Boston bike advocacy has tectonic shift -- supports facilities

http://www.massbike.org/2010/02/26/m...nfrastructure/

Well, it's a step.

Peter Cole wrote:
http://www.massbike.org/2010/02/26/m...nfrastructure/


Well, it's a step.

How about holding a demonstration outside the DA's office every time a
motorist is at fault for maiming or killing a cyclist, but is not
charged with a serious offense?

--
Tom Sherman - 42.435731,-83.985007

Tom Sherman °_° wrote:
Peter Cole wrote:
http://www.massbike.org/2010/02/26/m...nfrastructure/


Well, it's a step.

How about holding a demonstration outside the DA's office every time a
motorist is at fault for maiming or killing a cyclist, but is not
charged with a serious offense?


I like my pound of flesh as much as the next guy, but I'd still rather
work on prevention. Calming and reduction of auto traffic in thickly
settled areas gets my vote.

On Mar 6, 1:22*pm, Peter Cole wrote:
Tom Sherman °_° wrote:
Peter Cole wrote:
http://www.massbike.org/2010/02/26/m...-bicycle-infra....

Well, it's a step.

How about holding a demonstration outside the DA's office every time a
motorist is at fault for maiming or killing a cyclist, but is not
charged with a serious offense?

I like my pound of flesh as much as the next guy, but I'd still rather
work on prevention. Calming and reduction of auto traffic in thickly
settled areas gets my vote.

I like wide, well paved roads. All this bicycle infrastructure often
makes things worse, with the exception of bike lanes ON the roadway.
Dedicated off-road facilities turn in to pedestrain trails. Bicycle
boulevards often have spurious hard-scape devices that turn in to
hazards. Bicycle shelters -- bike lanes between the curb and parked
cars -- are plain dangerous. Applied boxes and three-point lines and
what have you get slippery after the second snow and a little
scraping.

All this worry about riders "feeling comfortable" or "less stressed"
is psychotic -- and it assumes there are hundreds and millions of
people who really want to ride except for being afraid (afraid in a
way that a green bike box will fix). That's BS. The people who tell
me that they would ride if it were only more safe are typically
fatties with no history of riding, even at beach resorts. We should
just make the roads wider, fix them and put on a stripe. Everybody
wins. -- Jay Beattie.

Jay Beattie wrote:
On Mar 6, 1:22 pm, Peter Cole wrote:
Tom Sherman °_° wrote:
Peter Cole wrote:
http://www.massbike.org/2010/02/26/m...-bicycle-infra...
Well, it's a step.
How about holding a demonstration outside the DA's office every time a
motorist is at fault for maiming or killing a cyclist, but is not
charged with a serious offense?
I like my pound of flesh as much as the next guy, but I'd still rather
work on prevention. Calming and reduction of auto traffic in thickly
settled areas gets my vote.

I like wide, well paved roads. All this bicycle infrastructure often
makes things worse, with the exception of bike lanes ON the roadway.
Dedicated off-road facilities turn in to pedestrain trails. Bicycle
boulevards often have spurious hard-scape devices that turn in to
hazards. Bicycle shelters -- bike lanes between the curb and parked
cars -- are plain dangerous. Applied boxes and three-point lines and
what have you get slippery after the second snow and a little
scraping.

All this worry about riders "feeling comfortable" or "less stressed"
is psychotic -- and it assumes there are hundreds and millions of
people who really want to ride except for being afraid (afraid in a
way that a green bike box will fix). That's BS. The people who tell
me that they would ride if it were only more safe are typically
fatties with no history of riding, even at beach resorts. We should
just make the roads wider, fix them and put on a stripe. Everybody
wins. -- Jay Beattie.

I like wide roads, too. Problem is, around here (Boston) there isn't
any more room. What typically has happened is that more car lanes have
been added to the same road width, making life more difficult for
cyclists. I'd like to get some back. If that necessitates bike lanes,
I'm for it.

Portland has managed to double cycling in the last decade. It seems
they're doing something right, even if they're doing it wrong.

On Mar 6, 2:38*pm, Peter Cole wrote:
Jay Beattie wrote:
On Mar 6, 1:22 pm, Peter Cole wrote:
Tom Sherman _ wrote:
Peter Cole wrote:
http://www.massbike.org/2010/02/26/m...-bicycle-infra....
Well, it's a step.
How about holding a demonstration outside the DA's office every time a
motorist is at fault for maiming or killing a cyclist, but is not
charged with a serious offense?
I like my pound of flesh as much as the next guy, but I'd still rather
work on prevention. Calming and reduction of auto traffic in thickly
settled areas gets my vote.

