LETTER: Bike lanes are for bikes
In regard to your article involving Spring Street lane markings, twice I have had a near collision there with cars using the bike lanes to get around cars driving in the car lanes. [The lanes] are a hazard to cars that drive there daily.
I don’t see many bike riders using the lanes. I don’t want to be killed in this situation. I hope this bike lane is done away with.
— Nancy Rein, New Albany
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Right, Nancy: None of us wish to be hurt by bad drivers, so shall we do away with laws regulating driving?
That's funny. As a commuting cyclist, I find that cars with drivers who flagrantly disobey traffic laws are a hazard to me. Digging deeper, this letter encapsulates the classic passive-aggressive New Albanian attitude toward ordinance enforcement, doesn't it?
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17 comments:
They've painted arrows on the bike lanes now.
I realize something as mundane as a *bike lane* is a conceptual challenge in New Albany, but once people get used to seeing them it will become normal. This will be a step in the right direction.
Oh, and I use the bike lanes and I love them. You can get from Silver Grove to downtown in record time via bike now and feel relatively safe doing so. Now we need some going the other direction.
I think it would be easier for people to understand if it was an extended lane. Frankly it just looks out of place and there are no signs that I'm aware of warning people of the change. I just don't really see the point of having a bike lane for three blocks. Bike lanes are needed, but the one on Spring just looks hastily thrown together.
There are several places in New Albany that need better signage, for example when you turn onto Vincennes from Market and the lanes immediately collapse into one without real warning.
Well, considering that the bike lines lead to and end at St. Marks, I'll be looking forward to seeing everyone in church on Sunday!
It takes people time to get used to new stuff, especially in New Albany. The excitement over the bike lanes will die down before too long. But I do worry about people using them as passing lanes. That's just not good, and drivers need to be aware that bikers have traffic rights too.
Vincennes to St. Marks is longer than you think, about 1 mile. Go bike it and then bike (legally) from Silver Street to downtown without using Spring. You'll see the difference. If Spring, Market, and Elm 2-way (or even just Market), it wouldn't be as big of a deal.
I take your point on the design, D, and we've already discussed this on another thread. I can only speak from my personal experience, which is driving Spring St. every morning during "rush hour" (if you can call it that) and biking from East to West both before and after the change. The only problem I had noticed with the change was bikers going the wrong way.
We could have had comprehensive thoroughfare improvements downtown, but the city council would have none of it.
Signage or not, there's no legitimate way anyone could think a two foot lane is for cars. The erratic drivers are just that. Besides, a solid line means "do not cross" wherever it is.
It's fascinating that someone would attribute that behavior to the presence of bike lanes.
"Signage or not, there's no legitimate way anyone could think a two foot lane is for cars"
In a perfect world, yes. But there are just too many drivers that are inattentive and, well, shouldn't have a license. I'd be scared to death to ride a bike anywhere by traffic, I'm scared to drive most of the time. P.S., I don't know how to ride a bike, now you know my dark secret. When you were raised in the country, you didn't really bike over to your buddy's house.
@Daniel - I'm certainly no biking pro, I just started tooling around with it this summer. It definitely takes time to build up some confidence and safe habits before you bike around traffic. Having a designated bike lane and a nice, smooth road is a huge help.
Dang elitist. I know you're secretly laughing at me for my lack of bike riding skills.
FYI, I’m working on a grant to get bike safety classes in New Albany, classes with instructors certified by League of American Bicyclists. Each class is 10 hours (typically 10 one-hour sessions). The cost ranges from $650-$750 per class and can accommodate 10 to 20 people. There would be only a nominal fee charged to the class participants.
Before I submit the grant requests, I want to demonstrate that there is a market for this in New Albany. Therefore, in amount a month, I’m going to ask DNA to allocate about $700 for a first, trial class. I’ll let everyone know when it is offered; we want to ensure a strong turnout. If all goes as planned, we might start seeing regular classes offered here late next spring.
The instructors offer several nationally developed curricula geared for different audiences. They can visit an employer and educate employees during lunch breaks. They have several programs for junior high and high school students. The difficulty with students is attendance. We want to ensure a captive audience for all 10 classes. On this point, I’m certainly open to suggestions.
League of American Bicyclists, hehe, I bet those are some rico suaves...anyways let me know and I'll get something in the paper. I prefer press releases or something I can copy off the fax machine..
On a serious note, with the tragic death of the teenager last year who was struck while riding a bike, I think the schools would definitely be interested.
Daniel, my 5 year old niece is done with her training wheels. You are welcome to them to help improve your bike riding skills.
That's just the thing Ted, my parents never purchased training wheels. I still resent them to this day. It's a sore Christmas dinner subject.
I’ve not yet tried to contact the Floyd Co. schools. They’ve had no luck in Louisville given the focus on standardized testing. I’ll be contacting the YMCA soon to see if they have a capitive after school audience. I forgot the exact age cut-off the bike folks told me, but research says the classes only beenfit those who are at least 12 year old or so, no matter how classes taught. Won’t work for elementary school kids.
See profile image on my first post above. lol
eh, Dan, just so I don't miss anyone's parade I can rain on, (please god help me if these freaks don't understand satire) I personally don't have 10 hours to spend learning about bike safety. That said, I was an avid biker most of my life and do recall taking a bike safety class at school, probably elementary.
I proposed a "dog safety" program I would fund to our local school couple years ago...too busy meeting those test requirements was the message I got. But good luck, I think young kids is the way to go. Be way cool if the YMCA could sponsor, with a new-fangled "Green" Mini road course like the one at Community Park.
How 'bout a one hour one time adult safety course?
Gina,
The City of Louisville has a contract with a local not-for-profit which administers these classes on behalf of the city. The not-for-profit's instructors are certified by the League of American Bicyclists, a national educational and advocacy organization. I'm not familiar with another group offering bike classes though I wouldn't be surprised if they're out there.
Although not all of these courses are being offered locally at this time, a list of the national courses available can be found at:
http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/education/courses.php
The area not-for-profit is Bicycling for Louisville, Inc. and their website is:
www.bicyclingforlouisville.org
Despite their name, Bicycling for Louisville, Inc. is a both-sides-of-the-river organization.
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