2008 State of the Valley - Traffic Safety

A while ago I asked a friend why they drive to the gym to "spin" instead of cycling and experiencing all of the joy and fun that comes along with it. They responded that cycling is dangerous. So that got me thinking if cycling is dangerous, just how dangerous is it compared to other modes of transportation. At the time one of my favorite authors, David Halberstam was killed in a local traffic accident near the Dumbarton Bridge in Menlo Park, CA. I also had 3 high school classmates (those that I have heard about) killed in separate traffic accidents. Strangely enough one was killed in New Zealand and the other in South Africa. Additionally two family members have been severely disabled due to car accidents.


When I was 17, I started studying for my private pilot's license and I always heard the reply, "Why do you fly? Its so dangerous". I began to notice that an aircraft accident; even if it only resulted in one or two fatalities, the event would make regional or national news headlines. Conversely, automobile accidents where usually buried on the 4th page of the local section, sometimes only involving one or two paragraphs.

So after the tragic accident involving Mr. Halberstam, I wondered - what if I monitored the news using new internet tools to highlight and document the tragic nature of auto accidents. After keeping track of such grim statistics, it made me conscious of just much, we as a society tend to ignore the violent costs of automobile traffic.

However it is not just vehicular fatalities that are sobering but the sheer number of pedestrian fatalities highly skewed to the most vulnerable part of the population; those due to age or financial circumstances that must walk in a culture designed for high speed auto traffic. In looking at the many cases of pedestrian casualties, three key characteristics stand out. Pedestrian casualties generally victimize the elderly, occur in the poorer areas of the valley (where massive arterial roads are not uncommon), and generally fall upon victims who were born outside the United States and its culture of cars.

To memorialize those that we last last year.

Silicon Valley Youth who died tragically in 2008.
6-13-2008, Breanna Slaughter-Eck, 12 (pictured)
1-9-2008 12:20am Jessica Stevens, 16
2-28-9 Alexander Moran Cabrera, 2
4-22-2008, 9:38 PM, Trieu Dinh, 19
8-2-2008, 4:50 AM Chrishtiana Acevedo, 18
10-10-2008 6:00 PM Moses Florez, 5 (killed on Razr Scooter)
10-12-2008, 9:15 am, Fernando Valencia, 18
10-12-2008, 9:15 am, unidentified passenger of Fernando Valencia, 12
12-18-2008, 12:05 PM, Matthew Mikaelsson. 17


See Map Below
Cyclists (Green)
1-10-2008 6:25PM, Hsien Tsun Wan, 77
2-28-08 Andrew Hale, 54
3-9-2008 Matt Peterson, 30 of San Francisco
3-9-2008 Kristy Gough, 31 of Oakland
6-13-2008, Breanna Slaughter-Eck, 12
10-5-2008, 9:45AM Bruce Finch, 58


Pedestrians (Red)
1-10-2008 as Estella Manalo Bacong, 50
1-4-2008 Randy Walke, 50
1-22-2008 1:55 AM, Leonardo Par Tzoc, 29
1-23-2008 2:40am Unidentified Hispanic Male 35-40
2-8-2008 Guoliang Chen, 76
2-15-2008 Douglas Carr, 61
2-21-2008 6:20 PM unidentified female
3-26-2008 Panfilio Prado, 51
2-21-2008 6:20 PM unidentified female
4-1-2008 6:30PM, Souang Athetsanathip,66
4-25-2008 11:30 Jose Del Carmen Cauigh-Medina, 51
8-2-2008 5:20 PM, Kenneth Stewart pedestrian, 69
8-10-2008, 8:45 PM, Oralia Puga-Ramirez, 73 of San Jose
8-10-2008, Enedina Oliva, 70
8-30-2008 8:40 AM, Maria Dolores Acosta Dereyes, 69
9-9-2008, 2:15 PM, unidentified male pedestrian, Capitol Exp. San Jose
9-13-2008, 9:30, unidentified pedestrian, 91, McLaughlin Ave. & Spokane Dr., San Jose
9-14-2008, 8:45 AM, Rodolfo Escurial, 68
9-14-2008, 8:45 AM, Aproniano Siruno, 71
10-10-2008 6:00 PM Moses Florez, 5 (killed on Razr Scooter)
10-11-2008, 1:20 PM, Margaret Garza, 45
10-26-2008, 7:00AM,Gary Ray Hedges, 66
12-2-2008 3:15 PM, Phyllis Seidman, 66
11-27-2008 7:40 PM , Jose Perez Rivera, 39
12-12-2008, 8:15 PM, Manuel Velasquez, 73


A noticeable but disturbing trend is evident in Pedestrian fatalities in the valley, with regard to age, ethnicity, and location.


