Understanding the bicycling environment

[wheel]

Yea I live near AL,
If you can get past the speed it is really not that bad. I was cycling on the interstate and after 4 hours of objects moving at 90 miles an hour was ok as long as there was seperation.

I perfer Phoenix to alot of other places for different reasons. Every major road has two lanes or more. Which allows me to seperate from traffic. Because it is a gird I normally use bike BLVDs which don't even have sidewalks. I also hate bicycle lanes as they don't seperate traffic. I find it odd that people want a 4ft bicycle lane as opposed to 10 ft travel lane considering a 4 lane road. I will never get it.

Well they say practice makes perfect and if you never have ridden in NYC then you might need some more practice. I am saying that a rider will ride to what conditions exist in his normal routines.

[Bekologist]

wheel, you make little sense. traffic lanes alone do NOT seperate you from traffic. what about cagers in crowded, rush hour traffic, on four lane roads, riding your tail and honking at you to get out of their way? It's like al describes, cars sometimes ride his tail, BAD, even when theres another safe lane to pass.

If a mother with kids in tow didn't want to ride in those conditions, do you think its fair to the mom to not have an alternative to driving around your city, if she's not comfortable riding a bike with traffic conditions the way Al describes your metropolis?

A lane reserved exclusively for bicycles does seperate bikes from cars with preferential lanes, all the while being integrated with a regional roadway grid.

High quality, well engineered bike facilties integrated with a regional road grid, empower more bicyclists to ride, and this spills over to unaccomodated streets in a city with a roadway plan that vigorously supports biking as transportation.

Do different environments have the capacity to encourage or discourage bicycling as transportation? Emphatically, YES.

[Dchiefransom]

Brian,
but the pack makes up for the 'situational' concerns - for example it is not uncommon as we pass a line of stopped cars on the right using the BL that some of the riders will yell or even bang on car windows to get attention for potential right hookers.
Al

I wonder how those drivers in cars that are stopped will vote on cycling issues after someone has banged on the window of their car while they are stopped.

[sbhikes]

I think hard-core VC-ers who shun bike lanes out of principle would have to adjust their riding style if they came to Santa Barbara or Portland or wherever Bek rides near Seattle. You'd look silly if you didn't take advantage of the nice facilities.

[noisebeam]

I think hard-core VC-ers who shun bike lanes out of principle would have to adjust their riding style if they came to Santa Barbara or Portland or wherever Bek rides near Seattle. You'd look silly if you didn't take advantage of the nice facilities.
Why do you assume that riding in a vehicular manner means not using a facility or bike lane?

I ride in areas with well designed bike lanes. I most often ride in primary lane and if a faster vehicle in the same direction approaches I move over into the bike lane to let them pass.

I am doubt, based on our past discussion, that the bike lanes in SB are all well designed, for example you have said that bike lanes don't always end before all intersections wher there not a RTOL and that you have other ways to avoid right hooks besides riding in the primary lane.

Al

[sbhikes]

You would look silly riding outside the bike lane and only moving into it when someone came behind. Nobody does that.

[noisebeam]

You would look silly riding outside the bike lane and only moving into it when someone came behind. Nobody does that.
I do it all the time here, why is that silly? It is safe - it help ensure drivers see me, it keeps me on better pavement with no debris, it gives me room to move over in emergency situation, it keeps me out of all right hook possibilities and more...

Al

[sbhikes]

Nobody does it here. That's the point of this topic. The bicycle environment here isn't like that. Nobody rides outside the bike lane and swerves into it when somebody is coming. You'd look silly doing that here.

[noisebeam]

Nobody does it here. That's the point of this topic. The bicycle environment here isn't like that. Nobody rides outside the bike lane and swerves into it when somebody is coming. You'd look silly doing that here.
So you feel the need to do what everyone else is doing, even if unsafe?

Hardly anyone (no body I've witnessed) rides outside of bike lanes here either. But lots of people get right hooked or passed closed when riding in bike lanes - I know several ~7 who have, both commuters and club riders in the past year. I don't want this to happen to me so I don't do what everyone else does.

And if you think I look silly, then why do I have so many positive interactions with motorists when riding outside the bike lane?

Al

[Bekologist]

You would look silly riding outside the bike lane and only moving into it when someone came behind. Nobody does that.


Only the foolish, VC militants, Diane.

