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Assume a hypothetical situation. A cyclist riding legally on a road with no bike lane or wide shoulder, gets hit and killed by a driver who says it was too narrow and they didn't see the cyclist in time. Would the city/state think, "It would of been worth it to spend a little extra money to make the road wide enough for safe cycling."?
How about 2 cyclists, more?
How many lives would it take get safe roads for users other than motor vehicles?
(A road that comes to mind is Redbud near the river). It's not like cyclists have another option to go west/east, without going extremely out of their way and riding roads that are at least just as dangerous. How much more money would it of cost to blast another 4 feet from that rock to make the westbound climbing lane on that curve wider?
Why are there roads like Bee Caves, where west part has a huge shoulder and then the east part has zero shoulder? Is it a zoning issue?
It wasn't until I came to TX, that I saw how roadway designers encouraged cars to drive 60mph on the shoulder (when approaching a right turn, ex: 360, bee caves). Did the thought ever cross their mind that a 60mph car doesn't mix well with a cyclist going 10mph up a hill? Or even 35mph on a downhill? Everyone knows that 90% of cars will not lower their speed until the last possible second, which also helps keep auto traffic moving smoothly.
It's not about pleasing a minority. It's about life and death, unfortunately for too many cyclists.
The bottom line is bikes are still not considered a legitimate form of transportation by most. Which is odd considering how many problems are solved by using a bike as transportation.
Last edited by rich00 (2010-06-29 12:58:51)
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I just sent a request to 311 to have the vegetation on the westbound side of Redbud Trail, on the steep switchback section just west of the river, to be trimmed back. This will give cyclists another ~3 feet of room. Every time I ride that section I'm brushed by cars racing up the hill. This additional space could save a rider from being hit from behind. Let's hope the request is completed.
It's simple and easy improvements like this that need to be made. There's no reason not to. Be on the lookout for such problem areas and report them to 311.
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For a road like Bee Caves, it's a combination of history and politics - the road was upgraded on the cheap years ago, and politics prevents it being upgraded further (West Lake and Rollingwood like their 'country feel' even when it's total BS).
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