Bike Lanes in and around DTR

Oaks and Spokes replied to keep sharing pics, so please keep sharing pics!

https://twitter.com/oaksandspokes/status/1678772667627995138?s=46&t=5FBVSSmHoTNsUX_fzRbnnA

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If they do itā€™s not often. City could make a lot of money with ticketing cars in bike lanes.

Even more if they ticketed buses in bike lanes!

I went ahead and did it for you. Used some of the screenshots and responses issued throughout this thread. Tagged Mary Anne Baldwin as well.

Honestly, I didnā€™t want it to have to come to public shaming. I mentioned this earlier, but I contacted GoRaleigh and went through quite a few calls after a kid died in Chicago because of vehicles parked in the bike lane last year. Itā€™s bad enough when a car does it, but when the city-run bus route does it, how is anyone else supposed to take it seriously?

A year was more than enough time to give them before having to resort to public shaming.

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That was a tough article to read, the little girl was 3 and is almost identical to the scenario we are setting up in front of Moore Square.

If GoRaleigh, GoTriangle, and the city want the support from those without cars, then they should listen to those who are using alternate forms of transit including bikes, ebikes, scooters, etc. Otherwise Iā€™d say I would be willing to lose funding for public transit if it meant that it would give me good biking, and other personal electric vehicle, infrastructure. This would be coming from someone who has used the bus consistently but then got tired of the poor frequency and reliability. This would also be if there was any correlation between the two budgets. I would prefer both good public transit and biking/PEV infrastructure, but Iā€™m just saying the public transit has been very poor and now shows poor attitude. Good infrastructure of PEVs would be good for all people (including electric wheelchairs if anyone is concerned about ADA compliance). I know Iā€™ve seen people use bike lanes as sidewalks in neighborhoods where sidewalks donā€™t exist.

In another topic, hereā€™s some photos from riding downtown. Stops included First Watch, Sir Walter, and general riding around. I have seen increased riding downtown in general. So I guess there has been improvement?

The ones below are the other week when working. Bottom left thereā€™s a person who opted to use the sidewalk (they are in the glare) while the people on the right felt comfortable riding on the road.

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gotta be a Pats or Jets fan, huh Phil??

Actually I was leaning towards a Panthers fan.

The issues aforementioned are the reason behind my ā€œinfrastructure first before bikeshare station expansion and bike rebatesā€. Whatā€™s the point in having the latter if you donā€™t have infrastructure to support them.

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That was probably me lol, I was biking by at that time. Was surprised to see three, most Iā€™ve seen so far. Thereā€™s a bus there on my ride home from work pretty much every day.

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If the city is going to allow buses to stop in the bike lanes, they at least need to mark these areas as shared infrastructure so that they set proper expectations.

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Or do something similar to whatā€™s outside the Dillon building where the bike lane extends beyond whatever would be in its path. In this case I believe itā€™s for the trash cans.

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Like this one in Miami Beach?

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The real solution to this problem is a floating bus stop. Floating bus stop

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Additional bike spam photos.

Left: For a Sunday night, Crank Armā€™s bike racks were decently occupied.
Middle/Right: Moore Square

Left: looking down Fayetteville St.
Middle/Right: WRAL Azalea Garden. Didnā€™t see bike parking so we locked by the stairs.

Left: Bikes and racks at NC State Centennial Campus.

Unrelated to DTR: Out in the Outer Banks, I saw quite a few bikes at the Food Lion.

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Has anyone else in here interacted with the Cardinal Bikes? Iā€™ve had a membership for a couple of years now. Over the past year or so, these bikes have been completely plagued with issues. Really loud screeching when breaking, bikes refusing to undock, I had one case where one of the bikes wheels just completely fell out of the frame.

Most recently, I had a bike that just could not turn without completely going out from under me (had it happen twice on the same trip). I see trucks going around and constantly performing maintenance on these bikes. Iā€™m not convinced that itā€™s an issue with our maintenance team as much as it may be just an issue with the design or age of the bikes themselves.

Has anyone else seen the same issues with these? My membership renewal date just came up and Iā€™m not renewing both due to the lack of safety in our bike lanes as well as the sheer likelihood that the bike itself ends up trying to kill me. I think itā€™s a great concept and idea, but if I donā€™t feel safe on these things, I canā€™t use them and canā€™t recommend others use them.

I wonder if it may be due to the fact that these bikes arenā€™t protected from the elements at all. Iā€™ve noticed that the cycles that arenā€™t used as often (for a while, the bike rack by Transfer Co.) had a much higher likelihood of issues. Wonder if the city would consider getting a roof for some of these spots to protect the bikes from the rain.

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I think you nailed it. Theyā€™ve been sitting out in the elements forā€¦ 6 years now? Considering that, theyā€™ve done great! But many are definitely showing their age now. Any time the breaks feel too weak, or a wheel is wobbly, or anything else, I always just report it immediately and let the maintenance team take it from there.

Not sure how feasible a fleet refresh is, or if thatā€™s even in the cards. Lots of rezonings have passed recently where a new bikeshare station is a condition, so I hope that means an influx of at least some new equipment.

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Had my first bike accident last night. I ride the sidewalk down this stretch of S Wilmington - no bikelane or street lights. Seems like this spot may have been marked in the past but the cones are smashed and off to the side now. Sidewalk had an incomplete stretch for a few feet and just dropped off into mud. I am so ready for the bike lanes and BRT for this segment. Be safe out there!

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Yeah, I report it as well. It just feels like either the vast majority of riders arenā€™t reporting incidents or the bikes are having incidents too often now. Either way, Iā€™m out on the bike share now until something shows me that theyā€™re safer. For now, Iā€™m willing to spend a bit more on the scooters, despite the fact that they cost significantly more.

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Ever considered buying a scooter? The rental ones are pretty pricey. I think thereā€™s some decent ones that arenā€™t too expensive. Iā€™m not sure how many rides you would need to come out even. My last ride was close to $5 for a mile. Last month I rode 293 miles on my ebike. 293*4.50 comes to about $1,318.50. Even if I go half, that would be about $650 which covers the cost for some scooters. Even 2 months might cover the cost for a higher end one. Granted there are different factors such as how much you would ride. I rode 293 miles, but I also ride 13-17 miles to work round trip.

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