Living Car Free - If your city could grant you one wish...

I would like to see a cycling safety program that could convince cyclists to get off the sidewalks and get out safely in the street.

If you could get your city to provide just one thing that would make your cycling life easier, what would it be?

I have long wanted it to be mandatory for people buying bikes to know about the law regarding riding them. All of my closest calls while cycling in the city have been due to other cyclists. I think that all bike shops should have to show a little 10 minute instructional video when a bike is purchased. Everyone ends up standing around the shop while fenders are mounted, cables are tightened etc, so it wouldn't be an undue hardship. 10 min on a little portable DVD player. Not a perfect solution, and it would only reach those folks buying new bikes, but I think it would go a long way to combating what I suspect is simply ignorance on the part of a lot of new cyclists. This is something I think that a city could pass a by-law to require.

More signage to remind everyone to share the road, identify crosswalks, and make everyone aware of rules of the road concerning bicycling.

a bike lane on most major roads would be nice, particularly the ones that run the entire length of the city

I live in a small town not far from a fairly small city, less than ten miles across. I'd like to see cars banned from the city centre, with only residents allowed in the residential streets. There are park and ride places a couple of miles outside the city in all directions, an excellent bus service, it's horrible to drive in and expensive to park in, so it shouldn't be too much of a hardship.

A job would be pretty good.

If you could get your city to provide just one thing that would make your cycling life easier, what would it be?

I want them to widen Markham for its entire length so that there would be room for bicyclists, and riding from west Little Rock to Little Rock wouldn't be as risky as it is now. :roflmao2: Like that will ever happen.

I'd ban non HPV traffic (save emergency vehicles, which would be limited to 10 mph) throughout city limits between sunrise and sunset.

sweep bike lanes and intersections; especially around college campus where there are many broken beer bottles

Give me 100 trillion dollars.

Then I'll move away to the Netherlands and use a horrendously expensive custom made new bike everyday, dump it wherever when I don't feel like riding anymore.

If you could get your city to provide just one thing that would make your cycling life easier, what would it be?

Shoulders on all the main roads, and wide non-main roads.

Yea, I wouldn't as for much, just decent shoulders on main roads and overpasses. Maybe a reduction in the speed limit.

Every time someone passes me too close or tailgates, I want a ninja to pop out and break their tail lights.

Ban the cars?

On a serious note, we're way to sprawled for a bus centric transit system. We need rail based transit that can help speed up commute times and provide a more efficient way to travel via mass transit. The city, by and large, is pretty easy by bike. Effective mass transit would make cycling here so, so much better.

Not really city but state, I would love to see them start back up on the rails to trails from houston to austin.

on a serious note, we're way to sprawled for a bus centric transit system. We need rail based transit that can help speed up commute times and provide a more efficient way to travel via mass transit. The city, by and large, is pretty easy by bike. Effective mass transit would make cycling here so, so much better.

+1

Much more rail would be WONDERFUL!! That was one of the things I loved about France.

I didn't vote for him, but I am hoping the change in our national leadership is a positive sign. With the rail passenger act that was recently signed, California's massive rail project and the variety of rail projects popping up across the state I am hoping for a big change and a new direction for our infrastructure.

For me locally, old Columbus-the original city core and even into our first ring suburbs-is amazingly bike-able. We just have an uphill battle being a midwest city where the car is king and the public mentality that has prevented positive change. In a discussion round table earlier this year on a proposed street car, one local developer, and I believe member of the board that oversees the current bus system, remarked that we didn't need mass transit. We already had it in the way of freeways.

I'd like bike lanes every 6 blocks or so, both vertically and horizontally, but on lesser-traveled roads a block east/west/north/south/whatever from a major car street. On these designated roads, there would be less stop signs so cyclists can move easily, but have some 4-way stops where cyclists are exempt. On the crossroad, there would be a sort of "cross bike traffic does not stop" with some special color-code for bike streets.

Last year, the city hired 30 new police officers. So I would dearly love to see some of our fine young officers doing speed traps and red light stings.

