And then this happened...

There is some sort of construction going on on Angell St. way down by Wayland Square. What is normally a two lane street is reduced to one lane. This stretch is on the return leg of my quick, easy ride to Riverside and back.

Yesterday, I approached the traffic that builds up in the construction zone and looked for a way through. Cars and trucks were stopped for a red light light at Wayland St. I was weaving around, making my way through and since I'm a jerk, uh, I mean, aggressive cyclist, I worked my way to the front of the line. The light was still red, so I went in to my track stand routine and held it for 30 seconds or so. Then the light changed and I rode off.

What happened next, though, was interesting. As I rode up the next block, the car that had been first in line pulled alongside me and matched my speed. "This can't be good," I thought. The car's passenger side window was down and the driver was looking across at me. I figured I was about to get a piece of his mind for cutting the line/blocking his sight-lines while he waited at the light/being on the road/what do you think you're doing/something. In my experience, drivers never have anything good to say when they pull along side me. Like the guy who told me he couldn't see me on the Henderson Bridge because the sun was in his eyes. I told him to slow down to a safe speed, but he didn't seem to get it. Or the guy on Smith St. who told me I should be riding closer to the curb (you know, where all the parked cars are). Anyway, yesterday the guy leans over and says "Hey, that was a nice track stand!" and then sped off. I was so surprised that I could only muster a little wave and a "Hey, thanks, man!" but I'm sure he didn't hear it.

So two cool things about it. First, a positive interaction with a motorist to contrast with all the nasty, negative stuff that has been in the press and bicycle blogosphere (I hate that word, makes me think of Globogym). Second, another human acknowledged a skill that I've worked hard to develop. Most people either don't realize how tricky it is to balance a bike that's not moving or don't care. A bike that isn't a fixed gear, no less! So good on ya, buddy! Thanks for noticing. And not, you know, running me over or something.

Progress, part deux

I made myself curious last Tuesday when I visited the city-side of the India Point Park bridge. On Saturday, I took a ride down to visit the Park itself, via the always-exciting Gano Street entrance.

Construction sites can be either depressing or inspiring. Depressing because they're messy. The ground is torn up, trees removed, materials and debris all over the place. Lots of half-assed fencing. Or, my favorite construction site pet peeve: sediment fencing improperly installed and poorly maintained. India Point Park has all of this right now, plus also a gigantic, dilapidated building in the form of Shooters. But, I can already tell that the park is going to be pretty cool once the work is all done. Sure, it's going to be smaller than it was because there is an additional ramp adjacent to the highway, but what remains will be nicer. Maybe. At least there's good potential. The new pedestrian bridge is going to be great. The park will be better linked with downtown and riverwalk/waterplace. It'll be better linked to Wickenden. All this stuff will hopefully get lots of people down there. Also, the linear Washington Bridge park is going to be neat as well, at least in the year 2341 when it is actually finished.

This has nothing to do with that: This year the Blackstone River Greenway Challenge will include a mountain biking leg. My office throws a team together each year and since I'm the only person around who rides a mountain bike I have been volunteered. I expect this will be fun because despite my incredible speed and skills on a mountain bike I have never raced. I have no idea where the ride will take place or over what sort of terrain. Could it be Lincoln Woods? That monastary place up in Cumberland? Something else entirely? We'll see. The course will be officially released in a day or two. The event is September 27th. I should probably ride a time or two beforehand. I went to Lincoln Woods once last week and managed to avoid breakdowns or injury so we're on the right track. Good stuff.

Progress

Back in the day, a cyclist used to be able to ride out Hope St., cross 195 on the scary, old pedestrian bridge to India Point Park, then shoot over the Washington Bridge to the East Bay Bike path. But then the 195 Relocation/Build-me-an-IWay project got under way. The pedestrian bridge got torn down. The bicycle crossing on the Washington Bridge went away. Suddenly it was a huge pain in the ass to ride over to East Providence. Now, with the construction on the Henderson Bridge, it's even worse. Dark days for cyclists, indeed. Dark days.

But maybe things are looking up. Yesterday I checked in on the India Point Pedestrian Bridge on my way home from the farmer's market. I had noticed a couple weeks back that the ornamental cladding had been hung on the fancy, new bridge. There is a texturing pattern and letters that say "India Point Park Bridge" or something to remind speeding (or crawling) motorists that there's an amazing park right nearby. This prompted me to check on the work progress on the bridge. Yesterday I saw that the bridge isn't open yet, but it's definitely coming along. The fencing is up along either side to prevent people from jumping off, throwing stuff at cars, or writing graffitti on the lettering. According to the renderings, there will be planters along either side of the bridge as well, and the soil is mostly in place. According to these photos, the landscaping on the park-side of the bridge is getting close as well. Interesting...

So, perhaps soon we'll at least be able to easily access India Point without the sport of riding down Gano. It's much harder to tell what the progress is on the Washington Bridge section. They don't have a slick, spendy public relations website...