Pedestrian Fatalities Age Breakdown (only those whose age is known)
Amt. %
Under 18 years of age 1 - 5%
18 - 30 years of age 1 - 5%
31- 40 years of age 2 - 9%
41- 50 years of age 1 - 5%
51- 65 years of age 5 - 22%
65+ years of age 12 - 54%

Note: These are not audited or verified traffic statistics but just a compilation of traffic casualties that have been reported in local newspapers.



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Day 8 - Rest Day in Trois Rivieres

La Route Verte 2007
August 29, 2007, Wednesday
Day 8 - Trois Rivieres

We had reservations at the International Hostel right in the middle of town or in French known as the Auberge  International de Trois Riviere.  I had stayed here about 5 years earlier and had no problems.  It's not plush but centrally located, and reasonable.
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Touring Gear

I thought I would ramble a little bit here about gear. This year I decided to go light.  No panniers, no trailers, no camping.  In fact when we didn't stay at hostels it was either with friends, or what in French they would describe as Auberge or gites (bed and breakfasts). Since my goal was to keep it light as possible I limited my self to a handlebar bag, a seat post bag, and what is known as a bento box to carry my camera and some sunblock.


The seat post bag I used was by a small company called "Detours ".  I first heard the husband and wife owners of the company speak about light and fast touring I thought, "Wow, that would be both different and fun".   I got something called the High Tail EXP , which supposedly has a 5lb. weight limit but I think I loaded it with more.  The handlebar bag I got at REI .  Both bags had use a KlickFix system that makes it extremely convenient to take the bags off the bike.

As you can see, since I had the bag over its weight limit it did sag a bit.  In fact on some of the rougher trails it did rub against the tire once or twice but no major difficulties.  I did have some trouble removing the bag by flexing it upward.  Of course it became more difficult, when I had more gear strapped to it like you see in the picture above.  The Bento Box although limiting in the amount you can carry is great purely for its convince factor.  It is a great place to store a digital camera since it sits right in front of you and all you have to do is tear open the Velcro to access the camera.

So here it goes with a gear list....In the Handlebar bag I carried....

1. Medium weight combination lock
   
2. Cateye - Front Light
   
3. Flash card reader for camera
4. Cellular phone and charger
   
5. One pair of "Primal" lightweight Tatoo arm warmers
   
6. Ball cap
   
7. Small lightweight towel
   
8. Sunglasses
   
9. Clothes line
   
10. Dr. Bronners Liquid Soap
    
11. Toothbrush/Toothpaste
    
12. Disposable Shaver
    
13. Sunblock
    
14. Eagle Creek "Undercover" Security Belt"  containing*:
    
15. *passport
    
16. *cash and coin
    
17. energy bar
    
18. Google Notepad and pens
    
19. Maps
    
20. Tire Lever
    
21. Patch Kit
    
22. Pocket Knife
    
23. Spare Inner Tube
    

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1. Rear Seat Post Bag
   
2. Two Bike Jerseys
   
3. Patagonia Lightweight Rain Parka
   
4. Two Polyester T-Shirts
   
5. Yellow Protective Rain Cover
   
6. REI Sahara Convertible Pants
   
7. Pearl Izumi Black Mountain Biking Shorts
   
8. Black Polyester Button Up Bike Jersey
   
9. Two Pairs Bike Socks (Camelback and Google)
   
10. One Pair of Polyester Underwear
    
11. One Pair of Padded Bike Underwear
    

All of this fit just perfectly into the bags which really didn't leave room for souvenirs but it was worth it.  It also meant having to do laundry every other evening which meant the liquid soap got a lot of use, along with the clothesline.  Also with less stuff to carry it was easier to get up in the morning and just go.  Obviously this meant that campgrounds were not an option but compensated for the greater expense by staying in hostels and with friends, in addition to motels.