I visited my parents last month, and drove for the first time in years. I had half convinced myself that people couldn't possibly be speeding as much as I thought... turns out, my eyeballs are just as well calibrated as they were 4 years ago. The average Madison driver is going at least 5mph over the speed limit, and they're often going 10-20mph over the limit.

I see far too many people run red lights. Car drivers, trucks, motorcycles, scooters and cyclists all do it. At a few intersections, it is due to a dangerously short yellow, but most of the time, the person is being plain reckless. It's quite scary, since you can never be *sure* that a car will stay put and not T-bone you.

Louisville Kentucky has been working hard to improve things for cyclists.

They've added signage, sharrows, and bike lanes. The bike lanes are "door lanes", which sucks. Drivers seem to ignore the signage and sharrows. I've been yelled at to get out of the road, while in a lane marked with sharrows, and signs telling motorists to yield to bicycles.

The city has also been doing a TV and web campaign to educate drivers and cyclists about the law, and the city throws a twice a year bike ride led by the mayor. It hasn't changed driver's habits.

I'm not really sure much can be done at the city level to fix the mentality of most drivers.

However, I would love if the most dangerous intersections and interchanges with freeways had a bicycle bypass. I loathe riding where there are ramps entering and exiting to my right.

Bicycle freeways.

Last year, the city hired 30 new police officers. So I would dearly love to see some of our fine young officers doing speed traps and red light stings.

I visited my parents last month, and drove for the first time in years. I had half convinced myself that people couldn't possibly be speeding as much as I thought... turns out, my eyeballs are just as well calibrated as they were 4 years ago. The average Madison driver is going at least 5mph over the speed limit, and they're often going 10-20mph over the limit.

I see far too many people run red lights. Car drivers, trucks, motorcycles, scooters and cyclists all do it. At a few intersections, it is due to a dangerously short yellow, but most of the time, the person is being plain reckless. It's quite scary, since you can never be *sure* that a car will stay put and not T-bone you.
Nothing scarier than crossing a intersection when you have a green and you hear tires screeching to a halt and see a car coming towards as they are trying to run a light have had this happen more times than I would like and thank god I have yet to be hit. it always reminds me look both ways then cross even on green.

I vote for a binding master traffic plan to gradually adopt Living Streets over the next 20 to 30 years.

If the city could grant me one wish I'd want the power and budget to redesign, develop and implement the entire city transportation model.

I have long wanted it to be mandatory for people buying bikes to know about the law regarding riding them. All of my closest calls while cycling in the city have been due to other cyclists. I think that all bike shops should have to show a little 10 minute instructional video when a bike is purchased. Everyone ends up standing around the shop while fenders are mounted, cables are tightened etc, so it wouldn't be an undue hardship. 10 min on a little portable DVD player. Not a perfect solution, and it would only reach those folks buying new bikes, but I think it would go a long way to combating what I suspect is simply ignorance on the part of a lot of new cyclists. This is something I think that a city could pass a by-law to require.

Better yet, just have it playing off to the side on repeat. Everyone visiting the shop will have a chance to watch it, even if they're just buying tubes.


Nothing scarier than crossing a intersection when you have a green and you hear tires screeching to a halt and see a car coming towards as they are trying to run a light have had this happen more times than I would like and thank god I have yet to be hit. it always reminds me look both ways then cross even on green.

Heck, I look both ways before crossing a one-way street. I figure that if someone's going the wrong way, they REALLY don't know what they're doing, and, therefore, are much more dangerous.

All these transportation restructuring ideas would be nice, of course, but they would be in vain if people still ride like idiots.

A regional bus service, connecting the communities of the South Okanagan and the Central Okanagan, would be nice. South of Kelowna and Westbank, there's one small city and a number of small towns. Those without cars have a hard time getting to the out-of-town businesses and services they need.

Even more physically-separated bike lanes :love: like the ones we have now. Since they were built, bicycle commuting has experienced a renaissance in this city. Thousands of people who would never have dreamt of riding a bike to work are doing just that.

