Thread: Bridge lane
View Single Post
  #4  
Old February 6th 20, 06:10 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Frank Krygowski[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 10,538
Default Bridge lane

On 2/5/2020 11:20 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Wednesday, February 5, 2020 at 12:53:39 PM UTC-8, Joerg wrote:
On 2020-02-03 14:19, Tom Kunich wrote:

[...]


There are only two bridges left without protected bike lanes now. The
San Mateo Bridge and the Carquinez Straits bridge.



I've never seen a cyclist on the Carquinez Bridge. That sounds like a
suicide mission to me, like this section on I-5:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bike/2...ream/lightbox/

Have you tried cycling the Carquinez Bridge?

That is a scary bridge, but that's the wrong bridge. Carquinez Bridge is across the Carquinez Straights in the north Bay. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carquinez_Bridge The photo is the I-5 Pitt River Bridge over Lake Shasta. https://tinyurl.com/yx5tsb4w It's posted for bicycles, and I've seen cycle tourists on it once. I've been over it maybe 20 times or more commuting from Oregon to California. I thought the cyclists were nuts, but I think its the only option for getting over the lake.


I've ridden over similar bridges. Yes, they are scary - but when a
cyclist is unfamiliar with a route and find themselves confronted with
such a bridge, there can be no practical alternative.

FWIW, pedestrians encounter a similar situation much more frequently.
Locally, I had to lobby for months to get pedestrian space added to a
freeway overpass bridge when the bridge was getting a major overhaul.
That's despite the fact that the bridge is the only route over a freeway
from a residential area to a major shopping area.

If highway designers had been conscious of anything but cars, it would
have cost little (percentagewise) to add bike and even pedestrian
accommodation to the bridge in the photo. But when the interstate system
was being designed, bikes were only for kids.

--
- Frank Krygowski
Ads
 

Home - Home - Home - Home - Home