15 miles

350 Cumulative Miles

Day 7 San Francois-du-Lac to Trois Rivieres 


Day 9 Trois Rivieres to Quebec City

Day 7 - Saint Francois-Du-Lac to Trois Rivieres

2007 La Route Verte, Quebec

Day 7 - August 28, 2007, Tuesday

Saint Francois du Lac to Trois Rivieres

On the whole, Quebecois breakfasts are not too different from what I am used to in California, a nice muffin, some good coffee. Well ok, a fruit parfait, with chocolate and maple syrup on the side is not normal, but it sure was good..  Although I don't recall the cost it wasn't too expensive.  We stopped in a little breakfast place in Pierreville right on the main road about 3 quarters of a mile from the river.

After breakfast we hopped back on the bikes for our trip to the riverside town of Trois Rivieres (Three Rivers).  You have to be careful on the local road out of Pierreville for truck traffic.  So when you see the bike sign pointing you away from highway 132; follow the signs.  It was not only safer but far quieter and made for a nice early morning ride.  This area takes you through some beautiful corn fields but keep an eye out for large corn harvesters that tend to drive on the roads.

Our first goal for the day was the small river town Nicolete.  Although the town is not that large there is a large Police Academy in town as well as a large girls catholic school so there seemed to be a lot of people on the street.  Our first stop of course was to the tourist office, where we met ; oh let's call her Evette.  We asked to have her locate a internet cafe so that we could check up on some emails.  She sent us, no she walked us over to a small shop called Mudigo, where the owner (oh I don't remember her name) made us some tea and let us use a computer and internet connection.  The shop was a mix of herbal tea, clothing, computers, and other items.

After a few minutes on the computer, I notice a package delivered to the shop but on closer inspection I find out it's actually her lunch.  Not only did it look good but smelled good as well.  It hadn't been too long since breakfast and we had only completed about 12 miles, but the food looked so good and hearty I asked her to point us to the restaurant.  She said it wasn't really a restaurant but she provided the directions (in French of course).

So after Dave finished up his cyber errands we followed her instructions to :"go back to the center of town past the tourist office, past the Catholic high school, make a right about two streets down, go down a street and when see the large old house go around the back and just knock on the door."  " She doesn't have a menu", she said "Just go and tell her you want a lunch; a lunch to go."
  

Well after following her instructions we did find the back of this old (looked like a Victorian style house, complete with a widows walk), and as we walked in we step right into a kitchen with a huge cast iron stove.  She was busy preparing other lunches and I put up two fingers and just said "duex".  After a few minutes she had packed up a sizeable lunch of vegetable soup and crackers, a vegetable and beef stew, fresh corn, roll, and date walnut bread for after.  Hell, just the stew itself was a meal.  All that for $5.00 Canadian.

We took the lunch in bags and proceeded to a park down near the Saint-Francois river.  It was fabulous the food, the view, the slow pace of the trip.  Everything was coming together.


After a brief nap in the park it was back on the bikes and back to route verte.  Due to the small footprint of the town in no time at all were found the linear park that lies alongside the forest just to the south of town.  It would have been a straight shot to the town of St. Gregoire but due to the heavy truck traffic on highway 132  (see map below) trying to cross the bridge to Trois Rivieres the bike route detours making the 5 mile route a more scenic route of about 13 miles to the town.  It wasn't all bad however because the rolling farms are pleasure to cycle through.  The big question though would be "can we pedal over the bridge?"


The Laviolette Bridge is the only bridge crossing between Montreal and Quebec City a distance of about 160 miles.  After all the maps; both paper and online, I don't recall any of them mentioning that you couldn't.  Well we finally got to the riverside, it was obvious, there was no way we were going to bike over that bridge.  However we found that you could take a van outfitted with bike racks and have them shuttle you over the St. Lawrence River.  So we pulled into the ever present Tourist Office in Becancour  and booked a ride over to the other side.  The service is free but we gave the driver a tip. 