The next step: ban private vehicles from the city center.

My one, or rather first and biggest wish, would be one that the federal government rather than my city would have to grant: Make bicycle safety and rider training a requirement for any motor vehicle operators licence to be issued by the states or any federal agency, e.g the military, this would include a bicycle road test, in traffic, with the only exceptions to for valid medical reasons in which case a simulated road test and extended written or verbal test would be required. Any disbursement of federal highway funds to states would be contingent upon them meeting this standard.

I'd be happy to see a system where each road user pays their share and nobody subsidises anyone else..... starting with motor vehicle registrations and fuel taxes that cover 100% of the cost of building all the necessary infrastructure to accomodate motor vehicles.

I want a legal mandate that all locations that can be reached by car can also be reached by bicycle. So if you have a bridge across a river, for example, either bikes should be allowed on it, or there should be a separate bridge for bikes (and pedestrians).

I live near a car rental agency placed on a road where bicycles and pedestrians are not allowed; so you need a car in order to go rent a car! I mean, really, who thinks of these things? (They get around the problem by offering to come pick you up; but IMO that shouldn't be necessary).

If I could have one wish, it would be more observant drivers (and I know that is an unrealistic want). I know all of the laws and rules of riding my bike on the streets and I follow them, but I cannot tell you how many times I have been blown over by a passing car that thought it would be funny to go 65 mph past me and throw a McDonalds cup in my direction (good thing that people around here don't have good aim).

I'd be happy to see a system where each road user pays their share and nobody subsidises anyone else..... starting with motor vehicle registrations and fuel taxes that cover 100% of the cost of building all the necessary infrastructure to accomodate motor vehicles.

Then cyclists should have to pay a share also. How would you collect from bikes if you're using fuel taxes to collect from cars?

a huge umbrella covering the city would be great.

A regional bus service, connecting the communities of the South Okanagan and the Central Okanagan, would be nice. South of Kelowna and Westbank, there's one small city and a number of small towns. Those without cars have a hard time getting to the out-of-town businesses and services they need.

I'd be happy with a bus service between the southern part of Edmonton and the Edmonton International Airport. I cannot believe that the airport does not have public transportation connecting it to Edmonton!! While they're at it, they could extend the bus service as far south as Leduc.

If they could have that in place by mid-December, it would be perfect!! :D

Small town here... ~12k pop...

My wishes are two:

Maintain the shoulders as if they were roads... perhaps better than the roads.
Enforce traffic laws for both moterists and cyclists.

That would do it

a million bucks every birthday would be nice. applied retrospectively, too.

thanks.

Fight to speed up the EIR and lift the bike plan injunction. Take it to the courts if necessary and treat it as a public safety issue. We cannot live with no new bike infrastructure for another 3 years!

Dedicated bike paths or bike boulevards. We are actually working on this with a petition to the city in Austin (http://austinbikeplan.org/).

Even more physically-separated bike lanes :love: like the ones we have now. Since they were built, bicycle commuting has experienced a renaissance in this city. Thousands of people who would never have dreamt of riding a bike to work are doing just that.

The next step: ban private vehicles from the city center.


Dedicated bike paths or bike boulevards. We are actually working on this with a petition to the city in Austin (http://austinbikeplan.org/).

I'm of two minds about the issue of bike routes separated from car traffic. These seem to help newbies get out and do some travelling by bicycle. But for complete ability to use the bike as transportation, you need to be able to get out in traffic. The reason is that existing (car) routes usually take you exactly where you want to go. Bike paths *might* if you were lucky but are often placed in areas (down by the river... for example) subject to flooding or heavy snow... which makes the route impassable at some times in the year.

My approach would be to have some bike paths... something not extensive enough to cover an entire city... but to mix that with many routes that have been modified to slow traffic down significantly. This kind of infrastructure should NOT cost a lot, could be really efficient (ie, cost to implement vs. mile-of-bike-route) and would leave a lot of the natural green space in the city as green space rather than another level of infrastructure to maintain.

