How's the bike infrastructure where you ride?

[Jeremy McCreary]

Only vaguely related to this infrastructure thread but ...

2023’s Best Places to Bike | PeopleForBikes

Every year, PeopleForBikes releases the results of its City Ratings, a data-driven program that evaluates, identifies, and compares the best global cities and towns for bicycling. Using this data, we help city leaders pinpoint improvements to make biking better and safer for everyone in their...

www.peopleforbikes.org

Ratings like these are interesting and might even spur some towns to up their bike infrastructure game. But without more detail on the criteria behind these ratings, hard to know what they really mean.

For starters, I'm extremely distrustful of any online list of the "est" of anything. Willing to give this longstanding public advocacy group more credit for data collection and analysis chops, but still left wondering if they really meant "safest" or "most comfortable" or "least terrifying" when they said "best". And are they talking just within city limits, or are easily reached suburban area included?

They mentioned car speed limits, bikeway network connectedness (especially to "common" destinations), and bikeway suitability for all ages — all of which go to utility and perception of safety. Any points for climate, scenery, or quality of bikeable destinations — all of which would figure into "best" in my book.

 

[Art Deco]

Since I have a absolutely no bike infrastructure around me ... like a 20 mile drive to a 10 mile trail at best ... I really can't comment.
Is there an envy icon?

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Is there an envy icon?

With all the yummy high-end ebikes on display around here — and all the posts mentioning the other 5 high-end ebikes the poster has — we could really use one of those.

Also a groan emoji, as ebikes seem to bring out bad puns.

 

[JedidiahStolzfus]

With all the yummy high-end ebikes on display around here — and all the posts mentioning the other 5 high-end ebikes the poster has — we could really use one of those.

Also a groan emoji, as ebikes seem to bring out bad puns.

You should use one on the groundbreaking trike.

 

[Art Deco]

Nor did I. However, when I was a kid, one of my favorite books was "The Best of Sick Jokes," and I think it affected me.

When I die, I hope my family celebrates with cake and ice cream and balloons.

I'm Irish enough for a wake ... another round of Jamison please.

 

[Sparky731]

Bike infrastructure??? On the rural backroads of South Carolina, where I live, you take your life in your own hands when you get on the roadway on a bike. Between the rednecks in their “squat” trucks, the logging and gravel trucks, the teenagers in their thumpboxes, the stoners, the drunks, and everyone else just flying along from point A to point B a poor slob alone on a bike just doesn’t stand a chance. All the helmets and protective gear and visibility is useless when folks just ain’t paying attention. We don’t ride around our area. Some roads don’t get a lot of traffic but what if does get is about 95% one of the above. It’s a shame too as it’s a very nice countryside with recently repaved roads.

You bring to mind the roads where my daughter used to live in North Carolina. Zero road shoulders. Narrow lanes to immediate deep ditches. Likewise in towns — very narrow streets with no room for bike lanes. There is no quick and easy way to make them bike-friendly towns.

However we did ride the Creeper Trail and the variously connected trail-to-rail paths. At least there were a few options.

 

[Sparky731]

You should use one on the groundbreaking trike.

Trikes now break ground? What, you hook up a plow? I am guessing only a single bottom. Must suck a lotta electrons.

 

[Rexlion]

Trikes now break ground? What, you hook up a plow? I am guessing only a single bottom. Must suck a lotta electrons.

No reason to assume a plow; maybe it's just a drag (with the harrows set not too deep).

JK!

 

[Roamers]

Most probably would like riding in Reykjavík. There are also seperate traffic lights for pedestrian lane and bike lane at intersections.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Most probably would like riding in Reykjavík. There are also seperate traffic lights for pedestrian lane and bike lane at intersections.

In my dreams! Have you ridden there? How's the compliance WRT cyclists and pedestrians staying in their respective lanes?

Here in coastal SoCal, I'd give the cyclists an 8/10 on compliance, with most of the incursions involving bikes on sidewalks. The pedestrians get a 5/10. Many of the interlopers are just oblivious to where they walk and how much they meander. But some are quite defiant — especially runners.

 

[old guy 666]

Q: On a scale of 0 to 10, how would you rate the bike infrastructure where you usually ride?

Please share the area being rated and give us some idea of the reasons for your rating. If you have a helpful comparison, please share that, too. I'll start....

