A Cycling & bikes forum. CycleBanter.com

Go Back   Home » CycleBanter.com forum » rec.bicycles » Techniques
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Making America into Amsterdam



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #191  
Old July 18th 18, 12:38 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
SMS
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 9,477
Default Making America into Amsterdam

On 7/17/2018 7:49 AM, Joerg wrote:

sigh Joerg, what are we talking about here? The maps they have up
there mostly cover streets, not trails. Yes, streets are for
transportation. But as I said, almost all bike paths are really linear
parks. IOW their recreational use _far_ exceeds their transportation use
- like by a 100 to 1 ratio.


Go to the Bay Area, go to Sacramento, go to Davis or almost anywhere
around here and you will see that that is not correct.


LOL, obviously Frank is extrapolating his extremely limited experience
onto the ROW.

I don't know of any bike paths in the Bay Area that are "linear parks."
It might be nice if some were since a path that winds its way over and
under freeways is not so pleasant even if it is functional. There are
some paths that pass through parks, such as the Los Gatos Creek Trail
which passes through Campbell Park and Vasona Park, just because the
parks were also placed alongside the creek long before the path was put in.
Ads
  #192  
Old July 18th 18, 12:58 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Joerg[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,016
Default Making America into Amsterdam

On 2018-07-17 16:38, sms wrote:
On 7/17/2018 7:49 AM, Joerg wrote:

sigh Joerg, what are we talking about here? The maps they have up
there mostly cover streets, not trails. Yes, streets are for
transportation. But as I said, almost all bike paths are really linear
parks. IOW their recreational use _far_ exceeds their transportation use
- like by a 100 to 1 ratio.


Go to the Bay Area, go to Sacramento, go to Davis or almost anywhere
around here and you will see that that is not correct.


LOL, obviously Frank is extrapolating his extremely limited experience
onto the ROW.

I don't know of any bike paths in the Bay Area that are "linear parks."
It might be nice if some were since a path that winds its way over and
under freeways is not so pleasant even if it is functional.



Sometimes I chuckle when he mentions that.

https://www.davisenterprise.com/file...W-1024x682.jpg

This is where you can enjoy the sights and sounds of all kind of
animals, lowriders with coffee pot exhausts, Diesel smells and genuine
All-American Harely sounds, occasionally accented by the horn of the
Amtrak Capitol Corridor train rumbling by on the other side. What a park!

Here is another romantic "park" that I ride often:

https://www.usbr.gov/mp/ccao/images/fsc-new.jpg

It has the flair of a boring midwest freeway, "Stay Awake - Stay Alive".

Pretty much every rider on those is going full bore, nose on the handlebar.


... There are
some paths that pass through parks, such as the Los Gatos Creek Trail
which passes through Campbell Park and Vasona Park, just because the
parks were also placed alongside the creek long before the path was put in.



Same here. Often that's done because the right of way was easier
obtained or not an issue to begin with.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
  #193  
Old July 18th 18, 02:15 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
JBeattie
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 5,870
Default Making America into Amsterdam

On Tuesday, July 17, 2018 at 4:38:09 PM UTC-7, sms wrote:
On 7/17/2018 7:49 AM, Joerg wrote:

sigh Joerg, what are we talking about here? The maps they have up
there mostly cover streets, not trails. Yes, streets are for
transportation. But as I said, almost all bike paths are really linear
parks. IOW their recreational use _far_ exceeds their transportation use
- like by a 100 to 1 ratio.


Go to the Bay Area, go to Sacramento, go to Davis or almost anywhere
around here and you will see that that is not correct.


LOL, obviously Frank is extrapolating his extremely limited experience
onto the ROW.

I don't know of any bike paths in the Bay Area that are "linear parks."
It might be nice if some were since a path that winds its way over and
under freeways is not so pleasant even if it is functional. There are
some paths that pass through parks, such as the Los Gatos Creek Trail
which passes through Campbell Park and Vasona Park, just because the
parks were also placed alongside the creek long before the path was put in.

  #194  
Old July 18th 18, 04:10 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Frank Krygowski[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 10,538
Default Making America into Amsterdam

On 7/17/2018 12:21 AM, Joy Beeson wrote:
... it's *very* telling that an essential feature of
every "bike path" is a parking lot at each end.


Excellent point.

--
- Frank Krygowski
  #195  
Old July 18th 18, 04:23 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Frank Krygowski[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 10,538
Default Making America into Amsterdam

On 7/17/2018 7:38 PM, sms wrote:
On 7/17/2018 7:49 AM, Joerg wrote:

sigh Joerg, what are we talking about here? The maps they have up
there mostly cover streets, not trails. Yes, streets are for
transportation. But as I said, almost all bike paths are really linear
parks. IOW their recreational use _far_ exceeds their transportation use
- like by a 100 to 1 ratio.


Go to the Bay Area, go to Sacramento, go to Davis or almost anywhere
around here and you will see that that is not correct.


LOL, obviously Frank is extrapolating his extremely limited experience
onto the ROW.


My "extremely limited experience" includes riding in 47 of the U.S.
states, plus over 10 European countries. I'm not claiming I've ridden
bike trails in all those states and nations, but I've ridden bike trails
in many of them.

More significant, perhaps: My experience includes being on a statewide
committee to evaluate grant applications for these things. Our committe
had 53 of those applications to plow through, so I've seen what gets
claimed to be "transportational." It includes trails from nowhere to
nowhere in the boondocks next to perfectly good, quiet roads. It
includes trails whose endpoints and midpoints have zero commercial
activity and zero residences. That's not to mention the trails around
here that my friends and I are very familiar with.

And as Joy pointed out, almost every place they put in a bike trail,
they put in parking lots. That's for the cars people use to drive to it.

