tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280277691673459003.post4192913549729383053..comments2023-06-16T08:50:11.916-07:00Comments on Stop and Move: Bike lanes: Keeping fast cars safe from opening doorsJames Sinclairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00948509061118072998noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280277691673459003.post-5128156911926165842012-05-01T15:07:34.714-07:002012-05-01T15:07:34.714-07:00James you should contact Scott Mozier at the City ...James you should contact Scott Mozier at the City of Fresno. He is a great guy and you can work with him to solve some of your concerns. 559 621-8650Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280277691673459003.post-14539992436206518442012-04-30T13:50:27.946-07:002012-04-30T13:50:27.946-07:00Sharrows have never been used in Fresno. While a l...Sharrows have never been used in Fresno. While a lack of bike lanes do allow cyclists to use the whole lane, in reality what happens in that cyclists use the sidewalk or don't bike at all. Bike lanes always have and always will encourage more people to use bikes. <br /><br />I commute by bike (on gettsyburg!) and I would not make the commute if the lanes weren't there. There is a noticeable degradation in comfort in the sections without lanes.James Sinclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00948509061118072998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280277691673459003.post-589748579766284942012-04-30T13:47:37.064-07:002012-04-30T13:47:37.064-07:00Fresno did indeed stripe a whole lot of lanes in 2...Fresno did indeed stripe a whole lot of lanes in 2010. But shortly after that summer, the city's transportation guy was hired by another city and since then, there's been nothing. The bike lane project SW of downtown was cancelled. This project was delayed and then cut in half. Broadway will be rebuilt downtown without lanes. <br /><br />The budget isn't a good excuse, because at the same time the city has continued to green light highly expensive road widening projects. Look at Peach south of 180, the continuous work on Herndon, the road widenings in the Copper part of town, the work on 180, and then the $55 million the city gave to improve the 180/168 ramp connection.<br /><br />$55m would pretty much pay for the entire BMP to be implemented.James Sinclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00948509061118072998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280277691673459003.post-29203944931659969502012-04-30T13:43:21.934-07:002012-04-30T13:43:21.934-07:00Bike advocates did work with the city, which is ho...Bike advocates did work with the city, which is how the Bike Master Plan was developed. But now the plan is being completely ignored. Besides claiming bike lanes are unfeasible in streets explicitly listed for bike lanes in the plan, and besides cutting a mile of bike lanes from this bike lane project, the city is also going to redo Broadway downtown later this year....without bike lanes. Of course, the BMP calls for lanes on that street as well. The city should absolutely be called out on ignoring the BMP every step of the way. <br /><br />It is also not right to apply for air pollution mitigation money, call it a bike lane project, and then strip out half the bike lanes.James Sinclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00948509061118072998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280277691673459003.post-8939341919114325762012-04-30T13:37:49.462-07:002012-04-30T13:37:49.462-07:00The interchanges are indeed a nightmare, and the w...The interchanges are indeed a nightmare, and the worst part about it is that 168 is so recent and it was designed that way. In fact, the 180 interchanges which opened within the past 5 years are just as bad for cyclists. It's actually not that hard to modify them to make them safer though, as the real danger comes in the extremely wide turning radiuses which allow people to drive onto the ramp at 50+ mph. <br /><br />The 41 interchanges, which mostly require hard right turns are much safer. <br /><br />I chose that picture of Shaw because thats exactly what Shaw looks like between Cedar and First - the section of gettysburg that won't be getting bike lanes because that extra car lane is just so damn important. The choice isn't striping all 20 miles of Shaw or none at all. Bike lanes in places are better than none at all. That area of Shaw, the area near Fresno State, can certainly have bike lanes. Why does the city claim theyre not feasible?James Sinclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00948509061118072998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280277691673459003.post-31186660523610885312012-04-30T13:33:30.491-07:002012-04-30T13:33:30.491-07:00Shaw, which is pictured, does have many turns, som...Shaw, which is pictured, does have many turns, some every few feet. However, without the bike lane, 99% of riders stay in the sidewalk, which is even more dangerous. Of course, even more people who would make the trip by bike either drive or don't make the trip at all because the conditions are so uncomfortable.James Sinclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00948509061118072998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280277691673459003.post-76712010753608686172012-04-30T13:06:41.989-07:002012-04-30T13:06:41.989-07:00Without the bike lane, the cyclist has the right t...Without the bike lane, the cyclist has the right to the whole road. The bike lane directs the cyclist to use the most dangerous part of the road. There have been quite a few fatal dooring collisions, plus thousands of "mere" injuries due to dooring. Riding in the door zone isn't safe, and the government shouldn't pretend that a paint brush can make it safe. The superior alternative is to use the "Bikes may use full lane" signs and the shared lane marking, placed at LEAST 13 feet from the curb, outside the door zone. A door zone bike lane makes the city responsible for dooring injuries and deaths. <br />-- John Schubert, Limeport[dot]orgJohn Schuberthttp://limeport.