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-   -   Urban Cycling Developments (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=178887)

M II A II R II K Apr 11, 2011 8:01 PM
The economic case for on-street bike parking


11 Apr 2011

By Elly Blue

http://www.grist.org/i/screen2/header/grist-logo.png

Read More: http://www.grist.org/biking/2011-04-...t-bike-parking

Toronto Study PDF: http://www.cleanairpartnership.org/p...es-parking.pdf

Quote:
Bicycling and driving have one thing in common that is almost universally frustrating, time consuming, friction causing, and potentially expensive.

Parking.

No matter how seamless your ride across town, no matter how well-timed the traffic lights or low-conflict the bike lanes, it's all pointless if when you arrive at work, or the store, or the music venue or party, and have nowhere to put your ride.

Worse is when you go back outside find your lock still securely attached and that sweet bike you invested in nowhere in sight. Or when you buy the rustiest, most theft-proof bike you can find, and arrive at work sweaty because your gears don't shift and covered in grease because your chain falls off every other block. Or when you are running late for a meeting and hastily lock up to whatever is handy and then return to nothing -- except, if you're lucky, a note informing you it's been impounded.

These are all real barriers to bicycling. And the solutions might seem difficult and costly ... until you break them down and put them in perspective.

We bend over backwards to make car parking easy and cheap. The costs never seem to be too high, the urban real estate too valuable, or alternatives to driving worthy enough of actually incentivizing. Even though we can never build enough to keep up with demand, we keep demanding -- and constructing -- more. And to hell with the price. Bike parking, on the other hand, is an afterthought in many municipalities, if it exists at all. Which is a real shame -- because it can be a powerful economic development engine.

A recent study in Melbourne found that bike parking spaces are better at generating revenue than car parking spaces. In part, this is simply because bicycles take up so little space, and parking can provide more opportunities for paying customers to park right at a business's front door And those customers may have more disposable income, not to mention more incentive and motivation to spend locally. Researchers have found that people who bike (and walk) to local retail businesses spend more money there.

.....

M II A II R II K Apr 12, 2011 2:11 PM
Quote:
LivingSocial, an international company advertising group purchase offers, presented a deal last Friday for memberships to Washington, D.C.’s Capital Bikeshare, a regional bike-sharing initiative. The deal was a choice between a one-month membership for $12, or a $37 annual membership to access Capital Bikeshare’s 1,100 bicycles around the capital—a 51 percent savings off the original membership price. Although the deal is no longer available, there have already been 8,132 memberships purchased through the website, which makes us wonder if Capital Bikeshare’s fleet of bikes will be enough to supply this high-demand service. It’s also an interesting experiment in increasing ridership on public and non-motorized transportation.



• Video Link

M II A II R II K Apr 13, 2011 2:45 PM
“Safe Passage” for Vulnerable Road Users


Submitted by Itir Sonuparlak on April 12, 2011

Read More: http://thecityfix.com/safe-passage-f...le-road-users/

Quote:
The City of Denton in Texas approved a traffic safety ordinance to assert the rights of the road for cyclists and other vulnerable road users. The “Vulnerable Road Users” or “Safe Passage” ordinance requires cars and light trucks to allow a safe passing distance of three feet, and requires commercial vehicles to allow a distance of six feet to vulnerable road occupants. The ordinance also requires vulnerable road users to remain as close to the side of the road as possible and stipulates that vehicles yield the right-of-way to vulnerable road users in all circumstances.

“An operator of a motor vehicle passing a vulnerable road user operating on a highway or street shall: (1) move to the left lane if the highway has two or more marked lanes running in the same direction; or (2) pass the vulnerable road user at a safe distance,” the ordinance claims. Passed with a unanimous vote by the City Council, the ordinance establishes the rights of the road to all users, provides safety guidelines and encourages alternative modes of transportation. Councilman Dalton Gregory introduced the ordinance in February 2010, based on a similar ordinance passed in San Antonio the same month, the Denton Record Chronicle reports.

