There are many economic and social benefits to a multi-modal community. Quality of life attracts quality employers, helps businesses flourish and increases property values.

The notion that cyclists are an “indicator species” of a healthy community has been promoted very well in recent years in the growing industry of sustainable planning. I believe it’s true. Nothing says quality of life like an abundance of humans (cyclists and pedestrians) on and around the streets—it speaks to safety, trust and freedom of movement.

The problem is how communities are attempting to accomplish it. We’re very stuck in the car-culture mythologies that surround bicycling. Bike lanes and sidepaths are a product of mythology and car-dominance. They appeal to the fear-based mindset of people who were raised on a steady diet of “get out of the way or we’ll kill you” indoctrination. Catering to people’s fears is way easier than trying to change the paradigm. But as with most things in life, short-cut solutions to complex problems have consequences.

I know there is a better way. We CAN do it right, if we choose to.

Trails are another animal. I love connector trails! They enhance cyclist access and make cycling more pleasant by allowing us to choose more quiet, scenic (and shady!!) routes. Trails like Cady Way and Econ are also wonderful options for peaceful travel. They are primarily linear parks, but it’s a bonus when they can be built on a transportation corridor.

Whether it serves recreation or transportation needs, a good trail enhances the community. WOT in Winter Garden is a textbook example.

I get frustrated with trails (and the mentality behind them) when they run out of right-of-way and become sidepaths. That’s another product of our damaged culture—bicycles are toys and must be kept out of the way of important vehicles.

If we revisit trail design from the perspective of enhancing the existing transportation grid, and treat bicycles as vehicles, we could create a truly useful system that would better serve utility cyclists while also offering pleasant recreational opportunities.

Like others pointed out, they’re popular. We’ve had 20 yrs of federal transportation bills that have called for transportation enhancements – which includes trails. We have some good ones in the Orlando Metro area. I’ve seen some great ones in and around Denver along river beds and the like, San Antonio’s River Walk is fantastic, Kansas City has a great one as well. They are linear parks and they do serve a public purpose and can make places more liveable. I also have heard that the DC Metro area has a significant trail system that’s heavily used by commuters.

There are many many bike users and trails serve one group of cyclists but in general I don’t see them as just for cyclists, but other groups as well. In a subdivision or large group of subdivisions they make great connections between residences and destinations like schools, parks, libraries. Often times the roadways within developments don’t follow a straight line from point A to point B. Putting in a trail system that bypasses those roadways AND is a shorter distance might just get people out of their cars for those short trips they make day in and day out.

Lake Nona Elementary School has a huge bicycle parking lot. I’d really like to see how well it’s filled up during the school day. If those kids are riding their bikes to school rather than being driven a half mile or less to school like we have occuring all over Central Florida today that’s a plus. Many parents lack the ability to understand that *they* are the traffic they think is too dangerous to allow their kids to walk or ride a bike to school.

Trail groups are well organized like someone else mentioned. In Central Florida there was a lot of resistance to the West Orange Trail initially. Winter Garden embraced the trail and they saw a rennaissance in their downtown. Now other cities (Occoee) that resisted the trail are now wishing they had embraced it. Property values along the trail have increased and it’s a heavily used amenity. But the trails are under the control of the parks and recreation department, not transportation a key distinction.

Perhaps in Colombia, MO the trails were not well designed or well thought out. Or, it’s such a new concept for the area some people resisted them (the Hems and the Haws of Who Moved My Cheese fame). Who knows and it’s a shame that a small group of curmudgeons I suspect has complained about a City investing in public infrastructure. Parks, including linear parks, are incredibly valuable assets to a community and worth investing in. Far more in my opinion than more and more roadway extensions and widenings so that people can live out in the middle of nowhere and still get to their jobs in town within 20 minutes.

I don’t get harassed very often. Partly that’s because I’n not exactly a quiet, unassuming, 220 pound former sprinter with a notoriously short temper, but it’s also because when they honk and yell, I wave at them using all five fingers – for emphasis.

Kevin’s comment:
I find that an ordinary carpenter’s awl is the perfect tool for puncturing car tires. I learned that while…. um… er… making Ho Chi Mihn sandals. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

I don’t advertise that I have “rodney-cams” on my vehicle and they are somewhat unobtrusive, but I think if I could make them vandal-proof, I might advertise that they are recording if I’m rolling. Anonymity goes away quickly enough when video is recorded, although it’s not perfect in some cases.

I was stalked recently and did not get the tag number, hoping that the camera would catch it. The compression in the original video was pretty high, so the culprit got away. I’m hopeful that the culprit was merely curious, or simply mildly disturbed that I was occupying the lane. Google YouTube for “Am I being stalked” for the few minutes of motor vehicle pursuit/boring video.

The local law enforcement officers are better informed, apparently. I don’t get pulled over any more.

I’d be willing to bet that fred dot u’s stops by legal authorities make a BIG impression on him, even though he knows the law and is unwilling to abandon it.

Otherwise, as a Dallas radio host said last year, after Meredith Hatch was run over by a drunk driver – “how many cyclists have to die before we get them (cyclists, not drunks) off the roads.” I’ll tell you, when I heard THAT, I durn near rode right off the road and into the weeds. I was proud to hear one caller that disagreed with him vehemently was a police officer that was also a cyclist. The radio guy was ill at ease trying to argue with a cop calling him out.

I don’t buy the notion that assertive cyclists are harassed less. But I don’t think they get harassed more either. Mostly, they just happen to be a “different” road user.

Myself, if I’m going to be harassed, since I can’t avoid harassment by any logical action I can take, I’d prefer it not be when emulating road lice (Forester’s term).