Urban Cycling Developments

[mrnyc]

Originally Posted by dchan

I would use OMNY, except friggin Edenred doesn't send us RFID cards for our commuter pre-tax benefits. And I'm loathe to spend $5 for something that we should be getting anyway. So here I am still using a worn-out Metrocard like a luddite (I also refuse to spend $1 for a flimsy easily-scratched piece of plastic).

i was in the exact same boat with edenred until i just retired! so thats a way out of it --

but yeah you definitely have to use edenred because its pre-tax and it is maddening that they dont support omny services.

i doubt they will either until the metrocard goes away and they are forced to act.

also, word to the wise watch edenred closely that they aren't ripping you off.

i canceled after covid as it had built up and a month or so later they randomly reinstated it without my noticing.

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

i use an mta omny card for transit, but you dont have to use that, you can use your phone, which most people do.

the metrocard is still around, but on its way out.

and of course, these days, other that tourists or busters, irl no one pays.

Oh in LA too, if you downlod the TAP app, you can use your phone to pay for the bus/train/bike share.

I personally like using the TAP card... it's smaller/slimmer and I feel it's quicker to use---slides easily in and out of my back pocket. And I guess, unlike most people, I like to take my phone out as little as possible.

[craigs]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

Oh in LA too, if you downlod the TAP app, you can use your phone to pay for the bus/train/bike share.

I personally like using the TAP card... it's smaller/slimmer and I feel it's quicker to use---slides easily in and out of my back pocket. And I guess, unlike most people, I like to take my phone out as little as possible.

I looooove the TAP app on my phone. I've used it several times now, and it just couldn't be easier.

[mrnyc]

anyone thats pays is a sucker these days.

literally no one pays.

[mrnyc]

super complex bike parking in japan —


https://www.instagram.com/reel/CwWVr...RlODBiNWFlZA==

[sopas ej]

Over in my neck of the woods...

Only 1.5 miles long, but it's a start---2-way protected bike lanes on a one way street in Pasadena, CA. It officially opened today (Saturday, 9.9.2023).

I took a few pictures---while driving in my car!

Separate traffic signals for cars, bikes, and pedestrians... hopefully everyone will behave properly.


Photo by me


Photo by me

See... bikes and peds need to wait while the driver has a "protected" left turn...

Photo by me


Photo by me


Photo by me

2-way bike lane on a one-way street. You can see that there's a bike signal facing the other way.

Photo by me

There are some solid islands too, not just plastic bollards, separating bike/vehicular traffic, but I didn't take a picture. Some raised driveway aprons, too, for higher visibility of cyclists, and for cyclists to be aware of possible motorists entering or exiting driveways/parking lots.

The first signalized protected bike lanes I saw in LA County are in Long Beach, and this was probably 11 or 12 years ago. And then they installed some in downtown LA. These are the first in Pasadena, and as far as I know, they're the first in the SGV.

[mrnyc]

^ you’re showing us this bike path with nobody on it from your car?

[streetscaper]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

anyone thats pays is a sucker these days.

literally no one pays.

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

^ you’re showing us this bike path with nobody on it from your car?

Yeah.

I only saw two cyclists using it, each going in opposite directions. This was probably around 1 in the afternoon, and I had driven the whole length of the bike path.

Hopefully more people will start using it. Again, it's only 1.5 miles long, but it's intended to connect some key parts of Pasadena (Old Town, Playhouse Village, Pasadena City College, Caltech).

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

Yeah.

I only saw two cyclists using it, each going in opposite directions. This was probably around 1 in the afternoon, and I had driven the whole length of the bike path.

Hopefully more people will start using it. Again, it's only 1.5 miles long, but it's intended to connect some key parts of Pasadena (Old Town, Playhouse Village, Pasadena City College, Caltech).

It’s new. And for it to really work as intended (e.g. carrying a high volume of traffic) it needs to be a part of a complete system of bike lanes and infrastructure.

[jmecklenborg]

A local Cincinnati bike shop hosted its annual hill climb ride on Sunday, Sept 17. This shop is owned by a guy who rode BMX in the 80s and so isn't a roadie-type place at all. I encouraged them to hire someone with a drone to film this event in the future because Cincinnati is without a doubt one of the most interesting bicycling cities in the United States given its steep terrain, confusing street layout, and wildly varied cityscapes.

We did about 2,300 feet of climbing over a route length of about 12 miles (this graphic includes the ride to/from my house).




The "Everest" climb has become a bit of a thing in the last five years and it would definitely be possible to do an all-Cincinnati Everest route that doesn't repeat any hills.

[shivtim]

Lots of updates on Atlanta's Beltline, a multi-use trail circling the city. Currently more than four additional miles are under construction, two more miles are shovel ready, and 2.2 more miles received a RAISE grant and is in design.



Northeast trail construction:


Southside trail construction:


Westside trail construction:


Northwest trail design plan to cross Peachtree Creek:

[Busy Bee]

I like that bridge.

[202_Cyclist]

I read this in an article about electric delivery vans. I thought it is pretty neat.

"But in New York, DutchX is launching a new service to bring small loaded containers into Manhattan by ferry, then load them onto Fernhay electric cargo bikes for city deliveries, said DutchX co-founder Marcus Hoed. The company will use the bikes to deliver packages for its customers - which include Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods.

"Some customers are pushing very, very hard for as many zero-emission deliveries as possible," Hoed said.

DutchX's revenue should rise by more than a third to around $40 million this year. The company will launch operations in Philadelphia this year, with three or four more additional U.S cities next year..."

Startups with electric vans race to fill demand for zero-emissions delivery


https://www.reuters.com/business/aut...ry-2023-09-18/

[202_Cyclist]

shivtim-- Thank you for posting. These extensive multi-use trails really make an area more desirable to visit and to live at.

[shivtim]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

shivtim-- Thank you for posting. These extensive multi-use trails really make an area more desirable to visit and to live at.

100%. Atlanta has been doing a great job of this recently with the Beltline, PATH, Trolley Line trail, and some other initiatives. I just wish we were doing as well with "regular" bike lanes and cycle tracks, and connectivity. It's fits and starts, and very little enforcement for cars that block bike lanes.
For anyone interested, here's a crowd-sourced map of Atlanta's bicycle infrastructure.

[mrnyc]

interesting bike cleanup problems here —


https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cvhs9...RlODBiNWFlZA==

[shivtim]

Atlanta's open streets event, "Streets Alive," returned yesterday. It will be one Sunday a month on Peachtree Street this fall. Hoping to continue or expand it in the spring.









Source

[TempleGuy1000]

Nice update for the Schuylkill banks suspension bridge and boardwalk extension in Philadelphia. It will complete the fully off road path connecting Center City and Southwest Philadelphia

Video Link

[M II A II R II K]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...9?srnd=citylab