Thread: New bike path
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Old March 18th 18, 05:22 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Frank Krygowski[_4_]
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Default New bike path

On 3/18/2018 11:39 AM, Joerg wrote:
On 2018-03-18 08:10, jbeattie wrote:


Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â* ... but your mythical person who
would ride if there were infrastructure is not going to be
dragging his or her ass over dirt trails to get somewhere.



Several did. They are not mythical but real people and are now regularly
riding the trails. One even splurged and bought a new and serious MTB.


Again, Joerg, you keep pumping out anecdotes. "One guy even bought a
bike!!!" or "You should see the trail at rush hour!!"

Anyone with less bias and more interested in facts would say "One guy
out of 20,000 population?" or "At rush hour, how many people are driving
on the road instead of biking on the trail?"

Now we even have a bike shop right on that trail, Sam's Town Cyclery. He
would not be there if he wasn't sure that that's where MTB riders come by.


That's fine. A couple years ago a new bike shop opened adjacent to the
longest rail-trail in our area. I know the guy who used to own it. Nice
guy; he did some volunteer work with me. He said the shop was doing just
fine, including renting bikes to people to use on the trail.

But that guy later sold his interest in the shop to his business partner
and went on to a job that made more money. And a few months ago, the
business partner moved the shop from the trailside to the heart of
plaza-land, about five miles away. The business is doing much better now.

I'm in favor of people riding bikes - especially if the bike ride
replaces a car trip. I'm in favor of bike shops.

But bike shops come and bike shops go; and most people using trails for
bike rides have _added_ a car trip, to shuttle their bikes to and from
the trail. It's folly to think that bike trails are going to generate an
America with fewer cars plus lots of thriving bike shops.

--
- Frank Krygowski
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