http://boingboing.net/2013/05/10/bike-lanes-led-to-49-increase.html
As always, the devil is in the details. A careful reader will notice the caveat of "up to a 49% increase" meaning this is the upper figure they encountered. A more meaningful one might be the average. I suspect it's much closer to the 3% average figure given for general retail sales, but without documentation it's impossible to know.
Segregated facilities for bicyclists have some inherent problems, most notably at intersections where they complicate turning movements, and in NYC in particular, they attract pedestrians, carts, trash bins, and assorted debris. In order to remain useable for bicycling, they must be swept frequently.
Motorists and traffic-averse bicyclists think these segregated facilities improve safety. Experienced cyclists prefer to avoid them.
Quote from: Ed W on May 11, 2013, 09:36:43 AM
As always, the devil is in the details. A careful reader will notice the caveat of "up to a 49% increase" meaning this is the upper figure they encountered. A more meaningful one might be the average. I suspect it's much closer to the 3% average figure given for general retail sales, but without documentation it's impossible to know.
Segregated facilities for bicyclists have some inherent problems, most notably at intersections where they complicate turning movements, and in NYC in particular, they attract pedestrians, carts, trash bins, and assorted debris. In order to remain useable for bicycling, they must be swept frequently.
Motorists and traffic-averse bicyclists think these segregated facilities improve safety. Experienced cyclists prefer to avoid them.
I prefer segregated and ride my bike all of the time.
I will tale up residence 3ft from the curb on a shared road and occupy a lane at major intersections with few problems. A designated lane generally is next to parked cars (doors), is not wide enough (if you can high five me while passing... DONT PASS), and turns ambiguous at intersections. The though this welcomed, but the execution usually lacking (afterthought).
The river trails are the gold standard. Clearly not a solution for transportation city wide... but too bad it isn't.
/have ridden 100+ miles in the last 7 days, majority on shared roads.
David, I didn't realize you are an avid rider. Glad to know we have another one here.
It's no secret I ride a lot of miles every year, I really don't have much a problem with shared roads without segregated bike lanes around Tulsa. Somewhere like Portland, Boulder, Colorado Springs, or Austin where the bike culture is better accepted with motorists, I can see the benefit. However, Tulsa's drivers are lousy enough as it is without one more line or legend on the road to confuse them. Our motorists don't even have a clue they are supposed to stop at crosswalks when there is a pedestrian present.
Richard Wharton posted this over on FaceBook:
..."I am not special. I do not require special treatment or special facilities. I require only three things: 1) a culture of respect, 2) street engineering that allows me to follow the rules of safe movement, and 3) proper enforcement of the rules.
If you are also such a bicyclist, then I want to know you. I want to help you. I want to learn from you. I want to have a beer with you
If you want to be such a bicyclist, then I want to know you. I want to help you. I want to learn from you. I want to have a beer with you
If you are a bicyclist who needs special facilities of a kind that interrupt the rules of safe movement (thereby making my life more difficult), then I'd prefer you just keep driving a car. We can still have a beer, but we'll speak of other matters."
Quote from: Conan71 on May 14, 2013, 05:14:23 PM
David, I didn't realize you are an avid rider. Glad to know we have another one here.
It's no secret I ride a lot of miles every year, I really don't have much a problem with shared roads without segregated bike lanes around Tulsa. Somewhere like Portland, Boulder, Colorado Springs, or Austin where the bike culture is better accepted with motorists, I can see the benefit. However, Tulsa's drivers are lousy enough as it is without one more line or legend on the road to confuse them. Our motorists don't even have a clue they are supposed to stop at crosswalks when there is a pedestrian present.
If I can commute via bike then I do. I work in Broken Arrow so I have to drive to work but when I'm at home I always ride my bike around, but when I start working downtown in July I'll pretty much exclusively ride my bike. I'm under the opinion we need to start that bike culture in order for people to understand it, otherwise it will never happen and we're stuck where we are.