I rode behind one of them fellas, along a very well buffered strip of roadway here, and the amount of brake lights, close calls, and cars not getting it was incredible. He caused several near fender benders as he avoided the bike lane, for reasons known only to his VC-addled mind.....

Riding safely in a high quality bike lane until there is reason to leave the lane- (approaching major intersections that are NOT destination accomodated-velo lane to the left of right hand turn lanes- parked car in lane, etc..) is correct VC riding style along roads with high quality bike facilities integrated with the road stripes.

Now. Brian didn't want to turn this into the typical facilties debate. And I'll try not to continually reiterate the advantages of high quality bike lanes. Butt the ship of fools that are anti facilites do their communites a disservice by encouraging a roadway environment that is distinctly bike unfriendly, very autocentric.


Do different roads, different environments, predicate different riding styles? Absolutely!

[Bekologist]

Who's ridden Mackinac Island?

[joejack951]

Only the foolish, VC militants, Diane.

I rode behind one of them fellas, along a very well buffered strip of roadway here, and the amount of brake lights, close calls, and cars not getting it was incredible. He caused several near fender benders as he avoided the bike lane, for reasons known only to his VC-addled mind.....


Ah, yes, the info-mercial style testimonial about why riding outside of bike lanes is dangerous. No details, lots of exaggeration, and an insult. Yup, you nailed it :rolleyes:

[Bekologist]

joejack, I believe you don't even know what a high quality bike lane is. You know how to slam advocates of wel designed bike accomodations integrated into a regional roadway grid though.

Riding a high quality bike lane is the VC way to ride a road with a high quality bike lane. Sorry you don't understand roadway striping that works to a cyclists advatage.

Different environments predicate different riding styles, absolutely.

[joejack951]

joejack, I believe you don't even know what a high quality bike lane is. You know how to slam advocates of wel designed bike accomodations integrated into a regional roadway grid though.

Riding a high quality bike lane is the VC way to ride a road with a high quality bike lane. Sorry you don't understand roadway striping that works to a cyclists advatage.

Different environments predicate different riding styles, absolutely.

In my post, I said nothing about bike lanes or your advocacy efforts to increase bike lanes. The only slightly insulting part of my post was commenting on your post's lack of a reasonable argument.

[Bekologist]

different environments predicate different riding styles, absolutely.

riding a high quality bike lane is VC. riding VC is also not the only way people ride bikes, despite the pipe dreams floating around A&S.

Brian wondered if different environments affect riders riding styles, and I'd have to concur that they do.

[joejack951]

different environments predicate different riding styles, absolutely.

riding a high quality bike lane is VC. riding VC is also not the only way people ride bikes, despite the pipe dreams floating around A&S.

Brian wondered if different environments affect riders riding styles, and I'd have to concur that they do.

Ok, I disagree. Riding in a bike lane when there is one provided is not a cycling style. It is conforming to the US norm that cyclists should stay out of the way of faster traffic. A cyclist whose style is not built around staying out of the way of faster moving traffic and instead only moving right when reasonable to do so will not change their style due to the presence of a bike lane, whether it's "high quality" or not, just as that same rider will not ride in the outside edge of a wide outside lane simply because the pavement space is there.

[Bekologist]

as 'far right as practicable' laws puts VC, law abiding cyclists to the right side of a wide lane, and squrely in the middle of a high quality bike lane. sorry, but facilties or the lack thereof do affect riding styles.

There ARE different cycling environments, that do affect riding styles. who's ridden Mackinac Island?

[joejack951]

as 'far right as practicable' laws puts VC, law abiding cyclists to the right side of a wide lane, and squrely in the middle of a high quality bike lane. sorry, but facilties or the lack thereof do affect riding styles.

Depends on how the law is written. Many laws read like this: Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway at less than the normal speed of traffic at the time and place and under the conditions then existing shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand edge of the roadway....[other exceptions omitted for brevity]. The bolded section allows you to ride anywhere you want provided there is no faster same direction traffic, regardless of the presence of a bike lane. I can be (and often am) law abiding and riding in the left hand lane of a 45mph 4 lane road with a wide shoulder (as I make my way towards the left hand turn lane to enter my neighborhood).

[Bekologist]

yep, different environments predicate different riding styles, absolutely. Joejacks example of no same direction traffic is one bike environment that allows a rider to ride anywhere on the road they want, i guess. and if you had a lot of no traffic roads, your riding style would be colored by your environment.

when there's no traffic on rural roads, i sometimes ride on the left side of the road, just for the sheer love of it.

