How's the bike infrastructure where you ride?

[Tom@WashDC]

And cold. Need the wet, soca t honestly complain. Cold is winter, but still unusual lately. I may ride today as it’s my birthday and it’s an occasionally observed tradition. I’ll watch my weather station to check actual local temps.

We should get a ride in together this Spring or Summer.

 

[Chazmo]

Central Massachusetts: I don’t know, 1/10? Almost no infrastructure. A neighboring town (Holden) recently redid their Main Street and provided a bike lane, which is quite useful to me as a biker, but that is a huge exception to the rule. And, frankly, there’s very little courtesy from the drivers in rural Massachusetts, particularly on the more heavily-traveled roads.

The very lucky thing for me is that most local streets are not badly congested as they are in other parts of the state/country. And, the saving grace (for me) is that I have rail trail access a little over a mile from my house that is actually useful to me for both exercise (when not entirely iced over, that is) and for access to two of the neighboring towns that I need to go to frequently.

 

[spokewrench]

Central Massachusetts: I don’t know, 1/10? Almost no infrastructure. A neighboring town (Holden) recently redid their Main Street and provided a bike lane, which is quite useful to me as a biker, but that is a huge exception to the rule. And, frankly, there’s very little courtesy from the drivers in rural Massachusetts, particularly on the more heavily-traveled roads.

The very lucky thing for me is that most local streets are not badly congested as they are in other parts of the state/country. And, the saving grace (for me) is that I have rail trail access a little over a mile from my house that is actually useful to me for both exercise (when not entirely iced over, that is) and for access to two of the neighboring towns that I need to go to frequently.

I was in Holden on June 9, 1953 when I watched the tornado destroy my neighborhood 5 miles away. I'd just finished kindergarten. A little girl who lived near me was riding her bike on an errand. Her parents identified her mangled bike, but she was missing for three days. She'd been found up on a utility pole, impaled on a climbing step. She couldn't speak to identify herself until the swelling in her face went down. She came through fine. There were a lot of very resilient people in Worcester. Bicyclists didn't need infrastructure because if automobilists thought they owned the road, they didn't show it.

 

[Chazmo]

I was in Holden on June 9, 1953 when I watched the tornado destroy my neighborhood 5 miles away. I'd just finished kindergarten. A little girl who lived near me was riding her bike on an errand. Her parents identified her mangled bike, but she was missing for three days. She'd been found up on a utility pole, impaled on a climbing step. She couldn't speak to identify herself until the swelling in her face went down. She came through fine. There were a lot of very resilient people in Worcester. Bicyclists didn't need infrastructure because if automobilists thought they owned the road, they didn't show it.

Holy crap… That’s a wild story, spokewrench!

I imagine Holden 70 years ago was a different world.

 

[Art Deco]

Reviving this zombie thread since it was what I could find on infrastructure.
I love this quote :
"
“Imagine if a team of scientists devised a drug which massively reduced people’s chances of developing cancer or heart disease, cutting their overall likelihood of dying early by 40%. This would be front page news worldwide, a Nobel prize as good as in the post. That drug is already here, albeit administered in a slightly different way: it’s called cycling to work.”

But it won't work if it's obviously unsafe to ride ...

 

[BlackHand]

Reviving this zombie thread since it was what I could find on infrastructure.
I love this quote :
"
“Imagine if a team of scientists devised a drug which massively reduced people’s chances of developing cancer or heart disease, cutting their overall likelihood of dying early by 40%. This would be front page news worldwide, a Nobel prize as good as in the post. That drug is already here, albeit administered in a slightly different way: it’s called cycling to work.”

But it won't work if it's obviously unsafe to ride ...

Great quote! 40% was probably taken (rounded down) from this Scottish study.
Personally, I'll live with doubling my chances of being hospitalized for a traffic accident.

