Miscellaneous transportational verbiage from recent days:

• Oops: Consumer Reports has retracted its story about the safety of car seats and is planning to redo its testing; click here for the AP story (via the Strib).
• Taming train whistles: Federally approved Moron-proof rail crossings are making it possible for communities such as Coon Rapids to declare quiet zones for trains; Strib story is here.
• Greenway news: A land-use plan for the Midtown Greenway corridor could be enacted by the end of the month; the height of buildings along the bike and pedestrian path is among the major concerns. The Southwest Journal story is here.
• Help plan a new transit station: The SWJ also looks at the bus rapid transit station slated to be built in the middle of I-35W at 46th Street; click here for story and architectural rendering.
• The opposite of Morons: Not all of your fellow drivers are evil; some will stop and help you if you run into a tree, as this story out of Burnsville illustrates.
• 39,400 pounds of fun: A road maintenance worker in Washington County marked his 50-year service anniversary by trying out a new grader; the Pioneer Press story is here.
• Ooh, shiny object: The PiPress’ business section ran a story on Wednesday about digital billboards (and the driver-distraction implications), including a photo of the new sign overlooking I-35W in south Minneapolis. Turns out it was a New York Times story from Jan. 11, so it wasn’t on the PiPress website, but it appears to be available here for free at the International Herald-Tribune site. (And paying NYT subscribers can read it here.)

Don’t worry, the detour is only temporary — Roadguy is merely taking a Christmastime break and will return in the new year with fresh posts that meet all of your transportation needs. In the meantime, feel free to browse earlier posts, and may your holiday travels be safe and Moron-free.

Last month, I linked to Froggie’s website, which includes a cool map of his ideas for future light-rail lines in the Twin Cities metro area. Another alert reader, M., sent me his own version — click on the thumbnail at right to see the map at full size. I think M’s north-south “Red Line” might have too slow of an alignment (and perhaps run afoul of the protective folks over at the Park Board), but it’s still fascinating to envision people getting all over town by train.

Roadguy likes to offer up at least one fresh ‘n’ fulfilling post each and every weekday, but today, a bit of a family emergency is interrupting his regularly scheduled blogcast. The short version: Roadguy’s dad (who, perhaps unsurprisingly, is also a bald geek) landed himself in the hospital this week, and while he appears to be on the mend, Roadguy decided to road-trip across Wisconsin to have a look for himself. CrapCam is of course along for the ride, so perhaps there’ll be some cheesehead-related pictures to share upon my return. So, until next week, safe and civilized travel to all, and keep those photos and comments coming.

It may seem a little odd to be discussing bike-car relations during what many people regard as the end of the biking season, but one of the great things about the Twin Cities is there is no biking season — even on the coldest, snowiest day imaginable, you’re guaranteed to see at least one renegade on a bike. So, in light of the good points that were raised yesterday, here’s a bit more on the matter.

First, a photo illustrating why some bikers don’t stick to the bike lane:

… because sometimes the bike lane doesn’t stick with the bikers. In this example outside Roadguy headquarters on Portland Avenue in Minneapolis, the Giant Eraser has apparently struck again, because the lane suddenly vanishes for half a block, then resumes.

Relatedly, in yesterday’s post, I neglected to include Part II of the e-mail I received from bicyclist Lisa:

“The roads are rarely set up to keep us safe from traffic. My current favorite street is Gortner on the University campus. There’s a bike lane, then it disappears (we are not to ride on the sidewalks), then it appears again. I’m never completely sure where we are supposed to be when it goes away. Teleported over that section of road, perhaps.”

Now that would make a great photo. She’s right, though — there are gaps in the system. And, as Third Base Line points out, there are plenty of user errors even where the lanes are fine. She encouraged me to consider taking CrapCam over to Hennepin Avenue for some prime Moron Patrol hunting:

“Sometimes, you even get a SuperMoron [driving a car] in the bike lane. Now that’s quality entertainment — particularly when a bicyclist takes it upon themselves to pedal at approximately the speed of cold molasses right in front of them. You can learn some brand-new swear words right there.”

I’m realizing that, while I’m not always respectful of laws designed for motorized vehicles when I bike, I am usually pretty respectful of others on the road. Last year, I read a great New York Times article about British driving tests (the full story for paying Times subscribers is here), and the first line of the article has stuck with me as a guide for proper road behavior:

“Force another car to slow down while you’re taking your road test, even if you are not in danger of causing an accident, and you fail.”

In other words, first do no harm — which is not a bad rule of the road, no matter what you’re piloting.

Got more thoughts? Add ‘em to the fray below.

News item: “Robert Bly, internationally known poet, translator, social critic and moral force, has sold his archives to the University of Minnesota Libraries for $775,000.”

Related item: Roadguy, little-known transportation critic, motorist and sometimes scold, is pleased to announce that his archives remain open and available for exactly $775K less. Just click on the “Archives” links off to the right.