[noisebeam]

when there's no traffic on rural roads, i sometimes ride on the left side of the road, just for the sheer love of it.
Why do you love it?

[Bekologist]

because it is freedom from the constraints of convention, temporary liberation from traffic laws developed as roads became auto-centric.

It brings me back in time, like I am on a pennyfarthing, riding wagon trails, prior to traffic law, to paths/wagon trails/ towns without stripes of any kind, and people operating non motorized vehicles anywhere on the 'roads' they chose.

[joejack951]

yep, different environments predicate different riding styles, absolutely. Joejacks example of no same direction traffic is one bike environment that allows a rider to ride anywhere on the road they want, i guess. and if you had a lot of no traffic roads, your riding style would be colored by your environment.

I don't have lots of no traffic roads (none within 50 miles at least) but I find plenty of oppurtunities to ride further left than where a bike lane would place me and feel that I am safer in doing so.

[Bekologist]

..totally depends on the quality of the facilites, joejack. YOUR bikelanes, not lanes in cities like Bogota or Amsterdam, Vancouver, Ottowa or Seattle.

differerent environments do develop different riding styles, absolutely. Who's ridden on Mackinac Island? I don't think ANY of the roads have ANY stripes of ANY kind, last time i was there. its pastoral, beautific, and totally 19th century. you DO have to watch out for horse patties though....

[sggoodri]

My riding conditions are nothing like Al's. We don't have a single road like that in the entire south Santa Barbara county. When I do have trouble similar to Al's videos there is only one lane in each direction and often a steep hill, no shoulder and no sidewalk and lots of filthy rich people. (Yay, I start a new job on Monday so I never have to ride Ortega Hill again!)

Anyway, to be fair to Al he did post only a few snippets of horror out of many hours of uneventful riding. But still, I can't help but think those roads would be easier to deal with if they had a bike lane or if at least the right lane was wider. After a few incidents like his videos, if I couldn't find a more pleasant route, I would give it up. That looked like too much work trying to keep up with traffic and even then they weren't satisfied.

Al's video looks like most of the useful through roads where I live in Cary, NC. My bike commute down Kildaire Farm Road is on a 4-lane road with 11' outside lanes and posted speed limit of 45 mph for about two miles, 35mph for another two miles. I take the lane the whole way. I get a horn honk once every 10 commutes or so.

Riding on the sidewalk would be far more frustrating and dangerous due to all the intersection hazards. Besides, at least half of the roadway miles don't have sidewalks.

After several years of my advocating with other cyclists in favor or wider pavement on busy high-speed roads to allow safe passing of cyclists without motorists needing to change lanes, (and Cary winning Bicycle Friendly Community status from LAB) there are no plans in Cary to rip up existing curb and gutter to widen a road to provide wide outside lanes or striped bike lanes. Fortunately, I did manage to get Cary to abandon plans to officially designate the sidewalk on Kildaire Farm Road as a bikeway, and we got Cary to repeal its mandatory sidepath-use law.

The only new engineering on arterials that we can realistically expect are wider lanes on new road projects and planned road widening that adds more travel lanes to existing 2-lane roads.

Consequently, riding on ordinary roadways and demanding that the government protect my legal right to operate according the vehicular rules that maximize my safety and efficiency are the only viable way for me to meet my transportation objectives by bicycle. Convincing the public that this is not an unreasonable thing to do is the most realistic way I can think of to reduce harassment of cyclists here. I think this approach is working, as bicycle commuting seems to be increasing around town and harassment seems to be decreasing.

[genec]

Consequently, riding on ordinary roadways and demanding that the government protect my legal right to operate according the vehicular rules that maximize my safety and efficiency are the only viable way for me to meet my transportation objectives by bicycle. Convincing the public that this is not an unreasonable thing to do is the most realistic way I can think of to reduce harassment of cyclists here. I think this approach is working, as bicycle commuting seems to be increasing around town and harassment seems to be decreasing.

What specifically are you doing to convince the public?

[Bekologist]

why CAN'T you expect better than just wide lanes, Steve? I personally want bikelanes integrated with regional roadway plans that are a full travel lane width. this is a short term pipe dream. I suspect human powered transit lanes will be far, far more elaborate and far-reaching in scope than the auto-centric infrastructure seen in many communiites in the USA.

Glad to hear bicycling is increasing in Cary, BTW.

