Street, Road and Highway Projects

[David Greene]

Yes, all roads were built with cars in mind.

Not true. The first paved roads were created for bicycles.

[PhilmerPhil]

Actually, it's pretty well known that road paving was initially pushed for by and done for bicyclists.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/ ... -for-roads

Also, with all the times people on bikes hear drivers yell "get off the street, bikes belong on the sidewalk!" I think we deserve to say cars should be taken off roads just a couple of times, selfish or not.

[seanrichardryan]

Well the Romans paved roads for carts. Cart rights!

[PhilmerPhil]

I think the point is more that roads have been a constantly evolving form of public space connecting people and places. Saying roads were built for cars is very closed minded and ignores changes in society. Sure, roads were built for the purpose of driving cars in the 20th century, but what's to say they have to be built with the same singular purpose in the 21st century?

[go4guy]

What I meant was, the roads we have today were built for the primary use of cars. I doubt many roads still exist that were built for bikes. They have all been reconstructed to be suitable for car use.

And it is hard not to get frustrated with many bikers. Many do not follow the rules of the road. ALWAYS going thru red lights. They will pass 8 cars waiting at a light to get to the front, which then causes a bottleneck as 8 cars then have to try and pass that bike. As much as many autos need to learn to share the road with bikers, those same bikers need to learn to share the road with autos and not act like they are above the rules of the road.

[go4guy]

I think the point is more that roads have been a constantly evolving form of public space connecting people and places. Saying roads were built for cars is very closed minded and ignores changes in society. Sure, roads were built for the purpose of driving cars in the 20th century, but what's to say they have to be built with the same singular purpose in the 21st century?

I was referring to the actual roads themselves, not the ROW those roads are built on. And I agree that these same roads need to be upgraded to allow space for bike specific lanes. Portland is a great example.

[David Greene]

They will pass 8 cars waiting at a light to get to the front

I have no problem with this. Better this than making the bicyclists breathe car fumes.

[Anondson]

I think if you phrased it "roads today are engineered with only motorized traffic in mind even though law or policy grants pedestrians and cyclists use of them", you will find a lot of agreement.

[mattaudio]

go4guy it sounds like you need to bike more! It's transportation that reduces stress, rather than increasing it like driving a car does.

[go4guy]

go4guy it sounds like you need to bike more! It's transportation that reduces stress, rather than increasing it like driving a car does.

I do like to bike on trails thru parks, or when siteseeing in cities like DC. For me, there is nothing more relaxing than driving my car. Sunroof open, windows down, listening to great music. My drive home each day is my time to unwind. And my experience with car fumes, is the only time it is really an issue is if you have a big work truck or an older vehicle. But I can certainly see why they would want to avoid any fumes. Didnt think of it that way.

[ECtransplant]

Saying cars should be taken off the roads because you dont like the traffic interfering with your bike ride is beyond selfish. Sorry a nice beautiful road was built that you are able to easily use. Sorry for the convenience provided to you.

Saying bikes should be taken off the roads because you don't like a non-polluting, health-improving mode of transportation interfering with your burning of fossil fuels to accelerate a two ton piece of metal to high speeds is beyond selfish. Sorry someone is getting around without contributing to global warming and damaging public health. Sorry a car was taken off the road so there's less traffic for you to sit in.

[blobs]

Too many cyclists bike on the wrong side of the road though or on sidewalks.

[mattaudio]

Yep, which is why we need to eliminate one-way stroads and bike-hostile streets.

[mulad]

Sidewalk riding is a sign that the street feels unsafe to cyclists. Areas where that's common should probably have cycletracks installed.

[grant1simons2]

I ride the sidewalks when there's something up ahead blocking the road like a truck or someone trying to parallel park just to bypass it

[maxbaby]

I heard from a few people that riding bikes on a sidewalk is illegal. Is that true?

[Anondson]

In some cities. Edina, for instance, only made it legal there in the past year while most neighboring cities allowed it.

[maxbaby]

I myself would prefer to ride on the sidewalks. It would be safer in my opinion. Bikes sharing the sidewalks with walkers shouldn't be a problem. it works just fine on the shared trails around the lakes and parks. Why should this be any different?

[ECtransplant]

Because some places actually have pedestrians that use the sidewalks.

[Snelbian]

Because some places actually have pedestrians that use the sidewalks.

Bingo.