Resources: Entre Flueve et Riviere  (English)
                    Ville de Nicolet 


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45 miles
330 cummulative miles

Day 6 Acton Vale to Saint-Francois-du-Lac 

Day 8 Rest Day in Trois Rivieres

Day 6 Acton Vale to St-Francois-Du-Lac

Day 6 August, 27, 2007, Monday

Acton Vale to St. Francois-Du-Lac

Today's goal was to head north to a town called Wickham, and then northeast to a larger town along the Saint-François river called Drummondville.  

Historically Drummondville, which lies at a strategic point on the river was used by the British during the War of 1812 as a military base to prevent invasion from the south by the Americans.  

By 1920 it became a center for industry with the building a large (at that time) hydroelectric dam right in the middle of town.  This area of Quebec is known as the Centre du Quebec and is at the southern end of renown maple syrup producing regions.  The area is also famous for the foret de Drummondville, a beautiful forest park next to the river about 6 miles out of town.  Once entering the town of Drummondville we would continue along the river to the town of Saint-François-du-Lac, which is almost at the river junction to the Saint Lawrence River.   

The town  figures prominently in the French and Indian War in 1759, having been destroyed by Roger's Rangers.  (For a historical reference read The French and Indian War: Deciding the Fate of North America. Library , Amazon)

The first six miles of the trail were straight out of town due north towards Wickham.  The trail resemble that shown in the picture above for the first few miles straight and surrounded by trees while traveling through some of the most beautiful agricultural land around.

Once we reached the outskirts we had two objectives get some form of lunch and caffeine, and stop by the bike shop.  By this time in the trip I had devised a way to find my way around any French-Canadian town.  First upon entering any town look for the highest point in town which is usually the church steeple or bell tower.  In most of these towns the oldest church, and therefore the center of town is always the most prominent point.  And in the center of each Quebec town is a tourist office staffed at all hours of the day during the summer.  We found tourist offices in towns as small as 300 people.

Well in Drummondville, the center of town with the obligatory church also contained a great pastry shop and a bike shop located just down the street.  So while Dave made a trip to the bike shop I got the morning paper and my cup of coffee.  In no time at all we were back on the road trying to find our way out of town along the Saint-François.  It is a little confusing at first trying to find the bike trail out of town.  It would have been helpful with a local city bike map (see page 2 for detail view of bike map in Drummondville).

Just outside of town is the foret de Drummond a regional park with lots of trails for hiking or mountain biking.  After a brief stop in the forest it was back on the road along the river.  This part of the Route Verte is called the Circuit des Traditions. The regiom is a verdant agricultural part of the province and is quite evident all along the river.  The photo at left is just one of the many farms that lie along the river.  Although we rode along the two lane Rang du Bassin traffic was almost non-existent.  We saw a couple of other cyclists and that was about it.

We arrived in town to have enough time to do laundry and walk down the road for dinner.  Tonight was the first time I was to try the Quebecois favorite; Poutine, a mixture of French fries, heavy gravy, and cheese curds.  Supposedly Drummondville is the birthplace of Poutine, but heah, you've got to be famous for something.  It wasn't bad but I could only imagine eating this dish sparingly.

Tomorow we would see and then cross the St. Lawrence River for the first time.

50 miles
285 Cumulative miles

Day 5 Acton Vale to St-Francois-Du-Lac

Day 7 St-Francois-Du-Lac to Trois Rivieres

Day 5 Stuckley Sud to Acton Vale

Velo Quebec 2007
August 26, 2007, Sunday

With a day off and the rain behind us we headed out early for Waterloo,  retracing our route along the Route Verte.  At Waterloo we turned north on the trail north to Acton Vale, about 25 miles away.  Once leaving Waterloo the trail returned to a trail all to ourselves.  There were stretches where we were the only cyclists on the trail and the "gravel dust" trail soon turned into a heavily wood forest on the outskirts of the Parc National de Yamaska.   The tree abundant tree canopy completely sherltered us from the sun allowing us to move at a decent pace.

Comments on the Bike Culture in Quebec 

One of the things that has continually amazed me on this trip is the little things that make this bike trail different from my experience stateside.  Most trails I have ridden in California are short (the longest I've have ridden is only 25 miles or so),  but the main difference is in how they are designed, usually only as basic bike ways that seem to have been added as an afterthought.  The trails are planned with only the least experience or recreational cyclists at heart.  Here I've have seen tourist offices, ice cream shops, and tourist attractions right off of the bike ways.

