Re: DOT equals dept of transporation right? Then why always highways?

On Feb 7, 8:40 pm, Rick Powell <rkpow...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Feb 7, 7:25 pm, Larry G <gross.la...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:



On Feb 7, 3:07 pm, John Lansford <jlnsf...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Larry G <gross.la...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

John - how about going to GOOGLE MAPS and ask for directions for a
random origin and destination and then select the "best bike route"
option.

I hope you don't use Google for anything pertaining to reaching a
particular destination, by car or bicycle.  It's notoriously
inaccurate and often the routes are questionably out of the way.

Look, you've changed your tune from the start of this discussion, when
you first complained about not having safe facilities to ride on. When
that was debunked, you've shifted to "well, motorists get all these
advantages and cyclists don't" to imply that they're still not getting
their just due.  If that's what you're going to gripe about, go ahead
and gripe, but that wasn't the issue first and you know it.

I think the only thing I have said is that it is not easy to use a
bike for transportation and that's a true statement.

You cannot assume that you can go from any particular origin to any
particular destination on a bike - when you can - in a car.

And the reason why is that despite the propaganda about roads being
for bikes - they are not - in all cases - and that is clear.

You simply cannot get on a bike and assume that you can reach a
particular destination - safely.

The fact that you don't ride - does not help your understanding of
this.

You say I have a phobia. John - get on a bike and try to go about
10-15 miles and see if you still think I have a phobia.

Try it yourself.. and then you'll see exactly what I am talking about.

The folks who ride bikes on highways .. the ones that do so on a
regular basis are careful and selective - and even then there are
roads they will not travel - despite the fact that you claim that -
legally -they can. Those folks know that you cannot unless you have a
death wish.

I don't know the answers and I'm not advocating in particular but I'm
pointing out some valid issues that do not have good answers - for
most folks who might want to use a bike for day-to-day transportation
vice their automobile.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Here's a great urban bike path.  I know a few people who actually use
it as a commuting route from their homes, many of which are 6 or 10
miles away.  It helps to live near the path, and to not have a job too
far off the path.

I saw this trail on a side trip to Chicago... cool trail!

and yes, the DC area, as Kozel points out also has some nice trails.

but let me give an example.

I am about 5 miles from a carpool lot that has commuter buses and
about 10 miles from a commuter rail.

There are folks - that would ride a bike to these lots to catch their
rides. It's good exercise which many folks lack and want more of.
There are folks - like myself - that would ride a bike to the post
office - everyday - since that's where my mail goes... I can give
countless examples... folks that work at colleges, hospitals...even
DOT offices !!!! HORRORS! that would ride - for transportation and
get some good exercise to boot.

But while we have some great urban trails - we do not have a bike
transportation 'network'. Note that both of the examples provided are
linear - not spoked... you literally cannot get from point A to point
B if 'A' or "B" or not close to the linear trail.

Arif alluded to one of the big issues - which is speed differential.
So, providing separate lanes is potentially a "good" thing if a way
can be found to keep debris from building up on it.

It could be something as simple as buying a sweeping machine and
periodically sweeping... bike lanes - much like urban areas routinely
sweep city streets.

or it could be a design solution to keep debris from building up....
perhaps a "mini" curb to keep road debris from climbing up on a bike
lane or perhaps some other clever design that would not impede traffic
or introduce an unsafe condition.

City Streets - I don't think you need a bike lane... as long as the
speed differential is acceptable.

Rural and suburban roads are another story - Any road where speeds get
up past 45 or so - I think you need to separate the bike from the road
- especially if there are sight-distance issues that one might see on
a road with curves and hills... like many rural and rural-turned-
suburban roads can be.

I'm not complaining as much as I am saying - that if we are truly
serious about incorporating bikes - as a transportation option (vice a
recreational amenity) - then we need to address these issues...
programmatically as a policy. The question needs to be asked -
"well ..how WOULD someone get from point to point.

Most folks (including avid bikers) that money is the issue and that
bikers - don't really pay the same way that motorists do.... and I do
note that not that long ago in Virginia - VDOT did change their policy
to make bike lanes on new roads the default as opposed to them being
"opt-in" but still.. I notice that if doing those lanes increase the
cost of the project that there is pressure to drop them - as they did
with a recent 2-mile addition where I live - which is a real shame
because it could have tied in to an adjacent National Battlefield -
and allowed tourism biking.

sorry about the blather.... ;-)


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Connect2
    ... result of the Moritz study that (of roads with no bike facilities) ... The bike routes, bike ... distance in the Moritz dataset (comment in the `About Their Cycling' ... This means that the `relative danger ...
    (uk.rec.cycling)
  • Re: Effect of Cycle Lanes on Cyclist Road Space
    ... > facilities would say to primary school children who want to cycle ... your bike, and walk through with the other pedestrians". ... ought to be able to ride on quite busy roads, ... Motorists would give cyclists more room, ...
    (uk.rec.cycling)
  • 10 days on the Island - LONG
    ... Harris MotoGP stacked pipes - simply the best pipes ever fitted to a ... modern 4-stroke, 4-cylinder road bike. ... Yamaha works BSB Ohlins rear shock. ... I test them in the dark on greasy roads, ...
    (uk.rec.motorcycles)
  • Re: Newbie a bit scared on a damp road
    ... I love riding it on dry roads, in fact I think it is the best thing ... The problem is that, on a bike, as opposed to a car, going to "the ... there's a sort of law of diminishing returns with tyres ...
    (uk.rec.motorcycles)
  • Re: DOT equals dept of transporation right? Then why always highways?
    ... biking on such roads is safe. ... I believe that's what I've been saying; that unimproved roads are the ... You've convinced yourself that if a road does not have dedicated bike ... lanes, it is automatically unsafe for cyclists to use. ...
    (misc.transport.road)