“So the presumption is the driver is probably in the wrong,” Gregory says in the article. “It’s not always the case, but at least we’re working from a different point of view and making the big guy, who is not likely to get hurt, think a little more carefully before they operate.” The ordinance is directed at all road users and vulnerable road users are still required to be cautious and follow all city and state traffic laws. “[Cyclists] are not asking for some kind of extraordinary privilege to be on the road,” Gregory continued. “But they are asking for a right to be on the road.” The ordinance is not only for cyclists and pedestrians; it also applies to wheelchairs, highway construction workers, tow truck operators, utility workers, stranded motorists, horseback riders and skateboarders.

.....


Denton, Texas unanimously passed a safe passage ordinance that requires car drivers to maintain a safe distance from cyclists. Photo by jfre81.

http://thecityfix.com/files/2011/04/...505ed40776.jpg

M II A II R II K Apr 13, 2011 6:10 PM
Miami Biking gets a new spin with improved paths, and plenty of activities


Read More: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/1...spin-with.html

Quote:
Should you need proof of the rising local popularity of the noble bicycle, just take a gander at the rapidly expanding smorgasbord of places and occasions to ride in car-crazy South Florida. From mass charity rides to mountain-bike trails, from triathlons to urban transportation, cycling in South Florida has lately taken off like the price of gasoline. It’s no longer just for children or the hardcore Lycra brigades — though there’s plenty for them, too. And, yes, it includes bike polo, which is just what it sounds like, mallets and all. You will need a fixed-gear track bike and, come to think of it, it may be more fun to watch than to do — at least the first time.

Bike-store owners say sales are up. So is the number of bike-store owners. Every weekend provides a plethora of bike-related choices, both informal and organized: slow-bike tours of Coral Gables, tweed attire optional. Art tours in Wynwood. An easy ramble in the rural Redland. Riding to the bike-welcoming South Miami farmer’s market. Off-road slogs through the Everglades. Road rides for novices. Bike-safety classes. Even a bike film festival, though you’ll have to wait until next year to attend — this year’s run just ended. “We are seeing all kinds of people on bikes, and more families riding than last year,’’ said Mary Jane Mark, owner of Mack Cycle and Fitness in South Miami, one of the oldest local bike stores, which sponsors an increasingly popular triathlon and bike-run duathlon competitions and helped fund new mountain-bike trails on Virginia Key. “Many customers who come in to buy a bike have not ridden a bike in years.’’

For the skeptics, here’s a stat: 18,718. That’s the precise number of rentals during the first two weeks of operation in March of Miami Beach’s DecoBike, a bicycle-sharing program. And that’s with just 485 available bikes, half the number planned for the full roll-out, to be completed by June. Like Beach residents and visitors, local cyclists are benefitting from an official embrace after years of less-then-benign neglect. Seemingly every week, new on-street bike lanes open in Miami city and unincorporated Miami-Dade, pieces in a planned inter-connected network. Sharrows — a new chevron-shaped street marking that indicates designated traffic lanes are to be shared by cars and bikes — made their debut on South Beach and Miami’s Design District.

TriRail, the South Florida commuter rail, has added 600 bike lockers. Miami-Dade County is planning thousands of dollars in safety improvements to the uber-popular Rickenbacker Causeway bicycle lanes. Even the Florida Department of Transportation has gotten in the game, connecting the south end of the trail under the Metrorail to the South Miami-Dade Busway path to create a continuous 31-mile-long greenway. The new path is second in length only to the recently completed Biscayne/Everglades Greenway, a 42-mile loop connecting Biscayne and Everglades national parks through Homestead, Florida City and the Redland.

.....


• Video Link

vid Apr 13, 2011 8:14 PM
When a Bicycle Isn't a Transportation Device

http://cheezpictureisunrelated.files...nice-bikes.jpg

M II A II R II K Apr 13, 2011 10:57 PM
That was the original article's title. Urban cycling developments would be more fitting.

fflint Apr 14, 2011 12:17 AM
^Mark, would you change the title to that, then? The current thread title is obsolete in every sense.

