Living Car Free - Bicycling heaven

Describe your idea of a cyclist's paradise.

It's the one with out Lactic Acid.

A cyclist's paradise would be a small town, where everybody knows everybody else and all the shops are small family owned businesses. All the roads would be wide and with clean paved shoulders. All roads should interconnect and there shall be no dead ends. The whole town should be built on a rolling hills area.

To the left of town, a great valley flat as a pancake, 200mi big, with a few neighboring cities. Wide roads with clean shoulders for intercity traveling. Distances no smaller than 20mi between cities. The cities should also have wide roads with clean shoulders and bike lanes through their downtowns. There should be an abundance of bike rack equipped coffee shops selling bagels and gatorade.

To the right of town, a great mountain range, with peaks up to 4k feet high and steep hills of all grades. Again, wide lanes and clean paved shoulders on all mountain roads. A few taverns in the mountains, selling food, gatorade and beer.

Mild climate; never (or hardly ever, anyway)over about 80-82F, below freezing during the last two weeks of Dec. only.

Drivers like they used to be in the early '70's...around here, anyway, they were mostly polite, and SHARED THE ROAD! Every business has to invest in a bike rack, one spot per 100 sq ft of commercial space. Public caning of bike thieves.

Free air at gas stations again. Employers supporting parents who escorted their cycling children to school and back home again. Every car built equipped to take a bike rack, not just the strap-on types, either.

That's all I can think of right now; btw, I'm not skeered of lactic acid....

Some cities in The Netherlands I believe close off entire areas of the city to cars and only allow bicycles and pedestrians. That sounds pretty good.

Cycling thru a well forested national park before tourist season with sunshine and 70 degree temperatures.

I will vote for free air! What a PITA to have to pay for air...only to find it doesn't work:notamused:

I like RubenX's description:thumb: I would also like brew pubs and hostels for touring:love:

Aaron:)

The streets will occasionally have car lanes on the far right filled with trash and debris and have to dodge poorly maintained gutters.

Edit: I will not know what flat means anymore.

Cycling paradise =
1.) Tailwind, always.
2.) Tires that never flat/puncture.
3.) Bikes that are 5 pounds, and yet don't flex under your power and weight, and are completely safe to ride.
4.) Cars get the shoulder, bikes get the lanes.
5.) Drivetrains that are completely silent.
6.) Smooth tarmac roads with no debris and potholes.

OK, back with more....

Wilderness areas open to mt. bikes.

Elevated bike lanes over the center of divided highways.

No sales tax on bike parts.

ALL mass transit provides free bike carry-on, the sole exception being airlines...but no surcharge for your bike as luggage.

Every driver to holler foulness at a cyclist receives an automatic 30-day license suspension, with increasing severity for further offenses.

1. No cars at all, except for public services such as police, delivery of goods, etc.
2. Clean roads all the time, with limited potholes because cars rarely drive on them
3. Everything is compact, yet "big-city," so that there is a lot to do, yet you're a mile from the grocery store.
4. Bike shops as frequently as car lots and repair shops
5. Bike racks equal to the number of parking spaces
6. Police that actually care if your bike is stolen
7. Perfect weather year round. In fact, every day gets closer and closer to perfect with no decline.
8. Plenty of physically fit and attractive women to ride when you're off your bike

My version of bike heaven includes but is not limited to the following:

Well-maintained roads, whether paved or loose surface
Hard packed gravel trails (as opposed to a thick layer of loose pea gravel)
Motorists who treat cyclists with respect
Well-made yet affordable bikes and equipment
Bike repair service, spare tires and tubes and the like easily available in most communities
Bike racks
Cyclists of all ages who ride sensibly and obey traffic regulations
A sense of camaraderie among all who ride — roadies, mountain bikers, recumbent riders, utility cyclists and others
Motorists who ask out of curiosity how they can start cycling

Well if it's heaven I might as well go all the way.

1. No cars except for emergency vehicles/mass transit.
2. Everything else will either go by bicycle or animal power
3. Smooth roads
4. No need for bike locks because no one will steal bikes (heaven right)
5. Mass transit that can get you all over the country fast, affordably, and make it easy to take your bike along.
6. Riding through Grand Canyon national park and not hearing a single car just the hum of bike tires on the road.

Mackinac Island...

Mackinac Island...

The island does offer just about everything mentioned on this thread: scenery, pleasant climate, choice of flat roads or big hills, good restaurants, pubs and lodging.

Oh....NO CARS!!!

