CityCars. Coming to a bike path near you?

Fairfax Supervisor Sharon S. Bulova (D-Braddock) has asked county transportation officials in the county to investigate whether CityCars - compact two-seat electric cars, with a range of 10 miles - would work in the county. They sound pretty cool and the plan is to tie them in to Metro and VRE stations, but this part got me worried:

The possibilities are endless, especially in planned communities such as Columbia, Burke and Reston or anyplace in Washington with an extensive network of bicycle trails.

That's because the plan would be to run them on the trails

"If we put these on our pedestrian pathways, I would raise significant safety issues" about them, Supervisor Michael R. Frey (R-Sully) said.

they could add to bike path crowding: speeding bicyclists mingling with slow-moving children walking their pets and oblivious joggers listening to music on headphones.

It's not necessarily an issue of mixing with bikes, I mean most of us bike in the streets with dump trucks and SUVs, I'd welcome a little 1500 pound 2 seater, but more the inadequacy of bike trails to handle such a vehicle. How would you pass or be passed safely? These vehicles may be a good idea, but putting them on our narrow bike trails is not. Now, if they widened the trails...

Comments

[Lee Watkins]

Yes, of course bike paths vaguely looks like roads that smaller cars could manage to drive on so get off the road! Get of the Road! Cars are driving here! Small speedy cars going as fast as necessary - hey it's not like there's any speed traps! You better get the f out of the way unless you want to get run over! Hello? Bikers get off the road!

I can't wait. Is it still illegal for a biker to hold on to a car on the bike trail, or is that only car roads? Can I start protesting cars on the bike trail now? I've got my case of eggs ready.

[Murph]

It reminds me of the Segway people deploying a bevy of lobbyists to get those things allowed on city sidewalks. I think that the "no motorized vehicles on multi-use paths" (other than official vehicles) rule works fine.

[John Pickett]

Why don't we get the good Ms. Bulova one of these little cars and have her take a drive on the W&OD Trail on a weekend day when the weather is nice. The perfect time for a jaunt in the ole CityCar.

It wil be self evident to this fine policy maker that her idea is foolish.

[dan]

Do the people that come up with this stuff ever think anything through? I bet the supervisor has never seen a bike trail.

[w]

why is it that whenever I see people on segways they are always super - sized and gross? I think those machines were made for people who have given up on walking from the parking lot.

[w]

these little cars are as ugly as the "buildings" that frank ghery makes.They do not fit into cities well and are more about his ego than any usefulness. Likely the same with these cars.

[Chris]

I think Frank Gehry buildings are pretty cool looking. Don't be so American!

[washcycle]

I actually like the cars. They would be great for zipcar/flexcar - just not for bike trail use.

[Murph]

Yes, I thought Segways were pretty cool at first, until I figured out that the activity that they are largely designed to replace was the low-emission, good exercise form of transportation known as walking. I think they have a use for police, kind of like horse-mounted officers, although the Segway-mounted secret service officers by the White House creep me out.

[FALCON EV]

whose talkin about trails ? Put them in the streets

[Lee Watkins]

I think Ms. Bulova is having trouble realizing that a vehicle this size would be acceptable on a normal road. It is either the size, or the fact that it's an electric vehicle, but she seems to be saying that only "real cars" should be on "real roads". This is the kind of narrow, narrow thinking that drives me crazy.