Who’s going to enforce them? Our police officers are already stretched pretty thin.
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Do most cyclists who use the Greenway even know there is a speed limit? In the ~4 mile stretch that I typically use there’s not a single sign.
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The greenway speed limit is obviously not the most pressing issue facing Raleigh (far, far from it), but I do think it is at least worth considering. IMO, having a speed limit that is unrealistic and that everyone breaks has a subtle effect of undermining city rules/laws in general.
I think having a rule like that which is routinely disobeyed b/c it is too low can cause a possibly subconscious thought that since that rule isn’t deemed important and worth adhering to, maybe other rules aren’t either. Now obviously I’m not suggesting that someone who breaks the greenway speed limit is going to go commit a serious crime, but I think it could make people think twice about what other rules aren’t worth obeying. Possibly rules about thinks like not littering, or not trespassing, etc. A bit like the “broken windows” theory of crime.
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They’ll actually come out to a specific spot if you call and have an issue. We had a yoot riding an moped on my neighborhood section of greenway and he was hitting 35-ish, catching air jumping out into a crosswalk on a main neighborhood street, so forth.
I don’t know about being strictly under 10 mph, but the other people that ride the trail on regular bikes are at least slow enough that I can gather my leashed dogs up and step off to the side and let them pass.
It’s about like driving a car around here, everyone speeds, but nobody cares if you;re going 5 over.
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I got chased down by some 4-wheelers on the Neuse River Trail when I was running several years ago. I called the RPD, but don’t think they arrested anyone. I have also seen a few dirt bikes on the greenway too. People are just crazy.
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There is definitely a difference between ATVs and bicycles. And even within e-bikes, there is a broad range of e-bikes that are bicycles with a battery boost, and ones that are essentially electric motorcycles. Where do you draw the line?
uh, somewhere way before atv
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I think it’s pretty well documented here that there’s a desire for some sort of law enforcement or security presence on greenways. Thinking back to the discussion on the greenway safety in south Raleigh as well.
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I’ve kind of wondered a similar type thing as to what should be allowed/not allowed on the greenway. I believe there’s signs stating no motorized vehicles on the greenway, but then it brings up the conversation of what is considered a motorized vehicle? Some argue ebikes are except if they have pedals. If that’s the case, then were do scooters, electric skateboards, or the electric unicycle fit in?
We could go based off a vehicle weight size. A Ride1Up LMT’d is about 53 lbs, while what some would call a “motorcycle type” Revv 1 is about 93 lbs. An Aventon Aventure fat tire ebike is about 75lbs. I’ve seen some people with Aventon bikes. I have the Ride1Up LMT’d myself.
An Inmotion electric unicycle weights about 86 lbs. I don’t know much about them, I just googled one. I’ve seen a couple of people ride them on the greenway. So far the people I’ve seen ride them haven’t been too crazy in riding them. Again I don’t know much about them, but I would assume that if they do hit someone, chances are they are flying off too; This would keep their speeds down.
A Honda Metropolitan is 179 pounds.
So weight is a definite thing that could be used as it would rule out a lot of heavier vehicles. Speed could be enforced if it does turn out that there becomes a huge issue in some areas. I haven’t noticed it to be that big of an issue yet. An annoyance sure, but not a constant issue.
I have seen a few dirt bikes, one ATV, and one motorized scooter on the greenway. The ATV was my biggest concern because it’s way heavier (probably at least 200+lbs) and takes up way more space. The dirt bikes and motorized scooter are just annoying because they are so loud. The ones I saw weren’t really speeding or doing anything crazy. I did see one kid on an electric motorbike at Shelly Lake either last summer or the year before. That was more concerning to me because Shelly Lake gets busy.
Go down Glenwood and people throw a fit if you aren’t going at least 10 over the speed limit.
I was passed illegally by some older lady when I drove on Ramblewood years back. I guess going 25-30 was too slow on a residential street.
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There are classes of e-bikes based on power, etc. If you’re looking to delineate what can and can’t ride on the greenways, I think this has to be taken into consideration. We have a LOT of e-bikes down here (service industry riding from less expensive housing to “downtown”) and this topic was recently addressed by the city.
Edit: looks like you need a FB account to see this post, so here’s a screenshot
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Good discussion on this, these insights are interesting.
A few observations/opinions-
*While the 10 MPH is not really enforced, I think that for some cyclists, it is a good reminder that the greenways are used by a wide variety of pedestrians and riders, so going slower is safer for everyone.
*If and when anyone sees an ATV, or motorcycle on the greenway, please notate exactly where it is and call 911 right away. It has been my experience the RPD has been very responsive to calls such as these.
*there is a good program for volunteering to help monitor the greenways, please consider doing this if you are on the greenways a lot and can help out. More information here-
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I submitted a request to volunteer about a year ago. Emailed the contact multiple times and still never heard back. Has anyone successfully volunteered?
This is so true. I’ve called out “on your left” and had the person move to their left and then get mad at me and say, “you’re supposed to let me know which side you’re on!” Um, I just did that . . .
This is by design. Instead of building roads so that the posted speed limit is the fastest speed at which a driver feels safe driving, roads in NC are designed to accommodate (and therefore encourage) faster speeds. For example, the posted speed on Tryon road is 45 mph, but NC DOT required that the road be designed and built to accommodate 55 mph.
The Greenway Committee of the PRGAB will be discussing this program and ideas for revamping it at our meeting on Monday, 1/13 in the Raleigh Municipal building room 303 at 4pm. The public is welcome and we’d very much appreciate your input on the topic. The current greenway volunteer program is cumbersome, ineffective, and not even well understood within RPD.
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Probably because the city has attorneys who try to protect it from liability and lawsuits.
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I’m surprised so many ppl care about speed limit on the greenway. whether a cyclist is going 10 or 20 mph is not going to change anything with passing. to me the most dangerous things on the greenway are violent people as well as off leash dogs, both of which are common and definitely not enforced / monitored by police.
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The Walnut Creek greenway bridge that was burned on 12/24 should be repaired by the end of February. The bridge is constructed with non-standard sized joists that require a bit more lead time to be delivered. We should have those in early Feb. The pilings that were burned will be re-used/repaired by cutting off the burned sections, adding new pilings on top of the old ones and having the entire piling assembly encased in concrete.
Not having to remove & replace the existing pilings is a big time and money saver. I was very pleased to hear that the city is pursuing a time and cost-effective solution.
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If it’s gotta be down for a period of time, at least it was the dead of the coldest Winter in a long time.
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True.
And the city did look at the possibility of a detour, but there’s not a safe, feasible option. I’ve been out there and created my own detour and it wasn’t pleasant. Totally understand why such wouldn’t work for the city.
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Thank you Brian for the update.
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Check out the Greenway Explorer: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/5b02f2203d434c4cafd9370ddedcef5a
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