I'll add:
- a three-day work week.
- half the city streets zoned as "no cars allowed".
- a city infrastructure that cleared snow and de-iced popular bicycle routes.
- secure bike racks mandatory for businesses.
- workplaces mandated to have sufficient facilities for bikers and walkers to freshen up after their commute.

I'll add:
- a three-day work week.
- half the city streets zoned as "no cars allowed".
- a city infrastructure that cleared snow and de-iced popular bicycle routes.
- secure bike racks mandatory for businesses.
- workplaces mandated to have sufficient facilities for bikers and walkers to freshen up after their commute.

The weird thing is, all of your ideas are actually possible. If people wanted these things badly enough, they could happen. Businesses go to great expense to provide huge parking lots for cars and de-ice them. Then they fail to install racks for cyclists or clear the ice off sidewalks for pedestrians.

And I don't know about a 3-day work week, but I manage to work only 4 days a week because I don't have automobile expenses.

My ideal would be like the MUP that runs up and down Scottsdale, AZ, only double-wide on each side. It runs by golf courses and lakes that were designed to help with monsoon flood control. Very well-designed. Sadly, I could not find any pictures from the internet to post.

Even more sad is that the vast majority of the people who live there drive big gas-guzzling vehicles, and have never heard of "the trail" that goes for 26 miles. Many of those miles are intersection/stop-free. I usually only have to stop and cross about every 3 miles. Most of the routes take you under or over traffic. One point even gets you right over a flood zone that cars can't cross for several days during the monsoon season.

What blows me away is that so many people are willing to pay big prices for Scottsdale real estate because "it's worth more," without realizing the true amenity that exists there. :(

It would be arranged like an MC Escher painting: Everywhere I needed to go would be at the bottom of the hill.

More realistically, widen all the roads and add bike lanes (the same size as car lanes, maintained the same way), widen the MUPs, plow the MUPs during the winter, and teach kids the rules of the road for cyclists.

My version of a cyclists paradise:

Climate- Moderate. It's never hot or cold here, always just right, yet it still has four seasons.

Low population- no more than 20,000-30,000 people in the entire area. That way there's plenty of room for everyone.

Very Scenic- Long, thin island set on a large body of water, like an ocean, so you can watch both the sunrise and sunset over the ocean; the farthest you can get from the beach is just 3 miles; many scenic back roads seemingly designed just for cyclists that go along the shore with wide, paved shoulders and just two lanes for cars; no cities, just small quaint villages set on sandy beaches and high white cliffs by the water and forests inland; Choice of flat or hilly bike routes, with the gorgeous scenery of the water/beach/boats/forest along every road; island is small east-west for best chance to watch sunrise/sunset from bicycle, but long north/south, perhaps 80-90 miles long, that way you don't just keep peddling past the same roads. In the distance, there are lighthouses on the coast and many types of boats on the water.

Edit:
Not only will it be a wonderful place to bicycle, but there's plenty to do also. It would be an artist's colony, with art galleries and music concerts. There would be excellent theater here too. Because of the good climate, local wineries make excellent wine. There would also be several large parks (state/national?) with excellent options for both road and mountain biking.

The people of this island aren't lazy. This low population island has many athletic events also, such as a century bike ride, bicycle touring, many local runs- 5k/10k/half marathon/marathon/ultra marathon, and many other multi-sport events-a triathlon, fishing, boating, skiing (cross-country), etc...

Mackinac Island...

You beat me to it!


The island does offer just about everything mentioned on this thread: scenery, pleasant climate, choice of flat roads or big hills, good restaurants, pubs and lodging.

Oh....NO CARS!!!

Pleasant climate? Ok, I'll give ya that one, but only for 7 Months of the year if you are lucky...
Then again, when the climate is unpleasant you can ride across the lake to avoid the ferry fee's, bonus right?

+1 on the no cars advantage! :thumb:

Seriously for those of you who don't know about this magic place. Cars are not allowed on the island with exception only made for emergency vehicles. How's that for a city ordinance? In exchange though, you've got to look out for road apples...:eek:

Pleasant climate? Ok, I'll give ya that one, but only for 7 Months of the year if you are lucky...
Then again, when the climate is unpleasant you can ride across the lake to avoid the ferry fee's, bonus right?

Yeah--I'd love to ride across the Straits from St. Ignace to the island, following the path of Christmas trees they put on the ice so they won't get lost in the snow.

That reminds me of one of my candidates for bicycling heaven. I love riding on a lake or river that's frozen over in the winter, ideally with nice smooth ice and just a little snow for better traction. We do this kind of riding every winter when the lakes freeze. It's so eerie to ride right on the water, where only boats can go in the summer. Sometimes the ice is so clear that you can see the lake bottom underneath you.