M II A II R II K Apr 14, 2011 12:22 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by fflint (Post 5240535)
^Mark, would you change the title to that, then? The current thread title is obsolete in every sense.
Can't change it after the first 10 minutes of creating a thread, I'm sure Steely Dan or someone else will change it!

fflint Apr 14, 2011 12:25 AM
You should request it, then. The thread title is misleading not only about how people actually use bikes in cities today, but also is misleading about the content of this thread.

SHiRO Apr 14, 2011 1:17 AM
Fixed it...

M II A II R II K Apr 14, 2011 1:41 AM
Thanks! That's great!

KevinFromTexas Apr 14, 2011 3:47 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by vid (Post 5240153)
When a Bicycle Isn't a Transportation Device

http://cheezpictureisunrelated.files...nice-bikes.jpg
I'd be outside yelling, hoping he'd hear through the window, that I want "that one" Seriously, I'd love about half the bikes up there, since the other half are women's bikes. LOL

KevinFromTexas Apr 14, 2011 3:54 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by M II A II R II K (Post 5239717)
“Safe Passage” for Vulnerable Road Users


Submitted by Itir Sonuparlak on April 12, 2011

Read More: http://thecityfix.com/safe-passage-f...le-road-users/





Denton, Texas unanimously passed a safe passage ordinance that requires car drivers to maintain a safe distance from cyclists. Photo by jfre81.

http://thecityfix.com/files/2011/04/...505ed40776.jpg
That's actually Barton Springs Road in Austin, not Denton. That area is a few miles southwest of downtown near our "central park" - Zilker Park. It's funny they used a photo of that street. The closest call I've ever had was close to where that photo was taken. I was in the bike lane, but it fizzles out as it nears the intersection at Barton Springs and Lamar. A woman in a car came within a foot of hitting me. I could have kicked her car. Edit, and duh, "photo by jfre81. He posts here on SkyscraperPage! - jfre81

Steely Dan Apr 14, 2011 7:19 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas (Post 5240805)
Seriously, I'd love about half the bikes up there, since the other half are women's bikes. LOL
a small niggling point here, but some within the cycling community are trying to remove gender associations from bicycle frame types. the gender distinction between different bike frames is silly because there are many female cyclists out there who ride on traditional diamond frames (ie. "mens bikes") just as there are men who ride on step-through frames (ie. "womens bikes").

both basic frame styles have their pros and cons, and depending on how one intends to use a bicycle, either can be a good option for a person of either gender. traditional diamond frames offer the best strength to weight design, which is why you see diamond frames used in all types of competitive cycling for both men and women, but the high top tube can make it difficult for less proficient riders, older riders, or riders with back/joint/bone issues to get on the bike and get underway. this is where a step-through frame excels. it allows for the easiest possible mounts and dismounts to and from a bicycle.

the bike company's do continue to perpetuate the problem by marketing step-through frames as exclusively "womens bikes", but there is really no reason for them to do so as there is nothing inherently feminine about a step through frame. it's merely a bike frame designed to make it eaisier for people, both men and women, to get on the bike and ride it with a little bit of a penalty in weight and strength. for riders who are not interested in pushing their bikes to the extreme like road racers & mountain bikers do, those penalties are not terribly significant.

should i be blessed to live a long life, i hope to continue cycling as long as i possibly can, and i'm fully aware that there might come a day where, due to aging, a step through frame could make it easier for me to continue riding, and as a man, i'll have no qualms about hoping onto a step-through frame bike (aka "womens bike") to do what what i love.

KevinFromTexas Apr 15, 2011 6:06 AM
I don't mind being seen on a woman's bike, heck, I rode my sister's Trek 820 Sport for a year before buying a new mountain bike. I rode that thing all over the place. It's just that women's frames tend to be on the small size. I'm not very tall, just 5' 9'', but I'm really picky about how a bicycle fits me. If I can't ride it for 5 hours or so and be comfortable, then I'll sell it. And it's also for practical reasons. There's no way I could carry the things I do on my bike on a woman's bike.

It's actually hard to find women's bikes in Austin. Craigslist pretty much doesn't have any except for old cruisers and road bikes. It's really for practical reasons. Men's bikes fit on bike racks better, are easier to lock up, and having that bigger space in the frame means you can carry more cargo. And then there's the people who put in motors.

