Aug 19 2009
Hate Traffic? Try a Bike
My friend/co-worker lives pretty close to one of the bridges linking Virginia and the District of Columbia and has found that riding her bike to our office is a great way to add some exercise into her busy schedule. While it’s not that great on these hot August days, she’s found that in the fall and late spring, biking to work is a cost-effective and scenic alternative to riding the Metro.
From jaunted.com
With an increasingly popular desire to reduce traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions, biking holds some great potential. A relatively new program here in Washington,
SmartBike DC allows residents to pay a small yearly fee for access to bikes all over the city. The program, first in it’s kind in the U.S., is designed to help people go short distances that might be a bit far to walk without having to use their cars. As we strive to build more “livable” communities, we need more programs that show people they can move around easily without cars.
Despite this effort, we’ve still got a long way to go before everyone hops on their old 10-speed on the way to work. Over 800 people are killed every year in accidents involving motor vehicles and bikes - and thousands more are injured. Not having ridden a bike myself since I was about 12, and even then not being that proficient, it is a bit daunting for me to get out on the road with traffic wizzing by. That’s why transportation planners need to integrate bike facilities into roadway plans.
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recommends that all roads, except interstates, should be designed under the assumption that they will be used by cyclists. That means wider lanes or even dedicated bike lanes. Also, bike paths through parkland need regular maintenance to funnel bike traffic off the already clogged streets.
Will biking solve all our transportation infrastructure problems and is it the right choice for everyone? Of course not, but every little bit helps. So if you have the opportunity and the interest, why not get a car off the road or a rider off the train and grab a bike?
Bicycling is a great way to get around, but the roads must be made safer.
Just having a bike lane does nothing if it is filled with sand and debris. The three feel law that is slowly making its way through state legislatures is a great start, but enforcing it is required. The latest craze, the zebra bike bumps are a disaster. Bicyclists needs to be able to maneuver out of the way of parked car, opened doors, balls, children, animals, etc. These bumps just cause nasty crashes for cyclists.
Before anymore transportation planners come up with more ideas that are inflicted on the biking population, perhaps speaking to cyclists might be an idea.