BIKE: Re: SCB modifications and public hearing

[Stuart Werbner]

There is no need to meander.

What you need to do is to stay inside the left/outer edge of the unofficial 
bicycle lane, nearest the travel lane.

It is perfectly understandable that as a cyclist, you have been 
"indoctrinated" into thinking that you have to ride as far to the right as 
possible. We all seemed to be ingrained with this rule from a very early 
age.

But, SCB is safe enough, and the gap between the curb extensions and the 
travel lane, is wide enough for you to ride within the outside/left edge.

Give this a try. I'm sure you will have a much better riding experience. 
This is how SCB was intended to be biked, with the traffic calming.

FYI,

   __o
_`\<,_
(*)/ (*)
~~~~~~~~~
Stuart Werbner
Annuit Coeptis



>From: kristen theiler <kptheiler>
>To: Patrick Goetz <pgoetz>, stgetr,Austin Bikes 
><forum>
>Subject: Re: BIKE: Re: SCB modifications and public hearing
>Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 09:27:54 -0700 (PDT)
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>
>I'm quite amazed that anyone who has biked the new and
>improved SCB would state it's a success. I have a few
>friends who aren't very into biking (a 10 mile round
>trip once a week is their norm) who initially told me
>they thought the new striping was going to be a good
>thing. After riding it once I got calls from each of
>them asking what the curb extensions were and telling
>me how much they disliked the new road. These guys
>rarely ride. SCB is on my commuting route and what
>used to be one of my favorite stretches is now one of
>my least. And that sucks. If motorists understood the
>reasons cyclists felt it necessary and safer to ride
>close to the stripe, perhaps this could work. The fact
>is, motorists who are not also cyclists think we
>should be as close to the curb as possible and not
>interfering with them. Putting myself in a motorist's
>shoes, this makes sense b/c I'm sure most of them
>don't know about dooring, about how this multi-use
>lane isn't a bike lane, etc. As much as we know what's
>safe, they take it as us being ignorant a$$holes in
>funny clothes who get in their way when we have lots
>of room to move over and they have these small driving
>lanes. I have also witnessed numerous motorists
>driving partially in the multi-use lane. Very rarely
>do I experience them going extremely fast, but the
>meadering into the multi-use lane is quite bothersome
>to me.
>
>--- Patrick Goetz <pgoetz> wrote:
>
> > stgetr wrote:
> >  > I received a copy of your note urging cyclists to
> > attend the May 11
> >  > hearing on SCB.  I think that is a very good
> > idea, but don't share your
> >  > strong feelings against the SCB changes.  In
> > fact, I have ridden SCB
> >  > several times since it was finished (for a total
> > of probably 4-5 hours),
> >  > and think it is a surprising success.
> > <snip>
> > > now that SCB is finished, I think the design is a
> > very good
> > > solution to the problem of cycling on a through
> > street in a quiet
> > > residential neighborhood.  Note, BTW, that the
> > islands are NOT intended
> > > to slow traffic down; they are intended to keep
> > motorists from trying to
> > > drive in the bike/parking lane.  Motorist speed is
> > reduced because of
> > > the quite narrow lane striping, and in my
> > experience it has been
> > > successful.  Where there were occasional drivers
> > at 45-50 mph in the
> > > past,  most motorists now seem to be doing 25-30
> > mph.
> > >
> >
> > Well, I have every intention of being civil at the
> > scheduled hearings,
> > but don't agree that the design is a very good
> > solution and will hazard
> > a guess that most other cyclists don't, either.
> > When I mentioned the
> > opinion voiced in the message above to some other
> > cyclists, their
> > attitude ranged from shocked disbelief to
> > vituperative irritation.  But
> > then, as Fred Meredith would have it, perhaps I just
> > associate with the
> > wrong kind of people.
> >
> > Traffic calming?  No way.  I drove the street myself
> > and enjoyed the
> > Monte Carlo turns protected by the extra wide
> > shoulders, which is what
> > the former bike lane is now officially called -- an
> > enhanced shoulder.
> > ASHTO safety standards disallow any other
> > designation, as the city
> > doesn't want to be held liable for the inevitable
> > tragedies which will
> > result from this monstrosity.  If this, btw, doesn't
> > tell you everything
> > you need to know about the situation, then I'd be
> > willing to sell you
> > the Congress Ave. bridge at a bargain price any day
> > this week -- cash
> > only, of course.  50mph?  I probably hit 60 without
> > even trying.  The
> > narrow lane striping doesn't do a damn thing if
> > there are huge shoulders
> > on either side -- good god, man, it's just paint --
> > nothing more.  Take
> > it from me, an occasional and hence rusty driver.
> > If I think this
> > street is perfectly safe at 60mph, then you can bet
> > that other motorists
> > are getting the same impression (for me the
> > motorist, that is -- not
> > bicyclists, pedestrians, dogs, cats, squirrels, or
> > opossums).
> >
> > Keeping motorists from driving in the bike lane?
> > Another joke.  I
> > personally observed several people driving on the
> > shoulder and merging
> > back to the left when encountering a bike crasher.
> > I followed an
> > enormous Ford Excursion that drove almost the entire
> > length of the
> > street 4 feet into the shoulder.  These barriers
> > serve 2 purposes and 2
> > purposes only.  1.)  Create a protected parking lane
> > for SCB residents.
> >   The city spent $300,000 so that each homeowner on
> > SCB could enjoy 3 or
> > 4 additional free parking spaces in the public right
> > of way.  At the
> > very least, they need to be taxed for this
> > convenience.  2.) Force
> > bicyclists using the enhanced shoulder off their
> > line and directly into
> > the path of traffic.  If you happen to live on SCB,
> > then you might agree
> > that 1) is great, but feel free to discuss the
> > merits of 2) with, for
> > example, the likes of Fred Meredith or someone else
> > whose opinion you trust.
> >
> > The only safe option for a bicyclist riding this
> > street now is to stay
> > in or near the line dividing the lane from the
> > shoulder at all times.
> > Because of the new narrower lanes, this will result
> > in bicyclists either
> > getting mirrored, hit from the back, or irritating
> > overtaking motorists.
> >   None of these seem like profoundly positive
> > consequences.
> >
> > What time of day did you ride SCB?  Any road is good
> > at 5am on Sunday
> > morning.  Perhaps if you tried biking SCB at 5-6pm
> > on a weekday your
> > impression of the situation might have been
> > different.  One of the UTC
> > commissioners told me last week that he used to lead
> > a weekly weekend
> > group ride for novice cyclists in his profession
> > along SCB, but now
> > considers the street to be too dangerous for this
> > activity and is
> > looking for an alternative place to ride.  This, my
> > friend, is what
> > matters; not the opinion of John Forrester, or the
> > ACA board, or any
> > other elevated dignitary or group thereof.  What
> > matters is what the
> > cyclist on the street thinks, and save for your
> > message and Eric
> > Anderson's give it a chance message, I haven't heard
> > anything good about
> > the SCB debacle.  Most people think the bike lanes
> > have just been
> > unceremoniously removed in the interest of creating
> > more street parking,
> > and I would say that their "uninformed" opinion
> > isn't that far from the
> > truth.  Perhaps more enthusiasts will emerge in the
> > coming weeks, but
> > I'm not holding my breath for this.
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Get on or off this list here:
> > http://BicycleAustin.info/list
> >
>
>
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