It was acknowledged that Hudson's narrow streets make moving parking lanes impracticable, but the suggestion was made that bike lanes could be created in the alleys. Common Council president Don Moore made the point that ISTEA (Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, now called TEA-21--Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century) had "a good deal of money in it for bicycle paths." The committee seemed to agree that an ad hoc committee should be formed to explore the possibilities and propose a bicycle path network for Hudson.
With everything in our little city of two square miles within easy bicycling distance and the price of gas now exceeding $4 a gallon, this seems like an idea whose time has come.
As a veteran Manhattan bicyclist -- pre-bike lanes -- I can tell you that the proportion of "good" bike riders to "bad" is probably the same as good/bad drivers. I would explore bike safety and riding courses and certifications before going to bike lanes. I can forsee the next law, after the bike lanes go in: all bicylists must use the lanes.
ReplyDeleteAs a current NYC resident, I can attest that those bike lanes are all over Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens and are WONDERFUL. Shared space with cars and car parking is achieved in creative and novel ways. It makes the city more livable, greener, and more humane.
ReplyDelete@Peter, no thanks to the value judgment/ thinly-veiled condemnation of bike riders. If there are, as you say, only as many "bad" bike riders as there are "bad" car drivers, what on Earth are you getting at?
It would take an act of the state legislature to ban bicycles from public roadways. In all states, bicyclist have the same rights and responsibilities as automobile drivers.
ReplyDeleteThis has been tried elsewhere by a local community and was quickly overturned.
I don't think anyone is (seriously) considering banning bikes from Hudson -- hell, it's the only way we can seem to get our police out of their cars while on patrol. And, while bicyclists have the same rights as other users of the road, they don't have the same responsibilities -- they aren't required to carry insurance, undergo and pass mandatory safety inspections, be licensed, register their vehicles, etc.
ReplyDeleteDear Dan,
ReplyDelete"Thinly veiled condemnation"? "Value judgment"? Are we talking bike riders or car drivers? Are bike lanes necessary because of bad car drivers (thinly veiled condemnation) or bad bike riders (value judgment)? Why is it so confusing ("what on earth are you getting at?")when one states the obvious? Just as there are incompetent drivers of cars, there are two-wheel dumbos as well....
Bike lanes? Maybe. All I'm suggesting is that it's probably a cheaper to do some community education before engaging in a Manhattan Project.
cheers,
peter
Dear Dan,
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure why I'm not allowed to suggest that bikers can be as lazy and dangerous as car drivers ("thinly veiled"?), but, please, we don't need a Manhattan Project in Hudson....
cheers,
peter
The alleys are already pretty good as paths, painting lines down them isn't going to do much. Biking here in Hudson is not too bad for adults, but kids have harder time. A good thing would be paths that have no cars at all. A path from uptown down to the waterfront along the railroad tracks would be a good start. Nice ride too. The path that goes up the hill from Dock Street to the Firemans Field is in need of maintenance, it gets more washed out each year and is barely passable. By adding to these a loop could be created that would encircle the town, that would be nice.
ReplyDeleteThe only people I have ever seen on bicycles in Hudson are Tom Swope and, on a gorgeous July day in the Second Ward, one policeman. Remember, the Wicked Witch of the West rode a bicycle, so let's not lazily glorify a single mode of transportation. I'm all for safe biking in the City. But, for my money, I'd vote for speed bumps, cameras and more stop lights as a deterrent to the many dangerous speeders in automobiles who race up and down the side streets with abandon and without fear of prosecution.
ReplyDeleteBike lanes in Manhattan are a total boondoggle. They take up valuable space and are empty all the time.
ReplyDeleteNo one uses them, and the really dangerous bicyclists -- of whom there are many, especially messengers and delivery guys -- go the wrong way up one way streets, ride on the sidewalk etc.
Hudson is insane if it builds bike lanes. Total waste of money.
Jock Spivy
As my partner and I use bikes as our primary mode of transport around Hudson I can attest that we could truly use bike lanes to at least get people to notice we exist. So few drivers pay any attention to us in this town it's rather frightening, but the alleys are our favorite way to avoid the madness and I'll humor of drivers in the center of the city. However biking to planet fitness is a real horror show as that giant parking lot is the worst place of all as drivers consistently behave as if we didn't exist.
ReplyDeleteNicholas kahn
Hi Peter,
ReplyDeleteMy apologies if I misunderstood what you were saying about those "two-wheel dumbos" you refer to. My sincerest apologies.
Dan, no need to apologize.... but I would tend to agree with Jock, who says the NYC bike lanes don't really work (has anyone walked across the Brooklyn Bridge lately? putting bicylists and pedestrians together is a wicked thing!) I like the idea of dedicated bike paths for recreational purposes more than dedicated bike lanes in the city, which just adds a layer of complexity to things. And Observer, I ride my bike all the time, but I learned in NYC, which is probably why you don't see me.... But there has been talk for years about a hiking/biking path running along the river (e.g. from the Greenport Conservancy to Olana) and that's where I'd put my bike efforts, along with some education programs, for riders and drivers, in the city.
ReplyDeleteOnce I got a ticket on my bike in NYC for not riding in the bike lane. The bike lane on the other side of the street was full of delivery trucks, didn't seem to matter much to the police. The point is to make a lane or path that can be used. The parks and lanes in NYC that are free of cars are used by lots of people. I don't think there are really enough bikes to merit bike lanes in Hudson, but some bike paths that enabled bikes to travel to different parts of the city without cars would be a good thing, seems to me. People could walk on them too.
ReplyDelete