[sbhikes]

So you feel the need to do what everyone else is doing, even if unsafe?

Hardly anyone (no body I've witnessed) rides outside of bike lanes here either. But lots of people get right hooked or passed closed when riding in bike lanes - I know several ~7 who have, both commuters and club riders in the past year. I don't want this to happen to me so I don't do what everyone else does.

And if you think I look silly, then why do I have so many positive interactions with motorists when riding outside the bike lane?

Al
You wouldn't last 2 days riding the way you do here. You wouldn't just look silly but you'd feel silly. There isn't any reason to ride that way and you would figure it out pretty quickly.

[bobsut]

when there's no traffic on rural roads, i sometimes ride on the left side of the road, just for the sheer love of it. It is freedom from the constraints of convention, temporary liberation from traffic laws developed as roads became auto-centric.

It brings me back in time, like I am on a pennyfarthing, riding wagon trails, prior to traffic law, to paths/wagon trails/ towns without stripes of any kind, and people operating non motorized vehicles anywhere on the 'roads' they chose.There has been traffic law (or at least convention that was solidified into law) since there was traffic sharing the roads. At the time, that traffic consisted of pedestrians, equestrians, and animal-drawn carts and wagons.

[wheel]

wheel, you make little sense. traffic lanes alone do NOT seperate you from traffic. what about cagers in crowded, rush hour traffic, on four lane roads, riding your tail and honking at you to get out of their way? It's like al describes, cars sometimes ride his tail, BAD, even when theres another safe lane to pass.

If a mother with kids in tow didn't want to ride in those conditions, do you think its fair to the mom to not have an alternative to driving around your city, if she's not comfortable riding a bike with traffic conditions the way Al describes your metropolis?

A lane reserved exclusively for bicycles does seperate bikes from cars with preferential lanes, all the while being integrated with a regional roadway grid.

High quality, well engineered bike facilties integrated with a regional road grid, empower more bicyclists to ride, and this spills over to unaccomodated streets in a city with a roadway plan that vigorously supports biking as transportation.

Do different environments have the capacity to encourage or discourage bicycling as transportation? Emphatically, YES.
First of all in Phoenix I see 2ft bicycle lanes and 4ft bicycle lanes that are in the door zone ( They even have a sign that tells you "Bicycle lane ends use the sidewalk").
Just because there is a white line doesn't mean the motor driver will obey Arizona's 3ft law. In fact it actually makes traffic pass closer since they can use the white line as a guide.

However if I am in a single lane (middle) they either need to hit me, or pass on the center lane or other provided lane. so what they are behind me I am not doing anything wrong or provking them. Who cares what they do so as long they are not a crimimnal.

The reason I say there is seperation is because in a bike lane you are asking the driver to obey the 3 ft law and the second example I demand it and get it because the other driver will need to use both lanes if he wants to buzz me. About the only thing I see is how they try to get back into my lane. Which is alot eaiser to avoid than someone clipping you from directly behind. Yes I have been "angled" before and bounced off.

Yes Mommy deserves to ride her bike, but that comes from society's acceptance not a strip of paint.

In my experince a car will pass me faster and closer in a bike lane, yet when I am able to take a lane I get three feet almost 100 percent of the time and much slower traffic. Mostly because all the cars need to bunch up into the left lane to pass me. In my opinion Bike Lanes is sold on safety in reality it is just meant to speed traffic up and keep it flowing faster.


That help out?

[sbhikes]

Whenever caltrans puts up a "bike lane ends use sidwalk" sign the bike advocates around here call them up and give them an earful until they change the sign.

Pro-auto people just don't know how to support bikes.

[wheel]

Whenever caltrans puts up a "bike lane ends use sidwalk" sign the bike advocates around here call them up and give them an earful until they change the sign.
Our bicycle cordinator is a traffic engineer and he doesn't even ride a bicycle.

[I-Like-To-Bike]

Our bicycle cordinator is a traffic engineer and he doesn't even ride a bicycle.
I wouldn't be surprised if your airport manager isn't a pilot. So what?

[Bekologist]

Our bicycle cordinator is a traffic engineer and he doesn't even ride a bicycle.

NO WONDER Phoenix's bike facilties are soo screwy. Makes sense in the context of what Al and wheel post. Phoenix's bike cooridinator isn't a bicyclist. makes perfect sense, in the context of the substandard on-road bike facilities seen in al's posts.


Wow, you guys, maybe there's a reason your bike facilities suck- The guy that pitches bike lanes at city hall don't ride!

