What ever happened to Velo City?
09-27-15, 05:49 PM
#26
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These may not be all be classics or spy movies, but unused subway tunnels are a pretty common device in movies or TV shows: The Bone Collector, Salt, Die Another Day, Sherlock (Cumberbatch), Sherlock Holmes (R. Downey Jr.), Skyfall, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Game Set and Match, V is for Vendetta, are a few I remember.
And in fact (and back on topic) abandoned tunnels are common in large cities - New York, London, Paris and Berlin certainly have them - it would be cool if some could be used for winter biking, but it may not be plausible depending on where they run, if they intersect with tunnels in use, how deep they are, where the access points are, etc.
And in fact (and back on topic) abandoned tunnels are common in large cities - New York, London, Paris and Berlin certainly have them - it would be cool if some could be used for winter biking, but it may not be plausible depending on where they run, if they intersect with tunnels in use, how deep they are, where the access points are, etc.
09-28-15, 08:00 AM
#27
Prefers Cicero
This thread caused me to revisit some similar threads, and while I couldn't find the specific previous one on velo city, I saw enough (including some of my own earlier posts) to remind me why I'm leery of the concept of an elevated bike way.
They wouldn't go everywhere like the existing streets do, you have to ride up a ramp to get on them, in some places they might be crowded with people either too slow or fast for my liking, in other places they might be relatively deserted and perhaps make you vulnerable to muggings or bike-jackings, motorists would now expect you to use them and might harrass cyclists who still used the streets for the above (ha ha) reasons, they'd reaffirm the wrong notion that streets are only for cars, in denser areas people would object to the tracks coming too close to their second storey windows, and maybe a few more I still haven't thought of.
I think accomodating cyclists on the existing grid, as we are increasingly doing, is a far better solution. However, in some specific spots, a short, bike-only bridge over tracks or a canal or freeway, might be a good thing.
They wouldn't go everywhere like the existing streets do, you have to ride up a ramp to get on them, in some places they might be crowded with people either too slow or fast for my liking, in other places they might be relatively deserted and perhaps make you vulnerable to muggings or bike-jackings, motorists would now expect you to use them and might harrass cyclists who still used the streets for the above (ha ha) reasons, they'd reaffirm the wrong notion that streets are only for cars, in denser areas people would object to the tracks coming too close to their second storey windows, and maybe a few more I still haven't thought of.
I think accomodating cyclists on the existing grid, as we are increasingly doing, is a far better solution. However, in some specific spots, a short, bike-only bridge over tracks or a canal or freeway, might be a good thing.
09-28-15, 08:35 AM
#28
Sophomoric Member
This thread caused me to revisit some similar threads, and while I couldn't find the specific previous one on velo city, I saw enough (including some of my own earlier posts) to remind me why I'm leery of the concept of an elevated bike way.
They wouldn't go everywhere like the existing streets do, you have to ride up a ramp to get on them, in some places they might be crowded with people either too slow or fast for my liking, in other places they might be relatively deserted and perhaps make you vulnerable to muggings or bike-jackings, motorists would now expect you to use them and might harrass cyclists who still used the streets for the above (ha ha) reasons, they'd reaffirm the wrong notion that streets are only for cars, in denser areas people would object to the tracks coming too close to their second storey windows, and maybe a few more I still haven't thought of.
I think accomodating cyclists on the existing grid, as we are increasingly doing, is a far better solution. However, in some specific spots, a short, bike-only bridge over tracks or a canal or freeway, might be a good thing.
They wouldn't go everywhere like the existing streets do, you have to ride up a ramp to get on them, in some places they might be crowded with people either too slow or fast for my liking, in other places they might be relatively deserted and perhaps make you vulnerable to muggings or bike-jackings, motorists would now expect you to use them and might harrass cyclists who still used the streets for the above (ha ha) reasons, they'd reaffirm the wrong notion that streets are only for cars, in denser areas people would object to the tracks coming too close to their second storey windows, and maybe a few more I still haven't thought of.
I think accomodating cyclists on the existing grid, as we are increasingly doing, is a far better solution. However, in some specific spots, a short, bike-only bridge over tracks or a canal or freeway, might be a good thing.
I am seeing that in some cases they might actually be cheaper than other alternatives like grade-level bike ways in heavily developed areas. In cities like London, NYC, and even Toronto, the real estate has great commercial, historical, and cultural value. An elevated bike way might be the best way to minimize disruption.
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09-28-15, 09:49 AM
#29
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I saw this video earlier this year. South Korea using their freeways as ways to generate power, and at the same time, providing bikes with paths along the freeway
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip8VIs8-MgE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip8VIs8-MgE