I like wide, well paved roads. *All this bicycle infrastructure often
makes things worse, with the exception of bike lanes ON the roadway.
Dedicated off-road facilities turn in to pedestrain trails. *Bicycle
boulevards often have spurious hard-scape devices that turn in to
hazards. *Bicycle shelters -- bike lanes between the curb and parked
cars -- are plain dangerous. Applied boxes and three-point lines and
what have you get slippery after the second snow and a little
scraping.

All this worry about riders "feeling comfortable" or "less stressed"
is psychotic -- and it assumes there are hundreds and millions of
people who really want to ride except for being afraid (afraid in a
way that a green bike box will fix). *That's BS. *The people who tell
me that they would ride if it were only more safe are typically
fatties with no history of riding, even at beach resorts. We should
just make the roads wider, fix them and put on a stripe. *Everybody
wins. -- Jay Beattie.

* I like wide roads, too. Problem is, around here (Boston) there isn't
any more room. What typically has happened is that more car lanes have
been added to the same road width, making life more difficult for
cyclists. I'd like to get some back. If that necessitates bike lanes,
I'm for it.

Portland has managed to double cycling in the last decade. It seems
they're doing something right, even if they're doing it wrong.- Hide quoted text -

Demographics, increased population and high gas prices and a lot of
press. I'm not sure how much of it is infrastructure changes -- some
probably, but not enough to justify the $600 million price tag for our
new 2030 Bicycle Plan. I know a lot of this planning stuff is to stake
out federal funds made available for bicycle and pedestrian
infrastructure and not for filling pot holes, so I'm not that shocked
by the plan or the price tag. But if those projects are funded by
increased taxes (property, business, income, sales), I'm going to
scream bloody murder. I'm not going to pay for fussy bicylcle
infrastructure when we need so much road repair around here. That
will **** off motorists and cause a backlash.-- Jay Beattie.

Jay Beattie wrote:

The people who tell
me that they would ride if it were only more safe are typically
fatties with no history of riding, even at beach resorts.


Now you've gone and hurt my feelings.


We should
just make the roads wider,


And the airplane seats too while we're at it.


--
Tad McClellan
email: perl -le "print scalar reverse qq/moc.liamg\100cm.j.dat/"
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

On Mar 5, 2:26*pm, Peter Cole wrote:
http://www.massbike.org/2010/02/26/m...-bicycle-infra...

Well, it's a step.

So is walking off a cliff. Shouldn't we make sure the step is in the
right direction?

I'm not against all bike facilities. But I'm certainly against people
who claim any bike facility is a good bike facility. Suddenly, that's
what Massbike seems to be doing.

Sounds like their "technical committee" might have consisted of two
poets, a painter, a yoga teacher and a performance artist. "Anything
is good. Ommmmmmmmm...."

- Frank Krygowski

On Mar 6, 6:15*pm, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Mar 5, 2:26*pm, Peter Cole wrote:

http://www.massbike.org/2010/02/26/m...-bicycle-infra...

Well, it's a step.

So is walking off a cliff. *Shouldn't we make sure the step is in the
right direction?

I'm not against all bike facilities. *But I'm certainly against people
who claim any bike facility is a good bike facility. *Suddenly, that's
what Massbike seems to be doing.

Sounds like their "technical committee" might have consisted of two
poets, a painter, a yoga teacher and a performance artist. *"Anything
is good. *Ommmmmmmmm...."

- Frank Krygowski

This must all be part of some ISTEA-like money grab. Everyone is
coming up with expensive and byzantine bicycle plans. -- Jay Beattie.

On Mar 6, 7:15*pm, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Mar 5, 2:26*pm, Peter Cole wrote:

http://www.massbike.org/2010/02/26/m...-bicycle-infra...

Well, it's a step.

So is walking off a cliff. *Shouldn't we make sure the step is in the
right direction?

I'm not against all bike facilities. *But I'm certainly against people
who claim any bike facility is a good bike facility. *Suddenly, that's
what Massbike seems to be doing.

Sounds like their "technical committee" might have consisted of two
poets, a painter, a yoga teacher and a performance artist. *"Anything
is good. *Ommmmmmmmm...."

- Frank Krygowski

Dear Frank,

At least they're not insisting that it's for the sake of sheep instead
of bicyclists:

"A letter was submitted from Mr. Baxter, Dundee, Hon. Secretary of the
Scottish Cyclists' Union, stating that numerous complaints had been
made regarding the leaving of hedge cutting on the highways, the
complaints being made more particularly with regard to the Dundee and
Arbroath Road, and stating that cyclists would feel obliged if the
attention of the Surveyor was called to the matter. It was agreed, on
the suggestion of Mr. Whyte Hatton, of Eassie, that the Surveyors be
asked to try to keep the roads as free from thorns as possible, for
the benefit of sheep passing, however, and not for the benefit of
cyclists."

--C.T.C. Monthly Gazette, June, 1895, p. 178

http://tinyurl.com/y8elxym

Cheers,

Carl Fogel