Questions for Callaway

[maldoror]

The entire Eastern third of the state is plains.

Good point, but Colorado's minimum elevation is 3,315 feet.

I am close to 5000 feet high here.

Mile High City??

The Mile High City is 5280 feet.

Weird coincidence... I just looked it up, and there's 5280 feet in a mile. 

[Callaway]

The entire Eastern third of the state is plains.

Good point, but Colorado's minimum elevation is 3,315 feet.

I am close to 5000 feet high here.

Mile High City??

The Mile High City is 5280 feet.

Weird coincidence... I just looked it up, and there's 5280 feet in a mile. 

 

[Scrapheap]

Mile High City??

The Mile High City is 5280 feet.

Weird coincidence... I just looked it up, and there's 5280 feet in a mile. 

...and there's 1320 feet in a quarter mile. 

[renaeden]

The entire Eastern third of the state is plains.

Good point, but Colorado's minimum elevation is 3,315 feet.

I am close to 5000 feet high here.

Wow, that is high. When I visited GA when he was in Queensland, the location was about 900 metres above sea level. And I got altitude symptoms and was kind of embarrassed at how sensitive I was to it. I am used to living at sea level. We don't have mountains anywhere near where I live. We have hills.

[Callaway]

The entire Eastern third of the state is plains.

Good point, but Colorado's minimum elevation is 3,315 feet.

I am close to 5000 feet high here.

Wow, that is high. When I visited GA when he was in Queensland, the location was about 900 metres above sea level. And I got altitude symptoms and was kind of embarrassed at how sensitive I was to it. I am used to living at sea level. We don't have mountains anywhere near where I live. We have hills.

It takes a while to become acclimatized to the altitude here.  After a few weeks, your body makes more red blood cells and your lung capacity increases.  When we first moved here, I was really surprised by my inability to just run over and see the view or something when we went up to 12,000 feet and by how hard I needed to breathe with what seemed like just a little exertion.

Some athletes train here, so they develop more capacity to exercise at lower altitudes.  Maybe they would be the people you see running up a mountain.

[Tesla]

I went to the top of Pike's Peak once and felt stoned the entire time.  It was July and it started snowing while we were up there.

[Callaway]

I went to the top of Pike's Peak once and felt stoned the entire time.  It was July and it started snowing while we were up there.

Did you actually walk those last few hundred feet to the top?

That was kind of hard for me, but I did it. 

Step---breathe, step---breathe, step---breathe.

 

[Tesla]

I did.  I was much younger and healthier in those days though.  It'd probably kill me today.

[renaeden]

The entire Eastern third of the state is plains.

Good point, but Colorado's minimum elevation is 3,315 feet.
I am close to 5000 feet high here.

Wow, that is high. When I visited GA when he was in Queensland, the location was about 900 metres above sea level. And I got altitude symptoms and was kind of embarrassed at how sensitive I was to it. I am used to living at sea level. We don't have mountains anywhere near where I live. We have hills.

It takes a while to become acclimatized to the altitude here.  After a few weeks, your body makes more red blood cells and your lung capacity increases.  When we first moved here, I was really surprised by my inability to just run over and see the view or something when we went up to 12,000 feet and by how hard I needed to breathe with what seemed like just a little exertion.

Some athletes train here, so they develop more capacity to exercise at lower altitudes.  Maybe they would be the people you see running up a mountain.

Yes, I noticed when I returned home that breathing was easier.

Are you going to sticky your thread again?

[renaeden]

Thank you. 


I was wondering, does your daughter like computers?

[McGiver]

callaway, i have noticed that crosswalks have a standardized width to them.  is that something that was planned?  is there any logic to it?
for instance:  so two large people can walk side by side holding hands, while a cars wheels can still be outside the walk area even though the distance between the front wheels and the front os the car can still overlap into the walk.

[Callaway]

I don't think crosswalks are a standardized width here.  They seem to have a minimum width of ten feet and some of them are much wider.

Here is an excerpt from Seattle's Crosswalk Guide:

http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/Transportation/rowmanual/manual/4_12.asp

Standard Plan 712: Typical Crosswalk and Stop Line Installations
4.12.2 Design Criteria 
 
Location of legal crosswalks: Legal crosswalks exist at every intersection, unless otherwise signed, regardless of whether they are marked or unmarked.

Standard construction of crosswalks: New marked crosswalks should be ladder-style crosswalks that are at least 10 feet wide and designed consistent with Standard Plan No. 712. Marked crosswalks should keep as much as possible to the natural path of travel. Ideally they will align with existing sidewalks. Refer to Section 4.8.2 Curb Ramps.
Visibility: Marked crosswalks must have a reflective surface that is visible in hours of darkness or during poor weather conditions.
Site distance: No obstructions to pedestrian or driver visibility should be present within 30 feet of the legal crosswalk. These include parking, trees, and bus zones.
Orientation of building entrances to crosswalks: The manner in which new developments associate with the street impacts pedestrians travel patterns. Entrances and access points to new facilities should orient as much as possible towards a legal crosswalk. This is especially true of facilities where frequent pedestrian travel across the street is expected. Entrances and access points that orient pedestrians towards a mid-block crossing can promote mid-block or illegal pedestrian crossings. This problem is difficult to remedy after construction is complete.

Variation from standard construction of crosswalks: Textured and/or colored concrete may be considered in certain crosswalk applications. The following design criteria apply:

Area of crosswalk: At least 10 feet wide.
Curb ramps: Two are required at either end of the crosswalk.
Smooth surface: To reduce vibrations experienced by wheelchair users on bumpy surfaces, six feet of the crosswalk area must have a fully vibration-free texture and a limit of ¼ inch or less rise, not more than every 30 inches.
Visibility: Thermoplastic parallel lines on either side of a colored or textured crossing maintains visibility. Street lighting upgrades may be necessary.
Given the high cost of altering or relocating any crosswalk at which textured or colored concrete is used, approval for such treatments must be received from the SDOT Pedestrian Program before construction can begin.

If the crosswalks are all a standardized width in California, I think California must have different regulations. 

I know from reading the California driver's manual that in California, a driver has to stop for a pedestrian anywhere in a crosswalk, even if the pedestrian is not in front of them.  That rule is different from the rules everywhere else that I have lived.

[McGiver]

so, in seattle they just came up with the number of ten feet minimum.  there is no logic to it?


i understand that residential streets need to be at least wide enough so that two emergency vehicles can pass each other going in opposite directions.






yes, the california law is that a pedestrian has the right of way no matter where in the crosswalk they are.  a driver must yield until they have stepped back onto a curb.  i usually jog in a crosswalk for this very reason, and i get pissed at those people who take their sweet assed time....unless they are handicapped or frail.
the police here, set up stings all the time, to remind the people about crosswalk driving regulations.

[Callaway]

so, in seattle they just came up with the number of ten feet minimum.  there is no logic to it?


i understand that residential streets need to be at least wide enough so that two emergency vehicles can pass each other going in opposite directions.






yes, the california law is that a pedestrian has the right of way no matter where in the crosswalk they are.  a driver must yield until they have stepped back onto a curb.  i usually jog in a crosswalk for this very reason, and i get pissed at those people who take their sweet assed time....unless they are handicapped or frail.
the police here, set up stings all the time, to remind the people about crosswalk driving regulations.

I'm going to guess it was set at least that wide so two motorized wheelchair scooters could pass one another going opposite ways without having to leave the crosswalk, but I don't actually know.

[McGiver]

that seems like a reasonable answer.  but, they are only about two feet wide each.


why is it illegal to ride a bike in a crosswalk?