In the news: Cities, States Recognizing Bicycling's Big Economic Potential

Cities, States Recognizing Bicycling's Big Economic Potential -

http://huff.to/1NlwbDG

 

That's good fashizzle!

 

Good read.

 

1) Brings in $$$ to bike-friendly business and communities
2) Costs less $$$ than other infrastructure
3) Improves community health, often significantly
4) Reduces traffic
5) Reduces foreign (and domestic) energy dependence
6) Reduces sprawl/Increases open space
7) Damn it, riding a bike is fun!

 

I gotta admit, though, that the quote by the avid cyclist stating that removing lanes from car traffic is not the way to go resonated with me. In a big way.

The city I work for (for which I work?) has done exactly that...removed one of three travel lanes on two heavily traveled downtown streets in favor of "protected bike lanes." Using federal highway funds.

Although I am a fairly avid bike commuter and rider on the roads, I do not wish to see vehicle travel lanes (no, bikes are NOT vehicles in this usage) removed for the purpose of increasing bike usage. Number one reason is because it won't work here in SoCal. Most of you will not ride to work. Even most of you here on this forum - I did an informal poll a while back and the majority said hell no...unless unreasonable actions were taken.

The two protected bike lanes mentioned above are a case in point. I can't tell you the number of times I've seen yahoos (is this the word we were bandying about earlier?) riding on the sidewalk on the other side of the street from the bike lane. They're very rarely used. I see the same three people (!) using these bike lanes every time I commute in by bike.

Bottom line, the $1.5M spent on this project was the biggest waste of your federal gas tax dollars I've personally witnessed.

Let's all let our congresscritters know that bikes are great; spending federal gas tax funds on local bike projects is not great.

Bike lanes and attempts to increase bike usage are noble causes. They are not a federal responsibility, nor are they within the purview of our federal government. Let's keep it local, where it belongs. Contact your city government (I'd recommend talking to your Public Works department, not your city council members) with ideas on where bike lanes, whether Class 1, 2 or 3, should go, and why we need them.

If the above sees simplistic and not fleshed out, well, it's not fleshed out because I don't have the time to go into the detail needed. I'll give the basics and I'm assuming all y'all are intelligent enough to know the background and to do any research you need to prove me wrong; or to agree for that matter.

This concludes the current rant. Thanks for listening!!!