"Stupider" bike lane contest
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OK so perhaps the real question we should ask is why? Why is it that any cyclist can see such bike lanes and laugh (or cry) but the "engineer" that wrote the work order or reviewed the work can't see that such things are just beyond stupid?
I am an engineer and frankly these traffic engineers that allow stupid bike lanes are giving engineers bad names.
I am an engineer and frankly these traffic engineers that allow stupid bike lanes are giving engineers bad names.
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Honolulu is an old city and we have very bad bike lanes. They basically just give us some marked space wherever it is and they all feed you right into death traps. We kill about 100 peds a year. Cyclists are not even on the radar yet.
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OK so perhaps the real question we should ask is why? Why is it that any cyclist can see such bike lanes and laugh (or cry) but the "engineer" that wrote the work order or reviewed the work can't see that such things are just beyond stupid?
I am an engineer and frankly these traffic engineers that allow stupid bike lanes are giving engineers bad names.
I am an engineer and frankly these traffic engineers that allow stupid bike lanes are giving engineers bad names.
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It's stupid, but no stupider than most every other urban bike lanes, its just a shorter example.
It's length is not an attribute that makes it good or bad - it only affects how much of that quality there is . The placement of the lane striping relative to parked cars and the intersections are two attributes that alone make it a stupid bike lane. It is fortunate that it does not continue for any more blocks than this one - that would make it stupid*blocks
Al
It's length is not an attribute that makes it good or bad - it only affects how much of that quality there is . The placement of the lane striping relative to parked cars and the intersections are two attributes that alone make it a stupid bike lane. It is fortunate that it does not continue for any more blocks than this one - that would make it stupid*blocks
Al
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Bad lane in England
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLsloDzYZ9g&NR=1
More England, extraordinarily narrow bike lane
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMhKCvPgvAA
In York England, three horrible bike lanes:
https://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=9onKKAnzhOU
From Portland Oregon
Here is a photo of a intersection with poor planning:
https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2406/...dfcf5aa3_o.jpg
Closer:
https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3209/...47ba5d14_o.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLsloDzYZ9g&NR=1
More England, extraordinarily narrow bike lane
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMhKCvPgvAA
In York England, three horrible bike lanes:
https://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=9onKKAnzhOU
From Portland Oregon
Here is a photo of a intersection with poor planning:
https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2406/...dfcf5aa3_o.jpg
Closer:
https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3209/...47ba5d14_o.jpg
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the worst intersections for cyclists in Portland are the result of interstate highway overlays. get rid of the highways and the highest hazard intersections would all go away overnight.
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Bad lane in England
From Portland Oregon
Here is a photo of a intersection with poor planning:
https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2406/...dfcf5aa3_o.jpg
Closer:
https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3209/...47ba5d14_o.jpg
From Portland Oregon
Here is a photo of a intersection with poor planning:
https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2406/...dfcf5aa3_o.jpg
Closer:
https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3209/...47ba5d14_o.jpg
i think the design found in the thumbnail is good, as it separates the through surface road bicycle traffic from the highway on-ramp traffic well before the intersection. the only problem i've encountered is that the approach to the bike lane merge left is on an incline (coupled with motorists' tendency to speed).
***
because most of the time the traffic engineers who design bicycle (or--my favorite--transit) facilities are not users of said facilities. in the case of designing proper bicycle facilities, they do not have the benefit of a bicyclist's perspective. or, at least i like to think that is the case rather than poor design being out of spite
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As bad as some of these bike lanes are, you should try riding in an area where there are no bike lanes, and little tolerance for bikes (unless gasoline powered and noisy).
Those shown in Portland would be a dream come true here. Crossing a high speed turn lane doesn't have a good solution that I have seen.
Those shown in Portland would be a dream come true here. Crossing a high speed turn lane doesn't have a good solution that I have seen.
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People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Slow Ride Cyclists of NEPA
People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
#12
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because most of the time the traffic engineers who design bicycle (or--my favorite--transit) facilities are not users of said facilities. in the case of designing proper bicycle facilities, they do not have the benefit of a bicyclist's perspective. or, at least i like to think that is the case rather than poor design being out of spite
#13
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Novel idea: Let's do away with those freeway ramp meters, which keep ramps from functioning properly as acceleration lanes (much-needed for many of us with underpowered cars), and traffic calm the mouths of the ramps.
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That is akin to putting fat heavy wheels on a CF racing bike.
Traffic calming the mouth of the ramp would slow the access to the ramp and "meter" the flow of traffic automatically. It would also allow for a graceful way to transition from lower speed streets to on ramps... we would not need 55MPH arterials acting like pseudo freeways. Lower speed streets feeding traffic calmed ramps could control the flow of traffic quite well.
John didn't mention a study that shows that road speeds above 40MPH are NOT conducive to good flow?
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OK so perhaps the real question we should ask is why? Why is it that any cyclist can see such bike lanes and laugh (or cry) but the "engineer" that wrote the work order or reviewed the work can't see that such things are just beyond stupid?
I am an engineer and frankly these traffic engineers that allow stupid bike lanes are giving engineers bad names.
I am an engineer and frankly these traffic engineers that allow stupid bike lanes are giving engineers bad names.
Al
#16
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A narrative on bicycle driving.
A narrative on bicycle driving.