HayiWena

HayiWena, 18 hours ago

@bikepedantic I went three rounds with the 508 department with three documents this quarter and every time the goalposts moved and there are no written requirements (my documents met the requirements of another Federal agency each time), so that joke lands very very well with my very dry sense of humor.

HayiWena, 17 hours ago

@bikepedantic @ebooksyearn Yeah, I was happy to make changes like improve the alt text captions, but seriously just write down the guidance/requirements so I don't have to go through multiple submissions via my COR since I don't have direct access to submit the documents. I ended up making my own checklist. I have one more document to finish and then submit.

HayiWena, 1 day ago

@bikepedantic I transported a trombone and trombonist on a tandem a few times but I never got him to play while I pedaled. What a missed opportunity! Although, I think bakfiets have some clear advantages with the front carry position with trombones. Maybe I can convince my 13yo neighbor to ride on the back of the GSD playing her trumpet. My kid plays the baritone sax and that's a big replacement value if something goes wrong.

HayiWena, 4 days ago

@enobacon You mean there isn't a pass for obscuring your rear plate with a bike rack?

HayiWena, 3 days ago

@enobacon Our Lolo Rack obscures our rear plate on our Jetta. It has the swing arm, DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO REMOVE IT WHEN NOT IN USE?

HayiWena, 7 days ago

@meganL It's lovely! I want something like that, but alas my sewing skills stretch only so far as to pogies and face masks.

HayiWena, 8 days ago

@ai6yr I've worked with FEMA models and they are very aggregate, 1-dimensional hydraulics based on 1-ft increments in the thalweg elevation, which, for really flat areas is not a lot at all. They also don't map the vast majority of streams, just main ones. 0.2% return interval = "1-in-500yr" storm. I wouldn't build there, but it's legal to do so. Listening to the people being interviewed, it sounds like classic NIMBYism. [We can't have more apartments because] "the crime rate is going to go up."

HayiWena, 9 days ago

@enobacon This particular street has had two diets in the past five years, but maybe since the public works director just retired it can get another one? I noticed a fallen lamp pole with bright yellow crosswalk warning signs on the school sidewalk this week. What really ticks me off is that all the city engineers show up for the regional safe routes to schools meetings and not a soul from the school districts does.

HayiWena, 9 days ago

All three kids are injured, two with broken limbs.

HayiWena, 9 days ago

I'm sure people think I'm pathetic not letting my kid bike 1.5mi to/from school and carpooling/city bus home. These kids were going the safer 2-mi route. I'm exhausted. This is now the 4th, 5th & 6th kids in his IMMEDIATE friend group struck by drivers going to/from this specific school from our neighborhood.

HayiWena, 9 days ago

These three 13yo kids bike train to jazz band/orchestra at 6:50am. They ride on the sidewalk along the 30mph street. They cross at the signal. They do exactly what they are supposed to do. They must have been stuck by a driver in the intersection.

HayiWena, 9 days ago

@enobacon Maybe I just feel pathetic being an LCI and unable to "educate" my own kid to a point I feel he would be safe? I just feel sick (literally, we have strep in the house) and powerless. And mad. And sad.

HayiWena, 9 days ago

@enobacon League Cycling Instructor. As in https://bikeleague.org/ridesmart/become-instructor/

HayiWena, 11 days ago

@enobacon The bill for deferred maintenance of privatized railroads is past-due.

HayiWena, 13 days ago

@enobacon Thank you, this is wild. I'm too much of a weenie to hop curbs on my MTB. I did in my youth on my full rigid commuter, but now even tho I know how and I can time bunny hops just fine over cracks in the road and my 29er would probably roll over them anyway, I just am way too risk averse to hop >4" curbs. I'll take on a rock on a trail, but not a curb.

HayiWena, 9 days ago

@enobacon Traffic engineers don't stamp ALL of the plans. And often, a set of plans only has one stamp on the cover page from the design manager. Other times, each individual page is stamped by each individual discipline lead. So a traffic engineer would stamp the signal timing page and the intersection striping page. As a drainage engineer, I only stamped my hydraulic modeling reports. I did stamp a few utility relocation sheets on another project.

HayiWena, 9 days ago

@enobacon The test for negligence is generally codified in state law, but there are some States that specifically point to the MUTCD for traffic or other specific reqs for traffic, e.g. PA: https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?file=/secure/pacode/data/067/chapter205/s205.5.html. Generally, the negligence test is "what would a reasonable engineer do in the same circumstances" and that's follow the standards. I think there's a pretty long legal precedent of no liability when "we thought that was safe at the time, but now we know better."

HayiWena, 9 days ago

@enobacon I'm not a lawyer, but therein lies the rub. I am not sure it's a war worth fighting in the courts because it would be your expert witness against Car Brain's expert witness. Courts (and juries!) are not good arbiters of science. We have to change the profession from within, which is why, I think, the terrible title of the book with very good content is such a travesty. Like, cool shock title dude, have fun on the podcast circuit, but the people who need it aren't gonna read it.

HayiWena, 9 days ago

@enobacon And also, the idea that in prioritizing safety you have made safety worse is a MASSIVE cognitive dissonance that makes people hella uncomfortable on its own, so don't go there unless you have solutions to offer or people will lean HARD into the alternative way of resolving their dissonance, which is to prove to themselves that you're the one who's wrong and they are doing it the right way. https://www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-dissonance.html