Just a reminder to those using roads with bike lanes: You are not required to use the "bike lane" if the conditions are not safe. If the right portion of the roadway is unsuitable for riding, move left, even if this means not using the "bike lane." You are not restricted to that lane; you are simply permitted to use it.
Another option would be to ask the city to plow all the way to the curb, using the Report a Problem link on the front page of the city's web site. However, it is unlikely that the far right portion of any road will ever be as clear of snow, ice, slush, salt, debris, and sundry stuff as the middle portion. When cars drive over a street, the gunk that falls off of them acts like salt, both making the melting point of the resulting mixture lower, and also making the whole mess darker in color, so absorbing more sunlight, and melting. Friction from the cars' wheels also heat up the pavement and lead to faster melting. Cars also throw snow, slush, salt, dirt, etc to the sides as they pass, and that stuff then ends up on the right of the roadway, and refreezes, or creates a pile of loose dirt/salt, which can be hazardous in and of itself. Much of the non-frozen stuff remains until spring, or a mid-winter rain storm, when rain washes it all down into the storm sewers and our lakes. Sweeping would help, but it's pretty hard to predict when the streets will be snow-covered vs. dry vs. wet, but above freezing, so the city only sweeps April/May(?)-Nov. I'm assuming the sweeping equipment is simply put away for the winter, and staff assigned other tasks, even if we have a particularly warm year. Most of us intuitively know all this, but every year someone asks, "How come the bike lanes are never clear?" So I thought I'd post that answer in advance. Robbie Webber Bike Walk Madison Steering Committee www.bikewalkmadison.org Join our group on Facebook! On Mon, Dec 13, 2010 at 10:28 AM, Schimpff, Jeff A - DNR < [email protected]> wrote: > > > Overall - Good to Poor. Passable with regular Mtb tires. > > Kendall Bike Boulevard - Pavement has hardpack over ice, with areas of > slippery loose snow. Sidewalk riding is much better, except where walk has > not been cleared at all, esp. in front of apts. @ 2506 - 2510, and a few > houses; as well as no cleared passage at a couple corners. > > SW Path has thin hardpack over mildly rough ice, some salt, over good > winter condition. > > Dayton bike lanes loose-packed and slick, but car lanes in fair-good > condition, with a few soft spots. > > > Jeff Schimpff > Madison, WI > > "Bus, Bike, Carpool to Work for Clean Air for Kids" > > "Pedestrians and cyclists are the indicator species of a healthier > community" > > > ------------------------------ > *From:* [email protected] [mailto: > [email protected]] *On Behalf Of *drakes tds.net > *Sent:* Monday, December 13, 2010 8:29 AM > *To:* Bikies > *Subject:* [Bikies] Bikeway Conditions Madison -East > > > _______________________________________________ > Bikies mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org > >
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