And if you really are a weight nut, since the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, having a straight top tube means less steel and less weight on the bike.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steely Dan
should i be blessed to live a long life, i hope to continue cycling as long as i possibly can, and i'm fully aware that there might come a day where, due to aging, a step through frame could make it easier for me to continue riding, and as a man, i'll have no qualms about hoping onto a step-through frame bike (aka "womens bike") to do what what i love.
Yep. I have no plans to quit riding. I seriously couldn't imagine not being able to. Last year sucked when I sprained my foot. I was de-biked for two months. The first time back on was so welcomed. I was flipping out a week ago when my light quit working because I wouldn't be able to ride at night. People actually get tickets here for not having bike lights.

electricron Apr 15, 2011 1:35 PM
The ordinance is not only for cyclists and pedestrians; it also applies to wheelchairs, highway construction workers, tow truck operators, utility workers, stranded motorists, horseback riders and skateboarders.

The ordinance also requires vulnerable road users to remain as close to the side of the road as possible and stipulates that vehicles yield the right-of-way to vulnerable road users in all circumstances.

As close to the side of the road as possible makes it illegal to claim your lane running in the center or left side of it.

Lyly Apr 16, 2011 3:19 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by M II A II R II K (Post 5239717)
“Safe Passage” for Vulnerable Road Users
That picture looks more like Austin than Denton.

EDIT- Nevermind, I see it's already been pointed out. Besides it being clearly no part of Denton I've ever seen, you can also tell its not us because of how many people are actually riding bicycles.

Quote:
Originally Posted by electricron (Post 5242411)
The ordinance is not only for cyclists and pedestrians; it also applies to wheelchairs, highway construction workers, tow truck operators, utility workers, stranded motorists, horseback riders and skateboarders.

The ordinance also requires vulnerable road users to remain as close to the side of the road as possible and stipulates that vehicles yield the right-of-way to vulnerable road users in all circumstances.

As close to the side of the road as possible makes it illegal to claim your lane running in the center or left side of it.
That's a good point. I hadn't thought of it that way. Won't stop me though. And I suppose as long as I don't piss off a lawyer, I'll be okay.

SFUVancouver Apr 19, 2011 1:48 AM
Photo update | April 18th, 2011
 
A couple of red light snapshots taken during my commute home today in Vancouver.

The first one is looking north down Vancouver's newest downtown separated bicycle route on Hornby Street.
http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/1...giatowerap.jpg
http://creativecommons.org/images/pu...merights20.png Taken by SFUVancouver, April 18th, 2011.

The second one was taken at the end of the Dunsmuir Viaduct, which is part of the other main downtown separated bicycle routes in Vancouver. The Dunsmuir route terminates in the downtown core at Hornby Street, which runs perpendicularly, and the viaduct portion meets up with the very popular Union-Adanac bicycle route that runs into East Vancouver. All of the intersections have bicycle controlled traffic lights at major intersections, except for the ominously named Gore Street. Thankfully that intersection is being upgraded right now to introduce bicycle controlled traffic lights.
http://img815.imageshack.us/img815/3...inapril182.jpg
http://creativecommons.org/images/pu...merights20.png Taken by SFUVancouver, April 18th, 2011.

CityKid Apr 22, 2011 1:09 PM
Streetsblog Los Angeles has a great write up by Joe Linton on the "protected bike lanes"/"cycletracks"/"separated bikeways" that will officially open in downtown Long Beach on Saturday, April 23rd. They have been mentioned in this thread before, but the City of Long Beach has replaced one lane of traffic on two parallel one-way thoroughfares that cross the length of downtown with a protected bike lane. Here are some pictures from the article.

http://la.streetsblog.org/wp-content...0-1024x504.jpg

http://la.streetsblog.org/wp-content...0-1024x687.jpg

http://la.streetsblog.org/wp-content...0-679x1024.jpg

Click here for the entire article along with more pictures.

fflint Apr 22, 2011 6:10 PM
Kudos to Long Beach--if only San Francisco could get some first-class bike infrastructure. Too often we're left with some paint stripes at the edge of the door zone and a bunch of double-parked motorcriminals negating the entire concept anyway.


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