This is the first study to provide direct evidence of the association between active and non-active commuting and health outcomes over a long period for Scotland. The study identified clear and consistently lower risks of adverse health outcomes among active commuters, especially cyclists. Compared with non-active commuters, cyclists had 47% lower risk of death from any cause, 10% lower risk of any hospitalisation, 24% lower risk of CVD hospitalisation and 30% lower risk of receiving a CVD related prescription, 24% lower risk of cancer hospitalisation and 51% lower risk of cancer death, and a 20% lower risk of receiving a mental health related prescription.

 

[Art Deco]

Great quote! 40% was probably taken (rounded down) from this Scottish study.
Personally, I'll live with doubling my chances of being hospitalized for a traffic accident.
View attachment 197238
This is the first study to provide direct evidence of the association between active and non-active commuting and health outcomes over a long period for Scotland. The study identified clear and consistently lower risks of adverse health outcomes among active commuters, especially cyclists. Compared with non-active commuters, cyclists had 47% lower risk of death from any cause, 10% lower risk of any hospitalisation, 24% lower risk of CVD hospitalisation and 30% lower risk of receiving a CVD related prescription, 24% lower risk of cancer hospitalisation and 51% lower risk of cancer death, and a 20% lower risk of receiving a mental health related prescription.

Absolutely correct. But
1. Traffic is scary in an immediate way that stops most people from even trying bikes.
2. We shouldn't have to choose between having a heart attack and a becoming a hood ornament on a pickup, IMHO.

 

[Chargeride]

I will admit to pavement/sidewalk riding, on a lot of my exploring rides I need to use a main country road to get to the next village, they are 60mph roads and because we put sidewalks everywhere, they are perfect to ride on as no one actually walks on them, they literally go through miles of farmers fields.
So I use them, and its a win win for everyone, I dont hold up miles of traffic and Im not getting run over by truck drivers on their phones.

 

[6zfshdb]

Reviving this zombie thread since it was what I could find on infrastructure.
I love this quote :
"
“Imagine if a team of scientists devised a drug which massively reduced people’s chances of developing cancer or heart disease, cutting their overall likelihood of dying early by 40%. This would be front page news worldwide, a Nobel prize as good as in the post. That drug is already here, albeit administered in a slightly different way: it’s called cycling to work.”

But it won't work if it's obviously unsafe to ride ...

Of course this assumes you don't get run over by a drunk or distracted driver in the process.

 

[stompandgo]

I worked for an internet startup for 5 years or so and was able to ride the 10 miles each way to work. There's nothing like starting in the dark and seeing the sunrise every day. I'd ride in riding clothes and bring loaded panniers with fresh work clothes on the way in and dirty clothes on the way out. I was riding a Redline CX bike with a rack and touring panniers, set up only for commuting.

We are fortunate here on Cape Cod to have several rail trails, but they are not connected. A lot of the main "back roads" have wide (6ft.-8ft.) sidewalks where the cops are OK with cyclists on them. The main trail is undergoing a westward expansion that's supposed to be ready next year. When that opens up, I should have an option to ride to work.

 

[Art Deco]

I will admit to pavement/sidewalk riding, on a lot of my exploring rides I need to use a main country road to get to the next village, they are 60mph roads and because we put sidewalks everywhere, they are perfect to ride on as no one actually walks on them, they literally go through miles of farmers fields.
So I use them, and its a win win for everyone, I dont hold up miles of traffic and Im not getting run over by truck drivers on their phones.

Apparently here in Pennsylvania you can legally ride on the sidewalk if (and only if ) if there is no bike lane available.

 

[Marcela]

You get what you put your attention on. Just the universe trying to help a guy out.

 

[6zfshdb]

We are fortunate here on Cape Cod to have several rail trails, but they are not connected. A lot of the main "back roads" have wide (6ft.-8ft.) sidewalks where the cops are OK with cyclists on them. The main trail is undergoing a westward expansion that's supposed to be ready next year. When that opens up, I should have an option to ride to work.

