Cycle friendly streets ?

[Art Deco]

While this is certainly a step in the right direction, I wonder though if European countries suffer the distracted driving problem we have here in the US. An idiot texting, or on his cell phone, can easily run over a cyclist even while driving slowly. IMO, the only answer is to have a separate bicycle transportation infrastructure. Many countries in Europe are doing just that and are far ahead of the US. At the very least, bicycle and vehicle lanes need to be separated by barricades, not just painted lines.

Yep. An extra white line painted on the road isn't going to matter much to a distracted driver ... sigh.

 

[Art Deco]

I just refuse to ride if I have to ride adjacent to traffic separated only by a white line, no exceptions. I feel that cuts my chances of an ugly accident by 75% or more....

@AHicks I think we are city vs country, perhaps. A white line and a shoulder wider than my bars is a luxury here. No bike lanes at all except Amish buggy lanes along major highways.

 

[Art Deco]

Just a quick read on a bike lane roofed with solar panels. Nasty location though.

This Bike Lane Is Covered in Solar Panels (It's Also in the Middle of a Highway)

Bicyclists have a 20-mile bike lane in South Korea conveniently covered by a solar roof.

www.treehugger.com

For the UK riders bike paths from the 1930s that you can still ride if you can find them

280 Miles of Hidden British Bike Paths Rediscovered on Google Street View

With help from Kickstarter, the campaign to revive an expansive network of long-forgotten 1930s-era cycleways in the U.K. begins.

www.treehugger.com

 

[Art Deco]

Then there are those who just don't care about white lines
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[mogulskier]

Then there are those who just don't care about white lines
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Hate to admit this, because I consider myself a respective rider. Nonetheless, while not this extreme, I, along with many others, especially KTM moto riders (SuperDuke, SMC) you know what I am talking about because I have seen you have done similar things as this daily as we navigate our way from the Financial District SF onto 101/80 to get back home. This was all pre-covid19 obviously.

I have fond memories of SFPD using their speakers scolding us to "slow down!!!!" only because they wanted to catch us, but couldn't due to traffic, and those SFPD motor units were on these huge Harleys that were nowhere nimble or quick as a Yamaha R6 or a KTM.

 

[Taylor57]

Hate to admit this, because I consider myself a respective rider. Nonetheless, while not this extreme, I, along with many others, especially KTM moto riders (SuperDuke, SMC) you know what I am talking about because I have seen you have done similar things as this daily as we navigate our way from the Financial District SF onto 101/80 to get back home. This was all pre-covid19 obviously.

I have fond memories of SFPD using their speakers scolding us to "slow down!!!!" only because they wanted to catch us, but couldn't due to traffic, and those SFPD motor units were on these huge Harleys that were nowhere nimble or quick as a Yamaha R6 or a KTM.

No brakes, no brains. No tellin how many accidents this guy has created drivin around like an idiot.

 

[mogulskier]

No brakes, no brains. No tellin how many accidents this guy has created drivin around like an idiot.

I don't disagree. In fact, probably a lot of accidents said rider will never know about.

That said, the extreme frustration of being on 2 wheels and having to be stuck the same as a car is just too much. Those cagers are no angels, let me be crystal clear on that. They are just as guilty if not more of reckless and irresponsible behaviors that bring harm to riders and bikers.

 

[legsofbeer]

I have fond memories of SFPD using their speakers scolding us to "slow down!!!!" only because they wanted to catch us, but couldn't due to traffic, and those SFPD motor units were on these huge Harleys that were nowhere nimble or quick as a Yamaha R6 or a KTM.

Now we have crowds of dirt bikers popping wheelies up the embarcadero from AT&T park to the presidio, and back, every dry sunday starting around 1pm, like clockwork. If SFPD wanted to do something about it they could.

 

[Luto]

In April Seattle closed >20 miles of residential streets to through traffic to allow safer flow of pedestrians and bicycle traffic during the Stay at Home order. Mostly these streets were already greenways or designated as bike routes (white bicycle icons painted on the street as talismans to ward off cars) but now they are looking at making the changes permanent.

My almost 12 mile commute should be significantly safer now as I only have a few blocks in Seattle where I have to share the road with cars. I only had to interact with 2 cars in ~3 miles of riding on the Stay Healthy Streets yesterday. The toddler/stroller/puppy count on the other hand....

2020 bike investments to accelerate, including 20 miles of Stay Healthy Streets to become permanent in Seattle - SDOT Blog

Mayor Durkan and SDOT are making at least 20 miles of the Stay Healthy Streets pilot permanent, and moving forward with a bold vision of enhanced bike infrastructure.

sdotblog.seattle.gov

Seattle did a good job imo. You can even vote for which streets to make permanent. Interestingly, voting works. Give the city feedback and they listen. A lot of people use them. So much nicer especially since it is VERY dark now.

 

[mogulskier]

Now we have crowds of dirt bikers popping wheelies up the embarcadero from AT&T park to the presidio, and back, every dry sunday starting around 1pm, like clockwork. If SFPD wanted to do something about it they could.

Chances are I know some of these hooligans. The very same ones that on Saturday or afternoon weekdays run laps on the frontside and backside of 9. Stopping at 4 corners to hang out for awhile.

But yeah, SFPD could do something, but so too could the CHP on 9.

