Where I live people like to "come out to the country" and go on spontaneous distance rides in big packs on "country roads". These roads have 55 mph speed limits and little or no shoulder. The groups are upwards of 30 and strung out in long multibike wide columns that treat stop signs and turns as if the whole pack is a single vehicle (the guy in front stops, and then, once he starts back up, everybody goes...). More than once I have come over a blind curve at 35 mph and found bikes spread across both lanes.
my Dd's transportation from 14-17 was her bike. She was careful, respectful, legal, and yielded to everyone. She got honked at, flashed at, tailed (when she was riding on the very edge of the road in a passing zone and could easily have been passed), and cussed at. She debated hanging an smv triangle on her back fender like a tractor, or just getting a t-shirt that said "local kid, no car."
everytime I encounter one of those brightly attired packs of bikers being stupid, I want to turn my car across the road, get out of it, grab one (who is probably 20 years younger, 6 inches taller, and much stronger than I) and yell "you are the reason people harassed my child!" In his face.
otoh, now and then I run across 2 or 3 who get to a stop sign, realize there are 5 cars behind them, pull over and wave us by before starting back up. I always wave and smile.
Sadly another bike rider was hit and killed two nights ago in the town. I would have to look and see how many that has been in the county this year
I have almost taken time off from riding. Road running too. Maybe next year.................
SO Almost one year has passed and no change to the lane or adding more, imagine it will not happen. The town is very local. The first small round about is being finished soon. OH the griping is worse then the bike lane! A video is on the city FB page to explain how to use it. First it makes the town look like hicks that have never left the city, but worse the comments are amazing and tips on how to go through the parking lots to avoid it. Good Heavens how will they get to Frosty Boy!
This is an interesting post for me. Congratulations for getting a first bike lane in your town! The planners don't seem to have consulted the cyclists about the street but that may have more to do with local politics or money. IN Philadelphia, it has been a slow process to extend the network of bike lanes throughout the city and it has been a struggle over more than one decade. The city is only implementing protected bike lanes now. Up until now, it has been either bike lanes painted on the street or paths separated from the streets in parks and along the rivers.
We have come along way from being dismissed as a bunch of unrealistic environmentalists to the point that the mayor seriously campaigned for our votes. And the number of adult cyclists in the city has probably multiplied by a factor of 20 since the 1980's. Cycling is still difficult in the city center but there is actually serious dialogue between city council and the public. The lesson; be persistent and get support from anyone from anyone who stands to benefit from the expansion of cycling in your community
Last Monday the Lime Bike system dropped 600 bikes on the streets of St. Louis.
less than 48 hours later, I nearly ran into a Lime rider tooling down the wrong side of the street as
I pulled out of a parking lot. It was not a close call, but it was too close for me.
Why cant they ride on the correct side of the street? I do not expect fast moving vehicles like wheeled bikes to be going in the same lane as oncomng traffic. Thats where you walk, not where you ride a bike.
For the same reason some car drivers don't signal their turns. Or swing into the left lane to turn right. Lack of education? Laziness? Lack of perception of space?
But car drivers at least have to pass a driver's test at some point in their career. Bike riders do not. Sometimes I tell myself that people who do stupid things on bikes (like ride against traffic) can pay the ultimate price for their lack of good sense. All too often, though, a person who should not be responsible for their paying that price (in this case, nearly you) gets to pay a price as well.
Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington
Some years ago I visited the Netherlands. One of my stops (by train) was Arnhem, where I wished to reflect and pay my respects at the Arnhem-Oosterbeek War Cemetery. When the proprietor of my lodging place realized my reason for being in his town, he graciously offered me the use of one of his family's bicycles. I had the pleasure and sense of security in riding on the Dutch bicycle paths, separated from vehicle traffic, with stop-and-go lights where bike paths crossed streets.
As outlined in the linked article, the bicycling infrastructure in Denmark and the Netherlands developed in response to political pressure applied to local and national governments.
In 1971 in the Netherlands there were 3,300 cyclist fatalities, including 400 children. Cyclists agitated to stop the killing. In the same era, there was a gasoline shortage, and the national government favored policies to reduce dependence on imported oil. The government responded with allocating about 25% of the road construction budget for separate bicycle paths.
In Denmark the Danish Cycling Federation agitated for bicycling infrastructure, primarily in Copenhagen.
At the same time governments in Denmark and the Netherlands were spending for bicycle infrastructure, they disincentivized car ownership, parking and use.
It is understandable that there is antagonism among vehicle drivers directed toward cyclists. While it possible to "share the road" harmoniously, the interests of people who use cars and trucks conflict with those who use bicycles. In Los Angeles the bicyclists lost. In Denmark and the Netherlands the bicyclists won.
http://www.triplepundit.com/special/...k-netherlands/
I reset my bike speedometer a few years ago and it's coming up on 10,000 miles. I consider myself lucky to have a dedicated bike and walking path blocks from my house and I can jump off onto residential streets a few blocks to do a lot of common errands. One day I ran across another cyclist who was on a century ride around the city and he said he can do most of it on bike lanes or paths. I've ridden across several states in my younger years. By my experience and preferences there is no way I would ride on inner city streets without bike lanes or in any other high traffic areas. There's just too many crazy drivers. It's especially bad for early morning commutes when driver's eyes are still sleepy.
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