Reminder: BicycleDriving group exists

[Serge Issakov]

Most bicycle driving discussion has shifted to social media over the last few years, for better and worse, but this is a reminder that this group still exists. 

Any bicycle driving news from your area?

SAN DIEGO

Like in many other areas, there has been considerable development of separated bikeways (aka, “protected bike lanes”, cycle tracks, cycle traps, Class IV bikeways) in San Diego in the last few years, and we’ve seen a spike in solo crashes as a result.  I’ve actually kept a log of crashes I’ve heard about on a one mile stretch of coast highway 101 in Cardiff, Encinitas. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1X75Z_txehqEU5lnF1qnd6WcJUmweKlOsgIZg-Rc6AyU/edit

33 crashes, including one fatality, in a stretch where crashes used to be unheard of. 

We’ve also had a few right hooks for which we argue the “protection” played a key contributing role, but cannot prove. 

The cycling community is split. While skepticism about the safety of this infrastructure is growing, the trapvocates continue to dominate. 

My own opinion is that they’re not necessarily bad, they’re designed correctly, but that can be difficult and/or expensive. 

Where are you and what’s going on there?

Serge

[Jim Baross]

I plan to forward this to the Calif. Bicycle Drivers mtg tonight via Zoom. The subject tonight includes bikeways, especially separated ones, Class IV in Calif.

Ask and I'll provide the Zoom link to Californian Bicycle Drivers.

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[Kristine Schindler]

Jim, Serge, and all -

I am currently in Fort Collins, CO for the National Safe Routes to School Conference and am loving what I am seeing as far as bike + ped infrastructure.  And so many classic bikes (vast majority with only a few ebikes seen) on Colorado State University campus just across the street from my hotel.  Have not yet seen a bollard.  Instead lots of bike lanes, many with buffers, and fantastic Class 1 pathways.  Impressed and I have only been here half a day and only went on walkabout for late lunch/dinner, to check out part of the campus, and take in sunset.

The conference includes mobile tours, so I will have a chance to see more in the coming days.  I think I will continue to be impressed with their simple and straightforward bikeways.

Jim, sorry I am missing the San Diego Bicycling Driving call tonight.  Other things to do.  Please send the recording if you do record the Zoom and I can catch up later.

Thanks all,

Kristine

Encinitas, CA

 League Cycling Instructor and more...

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[Robert van der Plas]

I miss John Forrester!
My take on the issue is that bicycling infrastructure is mainly built where it is NOT needed, and most make cycling MORE cumbersome and/or dangerous.
Pointing at the Netherlands, and concluding many bikeways = many cyclists is fallacious. There the many cyclists were first, and the special infrastructure was built in response, mainly to push those pesky cyclists off the road. What they did build, though, has generally been far superior to anything I've seen this side of the Atlantic...

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[Patricia Kovacs]

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: Patricia Kovacs <pko...@att.net>

To: Serge Issakov <serge....@gmail.com>

Sent: Tuesday, October 22, 2024 at 01:37:58 AM EDT

Subject: Re: [BicycleDriving] Reminder: BicycleDriving group exists

I live in Columbus, Ohio. We had our first 2-way separated by parked cars on the right side of a 1-way road built in 2015. The crashes increased significantly the first 2 years, but now we have less. 52 crashes in 8 years - mostly drive outs and mostly wrong way cyclists.

That hasn't deterred the city from building more. We recently had an old 1-way bike lane on another 1-way street updated to add curb and flex post separation. This was just done last year and no reported bike crashes through August. I think being 1-way and not parking lane separated is less hazardous.

In the last week, new bike lanes were added to our main east/west road through downtown (east side only). They removed on-street parking, paved the parking lanes and painted a 7' bike lane with 3' buffer on both sides of the 2-way street. There are still 2 travel lanes in each direction plus a center turn lane. It's wonderful, except they didn't dash the buffer on the approaches to intersections to encourage merging into the bike lane before turning. But they won't. Why? Because they will be adding armadillos and flex posts. I tried submitting a 311 and writing to city staff to suggest we keep the bike lane as is through the spring so staff can see how easy and economical it is to sweep and plow and cyclists can appreciate a well-designed buffered bike lane. Sent them Keri Caffrey's article on the benefits of buffers over raised elements. Nope, they told me this is an FHWA funded project which required separation :-( 

I would use it to ride to the bike shop where I volunteer but not if it's separated. There is another low traffic street I use but it will be updated with another 2-way separated by armadillos and flex posts bike lane on a 2-way street. Our first 2-way bike lane has lots of right crosses (a new crash type affecting wrong way cyclists). The new one on a 2-way street will have another new crash type - the left hook.

I try to encourage other cyclists on social media to support traditional or buffered bike lanes, but they all clamor for separation. It's very frustrating. I share my accumulating list of bike crashes on our first separated bike lane, but crash data doesn't matter. We MUST have separation.

I attached a photo I took today of our ephemeral buffered bike lane. That intersection is skewed, thus the early stop bar. Note also the turning vehicles sign with the bicycle icon that FHWA decided NOT to add to the MUTCD. Grrr.  Despite our drought in Ohio, aren't our sugar maples beautiful?

Tricia Kovacs

[F Lehnerz]

Hi Kristine, 

I actually moved to Fort Collins last year, and hope you’re enjoying the city especially in the peak of fall and with favorable weather! 

Yup. This city likes to keep things fairly simple- part of it has to do with the snow and some of it has to do with TABOR which keeps governments in the state accountable. Aside from multi-use paths, the grid layout makes it a breeze to avoid the main roads if desired. Many of the designated bike routes have decided bike and ped crossings making crossing the busy roads easy and safe. 