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280277691673459003.post-53620063520418987482012-04-30T12:53:21.699-07:002012-04-30T12:53:21.699-07:00The Bicycle Master Plan was promoted in 2010 www.f...The Bicycle Master Plan was promoted in 2010 www.fresno.gov/BMP and also received great praise and was awarded an American Planning Association 1st Place Award for Comprehensive document for the ten county region in the San Joaquin Valley. That same year 30 new miles of bike lanes were installed in Fresno which was the second most to any city in the US besides New York. <br />http://sf.streetsblog.org/2010/12/01/dont-look-now-but-fresno-is-sprouting-bike-lanes/<br /><br />Fresno has fallen on hard economic times in government due in large part to the out of control suburban planning that did not create the necessary revenue to support the costs of providing services. What was needed was a Growth Management Plan. This is something that General Plans should evaluate. Is the land use, transportation, parks and public safety feasible to construct and maintain now and in the future. If you build a roadway that costs $10 to build but that creates development impact fees that are too high then you need to reevaluate your basic assumptions of how big of a roadway you can really afford. Likewise if you build a roadway where your sales tax, property tax, gas tax, and Measure C can not provide the revenue to maintain the infrastructure than you will create a diverging cost versus revenue financial plan. In CA nearly $37 Billion additional dollares are needed in the budget to maintain roadways the way they are suppose to be maintained. Unfortunately deferred maintenance has caught up with many jurisdiction. That is in large part what has occurred in Fresno. Older communities were left behind for new ones and people stopped investing in older neighborhoods. Blight took over which induced crime and the need for robust public safety. Even the more wealthy areas of Fresno do not fund maintenance very well. But it is the parks and the roadways in combination with the land uses that create Quality of Life. You can't get Nordstrom quality for WalMart prices. both business models are successful but you have to figure out what you can afford. A well designed and built community can afford more as property values and revenues in an area grow rather than decay.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280277691673459003.post-90595568971201670922012-04-30T12:36:43.512-07:002012-04-30T12:36:43.512-07:00James as a bicycle advocate, vilifying government ...James as a bicycle advocate, vilifying government with your article is not the way to make it more effective to meet your needs. Develop relationships and work together and look for solutions. Bike riders are in the minority currently in Fresno and they are not going to be heard if they are attacking. Work to create partnerships. Look at what Long Beach or Portland are doing with the Businesses. Businesses can be your friend to accomplish your goal of more bike lanes, trails, bike parking, bike boulevards, green bike lanes, and sharrows.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280277691673459003.post-89066791083295030382012-04-30T12:28:28.602-07:002012-04-30T12:28:28.602-07:00Sharrow on Shaw and Ashlan might be something to c...Sharrow on Shaw and Ashlan might be something to consider. I actually attended all the meetings for the BMP and what was discussed was that Shaw and Ashlan have big interchanges with SR 41 and SR 168 which are not that friendly. And your cross section for Shaw is not accurate for the entire length as it can be very narrow in some parts and does have on street parking in others. Shaw moves 40,000+ cars a day at speeds in excess of 40+ MPH where Gettysburg moves under 20,000 cars a day at slower speeds. What the City was trying to do for the BMP was identify streets for all levels of bike users. It really is only a couple council members one of which will be termed out at the end of the year that are causing the issues. Biking is the most affordable mode of transportation and there is no greater community in need of creating affordable transportation options than Fresno!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280277691673459003.post-12011906394859791172012-04-30T11:30:11.743-07:002012-04-30T11:30:11.743-07:00All bike lanes are for the benefit of motorists!
...All bike lanes are for the benefit of motorists!<br /><br />Wayne PeinAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280277691673459003.post-37131131069095074362012-04-30T10:45:03.383-07:002012-04-30T10:45:03.383-07:00"so slowly", not "slow slowly"..."so slowly", not "slow slowly"...John Brookinghttp://www.meetup.com/Portland-Bicycle-Commutingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7280277691673459003.post-8093213893883552412012-04-30T10:43:40.698-07:002012-04-30T10:43:40.698-07:00"through vehicles will be separated from open..."through vehicles will be separated from opening car doors by the bicycle lanes"<br /><br />... unless the through vehicle is a bicycle. Oh, I forgot, bicycles aren't real vehicles. And they go slow slowly they'll only got a few minor scratches if they hit a door, right?<br /><br />"... throw them under the bus ..." Yes, that's exactly how opening doors can actually kill cyclists.<br /><br />OTOH, I don't care for bike lanes on large multi-lane streets like those pictured either. It's not just about there being room for bike lanes. Bike lanes on big multi-lane roads with many intersections and driveways create turning conflicts at each and every one, and the problem is made worse because of the many lanes of motor vehicles that shield a cyclist at the edge of the road from the view of most of the surrounding motorists. This is why so much effort and money has to be put into bike lane intersection design on roads like this, to remediate the edge conflicts created by them. Most bicyclists are understandably scared at the thought of controlling a travel lane, but frankly, that's the safest behavior on a road like that, and if it were talked about more openly as something that is legal and possible, I think that be beneficial to all cyclists.John Brookinghttp://www.meetup.com/Portland-Bicycle-Commutingnoreply@blogger.com