The question really is does law enforcement want to run the risks of a pursuit and very possible chase scenario with innocent bystanders possibly getting hurt? I say no.

Risk vs Reward.

 

[Art Deco]

Just a quick cross post on east coast USA infrastructure. Thanks @Mulezen !

OC MD bike infrastructure planning

They seem to be going at this systemically. https://wtop.com/maryland/2020/12/ocean-city-aims-to-get-bicycles-off-dangerous-coastal-highway/

electricbikereview.com

 

[Mulezen]

A better place for it

 

[Art Deco]

The question really is does law enforcement want to run the risks of a pursuit and very possible chase scenario with innocent bystanders possibly getting hurt? I say no.

A big no from me also. I certainly hope local law enforcement has better things to do than chase down reckless bycycles.

 

[Art Deco]

Paris streets clogged by 1.8 million bikes ... and poor planning . From the Times.

As Bikers Throng the Streets, ‘It’s Like Paris Is in Anarchy’ (Published 2021)

An ecologically minded experiment to make Paris a cycling capital of Europe has led to a million people now pedaling daily — and to rising tensions with pedestrians.

www.nytimes.com

 

[AHicks]

Paris streets clogged by 1.8 million bikes ... and poor planning . From the Times.

As Bikers Throng the Streets, ‘It’s Like Paris Is in Anarchy’ (Published 2021)

An ecologically minded experiment to make Paris a cycling capital of Europe has led to a million people now pedaling daily — and to rising tensions with pedestrians.

www.nytimes.com

Art, that link requires a subscription.

 

[BlackHand]

Try this one:

As Bikers Throng the Streets, ‘It’s Like Paris Is in Anarchy’ (Published 2021)

An ecologically minded experiment to make Paris a cycling capital of Europe has led to a million people now pedaling daily — and to rising tensions with pedestrians.

nl.nytimes.com

 

[AHicks]

I don't think the NY Times likes me. That one doesn't work either...

 

[john peck]

Well I sure hope the US is moving towards cycling infrastructure.

Exercise is so important.
For example, there's no obesity in Netherlands.
If you look hard, you might find somebody a little chubby, but virtually nobody is obese.

On average the Dutch cycle 740 miles a year for every man, woman, & child in the country. They´re
not just the healthiest people in Europe, they´re also the sanest with the least mental health issues.
Rail depots have bicycle parking garages for tens of thousands of bikes & their trail system is a
nationwide highway system in itself. I want that here! We are more challenged in terms of distance,
but that´s why ebikes have such great potential. If we could adapt mass transit to accommodate ebikes,
we´d eliminate the need for millions of 4whl deadly weapons. Having had a couple near death experiences
last week, I´m all for that.

 

[retiredNH]

On average the Dutch cycle 740 miles a year for every man, woman, & child in the country. They´re
not just the healthiest people in Europe, they´re also the sanest with the least mental health issues.
Rail depots have bicycle parking garages for tens of thousands of bikes & their trail system is a
nationwide highway system in itself. I want that here! We are more challenged in terms of distance,
but that´s why ebikes have such great potential. If we could adapt mass transit to accommodate ebikes,
we´d eliminate the need for millions of 4whl deadly weapons. Having had a couple near death experiences
last week, I´m all for that.

A dutch approach might work in some of our urban areas, but large swaths of the country, like where I live, are just too thinly settled. Then add in hills, where even with a high torque drive train, I need to work getting up them. I'd add in weather, too. The Netherlands isn't nearly as cold in winter as Chicago is, to use just one example.

You also have the problem that many of our more southern cities are designed for sprawl. You can't even walk many of them.

In summary, it's not really fair to compare the most densely settled major country in Europe to the USA, which is famous for not being densely settled. OTOH, there are certainly some urban areas in the US which would lend themselves to bikes. In fact, some of them are moving in that direction! Just very slowly. Note though that it takes along time to change infrastructure. For example, Boston and some close in suburbs like Brookline have recently marked a number of bike lanes. Unfortunately, they seem to be used more by delivery vehicles than by bicycles.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

A dutch approach might work in some of our urban areas, but large swaths of the country, like where I live, are just too thinly settled. Then add in hills, where even with a high torque drive train, I need to work getting up them. I'd add in weather, too. The Netherlands isn't nearly as cold in winter as Chicago is, to use just one example.

You also have the problem that many of our more southern cities are designed for sprawl. You can't even walk many of them.

In summary, it's not really fair to compare the most densely settled major country in Europe to the USA, which is famous for not being densely settled. OTOH, there are certainly some urban areas in the US which would lend themselves to bikes. In fact, some of them are moving in that direction! Just very slowly. Note though that it takes along time to change infrastructure. For example, Boston and some close in suburbs like Brookline have recently marked a number of bike lanes. Unfortunately, they seem to be used more by delivery vehicles than by bicycles.

This is kind of a misleading assertion.

The fact of the matter is that the majority of our population lives in fairly densely populated areas, most of which seem to be good candidates for better bike infrastructure.

Also, in some ways the sprawlier (is that an actual word?) cities are likely to be easier to retrofit with decent bicycle infra and are also likely to benefit more from it. The more densely packed and older cities are going to find it more expensive to find space for grade-separated bicycle "freeways" which are really the high efficiency way to move lots of people (dollar for dollar they are going to be much cheaper to build and maintain than an auto road that can move the same number of people per hour).