What I want in biking improvements in Cache Valley:
- education programs (real ones, not "watch out for cars" safety)
- publicity / promotion / awareness for those past school age.
- 14' wide (or more) curb lanes on arterials and collector roads.
No roadside parking within a cardoor's reach of the curb lane
for safe lane-sharing without being "doored". Wide lanes not to be
lost to future attempts to increase traffic throughput. (actually, wide
lanes are already pretty common, but there are important exceptions
like parts of 8th East in North Logan). All road design should
accommodate bicycles. (Actually, even a narrow road will legally accommodate
a bicycle, it just leaves no room for motorists!)
- bike-friendly road maintenance (sweeping, resurfacing, repair) so
lane-sharing cyclists have a safe road surface. Establish a pothole
SWAT team. Make sure road-repair crews don't leave loose sand or gravel on the road surface.
- turn drivers ed into transportation ed. Current drivers ed
curriculum spends more time on leave-no-trace wilderness etiquette
than it does on transportation alternatives.
- bike sensitive traffic-signals (require correctly designed and
calibrated sensor loops) with bike-stop locations marked.
Signal timing should be appropriate for bike speeds.
- secure, non-damaging, protected parking at public and commercial
locations. If a location needs car parking, it should have bike parking.
- bike-proof drain grates, and attention to slippery road markings
and manhole covers, especially near turns and intersections.
- bike-friendly RR crossings (especially angled ones on 6th West)
- bikes on LTD busses for a real inter-modal transportation alternative.
Portland's successful trial resulted in bike racks on ALL city busses.
Pierce County, Washington allows bikes in unused wheelchair hold-down
space on their busses.
- enforcement (after education), especially of wrong-way riding,
no-lights at night and traffic control violations as well as
motorist violations. Offer a bike education course in lieu of fines.
- elimination of the "mandatory use of sidepath" laws. (which isn't
really a problem if we don't make the mistake of making sidepaths).
What I don't want:
- bike paths, lanes or trails in town. They create new traffic intersections
where real accident risks are greater.
They segregate traffic by type which conflicts with the traffic engineering
principles of segregation (or "channelization") by speed and destination.
- non-cyclist bureaucrats in charge of cycling policies and programs (desk
jockeys haven't a clue what is safe or efficient on a bike).
- bicycling technique taught by non-cyclists (including moms and cops).
- greater emphasis on helmets than technique for safety. Helmets offer
damage reduction in some accidents but do not offer the accident reductions
that could be achieved with education.
Some additional suggestions from others:
Ordinances giving employers the choice of allowing bikes inside or
providing secure bike parking (bike lockers or a bike room, not bike
racks).
Tax incentives to:
- cycle commuters (and possibly other non-motorists).
- employers who reduce the number of motoring commuters.
- employers who provide shower facilities.
Teach people how to maintain their bikes. If people don't even know how
to fix their flats, they're not going to ride much for transportation.
In some cases, it can be helpful to cut narrow 'bike-access' lanes
across cul-de-sacs, so that they are only cul-de-sacs for cars.
Comments on this page are emailed to bob@cc.usu.edu
Created on 31 Mar 1995 by Bob Bayn
Revised on 8 Sep 1995 by Bob Bayn
Copyright © 1995, Bob Bayn