Coastal San Diego County, California: At least 8/10 overall from San Diego proper to Oceanside.

Wide, well-marked bike lanes on all major and many lesser roads, some with physical barriers; many well-marked shared bike/car lanes where necessary; many MUPs; some totally separated bike paths. Bikes everywhere.

Drivers here are generally used to the bikeways and respect them. Pedestrians and runners are often the biggest threats — especially in touristy areas. Runners seem determined to take over some of the dedicated bike paths — even when they have dedicated pedestrian paths to run on.

Of course, the infrastructure here's not as impressive as Amsterdam's, but top-notch by US standards. In contrast, almost NO bike infrastructure where I am at the moment — Concord, CA, at the NE corner of the San Francisco Bay Area. Decided NOT to a rent a bike here for that very reason. Very few bikes on the streets.

Central IL small town, 7 out of 10. Rail Trails get us out of Springfield, and then rural roads can get you anywhere.

 

[keithj69]

Trikes now break ground? What, you hook up a plow? I am guessing only a single bottom. Must suck a lotta electrons.

A joke based on another user's overzealous azholery.

 

[Roamers]

In my dreams! Have you ridden there? How's the compliance WRT cyclists and pedestrians staying in their respective lanes?

We were pedestrians. Very compliant! Bikes and scooters; appears to be a shared scooter service. Scotters are what we really watched out for.

We're on cruise ship now. Haven't seen any bikes or scooters; plenty of walkers and wheel chairs though!

 

[Viking1]

Being full time RV we are anywhere at a given time. The infrastructure varies widely from excellent to non existent. I usually use the all trails app to check the area where we go, but that is only for trails not infrastructure.

 

[Kayakguy]

Trikes now break ground? What, you hook up a plow? I am guessing only a single bottom. Must suck a lotta electrons.

I have seen a photo of a Ural (Russian version of a Beamer) pulling a plow. Doesn't sound like a practical method, but I suppose better than hooking Gramma up to the plow.

 

[Roamers]

Nuuk, Greenland. No bike infrastructure. In an hour walk around town, saw 3 analog bikes, tons of pedestrians (a cruise ship full), no passenger vehicles, hand full of commercial vehicles.

But boy was it pretty coming in at 5 AM

 

[Rexlion]

Nuuk, Greenland. No bike infrastructure. In an hour walk around town, saw 3 analog bikes, tons of pedestrians (a cruise ship full), no passenger vehicles, hand full of commercial vehicles.

But boy was it pretty coming in at 5 AM

And no swimmers, obviously. But yes, a pretty view. Especially with all the little "ice cubes" floating in the "drink."

 

[scottsdalecommuter]

Had a chance to bike downtown Chicago last week and also along the lake. Very impressed with the biking infrastructure! The lake had a separate bike path from the runners and walkers which I thought was really cool and had never seen before. Made for really relaxing biking along the lake not interacting with pedestrians, they also had great under Lake Shore Drive tunnels! I also biked to dinner because it was just far enough I didn't want to walk and the traffic was so bad I didn't want to get my car out of the ramp. I was actually passing cars quite a bit with the heavy traffic which felt really good! Everyone at my conference was asking if it felt dangerous and I said no because most of the cars weren't even moving in traffic gridlock. Looked like Chicago had a lot of folks riding the shared bikes too which was fun to see! Overall, really impressed with the infrastructure downtown and along the lake and highly efficient way to get around downtown.

 

[Calhoun]

I am near Woodbury Nj and would rate the towns biking infrastructure with a 2/10. Very little bike lanes with no protection, just paint. You are between speeding cars on your left and parked cars on your right. Other roads in the area have small or no shoulders at all. The one high point of the region are the circuit trails that are around and in development, (https://circuittrails.org).

 

[Robert R]

Central Coquitlam BC. 7/10 I'd say. Pretty good. Multi use path running by the city center. Bike lanes on some roads -- they're actually doing a lane with a barrier though some have complained it's too narrow and the intersections with bus stops are problematic.
Right now there is a pilot program for rental e-bikes and scooters. Scooters seem more popular. Complaints about scooters blocking sidewalks and littering as well as poor riding by some users. The city does seem to be really getting behind e-mobility.