BIKE: Link posted to Pfluger "preferred alternative"

[Fred Meredith]

Gee, Mike, you are usually so rational about things. You surprise me 
with your irrational emphasis on unsignalized intersections. If 
crossing such intersections is too far outside your comfort zone, I 
could plan you a route that is all right turns so that you never have 
to get all the way out into traffic to cross and intersection or make a 
left turn.

You are talking about a part of town where I still occasionally ride, 
but where I used to ride on a daily basis when I had an office on West 
5th, in West Towne Common.

Since I don't yet have a bridge extension to incorporate or know 
exactly what the adjacent street impact will be (that's part of what I 
am reserving judgment to find out), My only choice is to ride on what 
currently exists.

If I take your challenge literally, I need to get from the far south 
end of the existing Bowie Street to "northwest of Lamar/6th Street" 
which I take to mean the location of Waterloo Records & Tapes (that 
being at the northwest corner of Lamar & 6th Street).

If you are going to avoid crossing unsignalized intersections, then you 
are going to pay some penalty (or break some law) just about anywhere 
you ride.

In this case, I would, from the south end of Bowie, go west on 3rd 
street -- crossing over ABOVE Lamar at the stop sign -- and turn right 
onto Blanco (or whatever the default last right turn is by the old 
steel yard) and go up to the light at 5th street (signalized). Cross 
5th and go to the stop sign at 6th. Get off the bike and walk back east 
to Lamar and cross 6th as a pedestrian with the light. There you are, 
on the northwest corner of 6th and Lamar without crossing any of those 
unsignalized intersections or even making any left turns on your 
bicycle.

But, yes, you would have to suffer the indignity of walking your 
bicycle for a block or (more likely) break the law by riding on the 
sidewalk, or riding against traffic on 6th or ... well, we know what 
price our dignity carries and how much work it is to get off the bike 
and walk it for a block.

The alternative, of course, would be to take Bowie north and cross that 
unsignalized intersection at 5th, ride up to 6th street where you make 
a left turn and then work your way across the lanes to the rightmost 
through lane and after crossing Lamar, you turn into the parking lot at 
Waterloo. Much easier and the way I always do it, but then it does 
require another minute of patience to get across 5th. You have to wait 
until the light changes and a gap opens up.

Since distances are short and direct crossings do require a gap all the 
way across, you could go north on Bowie, turn right on 5th, work your 
way to the left lane and turn left at a signalized intersection, go up 
to 6th and make another left at the signalized intersection and then go 
west until you cross Lamar in the rightmost through lane and turn in at 
Waterloo.

A little less direct, but no unsignalized crossing stress, a little 
more exercise, but hey, we expected that when we started riding bikes.

Even motorists don't have direct routes to all of their destinations. 
Give it a rest on street choices and concentrate on getting across real 
barriers like the railroad right of way.

Fred

P.S. When I had my office on 5th, my bike commute was 15 miles each 
way. Driving in via Mopac was 10 miles each way. I much preferred the 
bike commute. The extra miles of peace and quiet vs. the noise and 
aggravation of Mopac -- no contest.

> On 05:18 PM 1/21/2005 -0600, Fred Meredith wrote:
>> I want to see more details, myself, but I do not want to dismiss the 
>> Cross-town bikeway or Seaholm (until I know what the ultimate 
>> disposition of the facility will be). I do know that I don't NEED the 
>> extension to go to Lamar because there are much better cycling 
>> streets for going north and if your destination is ON Lamar, you can 
>> probably find a cross street over to Lamar that will get you close.
>
> Really? Name them. How do you get from southeast of Lamar/5th (say, on 
> Bowie) to northwest of Lamar/6th? Be sure not to leave out any 
> unsignalized intersections that must be crossed.
>
>
> Mike Dahmus
> mdahmus
>
>
>
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When in doubt, ride your bike … or at least write about it!

Fred Meredith
P.O. Box 100
Manchaca, TX 78652
512/282-1987 (voice)
512/282-7413 (fax)
512/636-7480 (wireless)
visit <http://2merediths.com> for writings and photos