jeannie have Lilly. Lilly is a conscientious student. She had her books open and worked on her projects while visiting with the family. Judy helped her set up an interview with an expert on cults, which is the topic of her project.

Kadin is 11 and rides horses and ropes. He explained how he heads off the cow and ropes the head and his cousin ropes the rear legs.


Dave & Kadin play miniature golf on the phone.

That's Uncle Bill in the background.

The Palace Almost Kills Josh Farr

I stopped to help a young artist who was working on a set of stone etc sculptures/constructions on the Lake Champlain shore near the water treatment plant and railroad roundhouse. Josh staggered up from the lake; he was trying to place a rock high on one of the sculptures and it fell on his head. He was bleeding and was pretty disoriented. He knew he needed help.
We called 911 and the EMT folks came and checked him out.

I looked for him over the next few weeks and didn't see him. Feared the worst. But Josh had told me where he went to school, so I called the registrar and she sent him a message. He's OK.

He started this blog to post photos of the installation. Josh Farr and Mikhaela Stinson's The Palace.: http://thepalaceburlington.blogspot.com/

Here are the "After" photos, taken in mid-October, 2009.

sculpture