Also, Bike lanes are frequently used as parking all across the city. So the residents may actually be gaining parking spaces with the bike lanes.
I donāt know who the RDOT project manager is on this. Corey is getting complaints from folks about losing parking - not sure where theyāre coming from.
I literally ride this section multiple times a week and there is no parking here, idk why this is even a discussion either!
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Grade separated bike lanes are the holy grail. On-street lanes will always lead to conflict as long as cars think theyāre entitled to āthe roadā. Even cities much more deeply committed to bike infrastructure than Rlaeigh have these problems.
The best cycling city Iāve ever been to is Eugene Oregon. Through a mix of repurposed rail lines, conveniently placed parks, and riverfront corridors itās possible to get almost anywhere without encountering a car or crossing a road. A progressive city council and a bottomless trough of Nike money helps too.
Raleigh isnāt quite that lucky. We have a solid network or grade separated trails but theyāre all in streams and/or sewer lines, so connectivity isnāt optimal. Maybe someday we will get a greenway along the already-channelized Pigeon House Branch ROW stretching from downtown at West Street across Wade and paralleling Capitol Blvd to existing Crabtree Creek path. Might need some Nike $ for that.
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Remove free parking from all city streets by either metering parking, or charge people living and parking in neighborhoods an annual fee for the privilege of parking on publicly funded infrastructure, and then take all that money and fund grade separated bike lanes through a prioritization strategy: building upon it each subsequent year with the previous yearās collected fees.
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I look forward to you and your entire city council getting voted out after one term
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Our best bet is to bike in large groups whenever possible (with friends, bike groups, etc.), stage sit-ins at outdoor events (preferably ones organized by the city) with posters, join local bike groups and attend educational activities.
All with the mindset that the city is pretty limited by the Stateās ignorance regarding funding for non-highway projects. Itās always good to acknowledge the challenges when advocating for change.
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Respectfully, while I appreciate the sentiment behind this idea, the best way to normalize biking, and support for biking infrastructure, is to normalize the act of riding and highlight the most sympathetic type of user (kids biking to school, etc) and events like critical mass can cut both ways in painting people who bike as an āotherā similar to MAML (Middle Aged Men in Lycra) or 20-something hipsters on fixed gears. Tl;DR: Less critical mass and more Kidical mass/Moms in Cargo Bikes.
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more of both please and thank you
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More leaf fun. Wiped out a week ago next to Weaver Street. Had to get an X-ray to make sure I didnāt break anything in my foot, but luckily I didnāt. Just hurt a lot.
Even as an experienced cyclist who knows what to look for, I saw too late that the otherwise dry leaves along the stretch there had blocked up the sewer grate and had a layer of mud and sediment beneath them. By the time I saw it I didnāt stand much of a chance.
Not really sure what the solution is if cleanup is too costly. Might just be riding in the lane during leaf season to be safe, but unfortunately I worry driver frustration will reduce that safety, since it will appear Iām disregarding the bike lane willfully.
Just glad I wasnāt transporting my son at the time.
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Yikes! Thatās horrible. I know that the city has leaf pickup schedules around the city and some folks have their collection date too early (before all the leaves have fallen), or really late that has leaves in the gutter area until almost Spring, but the city should prioritize the downtown area collection to enable the infrastructure to properly serve the community.
Sorry about your injury, and I concur that I am glad that you didnāt have your son with you!
What do cities with slick weather and lots of bikes like Amsterdam and Copenhagen do?
Do they? Someone should let them know, then. I swear this city is absolute dogsh** when it comes to leaf collecting. In my neighborhood, the roads all basically turn into a one-lane game of chicken for 4 straight months while leaves pile up along the edges of both sides of the road. Itās infuriating.
Probably clean up their damn leaves. Simple. Raleigh sucks at this and it pisses me off more and more each year as property taxes continue to rise.
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Sad that the City of Oaks, canāt manage to get leaves up off the roadā¦
FWIW leaves make great mulch. I am out the point where I donāt put any leaves out to the curb anymore. They all get mulched up and into the garden / flower beds.
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Well, I donāt have a house (I have a condo downtown), but my brother and my mother know exactly when they are scheduled to have their leaves picked up.
They have tiny clearing equipment, though TBF higher density also means they also have fewer miles of lanes to clear for the same population. Hereās a bike-lane snowplow from CPH:
(In Raleigh, as elsewhere, city leaf pickup goes to the city mulch program.)
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Yeah, this is definitely the time of year that you have to be super cognizant of wet leaves/mud. Oftentimes leaf piles will also buildup a thick layer of slick mud beneath them, especially if thereās been a recent rain.
When I had my Onewheel, Iād usually hang it up around this time of year until all the leaves had been collected. Itās just super super dangerous since each leaf pile could have varying levels of slickness.
1 Like