LittleBigMan

What is your vision for providing the best possible facilities for bicycling?

By "facilities," I mean any type of structure, plan or strategy that applies to the kind of bicycling you do. It could include a mountain path, a four-lane suburban roadway, an urban path, or a bike lane; it could include special designs or structures; it might involve training in specific skills; taxing, licensing, laws, or any other idea is valid. All serious ideas are pertinent.

By "vision," I mean a constructive view that, in your own opinion, might make things better overall.
Keep in mind that to comprise a constructive vision, your ideas must go beyond rants against those you disagree with. Your words must establish a clear and positive path to follow.

What's your vision for the future of bicycling, or maybe just for your own bicycling future?

genec

Bike hiways with on and off ramps.

I have found a local path that comes darn close and man, riding it is heaven.

I wish I could post a satellite pic, but they are not available yet. (it is that new)

Let me try to describe this... imagine an auto freeway, with on and off ramps that connect the major roads. That is just what this is... it parallels a freeway and goes under the bridges for the most part, with some marked exit ramps off to other streets. Parallel to this, are pedestrian paths that are covered with decomposed granite and are fenced with a running pole fence. The bike path is about 9 feet wide, and divided... it is so easy to just zip along at full clip. It is a bike freeway.

Now take this idea and extend it all over town so cyclists can zip back and forth across town... making longer cross town trips quite easy.

Locally a major freeway has a bridge that crosses a major valley. Is there anything like this for cyclists... no... the cyclists must decend into the mall-filled valley, cross it, and then ascend on the other side to get across. Imagine if there were a bridge for cyclists.

Parallel all the major freeways with these bike hiways, with off ramps so the cyclists can get to the surface streets.

This would eliminate many of the possible interactions between cyclists and motorists as the cyclist cross town, so the cyclist could simply zip along at a comfortable clip, without having to drive defensively at each darn intersection.

Of course with the exits, the cyclist would have access to any where in town via the surface streets.

Imagine a whole road network devoted just to cyclists... WOW!

noisebeam

My vision is balanced with reality and the infrastructure in place today.

I'd like to see the narrow outside lane (often 8-9ft wide) of high speed multilane roads widened to become a WOL (15ft) that can be shared. This is very possible on most of these streets that have very wide sidewalks often offset from the road instead.
I'd like to see speed limits around intersections reduced from 45mph to 35mph and enforced.
I'd like to see signs notifying/making aware that drivers should yield to cyclists merging left for turns.
I'd like to see no more money spend on any cycle specific infractrure for residential streets where speed limits are 35mph and below. All money should go to making the high speed arterials more cycle friendly.
I'd like to see elimination of bike lane markings (but not road width) within 100ft of all intersections, they cause far too much confusion to motorist and cyclists alike.
I'd like to see inductive (or other types ) of light signal sensors always work for bikes.

Al

LittleBigMan

I like the idea that ordinary roads are for bicyclists as well as motorists, an idea that was written into our traffic laws, but is often forgotten by motorists. I'd like to see motorists and cyclists thoroughly educated about a bicyclist's rightful place on the road. I'd like to see speed limits taken seriously, too, as it affects everyone, especially pedestrians. Aggressive driving is also something that needs to stop.

I don't mind seeing separate bicycle facilities, as long as they adhere to a high standard of usefulness and safety, and as long as they aren't accompanied by restrictions of any kind for cyclists in the law. The use of separate facilities needs to be completely optional. Facilites that are substandard or dangerous should be improved or removed altogether.

As for freeways, I don't mind being restricted from them as they serve no purpose for me. But if I had no other route, or had to go miles out of my way to avoid a limited access highway, I should have accomodations there, too.

Schools should educate children about safe bicycle operation, since they're going to ride sooner or later. It's a great way to introduce them to the rules of the road.

LittleBigMan

Never thought about that one...

Treespeed

I agree with a lot of what Noisebeam offered, though I would add more money for education and enforcement of existing laws and regulations. It's not that were legally so bad off, it's just that most people, including the police have no idea what the laws really are regarding bicycles.

markhr

enforcement of
traffic light obedience.
correct(legal) road use.
cycle light use.
helmet use for under 18's(after that it's your own problem).
removal of cycle lanes.
education for all road users on correct VC.
more secure cycle parking in town centre's - either bike lockers or specific security cameras.
tax breaks for owning/buying bicycles if this reduces your motor vehicle use - you'd need to show mileage to prove this.
reduction of school parking and vehicle acces to make cycling easier for children and mom's taxi much less convenient.
cycle programs (some sort of graded skills package) for young cyclists - if they wanted to this could lead to either full trials/freeride/instructor type stuff, i.e., kids teaching kids rather than Mr Boring from the XXX department at school.
pool bikes for junior schools (12 and under) - as kids grow up they get hand me down bikes from the otherr grades. The parents who purchased the originals either donating or selling to the school as their kids grow out of the bikes.
school visits from cycling legends - geg lemond, ned overend, john tomac, etc to show what's possible and spread the lurve. Each guy visiting 2 schools each year in different areas. Some schools will get missed initially but there should be enough current pro's, retired pro's and old pro's to go around.
legislation passed forcing companies to actively encourage their employees to not drive to work. This could be combined with the subsidised bike purchase and tax/insurance reduction for limited/no car use.

there's more but the ol' brains fried - it's kind of late in the UK.

slvoid

I want fully enclosed bike highways connecting the suburbs to the city with artificially generated winds at each end.
It'll be fun to tuck in and be pushing 40mph down the tube with a 20mph tailwind and a bunch of roadies.

