[sustran] Re: Cycling in cities

Chris Zegras czegras at MIT.EDU
Tue May 14 02:32:53 JST 2002


Hi Ramon, Walter and Others,

This sounds like something that John Forrester has been pushing for years 
("Effective Cycling" see for example: 
http://www.johnforester.com/BTI/ectraining.htm).

The concept of Effective Cycling (or vehicular cycling) has been quite 
polemic in the States - those advocates that believe infrastructure is the 
only way to get people cycling safely en masse, v/s those that believe 
dedicated/segregated infrastructure only makes the problem worse...

Chris

----------------------------------------------------------------------

>Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 11:05:58 -0400
>From: mobility <mobility at igc.org>
>Subject: [sustran] Re: Cycling in cities
>
>i think its a good idea, Ramon.  Several friends have told me they would ride
>their bikes if they could figure out how to cycle in traffic.  Any idea how to
>develop a curriculum?   you don't agree with dutch cycling design that a.
>basically ends the cycle lanes before they reach the intersection, and b) puts
>the cyclists in a box at the front of the traffic to allow them to clear the
>intersection first?  Seems to me to work petty well.  Also working well is a
>walk-bike sign that turns green before the motor traffic light.
>
>Would love to have more info on the Marakina bike plans.   Dont doubt 
>there are
>problems.
>
>best
>walter
>
>Ramon wrote:
>
> > >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
>
>------------------------------
>
>End of sustran-discuss V1 #1035
>*******************************

--------------------------------------------------
Christopher Zegras
Research Associate
MIT * Laboratory for Energy & the Environment * Room E40-468
1 Amherst Street * Cambridge, MA 02139
Tel: 617 258 6084 * Fax: 617 253 8013



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