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  1. #11
    Senior Member JaneV2.0's Avatar
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    I would love to see an extensive system of exclusive bike/pedestrian trails built for the safety and convenience of everyone.

  2. #12
    Senior Member bae's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JaneV2.0 View Post
    I would love to see an extensive system of exclusive bike/pedestrian trails built for the safety and convenience of everyone.
    I am not sure bicycles and pedestrians are compatible on the *same* trails, unless there is some sort of division between the two uses. Bicycles go rather fast, and are pretty quiet, and pedestrians tend to be oblivious about dangers coming up on them from behind.

  3. #13
    Senior Member JaneV2.0's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bae View Post
    I am not sure bicycles and pedestrians are compatible on the *same* trails, unless there is some sort of division between the two uses. Bicycles go rather fast, and are pretty quiet, and pedestrians tend to be oblivious about dangers coming up on them from behind.
    I thought of that; they should be wide enough to accommodate both--maybe with a narrow greenspace in between. Building two separate trails would probably be thought cost-prohibitive.

    ETA: I've walked on the Burke-Gilman trail, which is dual-use. I kept well to the side of the trail, and didn't have any close calls.

  4. #14
    Senior Member bae's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JaneV2.0 View Post
    I thought of that; they should be wide enough to accommodate both--maybe with a narrow greenspace in between. Building two separate trails would probably be thought cost-prohibitive.

    ETA: I've walked on the Burke-Gilman trail, which is dual-use. I kept well to the side of the trail, and didn't have any close calls.
    Some of the bike trails I encountered in the UK recently used painted markings, or even different paving materials, to mark pedestrian and bicycle "lanes" on the same trail, which worked OK, except the pedestrians often seemed oblivious.

  5. #15
    Senior Member razz's Avatar
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    On our former rail trails, we hike with my dog. Often the bikers and hikers meet so frequently, we stop and visit if the bugs are not a problem. We also stop and pick up the brush clearing the trail for the bikers. If I see or get a warning bell from a biker, I simply step aside until the way is clear again. It is wide enough for two people walking abreast and no more.
    Lately, I have noticed that the most recent bikers are racing just as they do when driving a car. A trail is not the right place for that.

    I liked the warning I got from one biker who called as he passed us, "another biker coming" alerting me to hold to one side a bit longer.
    As Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”

  6. #16
    Senior Member Teacher Terry's Avatar
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    The trails in Wisconsin were wide enough to accommodate walkers and bikers.

  7. #17
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    Good for you. When you think of all the resources needed to deal with cars, bicycles are so freeing.

  8. #18
    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Teacher Terry View Post
    The trails in Wisconsin were wide enough to accommodate walkers and bikers.
    There are many recreational trails around here (some of which can be used as an alternative to city streets); most of them are combined pedestrian/bicycle trails. My experience is that while there are some aggressive cyclists (it's a nice paved trail but it's not the Nurburgring), the biggest problems are 1) geese and their slippery poop; and people, many of whom seem to have a pathological inability to read road markings and international pictograms of humans and bicycles. These generally are the same people who do not understand the general rule of "keep right" and are very likely to drift left or turn toward you as you say, "On your left!" There's a number of times I've almost had to lay down my bike to avoid a gaggle of people who seemingly have no clue they need to share this road and that bikes need some time and space to slow down. "Wide enough" is half the battle.

    bae, did you get the electric Brompton or the completely-human-powered bike?
    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

  9. #19
    Senior Member bae's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SteveinMN View Post
    bae, did you get the electric Brompton or the completely-human-powered bike?
    I went with the pure-human Brompton. The electric one is nice, but it is heavier, and you have to deal with the battery bag after you fold it up, and I thought this reduced its utility as a multi-modal transportation tool - hoisting it into an overhead bin would be a bit trickier.

    I already have a great Trek pedal-assist electric bike, but it is of course not foldable and as portable.

    Cute as the Brompton electric is, I think if I were to get a folding electric bike, I'd get the Tern Vektron S10, because it uses the same Bosch motor and battery system as my Trek, so I'd be able to interchange the batteries and chargers. The Tern isn't quite as cute as the Brompton, but it does go faster, and have disc brakes.

  10. #20
    Senior Member bae's Avatar
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    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.

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