It's pretty easy riding, since I use a mountain bike with studded tires. I go around and talk to the ice fishermen--they seem to get a kick out of the crazy old guy on a bike. Sometimes I'll stop and watch a hockey game.

But mostly I like to get away from people and noise. The lake is so quiet, with the only sounds being the windblown snow whishing on the ice, and the weird whooping noises that the ice makes as it bends and contracts. And of course there's the rice-krispy noise of the tire studs digging into the ice.

One time I saw a bobcat out on the ice. When he saw me, he turned and sprinted back to shore, skidding on the ice like a big house cat sliding on a waxed floor.

the main thing i would want in the 'ideal world' ... is at the age of 14 .. you get a lisc .. but that lisc is for you to be able to operate a bike on a public road ... (people under the age of 14 should be acc by an adult, either pulling them, or on a bike next to them) ...

the only way you get a lisc to drive anything with a motor is if the job requires it, but there would be seperate lanes just for them, and they would not be allowed into most of the areas ... (think alleyways and tunnels for the motorized junk to make deliveries and haul off trash) ...

the rest of the world would mould it's self around bikes being the main form of transportation ...

community gardens, for most of your produce ... just smaller grocery stores for the extra stuff, think more of a 5 and dime store or a general store ...

of course, instead of service stations, it would be bike repair shops and rest areas ...

My cycling heaven:
1. real bike paths that go somewhere
2. bike racks at every store, office, park, etc.
3. free air at the gas stations, coffee houses, etc.
4. No cars or trucks
5. people who are nice to their fellow cyclists and neighbor
6. roads that heat up in the winter
7. no flats



Gas, .69 cents the price of a can of beans:)

Lots of automotive traffic.

Everyone drives exactly 23.5 mph. Severe penalties for going slower or faster.

All cars are electric or propane powered. Braking ability is limited to avoid sudden stops.

All vehicles are deliberately designed to not be aerodynamic. However, all surfaces more than two feet off the ground must be completely transparent.

A vehicle code that reads: Any car truck that is being followed by a cyclist may not turn or stop until such time as the cyclist signals a turn or reaches his or her destination. In the event that the cyclist signals a turn, the car or truck must turn in the direction the cyclist has signaled.

You did say heaven, didn't you.

Yeah--I'd love to ride across the Straits from St. Ignace to the island, following the path of Christmas trees they put on the ice so they won't get lost in the snow.

That would be pretty neat, would you be considered car free or snowmobile free if you did that? :D

I've sometimes described my part of the world as the last stop before heaven. Seems like others would agree.

My cycling heaven:
1. real bike paths that go somewhere — We have those here. We also have bike-friendly roads.
2. bike racks at every store, office, park, etc. — Not yet, but it's getting a lot better.
3. free air at the gas stations, coffee houses, etc. — Air is free as gas stations. If you ask nicely, I'll lend you my pump.
4. No cars or trucks — Not yet.
5. people who are nice to their fellow cyclists and neighbor — That describes most of the people here.
6. roads that heat up in the winter — No, the roads here heat up in summer.
7. no flats — Haven't figured how to solve that problem yet.

I've sometimes described my part of the world as the last stop before heaven. Seems like others would agree.

6. roads that heat up in the winter — No, the roads here heat up in summer.


:lol:

Sounds like the perfect climate here in Michigan--never too cold in the summer or too hot in the winter.

I did a bike tour last year on the UP, and that Summer tour was the coldest June I've ever experienced. :eek: Man, that wind off Lake Superior is COLD!

It's called Portland, OR and it is indeed heavenly. Just got back from a week's stay there, bikes lanes galore, bike racks everywhere, tons of bike shops, EVERYONe has a bike. There are cars too, but you can exist pretty easily car free from what I could gather.

I've sometimes described my part of the world as the last stop before heaven. Seems like others would agree.

7. no flats — Haven't figured how to solve that problem yet.


http://www.nu-teck.com/

See: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?p=7141780#post7141780 for commenting.


I did a bike tour last year on the UP, and that Summer tour was the coldest June I've ever experienced. :eek: Man, that wind off Lake Superior is COLD!

I knew there was a reason I had more pants then shorts... My favorite pair are the ones I found last winter, they are jeans that are fleece lined, now those keep me warm!

I literally just got the chills from reading some of these. I live far too much of my life with my head in the clouds... but i keeps me sane!

1/3 wide(40 feet), flat, straight lanes with sprint lines every 500m for commuting races.
1/3 twisty, smooth 3000 foot descents.
1/3 twisty, canopied,3000 foot 5-10% grades uphill.
75 degrees F 50% humidity year round, near the beach.