Posts tagged Bicycling
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Get off the road! No, get on the road!
At dinner the other day, some friends expressed surprise that DC law allows riding a bicycle on the sidewalk (except in the central business district, basically between Massachusetts Avenue and the Mall). One person commented that when she is walking, bikes seem to be in the way on the sidewalk, but when she is biking, it’s the people who seem to be in the way. It’s the natural… Keep reading…
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“I’m all for bike lanes but” not enough room to double park
Today’s Gridlock Sam column in the NY Daily News contains this letter that reveals the amazing absurdity of New York’s parking mess. This truck driver depends on double parking to make deliveries, but new bike lanes interfere with space for the double parking. Does he criticize the lack of loading zones? No, it’s clearly the bike lanes at fault. And rather… Keep reading…
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Are protected bike lanes actually more dangerous?
New York has its first physically separated bike lane on 9th Avenue, where the parked cars sit between the bike land and traffic, protecting riders. I emailed DDOT’s Chris Ziemann about the 15th Street reconfiguration, suggesting a similar lane there. Ziemann responded that “separating the bikes from traffic is safer for bikes along the block, but much more dangerous… Keep reading…
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Cars vs. bikes
In a five-part series in the LA Times, Los Angeles blogger and bike user Will Campbell and Cato anti-Smart Growth commentator Randal O’Toole debate the sources of car/bike rage, whether funding bike paths is worthwhile, Critical Mass, and more. Keep reading…
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DDOT may restore two-way traffic on 15th Street
NYC DOT has been on a tear recently converting some excessively wide, one-way neighborhood streets like Carlton Ave in Fort Greene and 9th Street in Park Slope into two-way streets with medians and bike lanes that balance the needs of cars, pedestrians, and bicyclists. DC has some of these too, like 15th Street NW, a four-lane (plus parking) high-speed road that’s about… Keep reading…
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Smart transportation policy from Tommy Wells
Councilmember Tommy Wells (Ward 6, which includes Capitol Hill, Penn Quarter, and Southwest Waterfront) has not only been reading his Donald Shoup but his Streetsblog as well. His Web site bears the slogan, “for a livable and walkable community.” And he’s been pushing policies that indeed enhance livable communities. Keep reading…
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Driver vs. pedestrian perspective
This MPD training presentation makes the excellent point that when driving, you see pedestrians and bicycles as being in the way and violating traffic laws, but while walking or biking, drivers are the ones whose transgressions are visible. (Via TheWashCycle.) Keep reading…
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A backbone for people and bicycles
I first read about this idea in the RPA’s analysis of congestion pricing, but now that traffic reduction ideas are a talked-about topic, another more radical idea has hit the blogs: closing Broadway to traffic. Paul White of TA brings up the idea in a Gothamist interview, and MemeFirst follows up with some more detailed detailed thoughts. Keep reading…
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Green along the blue
In New York City’s industrial past, waterfronts were industrial zones. New York became America’s largest city by being America’s busiest port. Manhattan’s coastlines were piers and warehouses, for transferring goods between ships; the entire waterfront of Jersey City was railyards where goods would switch between ship and train. Consequently, the land in the middle of Manhattan… Keep reading…
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Harvard’s Allston plan: wow
The architects hired by Harvard University to study locating facilities in Allston have created an interim report, and it’s really nice. If Harvard really implements most of it, rather than getting cheap and cutting the more expensive pieces which improve quality of life, it sounds as though a really nice new campus might result. I’m pleasantly surprised,… Keep reading…