On many of the longer trails we have ridden it is not uncommon (especially near Granby) to see art along the bike way, or rest stops with bike racks, maps, trash cans and covered picnic tables.  This in addition to litter free trails and a lack of any type of vandalism makes the ride even more enjoyable.  In fact the only time I noted litter of any significance was an assortment McDonald's litter (wrappers, bags, cups, and napkins), found about a mile from the local restaurant.  The good news is that we just didn't see a lot of fast food places along the trip.

The trails also act as an important transportation route for the locals.  We would often see men and women over 60 years of age peddling their bikes from town to town to see a friend, a brother, a sister or other family member.  Also bikes in Quebec seem to be more culturally accepted as a mode of transport (as evidenced by the bike scarecrow pictured above guarding the family garden.
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38 miles

235 cummulative miles

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Yellow Route on Map

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Day 4 Rest Day Orford/Magog


Day 6 Acton Vale to 

Day 4 - Rest (Rain) Day in Magog , North Hadley and Sherebrooke

Velo Quebec 2007 - La Route Verte

Day 4 - Saturday, August 25, 2007

This would be the only full day of rain on the whole trip; our first rest day.  Two places on the list however was the abbey of Saint-Benoit-du-Lac, just to the southeast on Lake Mephremagog,  and the Arkel bike bag factory in Sherbroke.   The area (Orford/Magag) from what I understand has developed into a summer and winter destination area.  During the winter both alpine and nordic skiing as well as ice skating is a draw in the Mount Orford area just to the north of the Lake.  During the summer tourists come to visit the lake, restaurants, as well as the abbey.  (photo: Township Heritage Web Magazine ).  Along the northern end of Lake Memphremagog, lies Magog a summer get-a-way for the residents of Montreal and New England in the United States. The town is known for its summer theater and abundant shops. It is also near the winter ski area of Mont-Orford.

St. Benoit du Lac
After hearing about the abbey at Saint-Benoît-du-Lac from a friend of mine who had just visited the previous year, I had to check it out.  The abbey is also famous for the agricultural products that are produced on the property such as their cheeses, apple cider, as well as other fruits and nuts.  (see map).

 The Abbey of Saint-Benoît-du-Lac, was founded in 1912, along the western shore of Lake Magog and numbers a little more than fifty monks living under the Rule of Saint Benedict. The abbey also serves as a guest house for travellers at CDN$40 per night.  The abbey is only about a half-hour drive from the town of Magog.



North Hatley
Most of the area is either small town and rural agriculture so the "drive" through the country side was beautiful.    The town of North Hatley is only a 20 minute drive from Magog though some pastoral farmlands and along the lake shore.  We stopped at a local recommendation the Pilsen Pub located right on a tributary leading into the river.  

The Pilsen is a combination restaurant and pub with a formal dining room upstairs and a 

pub and dinning area downstairs along the water.  We choose the less formal waterside location.  The menu was fantastic with a lot of  local favorites.  To see some examples off their menu click through to Pilsen's website .  The website is lacking any content but the pictures give a good indication of the quality of the food and menu.

Before dinner we all just sat on the waterside table staring out to the boats and ducts that frequent this part of the lake while sampling some of their locally brewed beer.  I just couldn't help think what an enjoyable trip it had been so far.  The rain had just about slowed to an occasional trickle and the sun was even starting to pop out.  I had a completely satisfying meal of a quail stuffed with froi gras served with local apples and sirop d'erable (maple syrup), with potatoes and assorted vegetables. 

Sherbrooke
After Lunch lunch we took a drive over to Sherbrook the largest city in the area and home to Arkel , a local bike pannier manufacturer.  Many of their bags can be seen in use on the local bike paths.  They do make some great bags.  Not cheap but from what I understand; very durable.  However by the time we got to the address the showroom was closed.

Here are some videos describing various things to do in Eastern Townships 

0 miles 

197 cummulative miles

Day 3 Chambly to Stuckley Sud 


Day 5 Stuckley Sud to Acton Vale