LittleBigMan

I don't see why, with all the billions spent on freeways, we can't at least have access to the same corridor, just like genec said. When I first started mapping my routes, the first thing I discovered was the way the freeways cut across all other surface streets like a giant medieval moat. They cut every route off, forcing you to find a bridge over (or under) the freeway. No choice. So why not at least give cyclists access to this comprehensive, exclusionary design? It might be expensive, but I'd try it if they built it and maintained it.

Markhr from the UK, you've got some cool ideas (you're right, Mr. Boring is a bad idea )

Treespeed, good points about the lack of knowlege of existing laws. I find motorists don't even sometimes know how to operate their own vehicles legally, much less how cyclists should operate.

Blackberry

My vision would be that cycling not be considered an activity of visionaries, dreamers and oddballs but a mainstream way of getting from here to there. Even in my relatively bike-friendly university town, there are plenty of traffic jams. And it's often difficult to find a parking place, but you can always find a nearby bike rack with an empty space.

AndrewP

Wider curb lanes on the main city streets with the storm drain holes removed from the edge of the lane, and no potholes.
Cameras on traffic lights to fine drivers running the red lights.
No on-street parking in the city core
No parking or stopping on the streets within 300 yds of a school.
If bike paths are constructed they must have under/overpasses to eliminate intersection with regular roads.
Special cars on the Metro/subway/underground for bikes, wheel chairs and baby carriages, with no restrictions on use in rush hour.

Rowan

Cyclist education, cyclist education and... oh, cyclist education.

Until that happens, progress won't be made in retaining new participants and establishing a respect place in the community.

I will add that the tax breaks offered to other road users should also be offered in some form to cyclists.

LittleBigMan

Since cyclists cause less, if any, damage to the road surface, people should be given those tax breaks for riding a bike instead of driving.

markhr

you're too kind - now if we could just get crapitol hill/sh*tehall to agree and implement we'd be on a winner.

LittleBigMan

<sigh> Yes, back to reality...

2manybikes

Secure convenient bike storage at work, and showers etc. to encourage cycling to work. Tax breaks are given to companies for this in the UK.

Also they have a "Congestion Charge" if you bring a car into the center of London at peak times, to discourage driving in the city.

suntreader

Safe bike lanes and secure storage would do it for me.

noisebeam

I really don't think cycling is or perceived as an oddball transport method in many parts of the US (especially university towns) and in even many more parts of the world, where it is often a dominant form of transport

Al

noisebeam

Totally agree on WOLs
There are issues with no on street parking in city cores - it can have the side effect of reducing pedestrian and quick stop traffic to businesses. In downtown Tempe, AZ there was for many years no on street parking - instead parking at slightly remote lots and garages. It was perceived as reducing the 'walking city' and 'drop in shopping' business, so one lane was removed and turned into on street parking, with meters so long term parking is discouraged. Yes, there is a BL and it is in the door zone now. The problem was putting a BL in at all on this relatively slow road - it isn't needed. There was quite a bit of opposition to adding on street parking, and frankly I haven't followed the after effects, but when I cycle thru on occasion (in the main lane not the BL to avoid door zone) it does give the feel of a more shopping/city center friendly area. Adding the on street parking also has a traffic calming effect.

Al

noisebeam

I think this is very important, especially in the climate here in AZ. No one in their right mind would ride to work more than 1-2 miles in the summer here unless there is a real shower available at work. If all other infrastructure/enforcement/education was in place people would still not ride to work without a shower option.

Al

I-Like-To-Bike

No oddballs here - Gouda, NL. The rest of the country is the same - normal people doing normal thing, quite often by bicycle. Including teenage/20-something couples coming into town on a single bike, for a night on the town.

Blackberry

Well, I've read on the commuter board things like, "My workplace has over 300 people, and I'm the only one who commutes by bike."

I-Like-To-Bike

And...?

Blackberry

And when annecdotal evidence as well as survey show that fewer than one percent (of Americans) use their bicycles for actual transportation, than it may be reasonable to think that many consider using a bike for commuting or transportation to be a bit on the weird side. I know I get some strange looks from my cager co-workers, as I think many others do. I would bet that to lot of Americans, a bike is viewed as a toy.

noisebeam

Some US cities have 3-4% of cycle commuters. Add recreational to that and the percentage of folks who cycle become much higher.
I think that is your perception that commuters are oddballs, not theirs, perhaps even a perception you enjoy. How do you know what weird looks mean or even that they are weird looks?
Everyone I have encountered at work, business contacts, friends, who know I cycle to work give positive feedback about it (like, 'wow, i should try that', or 'thats great')

Al