Yes, our local bike enthusiast group has been successful for years pushing for more and more 'road diet'/complete streets projects that take out lanes of traffic to put in more and more bike lanes, making traffic even worse than it already is. One road diet road near me I have NEVER seen a cyclist on it even once, despite traveling this …
Yes, our local bike enthusiast group has been successful for years pushing for more and more 'road diet'/complete streets projects that take out lanes of traffic to put in more and more bike lanes, making traffic even worse than it already is. One road diet road near me I have NEVER seen a cyclist on it even once, despite traveling this road sometimes several times a day. I am in the midwest, and used to own a convertible. The number of 'top down' kinds of days (that I reason are also good cycling days) is probably only a third of the year. Our weather is schizophrenic - it can change from warm and sunny to cold and rain or snow at the drop of a hat. Super hot summer and super cold winters. No one is biking during the extremes. I have a neighbor who is a cycling enthusiast, but only goes out for recreation, and he and his group only go on the many trails and parks we have, they rarely go on actual roads as distracted drivers are a menace.
Same near us. As one of our protesters said, “they don’t try to put bike lanes on I 95”… So why put them on major streets where there are traffic lights and pollution?? In Europe they try to put bike paths off the Main Streets. We don’t mind having indirect more bucolic and less trafficked paths!
We have a wonderful trail system in our area, including one that is a former rail line that cyclists and hikers alike have plenty of room. Love going there when the weather is decent. If you are a cycle enthusiast, MO has the KATY trail https://katytrailmo.com/ (another former rail line) that nearly criss crosses the entire state. Lots of nice stops along the route, wineries, B&B's, etc. Our local one has just a few mile gap before it links to the KATY trail but has not yet gotten funding (and would require cooperation between multiple jurisdictions) All the cyclists I know use the trails, not the roads. But then I don't know any of the 'activist' ones other than I see them at all the meetings. The leader is a doctor who loves to wax about the 'health benefits' but willing to bet he drives his car to his medical practice.
I support the ability to commute on a bicycle even if it’s just nice weather or April to November. During Covid our public transportation system basically stopped. So I tried to bicycle from one end of town to the other without getting into the traffic, and it was almost impossible to figure out all the little roads (no help from google.) I don’t want to be riding on a road with lots of traffic, who does? The whole premise is cockamamie.
I sure wouldn't want to bike on a busy road these days, what with people texting and driving, and guys who are intentionally killing cyclists either for fun or as a gang initiation rite. Not to mention people having "medical emergencies" at the wheel.
Not to mention getting to work all sweaty and dirty 😕 Unless there’s a way to shower and change, I’m not sure I’d be up for that. Especially with all the other issues mentioned.
Yes, our local bike enthusiast group has been successful for years pushing for more and more 'road diet'/complete streets projects that take out lanes of traffic to put in more and more bike lanes, making traffic even worse than it already is. One road diet road near me I have NEVER seen a cyclist on it even once, despite traveling this road sometimes several times a day. I am in the midwest, and used to own a convertible. The number of 'top down' kinds of days (that I reason are also good cycling days) is probably only a third of the year. Our weather is schizophrenic - it can change from warm and sunny to cold and rain or snow at the drop of a hat. Super hot summer and super cold winters. No one is biking during the extremes. I have a neighbor who is a cycling enthusiast, but only goes out for recreation, and he and his group only go on the many trails and parks we have, they rarely go on actual roads as distracted drivers are a menace.
Same near us. As one of our protesters said, “they don’t try to put bike lanes on I 95”… So why put them on major streets where there are traffic lights and pollution?? In Europe they try to put bike paths off the Main Streets. We don’t mind having indirect more bucolic and less trafficked paths!
We have a wonderful trail system in our area, including one that is a former rail line that cyclists and hikers alike have plenty of room. Love going there when the weather is decent. If you are a cycle enthusiast, MO has the KATY trail https://katytrailmo.com/ (another former rail line) that nearly criss crosses the entire state. Lots of nice stops along the route, wineries, B&B's, etc. Our local one has just a few mile gap before it links to the KATY trail but has not yet gotten funding (and would require cooperation between multiple jurisdictions) All the cyclists I know use the trails, not the roads. But then I don't know any of the 'activist' ones other than I see them at all the meetings. The leader is a doctor who loves to wax about the 'health benefits' but willing to bet he drives his car to his medical practice.
I support the ability to commute on a bicycle even if it’s just nice weather or April to November. During Covid our public transportation system basically stopped. So I tried to bicycle from one end of town to the other without getting into the traffic, and it was almost impossible to figure out all the little roads (no help from google.) I don’t want to be riding on a road with lots of traffic, who does? The whole premise is cockamamie.
I sure wouldn't want to bike on a busy road these days, what with people texting and driving, and guys who are intentionally killing cyclists either for fun or as a gang initiation rite. Not to mention people having "medical emergencies" at the wheel.
Not to mention getting to work all sweaty and dirty 😕 Unless there’s a way to shower and change, I’m not sure I’d be up for that. Especially with all the other issues mentioned.