When I last rode the main Cape Cod Trail in 2023, I was told by a park ranger at the trailhead in Dennis, that e-bikes were not allowed and asked to leave. I rode the Shining Sea and Cape Cod National Seashore trails instead. I've heard similar stories about e-bikes on the Cape Cod Canal MUPs as well.

Has Cape Cod eased up on their anti e-bike attitude since then?

 

[scottsdalecommuter]

cycled in this morning and wore my fitbit just for fun to see heart rate data, turns out my heart rate was perfectly at the top end of zone 2 for me, my ride is only 20 minutes but total per week that's an easy 3.3 hrs of light easy zone 2 effort which is so good for the heart. the fresh air alone gives me massive mental health benefits plus a nice little buffer before getting home to family after work.

thanks for sharing that study, really interesting and encouraging health data. i've cycled 1,000's of miles now this past decade of bike commuting. i'm still a bit surprised i haven't had a run in with a car and very grateful for that. i will say the past few years i've started cycling a lot more conservatively around cars/pedestrians/etc.

 

[stompandgo]

When I last rode the main Cape Cod Trail in 2023, I was told by a park ranger at the trailhead in Dennis, that e-bikes were not allowed and asked to leave. I rode the Shining Sea and Cape Cod National Seashore trails instead. I've heard similar stories about e-bikes on the Cape Cod Canal MUPs as well.

Has Cape Cod eased up on their anti e-bike attitude since then?

I wave and say hello to the Rangers every time I see them, which is often. I have never asked if e-bikes were allowed, because they're everywhere. At the shop, most of the e-bike rentals end up on the rail trail. Several shops are located right on the trail and rent e-bikes. I also see Sur-Rons and Super73's, usually piloted by kids or someone smoking weed. If they are not allowed, it's not enforced.

 

[Chazmo]

I wave and say hello to the Rangers every time I see them, which is often. I have never asked if e-bikes were allowed, because they're everywhere. At the shop, most of the e-bike rentals end up on the rail trail. Several shops are located right on the trail and rent e-bikes. I also see Sur-Rons and Super73's, usually piloted by kids or someone smoking weed. If they are not allowed, it's not enforced.

Boy, I think you got screwed, @6zfshdb What kind of bike were you on? I wonder if the rangers would give me s**t on my e-fatty? I hope not. I hope one of these days to make it down to the Cape and have @stompandgo show me around (before he buries me in a cloud of sand, that is).

 

[6zfshdb]

I wave and say hello to the Rangers every time I see them, which is often. I have never asked if e-bikes were allowed, because they're everywhere. At the shop, most of the e-bike rentals end up on the rail trail. Several shops are located right on the trail and rent e-bikes. I also see Sur-Rons and Super73's, usually piloted by kids or someone smoking weed. If they are not allowed, it's not enforced.

Apparently, things have changed for the better in 2 years.

 

[6zfshdb]

Boy, I think you got screwed, @6zfshdb What kind of bike were you on? I wonder if the rangers would give me s**t on my e-fatty? I hope not. I hope one of these days to make it down to the Cape and have @stompandgo show me around (before he buries me in a cloud of sand, that is).

Without the battery, you have to look twice to see it's an e-bike. It's a hub drive with 26 x 2.2" tires, but the big down tube mounted battery gives it away.

 

[Chazmo]

Without the battery, you have to look twice to see it's an e-bike. It's a hub drive with 26 x 2.2" tires, but the big down tube mounted battery gives it away.

Interesting, 6… Well, I think you just ran into an annoying ranger. My bike has a honkin’ battery on the down tube as well. There’s no mistaking it for an unassisted bike. Then again, I don’t ride it hard unless I’m in a place where there are no pedestrians. There is a DCR (protects the watershed) ranger nearby in an area of the central MA rail trail that has been undergoing construction for years. She has shooed away people occasionally, but now has no raison d’être… I almost feel sorry for her. Almost. Now she can pick on dog owners for even more ridiculous reasons.

 

[stompandgo]

The Tesoro with the second battery is visually and aurally an e-bike. No mistake about it.