[sustran] Re: Cycling in cities

[Ramon]

>bottom line is the answers are not simple, are fairly >location specific,
and we're not likely to get any quick >victories in cities that dont have
long arterials with wide >medians that can be used for bike lanes.

Only if we count the number (mileage) of bike lanes (or other
infrastructure) built. We just got back from our training in Marikina and I
was surprised that city bike planners and engineers did not have a clue
about the dangers that their design of bike paths (physically separated but
along roadways except for a few by creeks and the river that are more
appropriate for leisure use, not for serious transportation) created for
cyclists, pedestrians and even MV drivers. The "pilot" cycle path built with
GEF funds dumps cyclists perpendicularly into the path of MV traffic at a
busy intersection. The design itself is pedestrian walkway - cycle path -
car parking -- copied from some convoluted European design is my guess.
Anyway, the real problem is not the design per se but is inherent in the
idea of a roadside cycle path because it is difficult to see how
intersections can be made safer without building flyover ramps just to
connect the paths (none of the compensating "designs" proposed by
Europeans -- set backs, lanes narrowed at intersections in order to raise
driver awareness, etc.) really seem to help. Or we can educate cyclists how
to deal with traffic safely, that is, "drive" their bicycles correctly in
traffic, fix road surfaces, fix gratings, improve enforcement of traffic
laws (in Manila, enforce loading and unloading regulations for public
transport and getting MV drivers to obey traffic regulations at
intersections), get bicycles to users, improve status and public acceptance
of cyclists and cycling, that is, spend scarce funds more effectively.

As for Manhattan't streets -- well, I learned to commute in NYC and consider
its streets to be as "cyclist-friendly" as any other big city's, that is,
they're great for cycling transportation as long as you know how to behave
properly on the road, which seems like common sense. The west side bikeway
would have been nice for recreational weekend cycling or slow, leisure
cycling, but it wouldn't have been useful to me for commuting.

I am wondering how many in this list or our sustran network is into training
how to cycle in traffic -- I think it's one area that has not been given due
attention.

Ramón