harshbarj

Just thought I'd post about how I feel advocacy can go too far, to the point those pushing their goal can be blind to the truth. I Live in Omaha, Ne and we have several bicycle advocacy groups. Now I commend their efforts, especially give the city itself seems not to want to embrace bike riding. But I feel they are blind to the truth of the matter (especially omaha bikes, Mode shift Omaha seems to be more realistic). They talk about all the improvements and how much better they have made the city. I have been a car free person all my life, and a 365 day a year bicycle rider for 7 years, yet can say things today are no different from before the push for change. The only real change was the addition of a few token painted bicycle lanes that really don't go anywhere (and I take the same line that Michael Colville-Andersen takes, that bike lanes are nothing but useless paint on the street).

So In the end advocacy is a good thing, but one must be realistic and honest about their achievements. Thinking you have accomplished something when in fact no real change has happened in my opinion makes it harder to get real change that matters.

FBinNY 

It sounds like your saying the local advocates don't go far enough and are willing to accept half measures, rather than going too far.

harshbarj

Even our mayor is guilty as she eliminated the pedestrian and bicycle coordinator position 2-3 weeks ago, stating The “goals have been reached”. What goals? I was unaware that we had cycle tracks through most of the city, that people were cycling all over year round. That riding a bicycle was now as safe as we could make it. So sad really.

mikeybikes

This.

I didn't read anything about the advocacy groups going too far.

Should this thread be, "When Advocacy doesn't go far enough"?

FBinNY 

Obviously, your goals and the mayor's aren't aligned. It's very possible that her goals (whatever they might have been) were met. Or simply that she felt the position wasn't productive and not worth the expense of maintaining it. It's also possible that the position was funded by a grant that ran out, and she wasn't willing to pick up the tab.

There are many legitimate reasons to eliminate this kind of position, and politicians don't like to say anything negative, so they say stuff like "the goal was met" or "it was duplicating work being done in other departments".

unterhausen

the image that was posted in here only belongs in the P&R forum. P&R discussions are not allowed outside of that forum. Please keep this in mind when drafting future posts

howsteepisit

Or maybe the claims of the advocates and of the mayor are far beyond the reality. That seems common for the politico crowd.

billyymc

What was your contribution?

spare_wheel

WTF?

Mikael Colville-Andersen has no problem with bike lanes when used appropriately and there are plenty of bike lanes in denmark (esp outside of cph). This belief that bike lanes are worthless infrastructure is unique to the extremists in the usa. Ironically, many members of this cycle track mafia would defecate a brick at the lack of physical "protection" on many of denmark's most heavily used cycletracks. Even worse these cycletracks turn into "mere paint on the road" bike lanes near intersections!!!!1!! Oh the horror!

Mark Stone

Hi Harshbarj,

What you describe in Omaha may be a blessing in disguise. Having ridden/commuted in a couple of heavily bicycling conscious areas (Denver/Boulder and Tucson) and in my current city, which is completely ambivalent towards cyclists (El Paso), I much prefer El Paso. It is much more peaceful and safe riding here.

I'm not sure what the reason is, but I have theories. One is that since there is not a big pro-bike movement here, there is not the opposite anti-bike sentiment. When I'm out on the streets on the Black Knight people seem to look at me as an oddity, rather than a threat. Rarely, especially compared to Denver, is there animosity or dangerous, aggressive behavior by cagers. I think it's just because bicycling is not a political hotbed here as it is in some places.

So you may be in more of an idyllic situation than you think. I can't say that for sure, having never been to Omaha, but it's a consideration.

harshbarj

In places where bicycles and cars mix, the speeds are low. The higher the speeds the more extreme the separation. On a lot of them, the protection is a slight curb, which works fine.

In an urban environment bike lanes are in fact useless. I follow 3 dutch youtubers and all call bike lanes 'useless paint on the road'.

spare_wheel

a slight curb is not the kind of protection north 'murrican cycletrackistas want. they like their protected bike lanes to resemble their cars: big, ugly, and dangerous to road users. i can't find the quotenow but mikael colville andersen has been known to mock the tendency of north 'murricans to separate bike paths use concrete blocks, flower pots or bollards.

bluegoatwoods

I live near a mid-sized American city. Roughly comparable to Omaha. And bicycling is just not on anyone's radar here. There are so few of us that it just doesn't matter.

And it's pretty peaceful. Outright hostility from autos is quite rare. Negligence is more common. Yet it's not too hard to avoid the worst places.

As far as I know there's no one trying to get 'those darned bicycles' off of our streets and there's no one clamoring for bike lanes or other bike infrastructure.

I don't know if my situation is 'idyllic'. It's kinda lonesome. I wish there were more bicyclists out there with me.

But it's not a war between the bikes and the cars, either. And there's something to be said for that.