Bike Trail

Bike Trail Downtown Sioux Falls Levitt Pavilion Sioux Falls

UPDATE: The Levitt has NO permanent bike racks. ZILCH!

l3wis June 12, 2019 21Comments

UPDATE: I went past the Levitt tonight and still no temporary bike racks. (there is an ice machine for the entertainers though). Ironically on the east side of the restrooms there is a large swath that you could have put in at least 30-50 racks, instead they put landscaping. Even if temp racks show up, I am not sure where they could put them. As for ADA parking, I think they are designating the area south of the stage in the city owned lot.

Bathrooms. Check. Expensive sodding and landscaping. Check. Food trucks and beer. Check. Sound system. Check. Sponsorships. Check. Lack of parking. Check.

So you would think an organization that has been complaining about parking by the Levitt would provide bike racks. There isn’t any permanent ones at the location and temporary ones haven’t arrived as of tonight. There isn’t even any trees or other structures to chain your bike to (we could drill a few holes in the Munson plaque and use that).

You would think when we are trying to promote walkability downtown and the use of other forms of transportation to get to events we would have a bike rack?!

Wonder who was the genius that left that out of the plans?

I will say this, the next time I hear anyone from Levitt or the City bitch about the lack of parking at the Levitt I will (not so gently) remind them to install bike racks.

Bike Trail Sioux Falls

$50K for Bike Counters

l3wis June 28, 2015 7Comments

Trust me, I don’t have an issue with this. Always loved the bike trail, and I believe it is way past due to track traffic. It will bring important data that shows our trail is well used (I think in the press conference he mentions 1,600 a day). What I find humorous is the modesty of the $50k investment. I’m sure my nerd friends and I could build this equipment from Radio Shack parts for a lot less. On top of that, why couldn’t some engineer from the traffic department come with this?

One word; Consultants.

Our city is obsessed with them. And it just isn’t the current administration. They are always looking for someone to blame when things go awry.

But I also see hypocrisy. When the city whines about free bus passes, they have no problem spending $50K on something a Boy Scout troop could have build on a Saturday afternoon for a Eagle Scout badge.

Bike Trail Sioux Falls

Is Bicycle Safety the issue or is it Vehicle Safety?

l3wis July 25, 2014 8Comments

Before we go into a long diatribe about what â€˜bicyclists’ should be doing to ride safely, I want to remind everyone who either drives a car or a bicycle or both, cars weigh a lot more then bicycles, like about 100x more. As a driver you must always be looking around you and aware of your surroundings, that is Driver’s ED 101, and it just doesn’t have to do with bicyclists, it has to do with pedestrians, wild animals and other vehicles.

In the latest incident where a teenage biker was drug 15 feet, there were probably many factors involved, but what concerned me the most about the accident is the age of the driver. First off, I don’t have a problem with elderly drivers, just BAD elderly drivers. I am also NOT saying they are driving badly on purpose, some of them lack the eyesight and hearing to drive safely. I suggested years ago that after an established age, that elderly drivers need to go in yearly to the DMV for AT least an eye and hearing exam, if not a full driving test. And in fairness, I would suggest that the testing be FREE to them for a five year period.

That being said, YES, bicyclists need to ride carefully. Trust me, most of the bicycle accidents I have been in the over 20 years I have rode in this town, have been self-inflicted because I WASN’T driving carefully, or riding on the sidewalk (which is extremely dangerous). Have I been hit by vehicles, yes a couple of times, but due to my very large mouth I was able to alert the driver before the incidents have escalated. I often tell fellow riders you must ride defensively a 100% of the time and should not be afraid to shout to alert drivers.

My advice for riding in Sioux Falls;

-Try to use the bike trail as much as possible for long commutes

-Try not to ride on the sidewalk unless you absolutely have to

-DO NOT ride on the sidewalk Downtown on Phillips Avenue, not only is it against city ordinance, it is extremely dangerous. I have almost been taken out a couple of times by cyclists while waiting on patio tables. The bump outs DT were created for pedestrian traffic, not bikes, skateboards and rollerblades. If you have to use the sidewalk with your bicycle DT, walk it.

-Lastly, try to ride in the road lane as much as possible

Bike Trail Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Parks and Rec

Riverdale Park chain of death

l3wis August 23, 2013 31Comments

From my email box:

I was out riding my bike this morning and I noticed this hazardous chain down at Riverdale Park.Â It has recently been placed across a section of the road that approaches the pedestrian bridge access to the bike trail.Â It was nearly invisible to me, on a bike, and I took a few pics of it.Â As you might be able to see, there are 3 reflectors in the chain, but they hang horizontally due to the chain twisting over, so they do not show up.Â Please note that this chain is also in the way of the access trail that many people use to get onto the bridge, since it is nearer to the road.

I had intended to call this in as a problem this morning to see what the Parks Department thought of it, and to ask that something more visible could be added or used instead.

It seems I was too late, and I was informed that the chain is now down, and that someone had already run into it.Â You can imagine the hazard this will pose to anyone who attempts to ride through the park at night.

Please make a note of this hazard to your readers.Â The Parks Department boss informed me that the chain would stay in place to block parking for peewee football games, and that they would add some more reflectors to it.

I often laugh when this city gets ‘awards’ for being a bike friendly town when the Parks Department does stupid crap like this, and drivers scream at you and swerve at you when riding your bike in the street. We are anything but friendly, we are ignorant when it comes to bicycling.

Bike Trail Sioux Falls

This could have been any of us

l3wis August 20, 2010 20Comments

Image; Minus Car Project

As a person who has ridden the streets of Sioux Falls for over 15 years, I can’t tell you about all the close calls I have had, even with sober drivers. Some weren’t paying attention, some were distracted, and even some will look straight at you and still proceed. Getting on a bike in SF is a ‘defensive’ practice. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There is something you must remember when driving your vehicles and you encounter a bicyclist; YOU ARE BIGGER and YOU ARE FASTER. Please pay attention to your surroundings and watch for bicyclists. These kind of events make us very sad;

Today we are sad. We are sad because someone many here knew as friend has died in a collision with a motor vehicle doing something that many of us know to be a beautiful thing – simply riding a bicycle.

UPDATE: The Levitt has NO permanent bike racks. ZILCH!

$50K for Bike Counters

Is Bicycle Safety the issue or is it Vehicle Safety?

Riverdale Park chain of death

This could have been any of us

Today we are sad. We are sad because someone many here knew as friend has died in a collision with a motor vehicle doing something that many of us know to be a beautiful thing – simply riding a bicycle.

You Missed

The Year in Review, oh, and Merry Christmas!

UPDATE: Why is the city lending a religious organization $500K?

F’ing USD

Sioux Falls is hostile towards bicyclists and peds