Bike lanes on all freeway crossings, or more pedestrian/bike bridges.

Just about all of the roads crossing the local freeway are four-lane arterials with fast, and often heavy, traffic. Taking the lane through an interchange in a 60 km/hr (35 mph) zone is no fun and there are places I can't get to by bike without doing it.

It's been interesting this week using the bus system again. I just hopped back on after about 2 years (last apartment really didn't have convenient bus service) before I try to ditch the car next week (looks like it will be car max after all) to see all my options. Trying to plan a simple errand 7-8 miles away (high congestion area) is turning into a 3 bus, hour and a half odyssey.

Transit needs to improve dramatically here in NA.

A job would be pretty good.

Amen. Wider bike lanes would be nice too, ones that don't taper off into traffic or skimpy lanes in the door zone. Either sounds nice.

Wow, do have to pick only one? I could give you a list a mile long, but lets just stick to top three.

#1 Sweep the shoulders. This tops my list because it's something the city can actually take care of, but refuses to do. I'm lucky that the streets out here are wide and most have good shoulders, but so many of them haven't been swept in so long that they're just unusable.

#2 Add some car free paths(biking, MUP, whatever will keep me from dealing with cars all the time), I've got two excellent recreational trails in the nearby mountains, but there are absolutely no paths going through town.

#2.5 I just learned about Rails to Trails, and I've got to see if I can get this done out here. There's an old line that runs straight through downtown, it comes in from the southwest and terminates 2.5 miles north of the major cross streets. This would be perfect for me and a good quarter of the city.

#3 This is more county or state than city, but there is no way (for me) to get between (most) cities around here, except by car. Separate highways for bikes would be a blessing, but I'd settle for four lane roads with wide shoulders. I refuse to ride on two lane roads where the speed limit is above 45, no matter how good the shoulders are. 45's not too bad on it's own but, you have to tack on 15+ for speeders (everyone) and most roads are actually 60+. So, that means riding along side pickups and the odd semi doing 75. This is my decision, and I live with it(car free with a girlfriend 2 cities away:(), but that's doesn't mean I'm happy about it.

I would be happy with even a single bike rack being placed anywhere in the town limits.

I refuse to ride on two lane roads where the speed limit is above 45, no matter how good the shoulders are. 45's not too bad on it's own but, you have to tack on 15+ for speeders (everyone) and most roads are actually 60+. So, that means riding along side pickups and the odd semi doing 75.
I ride on a lot of two-lane roads where the limit is higher than 45 and where the shoulders aren't all that good. Most are quite pleasant for cycling. They're quieter and less busy than the main roads and the motorists tend to give me a fair amount of clearance. I also ride on one highway that's four lanes with good shoulders but I don't like it as much as the two-lane roads. It's busier and some of the motorists are going a little too fast.

BAN motorized vehicles! ON A "GOOD" DAY 99.99999999% of the drivers in this town act like they got their driver's license from a box of Cracker Jacks!

I would be happy with even a single bike rack being placed anywhere in the town limits.

My city is seriously lacking in that department, too, but help is on the way: after being pressured by local cycling groups, the city has bought 2,000 bike racks, which they are supposed to start installing this week. Can't wait!

Wow, there are so many things my city needs to do, first of all, more bike lanes/wide shoulders on main roads(to their credit, they're working on this), possibly a reduction in speed limit to make it safer for us to ride on said main roads, MORE BIKE RACKS(this is huge.) and definitely better public transportation. I live in a collage town and the fact these things are even still issues actually amazes me.

I sheepishly wish I could complain about those damn street car drivers......outside the frequency of the street sweeper -not much.

I'd be happy to see a system where each road user pays their share and nobody subsidises anyone else..... starting with motor vehicle registrations and fuel taxes that cover 100% of the cost of building all the necessary infrastructure to accomodate motor vehicles.

I thought it was property taxes that pay for infrastructure?