The drivers tend to be great too- far better than other Colorado cities such as Denver and Boulder which both have plenty of hazards cycling infrastructure as well. A lot of motorists on the narrow roads, including outside the city tend wait until it’s safe to pass and give full lane changes. In Colorado, it’s legal to cross double yellow lines to pass bicyclists if safe. Police also take reports of aggressive motorists seriously including accepting dash/bike cam footage for evidence. Most of the traffic lights have video sensors so bicyclists seldom have issues getting detected. Roads are in good condition here which isn’t the case in many other Colorado cities. 

Fort Collins also is in the process of installing automated speed cameras that send tickets to motorists who drive over the posted speed limit and most of the major intersections have red light cameras. Drivers are also ultra respectful to pedestrians. They tend to stop behind the limit line not blocking the crosswalk and most actually stop when making a right turn on red. 

If you’re looking for “protected”/separated bikeways on the road, there’s an ultra-short one (not even a block long) in on Laurel between Mason (that’s the train tracks and the MAX BRT line) and Howell. Laurel is the east west street just outside the northern boundary of Campus. Then there’s one on Mulberry that starts at City Park and goes West. The city also just finished what is a wide sidewalk with a “bicycle lane” on Laporte on the northern end of City Park. Currently under construction is a short segment, which I think will cause issues for bicycles just West of College and Drake due to right hook conflicts and the bus stop but we’ll see. The city also just got a grant to convert part of Centre Ave which will get bollards. There are hardly any conflicts on that stretch so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. If you want to see ones that have all the problems many of the San Diego ones have then check out Denver which used to be a pleasure to ride but has become an absolute hellscape between the poorly designed bikeways, the third world roads, and the plague of imbecilic motorists. 

Roundabouts and traffic circles aren’t terribly common here but one interesting example is Horsetooth and Ziegler. That one gives bicyclists the option to “exit” prior to the roundabout and hop onto the sidewalk. It’s a good alternative to those who aren’t comfortable entering the roundabout. 

Colorado has an Idaho Stop type law that went to effect July 2023. Stop signs can be treated as yield for bicyclists and red lights as stop signs! Anecdotally I’ve seen some close calls with bicyclists going when they probably shouldn’t have but as far as I know there hasn’t been a single crash in the city since the law went to effect that can be attributed to a bicyclist going when they should have. 

If you want to see the worst of regular bike lanes, that’s on Horsetooth east of JFK. It’s a substandard width bike lane with part of its width in the gutter. Probably the best of bike lanes on a major road is Harmony east of Timberline. It’s ultra ultra wide similar to the one on the uphill direction of the Torrey Pines climb. 

Bicyclist scofflaw central is probably both campus and Elizabeth Street. All anecdotal of course but I regularly dodge wrong way cyclists riding without lights on that road for some reason. E-bikes are around but ever since they banned their use on the trails in the foothills which are often shared with hikers, runners, and equestrians, they’ve ceased to be a problem. I regularly see people using e-bikes on the trails along the river and railroad tracks but their operators are  beyond respectful of other users. That’s not the case in Boulder and Longmont where my cycling friends regularly complain about them. 

Sharrow use is light here but one way they use them is when a road narrows to the point where a bicycle lane won’t fit. They usually install a sign that indicates the bicycle lane will end followed by a BMUFL sign and sharrows on the narrow part. 

Fort Collins isn’t without its downsides, notably some roads with narrow door zone bike lanes (Colorado specifically leaves out doorings from official crash statistics so “on paper” they don’t exist) and the bicycling ban on College Ave. which advocates here seem to have no interest in repealing. 

But it’s still a gem of a city with plenty to offer for bicyclists, pedestrians, and anybody interested in a car-free or car-light lifestyle. 

If you get the chance to escape out of town, a bike ride to Howling Cow Cafe in Bellvue which is the home to Noosa Yogurt, is a fun ride that can be started along the Poudre river trail and ends on quiet rural roads. The cafe is also a large supporter of bicycling in the region. The fall foliage along the Pourde is also at its peak right now. 

The Spring Creek trail is also immediately south of campus on the south side of Prospect Ave and is also in full fall glory. 

If you like hiking, there’s a trailhead at Prospect and Banyon which eventually goes up to the giant A painted on the foothills. People regularly lock their bikes to the gate and then hike up. Up there is a great view of the city and Horsetooth reservoir. 

Again, enjoy your time here and I hope you can return with some valuable insights to help improve bicycling and walking in the San Diego area. 

Frank 

Sent from my iPhone

On Oct 21, 2024, at 20:21, Kristine Schindler <Kristines...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Patricia Kovacs]

Frank,

Your explanation of the courtesy of Fort Collins motorists gets to the heart of the matter. Motorists in Ohio are not very courteous. Plus we had 11% of our bike/car crashes being rear-ends and 18% in Columbus in 2023. Our legislature outlawed ticketing due to red light and speed cameras unless a police officer is present. Our police officers do not do much traffic enforcement due to lack of staff. This is probably why our cyclists feel the need for "protection". I once thought motorists education would make our roads safer. A pipe dream.

I think I need to move to For Collins :-)

I recall riding in Tucson many years ago and seeing similar types of bike routes on low traffic streets and extra polite motorists. Does anyone know if that's still the case?

Tricia

https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/bicycledriving/09418A83-845F-4CF1-8F6E-A88C30B36888%40gmail.com

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