Google maps now has directions by bicycle. It's in beta and there are lots of kinks to work out. The smaller bike trails show up, but not the main riverparks trails. I've reported that.
Don't we have a couple of bike lanes around town? I don't see any noted on Tulsa's map when I pull up bike directions.
Everyone make sure and report problems and give google information to make sure our bicycle maps are complete.
http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2010/03/its-time-to-bike.html
I know 36th is marked with bike lanes from Riverside to Harvard, possibly beyond. 3rd is a designated bike route but I'm not sure there are marked lanes, if not there should be. I'd like to see 13th be a designated route with or without marked lanes and in doing so install a 'bike only' rail crossing just east of Lewis where 13th is interrupted by the tracks. 13th is one of the few non-arterial streets in midtown to cut straight across the city from Boston downtown all the way to near Memorial. Add the crossing at the tracks and a bike trail extension at Memorial and it could connect downtown to the Mingo Valley trail system..
Quote from: SXSW on March 10, 2010, 12:43:01 PM
I know 36th is marked with bike lanes from Riverside to Harvard, possibly beyond. 3rd is a designated bike route but I'm not sure there are marked lanes, if not there should be. I'd like to see 13th be a designated route with or without marked lanes and in doing so install a 'bike only' rail crossing just east of Lewis where 13th is interrupted by the tracks. 13th is one of the few non-arterial streets in midtown to cut straight across the city from Boston downtown all the way to near Memorial. Add the crossing at the tracks and a bike trail extension at Memorial and it could connect downtown to the Mingo Valley trail system..
Unless I've just become oblivious, when I was biking up and down 36th a couple of weeks ago, there aren't any marked lanes. Just signage on the pavement and stand up signs designating 36th as a bike route.
Delaware near TU is the only street I know of with marked bike lanes.
Quote from: SXSW on March 10, 2010, 12:43:01 PM
I know 36th is marked with bike lanes from Riverside to Harvard, possibly beyond. 3rd is a designated bike route but I'm not sure there are marked lanes, if not there should be. I'd like to see 13th be a designated route with or without marked lanes and in doing so install a 'bike only' rail crossing just east of Lewis where 13th is interrupted by the tracks. 13th is one of the few non-arterial streets in midtown to cut straight across the city from Boston downtown all the way to near Memorial. Add the crossing at the tracks and a bike trail extension at Memorial and it could connect downtown to the Mingo Valley trail system..
I'd be cool with that (as I live just off of 13th and frequently take it or 6th to get downtown)
Quote from: TURobY on March 10, 2010, 01:41:21 PM
I'd be cool with that (as I live just off of 13th and frequently take it or 6th to get downtown)
Ouch! 6th is rough as a cob.
Quote from: Conan71 on March 10, 2010, 01:12:33 PM
Unless I've just become oblivious, when I was biking up and down 36th a couple of weeks ago, there aren't any marked lanes. Just signage on the pavement and stand up signs designating 36th as a bike route.
Maybe I'm the oblivious one, thought there were lines on the shoulders. There is definitely ample room for them. I know the connection across Riverside to the river trail could be improved.
Do the instructions include "Ignore stop sign" and "Self-righteously shake fist at oppressive automobiles"?
Just kidding.
Mostly.
Quote from: SXSW on March 10, 2010, 02:59:57 PM
Maybe I'm the oblivious one, thought there were lines on the shoulders. There is definitely ample room for them. I know the connection across Riverside to the river trail could be improved.
There used to be but they were never replaced after the repaving last year.
I like the simple bicyclist graphic they paint on the road to designate it as a bike way.
I just think the graphic needs something else...maybe hats.
I want to organize a bikeway graffiti campaign to give them all funny hats.
Quote from: RecycleMichael on March 10, 2010, 03:47:34 PM
I like the simple bicyclist graphic they paint on the road to designate it as a bike way.
I just think the graphic needs something else...maybe hats.
I want to organize a bikeway graffiti campaign to give them all funny hats.
Shhhh, Paul Tay will pick this up as a personal project.
