http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-04-06/story/city-bristles-over-low-rank-bicycling
I'm seriously offended by this. Not so much in that Bicycling magazine, in their May issue, called out Jacksonville as a poor place to cycle, but the reasons why. Seriously, "not enough bike lanes"? Are you kidding? Nothing listed about the number of cyclists hit and/or killed (http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-04-05/story/jacksonville-pedestrians-and-cyclists-struggle-avoid-getting-hitch), but just talk about lack of pedestrian/cycling connectivity and urban sprawl.
The thing I was more upset over was that there was not one mention of Dallas and the metroplex area...a city that was voted THE worst cycling city several years in a row. Little if anything has been changed here to improve that designation and aside from the fact that there are fewer fatalities per capita here for cyclists being hit by cars than in Jacksonville, this is by far the worst city I have ever lived in or visited in my life for cycling. I demand a recount!
I thought Atlanta /Decatur Georgia was worse than Jacksonville. I've ridden in both and Atlanta scares me. Besides the traffic and narrow lanes there are trees where the trunks and roots are encroaching on the road. Some of the big trees have be cut lenghtwise so the trunk doesn't protrude over the curb and past the gutter.
Was this study conducted during the Mullaney Mayoral Announcement?
I used to bike a lot, especially as a teenager who actually preferred the bike over a car (weird I know).
I kind of gave it up after getting hit almost every week or two, mainly by idiots who don't yield to the bike that has a green light and is riding in a posted bike lane.
Stupid drivers are everywhere though.
Stupid drivers may be everywhere, but Florida seems to have a special talent for combining some of the worst drivers, anti-cyclist attitudes, conflicting laws about where bicycles are allowed or preferred, lax enforcement, and horrid urban planning.
My poor bicycle, which in other cities was once a primary mode of transport, has been largely reduced to a very occasional hobby object. I hate riding here, and after a few-too-many close calls, I hardly do it anymore. I miss it terribly, and supposed bikability is one of the reasons I bought a home in the urban core.
*Second_Pancake:* I don't know where you are in Dallas, but I find Highland Park and University Park very easy to ride in, and some of the in-town lake neighborhoods and parts of the urban core pretty easy to ride in. Bishop Arts and Winetka Heights are sadly difficult for cyclists right now, but that may improve over time. Citywide, the Trinity River project should really help if it all ever comes to fruition. I'd put Dallas well ahead of Jax on the bikability/transit front.
I hate cyclist on the road.
Quote from: JaxByDefault on April 09, 2010, 11:01:14 AM
Stupid drivers may be everywhere, but Florida seems to have a special talent for combining some of the worst drivers, anti-cyclist attitudes, conflicting laws about where bicycles are allowed or preferred, lax enforcement, and horrid urban planning.
Florida hasn't designed its transportation system for anything other than cars and trucks for the past 50 years. That's beginning to change (see bike lanes scattered throughout town) and as more bikes are on the road more drives get used to seeing them and sharing the road with them.
Didn't another bike magazine give Jacksonville a 'most improved' award or something similar for biking last year?
Quote from: Sportmotor on April 09, 2010, 11:36:51 AM
I hate cyclist on the road.
I'm not too fond of anyone on the road since I was hit (hit and run) by someone who allegedly stole the car they were driving, destoyed that car plus mine, and gingerly walked off into the rainy night never to be seen again. I'm a little bit afraid to drive at all and really not too keen on riding my bike anywhere near a load of traffic but now I really have no choice but to ride it more often if I want to go anywhere other than my block. The traffic lights (at least where I live) are not too forgiving towards cyclists and/or pedestrians either. I always get stuck in the median halfway through the walk/don't walk sequence. Drivers do not yield to the crossing and I'm not taking any chances either.
Quote from: Sportmotor on April 09, 2010, 11:36:51 AM
I hate cyclist on the road.
We hate you, too.
Riding in Jax is such a crapshoot. The hodgepodge of bike lanes and masses of idiots, uneducated cops and the general rabble who have no respect for anyone on a bike make it horrible to ride outside of your neighborhood.
I've had things thrown at me, been honked at, yelled at, spit at. Been told to "Get on the sidewalk!" been told to "Get OFF the sidewalk" (riding on the sidewalk IS NOT illegal, btw. You just have to give pedestrians right of way) more times than I can count. I'm a responsible rider, I obey traffic signals, and when I'm driving, a responsible driver. Is it so hard to move closer to the center line when passing a biker? No, it's not.
San Jose is rather nice to ride. But otherwise if you want to ride any real distance safely you have to go out to the Baldwin trail (which gets horribly crowded on weekends and there's only so many times you can moo at the cows before you get bored with the scenery).
