Advocacy & Safety - Mmm... Mega-Highways.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=533&e=5&u=/ap/20041229/ap_on_re_us/texas_superhighways

What, no bike lanes? ;)

I'll believe this is more than just a pipe dream when I see asphalt being laid... :rolleyes:

The configuration with the parallel railroad provides an outstanding opportunity for a "bicycle freeway." Before the ultra-vehicular cyclists flame me, note that it beats not even having a bike lane or a shoulder open to bikes, and it can eliminate the huge merge and diverge dangers posed by the onramps and offramps.

The configuration with the parallel railroad provides an outstanding opportunity for a "bicycle freeway." Before the ultra-vehicular cyclists flame me, note that it beats not even having a bike lane or a shoulder open to bikes, and it can eliminate the huge merge and diverge dangers posed by the onramps and offramps.
I won't flame you. :)

Railroads have gradual grading, fewer intersections with streets, and often provide the most direct routes imaginable between major cities and their satellite towns, which historically sprung up around the railroad and now have been consumed by urban sprawl. I live in just such a town.

My chosen bike route follows the railroad, as does a major artery. It's the shortest way into Atlanta. (I love when the train comes and my route is suddenly green lights all the way.)

Am I the only person who finds a highway a quarter-mile wide just slightly obscene?

Am I the only person who finds a highway a quarter-mile wide just slightly obscene?

Don't we already have those? I don't find it so much obscene as sad, really.

Railroads have gradual grading, fewer intersections with streets, and often provide the most direct routes imaginable between major cities and their satellite towns, which historically sprung up around the railroad and now have been consumed by urban sprawl. I live in just such a town.

My chosen bike route follows the railroad, as does a major artery. It's the shortest way into Atlanta. (I love when the train comes and my route is suddenly green lights all the way.)
This is why Rails to Trails conversions make so much sense.

The most desirable close-in residential districts within the city of Portland are neighborhood centers that originally grew up along the old streetcar lines.

HA HA HA
--By the time the Trans-Texas Corridor is finished, the price of gasoline will have increased to where hardly anyone can afford to drive on it.
HA HA HA

Ohio and PA are great examples of the parralellism of trains and bikes. One vacation I went riding from my sister's college to the mall and back and thought, ahh nice ride. I got back and said I went to Beaver creek and the whole table went silent. They couldnt understand how I could have traversed the 35 or so miles of winding hill roads with 3 ft ditches on the sides.
Once I realised this I laughed profusely.
THe trip by Rail Trail took 10 mi(approx) of relaxation and scenery, I merely turned around for dinner. The area was made for the rail access.

Am I the only person who finds a highway a quarter-mile wide just slightly obscene? I find long-haul trucking of freight obscene wherever rail could do the job more safely and energy-efficiently. I find any highway which discourages bicycling obscene, as well.

Re; the FAT TIRE BIKE Tours

I took three past summer, Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin

And highly reccommend anyone traveling in Europe to go on one.They are also in

Prague, Barcelona and I believe Munich

They go about 4 hours, use the old style but new "beach cruzers", led by slightly

irreverent guides they may fracture the local history, but you are given a great

over view of the city, The evening one in Paris concludes with an hour cruz on a

bateau mouche on the Seine with wine , cheese and great fun.

You will meet folks from allover the world, the cost is reasonable

Don't we already have those? I don't find it so much obscene as sad, really.
I find it obscene and sad!

>>>>Supporters say the corridors are needed to handle the expected NAFTA-driven boom in the flow of goods to and from Mexico and to enable freight haulers to bypass heavily populated urban centers on straight-shot highways that cut across the countryside. <<<<<

Folks. The whole NAFTA plan was a joke. There wasn't any sucking of jobs out of this country and it did nothing to the Mexican economy. It was just a way for corporate America to get cheap labor but that's all changed since we are getting most of our products from China. In fact, Mexico with it's higher labor cost will not be able to compete with Asian nations in the near future.

What will come across those super highways are truck loads of illegals, drugs and lets not forget terrorists! Great. That's just what we need. How are they going to patrol hundreds of thousands of cars, trucks and buses on those superhightways??

If I had a true bicycle freeway, with a limited-access design that restricted motor traffic and pedestrians effectively, with no traffic lights and better access to my job, and which still allowed me to use any other street I wanted to, I'd use it.

But I don't believe in requiring cyclists to use a "bike facility" of any kind.

A 1/4 mile wide freeway? Eff it, they may as well just pave over the entire United States and get it over with.

The Interstate system was implemented because its primary use is military. A strictly economic model won’t be enough to get this plan done.