Yes, there are some exceptions; but I was talking about "almost all"
bike paths.


--
- Frank Krygowski
  #196  
Old July 18th 18, 08:35 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 824
Default Making America into Amsterdam

On Tuesday, July 17, 2018 at 5:01:16 PM UTC+2, Joerg wrote:



Then why do you ridicule my preparedness when you know that in our area
MTB use is often required to get to certain places?


It is hard not to ridicule your preparedness when 99% of us find your measurements heavily exaggerated. I don't go for a ride with the idea that I might have to save someone from dying. Fortunately for us we don"t meet those people. All those idiots bump into you.

On the other hand I was stopped a couple of weeks ago by someone who had a flat and no spare or pump. I gave him a tube and spent a CO2 cartridge (I carry two of each). He insisted that I gave hime my bankaccount number so he could compensate me for the costs (6.5 euro for the tube and 1.50 euro for the CO2 cartridge). I'm still waiting. Next time he can use my phone to call a cab/his wife or he can walk...

Lou
  #197  
Old July 18th 18, 09:53 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
SMS
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 9,477
Default Making America into Amsterdam

On 7/17/2018 6:15 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Tuesday, July 17, 2018 at 4:38:09 PM UTC-7, sms wrote:
On 7/17/2018 7:49 AM, Joerg wrote:

sigh Joerg, what are we talking about here? The maps they have up
there mostly cover streets, not trails. Yes, streets are for
transportation. But as I said, almost all bike paths are really linear
parks. IOW their recreational use _far_ exceeds their transportation use
- like by a 100 to 1 ratio.


Go to the Bay Area, go to Sacramento, go to Davis or almost anywhere
around here and you will see that that is not correct.


LOL, obviously Frank is extrapolating his extremely limited experience
onto the ROW.

I don't know of any bike paths in the Bay Area that are "linear parks."
It might be nice if some were since a path that winds its way over and
under freeways is not so pleasant even if it is functional. There are
some paths that pass through parks, such as the Los Gatos Creek Trail
which passes through Campbell Park and Vasona Park, just because the
parks were also placed alongside the creek long before the path was put in.


Actually, the path to Lexington has been there since before I was born. Since Lexington was built at least. Alas, my childhood at Lexington School. http://www.losgatosca.gov/images/pag...n%20School.jpg I can smell the bay trees!


The part from downtown Los Gatos to Lexington is not really a bike path.
I remember the first time I used it. when I got to the reservoir I had
to lift my bicycle over a fence, and it was not even possible to ride
the whole way. It wasn't even dirt, it was a rock path.

I suppose the question is who is responsible for maintenance. It looks like the Los Gatos Creek Trail is managed by park services. https://www.losgatosca.gov/170/Parks-Trails-Locations Some of the bicycle facilities are linked parks in SCV and some are straight-up MUPs. Do you have any that are designed for bikes specifically, or are they all shared?


Why is the question who maintains it?

The American River Trail is basically a park. My Willamette Greenway Trail is kind of a split the difference. https://www.oregonhikers.org/w/image...C_Portland.jpg I'd take that home except the ICE protesters are blocking a portion to the north.


The American River Parkway is heavily used for commuting. It does pass
through parks in a bunch of cities along the way, just because parks
were along the river. It also goes past Costco and REI.

The most efficient facilities are the bike lanes, IMO. With that said, the long rail-trail conversions can be great because RRs required such a mild grade, generally speaking (not talking about cog railways or Sierra RRs, etc.) The Springwater east makes getting out to the country really easy. http://i.imgur.com/ps284.jpg But I'm not riding out to the country every day. I'm riding to work on ordinary roads, many with bike lanes and many without. Gotta be able to ride on the roads.


The shared recreation trails are a pain though only for the first half
mile or so from the closest access point, and mainly on weekends.

I think the most ridiculous statement was that the bicycle paths all
have a parking lot at each end. The ones around here sure don't. There
are parking lots nearby some of the access points, in corporate
locations, shopping areas, parks, and condo or apartment complexes, but
these were not added for people to drive to the trail and park. The one
I know of that does have parking lots along the way specifically for
trail users is Sawyer Camp trail, though the parking lots are not at
both ends, the northern end of the trail has no parking lot, though
there is street parking close by.
  #199  
Old July 18th 18, 02:18 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Duane[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 401
Default Making America into Amsterdam

On 17/07/2018 6:46 PM, Joerg wrote:

In the US we have a much nastier habit among weight weenie cyclists who
probably find the weight of a paper tissue unbearable. So they don't
carry any. When the nose gets plugged they press a finger against one
side and let off a "snot rocket", then against the other for missile #2.
I was almost hit by one when pulling out to pass a cyclist. It's
disgusting.


Yes, I'm sure it's the weight of the tissue that prevents these cyclists
from using them. Maybe it's some guy coming up behind them with the
tunes blaring and the bright headlight that invokes this behavior...

 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Looking like Amsterdam Alycidon UK 23 August 15th 15 06:45 PM
A bicycle not wood, Black & Decker's feeble attempts at making bicycletools and tire-not-making Doug Cimperman Techniques 7 December 9th 12 12:40 AM
Tire-making, episode {I-lost-track} --- making inner-tubes DougC Techniques 1 September 11th 10 03:43 PM
TT: 1. Deutschland Uber Alles 2. America 3. America Ted van de Weteringe Racing 4 September 25th 08 07:26 PM
These mp3 interviews -Air America -Know why there is about to be civil war in America. A MUST LISTEN harbinger Australia 17 June 4th 06 12:16 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 03:53 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 CycleBanter.com.
The comments are property of their posters.