Several years ago, the NYC Pedestrian Safety Council produced cartoon ads that appeared frequently on TV in the NYC area. The ads urged children to “walk at the green, not in between” which worked well enough in NYC, since they have short blocks in a grid pattern and almost every intersection has traffic lights.
But what I don’t think the NYC people knew or cared about was that the same TV stations that aired those PSA’s reached out a hundred miles in all directions to millions more people that didn’t live in NYC, and out in the hinterland of suburbia, in upper New York State, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut where green traffic lights (never mind pedestrian signals) were few and far between.
This gave license to motorists to mow down pedestrians by being able to say, “See, they didn’t walk the distance to the light (and that could be miles), so they are wrong to try and cross there. Walk at the green, not in between”
I am totally serious that this argument was and is still being made. Even today you will hear “Cross at the green, not in between” used as a defense (or more likely as a taunt) of crazy driving. It has become a bit of pop culture.
So now there is new PSA brought to us by a whole consortium of councils and associations about cycling. Tell me, does it “do” as little for you as it does for me?
I happened to be in a meeting the other day discussing various planned roadway resurfacing projects. FDOT was seeking input on potential opportunities within these corridors that would be more than just the resurfacing/restriping. Edgewater Drive between Par and Forest City Road is scheduled for resurfacing in the next year or so. The City would like to add bike lanes to the corridor to improve cycling conditions. To do so would require approval from FDOT to narrow the travel lanes to 10.5′ and add a 4′ bike lane (5′ if you count the gutter pan). Continue reading →
This is another open thread, an opportunity for our brilliant readers to discuss problems and solutions.
Set-up
I avoid 2-lane roads with solid traffic like the plague. One reason I discuss multi-lane roads so much is that, I would prefer to use a 6-lane arterial to a lower-speed, 2-lane road with traffic like in the above photo.
There are quite a few roads like this around here. Unlike many other cities, the Orlando metro lacks both a consistent grid and wide lanes on 2-lane roads. The lack of a grid causes large volumes of traffic to be channeled onto these narrow roads. At peak traffic times, they are not at all fun places to ride a bicycle. Continue reading →
This is what large vehicles look like in a 12ft lane. A cyclist is 2ft wide (AASHTO says 30″). How much more lane width would be needed for a cyclist to ride a reasonable distance from the edge and be afforded reasonable operating space and comfortable passing clearance from these vehicles at a 20-40mph speed differential?
BLUEPRINT AMERICA: You are a Republican – and you support transportation and infrastructure spending?
REP. MICA: Well, I tell you though, if you’re on the Transportation Committee long enough, even if you’re a fiscal conservative, which I consider myself to be, you quickly see the benefits of transportation investment. Simply, I became a mass transit fan because it’s so much more cost effective than building a highway. Also, it’s good for energy, it’s good for the environment – and that’s why I like it.
BLUEPRINT AMERICA: If anything, you’d say that your time in Congress and on the Transportation Committee has brought you around to these ideas?
REP. MICA: Yes. And, seeing the cost of one person in one car. The cost for construction. The cost for the environment. The cost for energy. You can pretty quickly be convinced that there’s got to be a more cost effective way. It’s going to take a little time, but we have to have good projects, they have to make sense – whether it’s high-speed rail or commuter rail or light rail. We got to have some alternatives helping people – even in the rural areas – to get around.
Perhaps he could talk to the brain-damaged Florida legislature which has killed our fully-funded commuter rail two years in a row.
“Good judgment comes from experience.
Experience comes from bad judgment.”
Did you see the Weekly article “How I got Hit“? I’ve been meaning to get to this for 2 weeks, but I’ve been busy with work… and I was grumpy. I’m still busy and grumpy, but I can’t let this go any longer. Continue reading →
Boy, I’ll bet everybody has one. For some it is Conway Road, but I don’t head south very often so I don’t know about that.
I can ride for miles on Colonial Drive or Mills or Aloma with nary a honk, but when I get on my particular nemesis road I can’t do anything right. For me, my nemesis road is Corrine Drive.
A few weeks ago, I commented that there is an alternative to US 17-92 through Winter Park that is quiet, scenic and certainly less intimidating. Eric asked what roads I use. I’m answering now, with a map of the bypass route I use. Just for fun, I added some other connections that I’ve made from it.
This route is an example of how small connector trails make the difference in allowing cyclists to use routes that are more pleasant than major roads. (The markers on the map indicate trail connections.) It’s not just about traffic, this time of year I go out of my way to find shade!
Notes about the route:
There are only a few North/South routes through Winter Park. The selection is further reduced by the brutal bricks. Sunnyside does have about 3 blocks of brick, less than Temple or Via Tuscany.
Denning is a wonderful bike road. It is 4-lane and almost always way below capacity. Just claim the right lane and enjoy the pleasure of an 11ft bike lane.
The section of 17-92 between Magnolia and Lake is very easy to handle if you use a green light to make the right turn. Go all the way to the left lane. It’s ~500ft to the left turn lane and you should have the road to yourself all the way, as traffic is held by the red light.
The trail that connects Lake to Central also continues into Maitland on its own right-of-way. It can get busy with pedestrian traffic around Lake Lily park, so I just use it as a connector to the street grid. Staying on Central to Packwood avoids the steep-diagonal RR crossing on Maitland Ave (many, many cyclists have crashed on those tracks). For an easier left turn (Northbound), take Sybelia to Horatio where there is a traffic light.
More notes are in Google Maps, you can see them by clicking on the markers and route lines.
This calendar is for events, social rides, classes and clinics of interest to utility cyclists. Bike shop-sponsored events are welcome. All authors can post events, or you can send them to me.
