On 10/18/05, Matty Lang <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> (dreaming of the day when we'll be debating the merits
> of expanding bicycle lanes to accomodate congestion on
> the paths).
Why?
We have a superb infrastructure for biking already--goes by the name
of "roads" mostly.
While I very much like the Greenway and other bike paths in the city,
if you actually want to get somewhere (which is what I think Gary
Hoover was talking about, and which is what a "Transportation" bill
should be about), the roads are perfectly adequate!
I detest bike lanes, especially the ones in downtown Minneapolis. Who
in their right mind designs a system in which cars turning left need
to look behind themselves, to the left, to ensure they do not cut off
a cyclist? I run into this (almost literally) every day.
In my experience 99% of Minneapolis motorists are fantastically
courteous to cyclists. I almost never feel any threat from simply
riding on the roads in the "vehicular" fashion. Sure, I need to drive,
er, ride defensively. But that's par for the course when using the
roadways.
The only motorists who've ever yelled at me have *all* done so when I
was riding legally, following the rules of the road. And from their
comments it is clear they think I do not belong on the road with my
bike ("Not a car!" is a pretty clear statement).
Therefore, because many drivers already have this idea that bikes
don't belong on the roads, I have to conclude that continued attempts
to segregate bicyclists from other road users is
counterproductive--especially in Minneapolis, where it has resulted in
insanities like the downtown bike lanes. Reworking existing roadways
with an eye to making them more bikable would be very productive
however.
So while I'm happy to see that there is interest in promoting cycling,
I'm not a fan at all of spending large sums of tax money to build more
bike lanes and bike paths (except as part of our park systems where
the excellent recreational bike paths we have seem to be money well
spent--just like the money well spent on soccer fields, playground
equipment, and baseball diamonds).
Bike lanes give motorists the idea that bikes aren't full users of the
roads. Bike paths even moreso. And bike paths pose a unique set of
safety hazards because they tend not to follow the normal patterns for
traffic flow. Plus, they're often crowded with roller bladers, dog
walkers, and just plain pedestrians. And they're posted with a speed
limit of 10 MPH, which is ridiculously slow for any cyclist over the
age of ten. While I'm aware that the Greenway is being used
productively as a "bike highway" the general approach of segregating
cyclists simply makes it harder for bikes to use the roads when they
need to.
One thing we could do for free is change the anti-bike clause in the
traffic code that requires bikes to stay as far to the right as
"practicable". This simply promotes the idea that bikes are
second-class road users--not to mention that it's confusing, since it
clearly is not intended for us to ride in the gutter, or so close to
parked cars that we are in danger from opening car doors. Just give us
the right to a whole lane, unequivocally. Is it possible for
Minneapolis to do this, or does state law override? I know when I've
been in San Francisco they have signs reminding everyone that cyclists
are entitled to full use of the lane. Seems like a good example to
follow. We do have some "Share the Road" signs here (which show the
car passing awfully close to the cyclist, by the way), but it's a far
cry from simply giving cyclists a full legal right to be first-class
road users.
-Michael Libby, Cleveland neighborhood, North Mpls
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