Tulsa has poorly designed, poorly maintained bike lanes along Archer and Mohawk, as well as defacto bike lanes along Avery Drive. Avery, however, is only a shoulder, not a bike lane. For that matter, 46th Street North near Mohawk Park has a seemingly inviting shoulder if you're driving by in a car, but the surface is so weathered and littered with debris that it's unrideable. Given the conditions of these existing 'facilities' I'd hesitate before wanting more of them.
Supposedly, the new bike/ped coordinator at INCOG wants to reconstitute the bicycling subcommittee, but it really seems that it's not a priority. Cyclists are the red-headed step children when it comes to transportation planning.
Oh, I forgot. Old North Road was supposed to get a bike lane on the uphill sections, but the county planner (unfortunately, I've forgotten his name) went with wider lanes instead. The old ones were 12 feet most places. The new ones are supposed to be 14-15 feet, but I haven't been out there to look. Wide lanes benefit everyone who uses the road, not just cyclists. Given the winding nature of Old North Road and its topography, there was concern that debris would collect in bike lanes - a concern that is patently obvious when you see the condition of area shoulders and those atrocious bike lanes on Mohawk and Archer.
Quote from: Ed W on March 10, 2010, 04:42:14 PM
Tulsa has poorly designed, poorly maintained bike lanes along Archer and Mohawk, as well as defacto bike lanes along Avery Drive. Avery, however, is only a shoulder, not a bike lane. For that matter, 46th Street North near Mohawk Park has a seemingly inviting shoulder if you're driving by in a car, but the surface is so weathered and littered with debris that it's unrideable. Given the conditions of these existing 'facilities' I'd hesitate before wanting more of them.
Supposedly, the new bike/ped coordinator at INCOG wants to reconstitute the bicycling subcommittee, but it really seems that it's not a priority. Cyclists are the red-headed step children when it comes to transportation planning.
Oh, I forgot. Old North Road was supposed to get a bike lane on the uphill sections, but the county planner (unfortunately, I've forgotten his name) went with wider lanes instead. The old ones were 12 feet most places. The new ones are supposed to be 14-15 feet, but I haven't been out there to look. Wide lanes benefit everyone who uses the road, not just cyclists. Given the winding nature of Old North Road and its topography, there was concern that debris would collect in bike lanes - a concern that is patently obvious when you see the condition of area shoulders and those atrocious bike lanes on Mohawk and Archer.
Ed, we were out on old north about a week after the re-pave on the hills near the sub-division, I didn't happen to notice that they widened it, just a nice new cap of asphalt. They had not striped it yet. I guess I'll find out what the finished product looks like next Weds unless it rains.
I think it's groovy as hell that I can bike from NSU Broken Arrow all the way to River City Park in Sand Springs. A distance of over 30 miles one way.
Sigh.. I miss that summer of all day bike rides... kiddo on the scene now.
NSU Broken Arrow is a great destination, however Memorial to Mingo on the south side of the Creek Turnpike is cut off for construction. Someone forwarded me an email the other day that it might be as long as 8 months. I figured out the route through the neighborhood night before last, if anyone needs a tip on how to get around it.
Quote from: Mike 01Hawk on March 11, 2010, 12:32:12 PM
I think it's groovy as hell that I can bike from NSU Broken Arrow all the way to River City Park in Sand Springs. A distance of over 30 miles one way.
Sigh.. I miss that summer of all day bike rides... kiddo on the scene now.
Or all the way up to Skiatook via the Midland Valley trail, a distance of at least 40 miles if you take the Creek trail to the river trail and then the MV to Skiatook.
I personally would love to see a trail extension all the way to Lake Keystone. It would be a scenic ride and safer than riding the shoulder of Avery Drive.
Quote from: Conan71 on March 11, 2010, 11:35:29 AM
Ed, we were out on old north about a week after the re-pave on the hills near the sub-division, I didn't happen to notice that they widened it, just a nice new cap of asphalt. They had not striped it yet. I guess I'll find out what the finished product looks like next Weds unless it rains.
Let us know what you find out. I've driven Old North a few times and would be interested in biking it. The views are outstanding.
