How's the bike infrastructure where you ride?

[stompandgo]

MA has one of the most progressive left governors in the nation. She has been plowing gazillions of dollars into e-bike subsidies for residents near the poverty line. It would not make sense to be giving away $1,500 e-bike vouchers only to ban them from the rail trails.

 

[6zfshdb]

MA has one of the most progressive left governors in the nation. She has been plowing gazillions of dollars into e-bike subsidies for residents near the poverty line. It would not make sense to be giving away $1,500 e-bike vouchers only to ban them from the rail trails.

Many states have similar programs and I agree, it seems counterproductive to keep e-bikes off MUP's
However, in the case of NY, this voucher program is to give low income folks a cheaper form of on road transportation and maybe get a few vehicles off the road.

 

[dblhelix]

Reports from Ohio, which once had a bad rep for ebikes , agree with that, including ebikes in the "green necklace " parks around Cleveland now. IDK if legal, but apparently so or not enforced.

Not sure what 'green necklace' refers to, but in 2018, 2019 and 2021 I rode an obvious Class 3 ebike between Cleveland and New Philadelphia, partially along a towpath, then extensions thru Stark County, Canal Fulton and then Cuyahoga everything. Absolutely no problems. I'd go as far as to say never ran into LE, period, or another ebike.

an underrated OH trail is the North Inland Coastal, from Elyria to Elmore (greater Toledo). Never saw another bike.

 

[dblhelix]

Baltimore-Washington. I split my time between the two metros and bike all around and in-between.

#1. biggest problem is that infrastructure is hyperlocal, meaning a lack of continuity and severely abrupt changes.
#2. 'Bikers Share the Road' signs are state-sponsored death traps.
#3 between the metros are a lot of distribution centers = lots and lots of trucks
#4. city bike lanes = parking for amazon, ups etc. This could be its own post, but I'm a bit suspicious that bikes get leveraged to build 'infrastructure' for others. Corollary: bridge bike lanes in proposals that are eliminated once funding is secured.

On the flip side,

#1. Wash DC to Pittsburgh via trails. Thank you, Justice William O. Douglas.
#2. DC is very bikeable, and Baltimore isn't too bad.
#3. Regional rail (MARC) and DC Metro shout-out.
#3. I'm not dead yet. How bad can it be?

The quintessential American 'bike lane battle' is underway -- the Chesapeake Bay Bridge proposed re-do connecting Maryland's Eastern and Western Shores. Current status: no bike access. In a recent internet skirmish: 'My tax dollars shouldn't fund your hobby,' or 'you think you can get out of paying tolls.' In fact: EZPASS is required for cyclists on the Hatem (US40, Susquehanna River) Bridge, currently Sundays-only for bikes. MD MTA is required by law to collect a toll eastbound for all vehicles, not just cars. Facts are terrible things!

 

[Art Deco]

Not sure what 'green necklace' refers to, but in 2018, 2019 and 2021 I rode an obvious Class 3 ebike between Cleveland and New Philadelphia, partially along a towpath, then extensions thru Stark County, Canal Fulton and then Cuyahoga everything. Absolutely no problems. I'd go as far as to say never ran into LE, period, or another ebike.

an underrated OH trail is the North Inland Coastal, from Elyria to Elmore (greater Toledo). Never saw another bike.

They used to refer to the parks around the south side of Cleveland as the "green necklace" and had no ebikes signs when ebikes were the hot new thing. I lived in both Canton and New Philadelphia OH for a long while decades ago, and attended Kent State. That's quite the ride .

 

[dblhelix]

They used to refer to the parks around the south side of Cleveland as the "green necklace" and had no ebikes signs when ebikes were the hot new thing. I lived in both Canton and New Philadelphia OH for a long while decades ago, and attended Kent State. That's quite the ride .

That's so interesting. On my return in 2021, I was running behind schedule, so I rode all night. I hit a Sheetz in Kent, and when I realized, yes, this Kent, I visited campus around 4am. I was surprised -- the Jeremy Miller site (Life cover) did not seem to be the correct location/orientation. I hope to return.

Eastern OH is always a challenge, have tried many routes. I went Kent to Columbiana to Darlington, PA but lived to regret 51 into Pittsburgh (oddly bike-legal). I have more or less settled on Panhandle Trail to Steubenville to Erie Towpath to navigate Eastern OH.

 

[Art Deco]

we do have some RR trails( sadly national forest wants nothing to do with ebikes,the trail bikes destroy and mixed use trails or roads) finally some cities and towns are starting to paint some lines on the streets.

Moving right along, I guess. Even a painted line involves a battle with car drivers and delivery trucks today.

 

[6zfshdb]

They used to refer to the parks around the south side of Cleveland as the "green necklace" and had no ebikes signs when ebikes were the hot new thing. I lived in both Canton and New Philadelphia OH for a long while decades ago, and attended Kent State. That's quite the ride .

It was called the "Emerald Necklace" back when I attended the U of Akron from 67' thru 70'. Perhaps the same time you were at Kent State? The riots occurred just before I left. A terrible terrible time indeed.

I was planning a nostalgic ride on the Ohio & Erie Canal Trail this spring. It runs up through Akron, Cuyahoga NP and parts of the Emerald Necklace into Cleveland. A few friends I keep in touch with out there advised against it due to crime and homeless people populating sections of the trail. Might just be their opinion, but a long drive wasted if true.

 

[Art Deco]

That's so interesting. On my return in 2021, I was running behind schedule, so I rode all night. I hit a Sheetz in Kent, and when I realized, yes, this Kent, I visited campus around 4am. I was surprised -- the Jeremy Miller site (Life cover) did not seem to be the correct location/orientation. I hope to return.

