It really depends on the width of the MUP and the volume of pedestrian/bike traffic. In general, I’d consider a MUP the width of one of our greenways (>10’) adequate as long as there isn’t significant levels of pedestrian activity akin to a busy downtown street.
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I really don’t think we’re going to get really good biking infrastructure here in Raleigh. “Good” for me is something that can be used by adults and kids. Most of the recent cycling infrastructure outside of that has always been a single lane that’s either blocked by a car, bus, overhanging trees, or leaves that someone blew off their yard and into the lane. The lanes themselves don’t fully connect either (aka sharrows).
I would think that we would have a much higher chance of having wider sidewalks/sidepaths. I also think they would get more use in general. They could be more useful for both cyclists and pedestrians and can even prevent conflicts with cyclists and pedestrians. I’ve seen quite a few cyclists on the sidewalk (depending on the area). I’m assuming it’s because they don’t feel safe on the road.
I think a wider sidewalk/sidepath option would have a higher chance of being implemented than trying to put in separated or “good” biking facilities. This isn’t counting ones that can be implemented simply by repaving (aka Edwards Mill). Even if we were to put the biking facilities in, then I feel that sidewalks would suffer. A stroller would take a large portion of a sidewalk.
The good thing about the wider sidewalks are that they don’t really give an indication that a bicyclist needs to use it. A bike lane gives this indication of that’s where the cyclist is supposed to be and should not be outside of it.
The only instances where I’ve had to swerve off the greenway path was when I was going the opposing direction on a sidewalk (North Hills drive greenway connection) or when I was annoyed when it seemed like people were purposefully blocking me when I rung my bell (which looking back I don’t really think was the case). I really haven’t had any issues with needing to swerve. I do yield to pedestrians on the greenway though. If I have a people walking in front of me and people walking against us to where there’s no room, I’ll wait.
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I agree with most of what you’ve said but I think the design chosen should depend on the available ROW. On some streets, in downtown for example, wider sidewalks may be the best option. However, more suburban streets may have room for protected bike lanes or a bike track and wide sidewalks. Also, I’m confident that Raleigh will have good quality bike and ped infrastructure in the near future, it’s definitely achievable.
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I just looked up Raleigh on the new “Close” database that shows walkable, bikeable, and transit friendly neighborhoods and these are the maps for biking and walking:
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Eliminate street parking for cars in the downtown core, force private garages to open to the public nights+ weekends, replace parking corridor with 6-foot wide fully protected bike lane. Problem solved.
Pedestrians should not have to compete with bikes for space. Once you get beyond a certain usage threshold, things get ugly.
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Looks like Walnut Creek Trail is all opened up. Was able to ride this morning with some friends. Stopped off at Brickhouse for some food and beer at the tail end of the trip (went clockwise).
The section at Crabtree Creek Greenway and 440 is still technically closed. It’s easy to go through on the weekends since less work is being done.
The section from N. Raleigh Blvd to Lockwood Park is closed. We used the detour.
I know the section just west of N. Raleigh Blvd will be closing for some construction. I’m really hoping that they have a good detour path or it’s going to be yet another year where the greenway is going to be closed.
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Sheriff blocking the bike lane on S Wilmington today. Would have laid down a citizen’s arrest but I had cold beer in the backpack.
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Coincidentally, some who do not attend church on Sunday mornings are out cycling as part of their weekend activities. Essentially, the city is choosing to assign privilege to church goers who drive by taking away cycling infrastructure.
Count me among those who say that this is completely unacceptable.
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I don’t think those maps were fully loaded. I swear when I checked there was much more color on my database than what is shown on yours. Also, for some reason it doesn’t have the Harris Teeter at the corner of oberlin and glenwood shown on their database which makes it look like the entirety of the NW corner of ITB is in a food desert.
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Nvm… I see what I did. I had it show only grocery stores, rather than grocery stores and libraries. It’s a pretty neat tool, wonder how accurate it is though.
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When I used the tool and selected the maximum 6 categories of my choosing, my block downtown comes up blue.
That said, I think that their calculations are based on fairly slow walking speeds. I get that they have to be conservative and not set high expectations for the overall population.
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i would almost say its a case by case basis. I’m in roanoke va and near the mall on valley view blvd some bike lanes were added…
but a extra-wide sidewalk a few yards away -that no one uses at all- is a much safer experience. when I ride my bike to this area I come thru some neighborhoods opposite the mall and cross on a crosswalk to the wide sidewalk when I head to this area. i rarely use the green stuff.
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RDOT has delivered again 
. My hope is that this lane and others will become either raised or concrete buffered lanes in the future.
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Now if they can trim the tree branches that are taking over the bike lanes again.
To add: I was riding on my way back and saw something that caught my eye. I’m wondering if they are putting partial curbs for the bike lane on Oberlin Rd. This is the only section I saw so I’m not sure if it’s going to continue through this section. It could also be for the bus stop.
Separately here’s some bikes I see up on Fayetteville St. I’ve been seeing more people ride now that the weather has gotten warmer.
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Somewhat bike-related, but does anyone know the project that going on here on Cabarrus and Dorothea? That Cabarrus to Western trail was closed last time I rode by. Curious to know what project this is.
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I was thinking it could be pipeline related (natural gas maybe?) but am not 100% sure on that.
The bikeway connector on Centennial Blvd is absolutely torn up from some natty gas pipeline work.
It’s a mess. Last nights’s Crank Arm ride ended up being on this last night. We ended up on the one lane opened on Western Blvd due to construction. Classic Raleigh.
It’s a gas line upgrade that Dominion is doing. They needed to increase the capacity due to the growth in Raleigh.
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Got it! Here is the project. Thanks for the info. Says it’ll finish at the end of 2024.
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I hope the work on this end completes well before the end of the year. Dominion notified people who live nearby but really didn’t give any timeline info. I was finally about to start biking to work again this month and they closed my most direct route without notice before I could even start.
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