[wheel]

Why I hate bicycle lanes.

http://members.cox.net/bbahn/images/bl/bl.html

You might be safe in your BL, here there are just dangerous.

[Bekologist]

sounds like your bicycling enviroment is still way too autocentric, the bike coordinator isn't a bicyclist.

the biking environment in Phoenix is different than cities with vigorous, active bicyclists involved in the planning and scoping process in their cities.

this difference in environment explains different riding styles and your anti-bike facilites stance. your bike facilities sound and look like they blow. they don't look THAT bad, but your impression is skewed.

and you think considerate passing is 'separation' because a car changes lanes? what are you, dense?

I'm not in favor of seperation from the roadway anyway, I'm in favor of high quality bike facilities integrated with regional roadway grids. Make them the width of a full travel lane, like they do in some cities around the world. Providing preferential travel lanes integrated with road striping plans.

do different bicycling environments dictate different riding styles? using the examples of Phoenix versus Ottawa, Canada, as examples, it sure looks like it. Dictates numbers of cyclists in a population, where and how riders ride, etc....

[noisebeam]

I have never seen a 'bike lane ends use sidewalk' sign in mesa, tempe, chandler, phoenix, gilbert, although I believe they may exist, they are rare. I have seens many 'bike lane ends' signs however.

Al

[noisebeam]

NO WONDER Phoenix's bike facilties are soo screwy. Makes sense in the context of what Al and wheel post. Phoenix's bike cooridinator isn't a bicyclist. makes perfect sense, in the context of the substandard on-road bike facilities seen in al's posts.


Wow, you guys, maybe there's a reason your bike facilities suck- The guy that pitches bike lanes at city hall don't ride!
I don't live in Phoenix, I live in Tempe, a LAB Silver Level Bicycle Friendly (http://www.bicyclefriendlycommunity.org/) town. Santa Barbara is also silver level. But I have all the same problems with BLs as wheel points out. Our bike coordinator rides a bike.
http://www.tempe.gov/bikeprogram/



Al

[noisebeam]

the substandard on-road bike facilities seen in al's posts.

What sub-standard bike facilities have I posted and/or shown pictures of?

I posted images (http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=3177148&postcount=106), asked you to comment, but you never did on why the pictured bike lanes are or are not bad:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=3180868&postcount=129

Al

[BIG-E]

Why are you riding in the middle of the lane when there's no cars parked on the side to avoid? I'm not surprised you're getting honked at.

[wheel]

Well not that bad I am glad you think so.
Actually if your on a Bike Bvld IE very limited traffic things are great! I was showing very busy roads and the some really why is it there reasons.

Ok call me Dense, yes seperation in the valley is making them change a lane. Phiscally making them move the steering wheel is seperation here. Most cyclists ride on the sidewalk for this reason. So yea this would be an enviromental thing why most everyone rides on the sidewalk. They even ride on the sidewalks with a bike facility

Yea Al lives in a Tempe I might be moving too that city.

Here Al I 10 and Washington. Yea rare indeed

[ghettocruiser]

If Noisebeam is saying that prolonged horn blasts from behind are rare where he rides, maybe I need to do some videograpahy.

When I "take the lane" I get at least one good "get out of my way" honk per week, sometimes daily.... and the lane that I "take" is a reserved bike/bus/taxi lane that the horn-honking cars in question aren't legally supposed to be driving in. There really are that many idiots out there.

I will record and upload this if anyone would actually like to see it, as soon as it gets warm enough for the camera battery to work.

[sggoodri]

What specifically are you doing to convince the public?

Cary is sponsoring a number of roadway cycling programs, including the annual "Cary Cycling Celebration" that includes a number of on-road rides for beginners through advanced century cyclists. (I have assisted with leading some of the short beginner rides.)
http://www.townofcary.org/depts/prdept/events/bikeevent.htm

Here is my own bike route that I take beginners on at slow speeds to see historic sights in Cary:
http://sggoodri.home.mindspring.com/cycling/

Cary has signed published maps of pleasant bike routes on roadways. Many of the signed bike routes are on well-traveled roads.
http://www.townofcary.org/depts/dsdept/P&Z/bicycleplan/bicycleplanmap.htm

The town is also trying to educate cyclists about proper roadway cycling, e.g. the town produced a video "Get Ready - Go!" that you can see here: http://www.humantransport.org/bicycledriving/library/movies/movies.html

I am one of the cyclists in the video.

