Re: Question about 8th Street Viaduct in Cincinnati

[Richard]

"Burn Gum! It Melts!" > wrote in message
...
> I want to know something very important!
>
> Which jurisdiction maintains the 8th Street Viaduct (the roadway from
> State Avenue to McLean Avenue that goes over Mill Creek)?
>
> I don't think it's the state, since OH 264 uses the Waldvogel Viaduct
> instead. Is it the county? The city? My guess would be the county, since
> roads maintained by Hamilton County usually tend to be much worse than
> those maintained by the city of Cincinnati.
>
> The reason I ask is that I'm damn sick and tired of the bike lane being
> covered with broken glass every damn day. It looks as if whatever
> jurisdiction that maintains the road simply sweeps all broken glass from
> the main traffic lanes, the sidewalk, and elsewhere right onto the bike
> lane. Either that or everyone who throws glass from their car windows on
> the viaduct just happens to hit the bike lane with perfect precision.
>
> I got another damn flat tire from this today, and I was so damn mad I
> was about ready to blow my stack. You can't even see all the glass, so
> you can't really avoid it.
>

Since it is in the cincinnati city limits, it is maintained by the city.
In all the years I lived in cincy, the 8th street viaduct was never a real
garbage problem.
Like anywhere else, you'd see some stuff on the roads, but generally it
wasn't there for long.

[Bernie]

Mike Kruger wrote:

> "Burn Gum! It Melts!" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > The reason I ask is that I'm damn sick and tired of the bike lane being
> > covered with broken glass every damn day. It looks as if whatever
> > jurisdiction that maintains the road simply sweeps all broken glass from
> > the main traffic lanes, the sidewalk, and elsewhere right onto the bike
> > lane. Either that or everyone who throws glass from their car windows on
> > the viaduct just happens to hit the bike lane with perfect precision.
> >
> More likely, any glass that's in the traffic lanes gets stirred up by the
> cars/trucks, and a certain fraction lands in the bike lane; this makes the
> bike lane worse, but cleans the traffic lane.
>
> This is one of the main problems with bike lanes -- particularly along
> routes where there are a number of people who throw trash. This covers
> nearly all well-travelled routes in urban areas, not just those where Jerry
> Springer used to be mayor. ;)
>
> That's why you sometimes see bike riders riding in the traffic lanes, NOT
> the bike lane. The bike lane may simply contain too much glass, sand,
> gravel, pieces of sharp metal, or other detrius. However, motor vehicle
> drivers often don't understand why someone is purposely ignoring the bike
> lane and riding in their lane, so friction results.

Too right. Happens all the time. It seems to be a function of vehicle mass vs
trash. The trash gets swept off to the side by motor vehicles, and bikes have
virtually zero mass due to size and design, so the trash stays in the bike
lane.

I say "ride where you are safe" and ignore bike lanes when they are not safe.
It gets complicated some days...
Bernie