Christmas Morning Ride

Several Ideas that matter to cyclists made the New York Times list of Best Ideas of 2009. This includes Bicycle Highways:

The bicycle highway — no red lights, no cars — is every cyclist's fantasy. There are now signs that infrastructure is catching up with the dream. In October 2008, an association of U.S. state-highway officials approved the concept of a national Bicycle Routes Corridor Plan — the first step in potential American bike Interstates. But this amounts to little more than a go-ahead for states to put bike-route signs on existing roads.

Copenhagen, however, began last month to create the real thing: a system of as many as 15 extra-wide, segregated bike routes connecting the suburbs to the center of the city. These are not bucolic touring paths; Copenhagen's bike highways are meant to move traffic. Nearly 40 percent of Copenhagen rides a bike to work. On Norrebrogade, a two-mile street in the center of the city, 36,000 cyclists clog the bike lane every day.

Artificial Car Noise:

Unfortunately, it turns out that the sweet silence of 21st-century technology has a serious downside: pedestrians and bicyclists are less likely to hear hybrids and electric cars coming their way and are more likely to be clipped or run over.

Data derived from thousands of accidents revealed that there was no difference between hybrids and conventional vehicles on straightaways. But at intersections, interchanges, parking lots and other places where cars traveled at slow speeds, hybrids proved far more hazardous, with pedestrians and bicyclists getting hit at up to twice the normal rate.

And, of course, Virginia's cul-de-sac ban:

"There are pros and cons," says Kaid Benfield, the director of the Smart Growth Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Residents like walkability and they like not having to be forced onto an arterial road where the traffic jam is. On the other hand, there is a sentiment out there that cul-de-sacs are safe" — though Benfield says research actually shows fewer traffic fatalities occur on connected roads.

So, in reality, there are pros and perceived, but inaccurate, cons.

Rails to Trails' Western Regional Office just released the California Rails-with-Trails Survey, adding new evidence that trails along active rail corridors are safe and feasible. Silver Spring Trails brings it into context for the CCT/Purple Line. By my count, the CCT/Purple Line combo would become the third rail with trail within the beltway. Quick, name the other two...

Comments

[Froggie]

For the record, the concept of "Bicycle Highways" has already existed in the U.S. for almost 15 years. The Cedar Lake Trail in Minneapolis, when it opened, was touted as the first "bicycle freeway" in the U.S.

[Aaron]

Another seemingly good alternative to cul-de-sacs would be to have connected streets that have a blockade (such as posts) which would allow pedestrian and bicycle traffic to pass through but not cars. Cyclists and pedestrians could avoid major arteries, the streets would still be quieter (if not safer), and neighborhoods would be more connected - at least on foot. It would not ease congestion on the major arteries, but then again maybe it's a good thing to keep most of the cars in one area.

Merry Christmas.

[Wayne Phyillaier]

Two rails with trails within the beltway:
The Met Branch Trail, and
The Lake Artemesia Trail (part of the Anacostia Trail system, north of College Park).

Although, technically, the Lake Artemesia Trail may not be a rail with trail. The trail runs adjacent to Metro tracks, but appears to be on separately owned county property and may not technically share the corridor with Metro.

[washcycle]

I wasn't thinking of Lake Artemesia, but I could see how you could count it. So let's call it three.

[Froggie]

You also have the trail along the Yellow/Blue Line corridor between King St and Braddock Rd. Does that count?

[Liz]

Actually, wouldn't credit for the first bicycle highway go to Los Angeles, circa 100 years ago?

http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200803/bikeway.asp

[Froggie]

Based on that, you could argue the Minneapolis one I mentioned is the first modern-day example...