The town is also actively working with the police department to make sure the officers know that cyclists are allowed to operate on the roadway according to vehicular rules and to use the entire lane when the cyclist deems it appropriate. The police in turn educate motorists who have called to complain about cyclists using the roadways, or who have been reported as harassing cyclists.


Cary has recently installed "Bicycle Friendly Community" signs (designed by LAB) on all the major roads entering town. I think this sends a message, like an expectation placed on motorists.

Lastly, we have a lot of Share the Road signs, but that's an NCDOT initiative, and I'm not sure how effective it is on teaching motorists that there often won't be enough room to pass a cyclist without changing lanes, and the cyclist is doing nothing wrong in such cases.

[noisebeam]

Here Al I 10 and Washington. Yea rare indeed
Thats crazy. I know well connected cycling advocates who live in Phx who would take this up and get this added sidewalk part of the sign taken down.
Al

[noisebeam]

If Noisebeam is saying that prolonged horn blasts from behind are rare where he rides, maybe I need to do some videograpahy.

I've only ever had one honk last over 2-3s and it was this one shown that lasted 19s.
Sure I get toots and such, but nothing overly aggressive.

I get honked at too riding outside the bike lane when passing commonly used commercial driveways. (i.e. shopping center or gas station entrances)

Al

[noisebeam]

Why are you riding in the middle of the lane when there's no cars parked on the side to avoid? I'm not surprised you're getting honked at.
Do you think it would be possible to safely share this lane:

[sggoodri]

why CAN'T you expect better than just wide lanes, Steve? I personally want bikelanes integrated with regional roadway plans that are a full travel lane width. this is a short term pipe dream. I suspect human powered transit lanes will be far, far more elaborate and far-reaching in scope than the auto-centric infrastructure seen in many communiites in the USA.

Glad to hear bicycling is increasing in Cary, BTW.

In most cases I cannot even expect wide outside lanes on existing thoroughfares because the pavement width will not allow them without purchasing additional right of way and moving the curb, gutter, and in many cases sidewalk. This is cost prohibitive insofar as the money could be put to much better use for improving conditions for cycling on other routes. "Share the Road' initiatives and improving alternate routes are probably the only viable strategy for some of the existing thoroughfares.

On other thoroughfares the pavement width allows creation of 13-14' outside lanes by narrowing the inside lanes and in some cases narrowing the center turn lane or median. I have actively intervened in the middle of a couple of street repaving projects to get contractors to stop their in-progress striping of 11-12' outside lanes and to stripe 13-14' outside lanes. This required emergency calls to the city engineering department and to NCDOT.

New thoroughfares are being designed with 14' outside lanes standard.

[noisebeam]

You wouldn't last 2 days riding the way you do here.
Why, would drivers feel justified to run me over because in SB the only proper place for a cyclist is in a bike lane?

Al

[noisebeam]

New thoroughfares are being designed with 14' outside lanes standard.
Here is an example of cycling advocates working to have a new road built with a 16' outside lane with no stripe:
On the bottom right corner look for the article titled: I-17 ADOT MEETING REVIEW
http://cazbike.com/webapps/

Note this same article has comments about the City of Phoenix Bikeways Coordinator, similar to what wheel said.

Al

[genec]

Cary is sponsoring a number of roadway cycling programs, including the annual "Cary Cycling Celebration" that includes a number of on-road rides for beginners through advanced century cyclists.

I don't mean to sound like I doubt you... I am just looking for some clarification. Is the town actually sponsering this? Is this activity coming from city hall or from some advocacy group in town?

What I am wondering is if there is really an official position coming from city hall?

Portland has had exactly that... officials from city hall making speaches etc regarding cycling.

To the best of my knowledge, in San Diego there was a cycing agenda drafted many mayors ago, but full support from city hall these days is pretty sketchy, if it exists at all. A councilman did show up at an advocacy fund raiser last fall, but to be honest, it was a pretty sad event for a city of this size.

I contend that the attitude of the city and the drivers within, has a lot to do with creating a good cycling environment.

[Dchiefransom]

Why I hate bicycle lanes.

http://members.cox.net/bbahn/images/bl/bl.html

You might be safe in your BL, here there are just dangerous.

I noticed a sign in one of your pictures that said it would be a light rail route. Are they going to put light rail down the center of the street and go to one lane in each direction, or will the rail be off the street?