Eastern OH is always a challenge, have tried many routes. I went Kent to Columbiana to Darlington, PA but lived to regret 51 into Pittsburgh (oddly bike-legal). I have more or less settled on Panhandle Trail to Steubenville to Erie Towpath to navigate Eastern OH.

That area is still a challenge, even in a car.

 

[Art Deco]

It was called the "Emerald Necklace" back when I attended the U of Akron from 67' thru 70'. Perhaps the same time you were at Kent State? The riots occurred just before I left. A terrible terrible time indeed.

I was planning a nostalgic ride on the Ohio & Erie Canal Trail this spring. It runs up through Akron, Cuyahoga NP and parts of the Emerald Necklace into Cleveland. A few friends I keep in touch with out there advised against it due to crime and homeless people populating sections of the trail. Might just be their opinion, but a long drive wasted if true.

You know how to investigate a planned route better than almost anyone on here, so investigate. But I probably wouldn't do it.

 

[stompandgo]

The quintessential American 'bike lane battle' is underway -- the Chesapeake Bay Bridge proposed re-do connecting Maryland's Eastern and Western Shores. Current status: no bike access. In a recent internet skirmish: 'My tax dollars shouldn't fund your hobby,' or 'you think you can get out of paying tolls.' In fact: EZPASS is required for cyclists on the Hatem (US40, Susquehanna River) Bridge, currently Sundays-only for bikes. MD MTA is required by law to collect a toll eastbound for all vehicles, not just cars. Facts are terrible things!

Interesting. EZPass for bikes? Who would have thought that was possible.

We are having the same battle here over the new bridges to Cape Cod. One side wants bike lanes, the other doesn't. One of the current bridges has an elevated 8 foot wide sidewalk. That's good enough for me. Why take away motor vehicle lane space when all it does is piss drivers off and get abused? The other problem with a bike lane is that by adding it, they want to have traffic flow on-Cape on one bridge and off-Cape on the other. They will be separated by about 3 miles. That's a disaster in my mind. The way it works now, drivers coming from the west (RI, CT, MA, NYC, PA, FL, etc.) use the western most bridge, and those coming from the northeast (Boston, NH, ME, etc.) use the eastern most bridge. It will cause all sorts of traffic issues. One thing's for sure, our governor will not pass up the opportunity to e-toll these bridges. What that means for residents, I don't know.

 

[Art Deco]

An urban planner who rides bikes wrote this.

American cities have a hoarding problem

There are some practical ways to reclaim the public realm so it isn't crammed with too much of something that's underused.

open.substack.com

 

[stompandgo]

It's a good take. Out here on the Cape, we are not a city per se, but 220,000 of us live here year round. That population triples for the six weeks during the high season, so we have a lot of the same problems that the article focuses on. I also live in the historic district, which was designed for horses, not cars. Even the more modern buildings that have been put up recently have limited parking compared to the historic shops. Not having enough parking, by design or by historic precedent, creates different issues.

There is a coffee shop in the historic district a bit over a mile away from my house. They created and patented a marshmallow latte that some dumbass TikTokker turned into a viral sensation. Now there's lines out the door all day, and a traffic and parking disaster at times. The other shops around the coffee shop are pissed because they suck up all of their parking spaces, severely affecting their business. There is no way to design around things like this. Maybe CCRTA should start a latte bus route. Cycling on that road is a deathwish.

 

[stompandgo]

I don't drink coffee, so I couldn't tell you. I'm sure it's all about the TikTok crap and taking a selfie having one outside the shop. The owner is local and is a very nice lady who has built her business up with a line of hot sauces, dips, bake mixes, and stuff like that which are co-packed and distributed. I'm sure that she is a multimillionaire just from that alone. She used to be a bigwig at a major US food company.

I hate TikTok and the TikTok culture.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

I don't drink coffee

Wait, a serious roadie who doesn't drink coffee?? Is that even legal?

 

[stompandgo]

Tea. Coffee upsets my stomach.

 

[Watana Bob]

Wait, a serious roadie who doesn't drink coffee?? Is that even legal?

My son in law doesn't drink coffee but he pounds down Red Bull then goes out for a 150-mile ride, non e bike, while my registered dietitian daughter barks at him that his heart is going to explode. I guess everybody has their vice.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

I guess everybody has their vice.

Why stop with just one?

 

[stompandgo]

My son in law doesn't drink coffee but he pounds down Red Bull then goes out for a 150-mile ride, non e bike, while my registered dietitian daughter barks at him that his heart is going to explode. I guess everybody has their vice.

GenX?

 

[dblhelix]

Interesting. EZPass for bikes? Who would have thought that was possible.

We are having the same battle here over the new bridges to Cape Cod. One side wants bike lanes, the other doesn't. One of the current bridges has an elevated 8 foot wide sidewalk. That's good enough for me. Why take away motor vehicle lane space when all it does is piss drivers off and get abused? The other problem with a bike lane is that by adding it, they want to have traffic flow on-Cape on one bridge and off-Cape on the other. They will be separated by about 3 miles. That's a disaster in my mind. The way it works now, drivers coming from the west (RI, CT, MA, NYC, PA, FL, etc.) use the western most bridge, and those coming from the northeast (Boston, NH, ME, etc.) use the eastern most bridge. It will cause all sorts of traffic issues. One thing's for sure, our governor will not pass up the opportunity to e-toll these bridges. What that means for residents, I don't know.

Yes, bikes pay the $8 2-axle toll eastbound. Since MD's tolls are 100% electronic, it's EZPASS or mail a check to MD MTA in ... Philadelphia. Make it make sense!

What do bikes do now to get to Cape Cod? Are you referring to the Sagamore Bridge sidewalk? That's doable. The CBB is over 4 miles long with no bike/ped access and no reasonable detour option.