lopek77

That guy was stupid, but lucky that he is still alive...

Kraków: m?ody rowerzysta cudem unikn?? ?mierci

https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/krakow/krakow-mlody-rowerzysta-cudem-uniknal-smierci/5skz6

FBinNY 

Just what we need, movie trailers in Polish.

But yes, tram tracks are legendary bike traps in cities that have them. When they were more common in NY, teaching the right way to cross (at least 45°) was a very basic part of bike education. Nowadays, NYC is fairly clear of them, but cities like Phila still have them all over, and I diubt there's a living cyclist there who doesn't know how to cross.

The rider here was especially foolish crossing tracks directly in front of a trolley. He's very lucky that momentum carried him clear.

Lesson, learn how to cross trolly and train tracks (still a major cause of crashes), and no matter how good you are, leave plenty of braking distance for a following trolly when you do cross since stuff happens.

WebFootFreak

idiot's lucky his bike wasn't crushed either

mr_bill

Boston! In San Francisco?




I'm sure someone will criticize my lane position here.



-mr. bill

mr_bill

-mr. bill

I-Like-To-Bike

I believe many former Philadelphia trolley cars ended up in SF and elsewhere around the world. I grew up riding my bike around trolley tracks in Philadelphia in the 50's and 60's, and as an adult cyclist in the 70's.

The 52 trolley pictured is a half block from the house I grew up in; the 47 trolley is a block from my grandmother's house. Used to ride often back and forth between the locations, about 9 miles each way as a youth. Had to know my way around trolley tracks or else. Used to crush pennies on the tracks of the 52 for fun.

San Rensho 

You can bunny hop one rail and then the other if you are good, but I never got the hang of it, and have the road rash scars to prove it.

howsteepisit

thats some tight quarters - Like to see someone try to door a trolley.

mr_bill

Boston still uses them.

-mr. bill

FBinNY 

Phila is still running a comprehensive network of trolleys, or as they loke to be called to day, Light rail. Anyway many major corridors still have them, and, as I said, all LIVING Phila area cyclists know (or learn fast) how to handle them.

NYC pulled up just about all the rails years ago, bet we have a similar issue with bridge expansion joints.

rumrunn6

you gotta cross tracks at a 90 degree angle

howsteepisit

45 is generally sufficient.

I-Like-To-Bike

Philadelphia still has a few trolley lines, principally the subway surface trolleys that share the Market Street Subway tunnels in Center City before branching out through West Philadelphia. I think the resurrected Rt 15 on Girard Avenue is the only other one. Take a look at this 1944 transit map of Center City for what once was; the blue lines were all surface trolleys. The first big reduction in trolley routes was in 1955-56.

FBinNY 

The Market Street surface trolley is long gone, and I don't believe there are anymore in the downtown core (between the rivers, 10 blockes either side of Market). However west of the Skuykill, there are still trolleys on a number of Avenues (note the cars in this photo). I live here in NY, so I'm not totally familiar with the network, but see the trams and tracks when riding along Lancaster Ave, and other roads in that area. For ll I know it might only be a single line with branches and I don't know if the old Germantown trolley still runs, but the tracks there were another bicyclist hazard last time I rode there.

BTW- Here in NYC, they took a shortcut simply paving over cobblestone streets with tram tacks. Not to bad a problem except that the blocks settle so the streets are wavy. However, periodically the pavement breaks up, and a cyclist can be surprised by short stretches of tracks he never knew were there. This is a common problem in parts of the Bronx and Brooklyn.

I-Like-To-Bike

The trolley lines in West Philadelphia all go underground at about 34th Street, and run parallel with the Market Street subway line underneath the Schuylkill River with several stops under Market Street, terminating at stations underneath City Hall; hence the name Subway-Surface Cars used for all the West Philadelphia trolleys.

The Germantown Ave Trolley, Rt23 ran from Chestnut Hill-South Philadelphia was replaced by buses in the 1990's but the track still has not been paved over as there has been some pressure to reinstate this line as a trolley. It was the longest line in Philadelphia and ran through all sorts of city neighborhoods on its route.

Below are some pictures of RT 23 (Germantown Ave) trolleys in action in better days. I often had to deal with its tracks back in my Philadelphia bicycling past.

BTW, no real, pretzel w/mustard eating Philadelphian ever used the word "tram" to describe the trolleys that ran in the city.

FBinNY 

I agree with all above. If you'll note I said the Market Street Surface Trolley was gone. I was simply pointing out that the trolley's are alive and well in Phila, and the tracks still there for cyclists to deal with. Thanks for the update on Germantown Ave. I last ride on it some years back and didn't know if the tracks were still there.

I only use terms like tram, and light rail to meet the demands of those who have narrow definitions of trolleys don't like "modern" transit systems described with antiquated terms. To me any light rail tracks in cities anywhere are trolley tracks regardless of what if anything runs on them.

I-Like-To-Bike

I believe "light rail" normally describes rail systems meant only for commuter passenger cars with integral engines and the tracks are not built to the same heavy duty standard required for freight cars with locomotive engines; often on their own right of ways and with off street stations; the passengers do not enter from the street.

Bicycle riders usually would not have to deal with the issue of riding in the street parallel or in between the tracks of a light rail system, while that can be an issue for in the street trolley tracks.

italktocats

old vid, nothing happened

FBinNY 

Let's not go the semantics route. All we care about as cyclists is that they're tracks in the street. Doesn't matter what they're called, or what rides on them or doesn't, if you cross them wrong you go down.

For all I care they could be for mining carts, the effect is the same.

But is was nice reminiscing about the Phila trolleys with you. I was surprised that a midwesterner, and New Yorker would end up discussing Phila's trolley tracks without a local chiming in. Maybe they're so used to them that they don't think about them anymore.

I-Like-To-Bike

If you want to learn/read about Philadelphia trolleys try the Philadelphia Transit Discussion Group at: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/..._Traction/info
You can subscribe at: philly_traction-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
These guys really know their stuff and also discuss other city systems too, but specialize on trolleys.

FBinNY 

Thanks for the links. Other than the occasional trip down memory lane, my mane interest in Phila's trolley system is avoiding being tripped up by their tracks.

Mark Stone

I cross at 48.7.

Chris516

The original purpose of this thread, reminded me, of when I lived in Duluth(Minnesota) several years ago. There was a set of railroad tracks that crossed part of a major road. I got my tire stuck in them on at least one occasion.

WebFootFreak

I do have a couple places where I cross tracks. The biggest issue for me, personally, is the horrible deformed asphalt around them. There's also a good number of trolley tracks around downtown Memphis, but I rarely ride on that side of the river (C'mon Harahan Bridge!!!)

mr_bill

We call the Green Line a trolley. It operates on many streets, especially where lots of students are. So there's always a new generation learning how to do this.

This intersection might be a masters class.

-mr. bill