All of the highly populated areas that already have great facilities get more. Those of us off the beaten path, with enough red neck traffic to ensure a true cycling hell never get any of the cycling perks.
Anyone care to tell your congressional delegates to send some cycling money out here to the armpit of the country? We would really appreciate it.
Even a multi-use path along a gas pipeline near the Susquehanna river that I hoped would be a wonderful place to ride is a deeply rutted mud pit and requires a mountain bike, or the more common 4 wheel ATV to navigate it. I about exploded when I saw a request on FreeCycle for a helmet for another F****ing brat in Plymouth to ride his ATV on the trail... I live on one of the better cycling routes in the area, and so far this year I have seen one cyclist, and well over 100 ATVs... Once I think there was an actual parade... 25+ at one time. I am pro-helmet, but I have become anti-helmet for ATV riders... I also think they should continue to randomly crank up to full throttle to be sure and irritate those of us who live across the street from the path. Hopefully they'll flip those noisy, pollution spewing brat-mobiles and find a new way to pollute the environment elsewhere.
It is a truly sad state of affairs when more kids ride ATVs than bicycles.
While I am spewing my venom... Does anyone know if they outlawed Share the Road signs? They must have because I haven't seen one in 3 years, and was thinking of putting one on my property... But, I wouldn't want to break the law.
I knew I was getting away from ideal cycling when I moved here, but little did I know.
Oh, and I should mention too... the state put rumble strips on my formerly favorite cycling road.
I have seen information on the East Coast greenway, and if I ever want to drive 2 hours to get to the closest point (Philadelphia area), it will be fun.
I know I am only about 1.5 hours from some really good cycling territory, but for some reason, I think 3 hours of driving to ride a bike for a couple of hours is not the makings of a regular event.
Along one of the few marked bicycle routes (which I haven't had a chance to ride, but I have driven through a portion of it) there is an interesting arrangement. Signs marking the bike route, and other signs warning about the presence of intoxicated drivers... What a wonderful place to put a bike route, right through an area so full of drunken idiots that the state has had to post signs since they apparently can't arrest them fast enough.
The only bicycle routes I see in PA are those arranged by the state, and they all basically start and end at the borders. It is like we are telling cyclists that we can't disallow them, but we can sure show them the most direct way to get out of the state... and don't let the door hit you on the way out. It takes several hours to drive across PA, and there are like 6 or 7 bike routes... seems a bit low to me... and they ALL lead out of state... I should have better understood this warning before I moved here.
Oh well, maybe it will get warm enough to ride in the next couple of weeks, and I won't have so much time to complain.