Quote from: RiversideLoki on April 09, 2010, 02:42:27 PM
Quote from: Sportmotor on April 09, 2010, 11:36:51 AM
I hate cyclist on the road.
We hate you, too.
Yea but I dont have to move out of the way in the end you do :D
Granted I wont throw anything at you or run you off the road but I have had to pull over and have a nice...conversation with someone who thought they could dart infront of me trying to get me to go into the oncoming traffic. He saw things my way in the end.
Quote from: Sportmotor on April 09, 2010, 02:49:01 PM
Quote from: RiversideLoki on April 09, 2010, 02:42:27 PM
Quote from: Sportmotor on April 09, 2010, 11:36:51 AM
I hate cyclist on the road.
We hate you, too.
Yea but I dont have to move out of the way in the end you do :D
* A bicyclist who is not traveling at the same speed of other traffic must ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway. A bicyclist may leave the right-most portion of the road in the following situations: when passing, making a left turn, to avoid road hazards, or when a lane is too narrow for a bicycle and a car to share safely. (see Roadway Position Explained)
* A bicyclist operating on a one-way street with two or more traffic lanes may ride as close to the left-hand edge of the roadway as practicable.
* Persons riding bicycles upon a roadway shall not ride more than two abreast except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles. Persons riding two abreast shall not impede traffic when traveling at less than the normal speed of traffic at the time and place and under the conditions existing, and shall ride within a single lane. (see Impeding Traffic Explained)
Roadway Position Explained
State Law says you must ride as far to the right as practicable. It does NOT say as far to the right as possible. Practicable means capable of being done within the means and circumstances present.
A cyclist should maintain no less than 2 feet of clearance from the edge of usable pavement to have room to maneuver around obstructions and to be more visible to crossing traffic. (NOTE: useable pavement does not include the gutter pan or any area frequently obstructed by debris or other hazards.)
In an extra-wide lane a cyclist should ride farther leftâ€"about 4 feet from the flow of trafficâ€"to operate in the focus area of crossing traffic and reduce vulnerability to common collisions
When a lane is too narrow for a bicycle and a car to share safely, the cyclist is entitled to the use of the entire lane. Within this lane, the cyclist usually rides on the right half to facilitate visibility for overtaking motorists, but should ride far enough left to discourage motorists from trying to squeeze past within the lane.
Although the law uses the term "substandard" to discribe a lane that is not wide enough to share, these narrow lane-widths make up most of our roads. The less common "standard," wide curb lane is described below.http://www.floridabicycle.org/rules/bikelaw.html
See my fixed post :P
and the law says that yes, but my truck is a couple thosand pounds vs your 2pound bike
Quote from: Sportmotor on April 09, 2010, 02:56:36 PM
See my fixed post :P
and the law says that yes, but my truck is a couple thosand pounds vs your 2pound bike
So you're using the weight of your truck as an excuse to not be aware of your surroundings?
That's not really logical.
Anyways, it's not all on drivers. There are a lot of uneducated cyclists too. But there are considerably more ignorant drivers than ignorant cyclists. Anyone who you see on any decent bike should have the wherewithall to not want that really expensive bike smashed.
No that is saying yield to me XP
Quote from: Sportmotor on April 09, 2010, 03:01:29 PM
No that is saying yield to me XP
Also consider the cost it takes to run that truck..
Truck: Probably 19 mpg (being generous). Gas is.. what.. 2.73 a gallon right now.
Bike: Can go 30 miles on a granola bar (25 cents) and a bottle of water (freeish) assuming I haven't smoked an entire pack of cigs and drank a 12 pack the night before.
Ok well I live in St. Johns and trust me I miss my 5speed car, but as I have to go downtown and southside everyday and haul tools, boats(occasionally) trailers, and odds and ends there
I just cant throw any of that on a bike and expect to be anyplace :P
Quote from: Sportmotor on April 09, 2010, 03:22:13 PM
I just cant throw any of that on a bike and expect to be anyplace :P
You do have a point there. I tried to throw a sack from Wal-Mart on my shoulder and fell off my dang bike, busted my knee. :P
Therein lies the other problem. Jacksonville and the surrounding area is the epitome of "suburban sprawl". It's not that people who could/would be bicycling to and fro don't want to. It's that they logistically can't.
I know I can't. As a mobile computer guy, I live in riverside, office based in the Southpoint area, and spend my day all over town. But if I had a job at say LPS or Fidelity, you bet your bottom dollar I'd be biking my booty to the office every day.
Now if we had a good transportation system, it wouldn't be a huge problem.
Quote from: RiversideLoki on April 09, 2010, 03:25:44 PM
Now if we had a good transportation system, it wouldn't be a huge problem.
Ding! Ding! Ding! ;)
Try riding a bike on Mandarin road. Take your life into your own hands.