Originally Posted by
Ekdog
Yes! That's the key, Bhop. I wonder how many of the Americans who oppose bike paths would change their minds if they had the chance to ride on physically separated ones like we have here in Europe. We've seen a tremendous surge in bike commuting since ours were built.
Fully separated paths in the US end up going around town or out of town. Actually building them anywhere but in a suburb is cost prohibitive and even in suburbs they usually end up with a few street crossings.
These paths tend to get used for recreational riding because they don't go anywhere important.
Partially separated paths are okay. These will go through a burb but cross streets a couple times every mile. They tend to get crowded with pedestrians but that's how I get to and from work. My other choice is 45mph traffic.