Quote from: SXSW on March 11, 2010, 03:52:26 PM
Let us know what you find out. I've driven Old North a few times and would be interested in biking it. The views are outstanding.
Start coming to the organized Weds. night ride. It would be great to have another riding partner. A couple of us are leaving from the 96th & Riverside parking lot to NSU and back at 5pm tonight if anyone wants to come along.
Quote from: Conan71 on March 11, 2010, 04:05:21 PM
Start coming to the organized Weds. night ride. It would be great to have another riding partner. A couple of us are leaving from the 96th & Riverside parking lot to NSU and back at 5pm tonight if anyone wants to come along.
The problem with being a lard-donkey like myself is that you can barely make it from the Aquarium in Jenks to Memorial on a bike, much less all the way out to NSU. :P
My problem with the trail along the new part of the Creek is constantly having to ride up and down the hills at the exits. I'm a weenie. I prefer it when the trail goes under the bridges.
Quote from: nathanm on March 11, 2010, 05:14:40 PM
The problem with being a lard-donkey like myself is that you can barely make it from the Aquarium in Jenks to Memorial on a bike
The heavily wooded hill between Yale and Sheridan right by the part that goes under the Creek.... yeah, the summer I started biking I thought I was going to friggin DIE! My heart was coming out of my mouth. By the end of summer after a few more lazy rides, I just chuckle at how that hill gave me so much crap :)
Quote from: Mike 01Hawk on March 11, 2010, 08:08:35 PM
The heavily wooded hill between Yale and Sheridan right by the part that goes under the Creek.... yeah, the summer I started biking I thought I was going to friggin DIE! My heart was coming out of my mouth. By the end of summer after a few more lazy rides, I just chuckle at how that hill gave me so much crap :)
That one is pretty bad the first time.
Google started to do street level bike rides on trails across the nation, just like they did with the highways. They mount a camera on a bike and go down a trail. I don't know how much is done, but I heard they started in California.
Quote from: nathanm on March 11, 2010, 05:14:40 PM
The problem with being a lard-donkey like myself is that you can barely make it from the Aquarium in Jenks to Memorial on a bike, much less all the way out to NSU. :P
My problem with the trail along the new part of the Creek is constantly having to ride up and down the hills at the exits. I'm a weenie. I prefer it when the trail goes under the bridges.
Crossing the road at Sheridan scares the crap out of me, at least there's a light at the rest of the crossings other than Harvard, but it's more or less a neighborhood street where you go across there.
You have to start somewhere. The guy I rode with last night is quite the inspirational story. He weighed 300 pounds when he was 30, his health was declining and had the beginnings of diabetes. He was getting ready to get on all sorts of meds for BP and other issues the obesity was causing. He bought a mountain bike instead and started riding every day after work. From there he got into road biking and today he's a competitive racer and weighs 180 now. I believe he's ridden for 5-6 years. He's also an ex-smoker.
We wound up doing hill repeats on the "three spikes of death" down below Turkey Mountain on the trail that leads down to the west bank. Made me realize how much the layoff for shoulder surgery set me back. "...gasp...call...gasp...EM...gasp...SA...gasp!" We then looped the RP trail to 11th and back to 96th. It's so nice to have the east bank open again!
Quote from: Conan71 on March 12, 2010, 03:22:39 PM
It's so nice to have the east bank open again!
Think they will ever connect the Turkey Mountain trail
south of 71st to the Jenks bridge along the east bank? I don't think that's on the long-range plan but would make for a better connection to the trails at Riverwalk Crossing and 'complete' the river loop with trails on both banks from 96th to 11th.
Another extension that is actually on the long-range plan is along Joe Creek from the river to LaFortune Park. Hopefully there are plans to connect that trail to the future I-44 trail creating a nice loop inside the city limits.
I'd like to see the RiverSide jogging trail extended farther south a few more miles.
Quote from: sauerkraut on March 19, 2010, 10:19:11 AM
I'd like to see the RiverSide jogging trail extended farther south a few more miles.
I'd figure you'd want it north about 300 miles along US 75?