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Thread: Bicycling....

  1. #21
    Senior Member razz's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bae View Post
    On "aggressive" or "fast" cyclists vs. pedestrians on trails.

    There's a difference between a bicyclist out for a pleasant day's sight-seeing, moseying along at 8-10 mph, looking at birds, smelling the flowers, and a bicyclist who is bicycling to get from Point A to Point B. When I am in the commute-mode, I'll be going 15-25mph. This speed isn't really compatible with trails that have pedestrians who aren't paying attention bumbling along.
    I ask this question respectfully. I wonder what the goal of the trails really is? Is it for enjoying nature, hiking with family including strollers or for commuter bikers? How can the two worlds - relaxation and enjoyment biking and hiking vs the commuter - be reconciled?
    As Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”

  2. #22
    Senior Member Teacher Terry's Avatar
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    The trails I used were in northern Wisconsin and for recreation. One was next to a river. They weren’t commuting trails.

  3. #23
    Senior Member bae's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by razz View Post
    I wonder what the goal of the trails really is?
    I think that is a big issue - there are clearly different sorts of trails you'd want to construct to cover the "recreation/nature" use, and the "bicycles as efficient transportation" uses. Using the same trail for both purposes seems problematic - the commuter-trails presumably want to be efficiently-connected to destinations, for instance.

  4. #24
    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bae View Post
    Using the same trail for both purposes seems problematic - the commuter-trails presumably want to be efficiently-connected to destinations, for instance.
    The trails I referred to in my post generally are recreational in nature. There are several "trunk lines", if you will, which are purpose-built as connectors or are converted abandoned railroad right of way. Pedestrian traffic is permitted on those, too, but the combination of pedestrians, recreational cyclists, and commuters seems better -- the pedestrians are not on that path to dawdle and enjoy the sights, and the faster and slower bicyclists can sort out speed differences as car drivers do.

    But so many roads here are poorly set up for bicycle use. Despite their being considered vehicles, bicycles almost always take the hindmost relative to cars and trucks unless there is at the very least a painted stripe (plastic bollards or such on the road help more). Many roads are one or two lanes in either direction and the shoulder very often is where bicyclists end up -- a shoulder with lots of debris and, too often, broken pavement. So cyclists go after the paths that expose them (and their bikes) to less potential damage. Not a happy combination. And this in a region largely renowned for the quality of its bike transportation.
    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

  5. #25
    Senior Member Rogar's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bae View Post
    On "aggressive" or "fast" cyclists vs. pedestrians on trails.

    There's a difference between a bicyclist out for a pleasant day's sight-seeing, moseying along at 8-10 mph, looking at birds, smelling the flowers, and a bicyclist who is bicycling to get from Point A to Point B. When I am in the commute-mode, I'll be going 15-25mph. This speed isn't really compatible with trails that have pedestrians who aren't paying attention bumbling along.
    Our dedicated bike/walking trails here have plenty of use from bike racers, electric bikes which I see going really fast, and recreational walkers and bikes. It's not a good situation. I avoid weekends, but early mornings and off-seasons are very nice. As far as compatibility goes, it's probably subjective.

  6. #26
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    Congratulations Bae on what sounds like a great ride in the United Kingdom on a Brompton, one of the best folding bicycles. I rode a folding bike in Philadelphia during a prolonged transit strike and managed well. Philadelphia now has a system of rental bike stations which allow the rider to pick up and leave the bike at the tart and end of their rides. That's a good option for getting around as well.

  7. #27
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    Had a car to the mechanics last week and on the way passed someone riding up the hill on what looked to be an electric bike. As it turns out, it was the wife of my mechanic and I asked her about the bike. It was a Pedego electric bike and I really liked it. Went home and looked it up on the internet... Wow! I have expensive taste! LOL.
    To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer." Mahatma Gandhi
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    In a world where you can be anything - be kind. Unknown

  8. #28
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    Reviving this thread as a co-worked took both our old bikes a couple of weeks ago to see if they could be repaired. Last week I got both of them back! He said they were not in as bad a shape as I thought and they are now both road worthy. I've ridden a couple of times and really enjoy it. I do, however, find myself more cautious now than when I was younger - visions of falling and breaking something at my age. LOL
    To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer." Mahatma Gandhi
    Be nice whenever possible. It's always possible. HH Dalai Lama
    In a world where you can be anything - be kind. Unknown

  9. #29
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    Like OH and TT, I feel that too many cyclists are injured and killed by vehicles.

    The Netherlands went through a period in the 1960s when way too many cyclists were being killed. In 1971 an activist organization, Stop de Kindermoord, gained momentum. Government responded by building separate lanes where bicycles were protected.

    At present, about 1/4 of the entire road network in the Netherlands includes dedicated bicycle lanes. The standard width of the bike lane is 5.5 feet.

    As a tourist on a borrowed bicycle, I was quite happy to ride on the wide smooth bicycle lane with a barrier between the bicycles and the motor vehicles. When I came to a busy highway crossing on my way to the Netherlands Open Air Museum in Arnhem, there was an automatic traffic light, and a short wait for the cyclist's light to turn green.

  10. #30
    Senior Member littlebittybobby's Avatar
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    Okay----The purpose of bikes and the purpose of hills, is to increase your stamina. There is no sense in buying one a those "EBikes", thinking it will save you the trouble of having to exert yourself. See? I believe those EBikes should be outlawed, confiscated, the battery recycled, and the rest melted down as scrap metal. Yup. Anyone caught riding an EBike should be jailed with the dope peddlers and child molesters. Hope that helps you some. Thankk Mee.

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