Comments on: Ferry commuters – Go to the back of the line! http://blog.cascade.org/2010/09/ferry-commuters-%e2%80%93-go-to-the-back-of-the-line/ Creating a better community through bicycling, throughout Seattle, King County and Washington state. Thu, 23 May 2013 03:08:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: All my stress is transit related | Brandon J. O'Connor dot com http://blog.cascade.org/2010/09/ferry-commuters-%e2%80%93-go-to-the-back-of-the-line/comment-page-1/#comment-26937 All my stress is transit related | Brandon J. O'Connor dot com Wed, 21 Sep 2011 21:41:33 +0000 http://blog.cascade.org/?p=2802#comment-26937 [...] forward to this week. A report by Washington State Ferries gets Seattle bike bloggers of all stripes up in arms. The report reads… WSF is seeking ways to expedite loading operations for several [...] [...] forward to this week. A report by Washington State Ferries gets Seattle bike bloggers of all stripes up in arms. The report reads… WSF is seeking ways to expedite loading operations for several [...]

]]> By: buckcameron http://blog.cascade.org/2010/09/ferry-commuters-%e2%80%93-go-to-the-back-of-the-line/comment-page-1/#comment-24909 buckcameron Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:38:16 +0000 http://blog.cascade.org/?p=2802#comment-24909 I know this is now a very old string, but ...I read thru all the posts and thought it was an intelligent and mostly respectful, if spirited, conversation. I don't often find that on line, and think it speaks well of cyclists. So, If any of you come back to update, thanks. I know this is now a very old string, but …I read thru all the posts and thought it was an intelligent and mostly respectful, if spirited, conversation. I don’t often find that on line, and think it speaks well of cyclists. So, If any of you come back to update, thanks.

]]> By: All my stress is transit related « Cultural learnings of America's hat http://blog.cascade.org/2010/09/ferry-commuters-%e2%80%93-go-to-the-back-of-the-line/comment-page-1/#comment-23866 All my stress is transit related « Cultural learnings of America's hat Sun, 17 Jul 2011 10:14:41 +0000 http://blog.cascade.org/?p=2802#comment-23866 [...] forward to this week. A report by Washington State Ferries gets Seattle bike bloggers of all stripes up in arms. The report reads… WSF is seeking ways to expedite loading operations for several [...] [...] forward to this week. A report by Washington State Ferries gets Seattle bike bloggers of all stripes up in arms. The report reads… WSF is seeking ways to expedite loading operations for several [...]

]]> By: biker boy http://blog.cascade.org/2010/09/ferry-commuters-%e2%80%93-go-to-the-back-of-the-line/comment-page-1/#comment-4210 biker boy Sun, 17 Oct 2010 23:45:08 +0000 http://blog.cascade.org/?p=2802#comment-4210 Consider this: taxes. Ferries are funded by gas taxes (5 cents per gallon) and other methods. If Bike commuters want preferential treatment, their fare should go up, or their taxes. Otherwise, they are in the way of paying clients. Consider this: taxes.

Ferries are funded by gas taxes (5 cents per gallon) and other methods. If Bike commuters want preferential treatment, their fare should go up, or their taxes.

Otherwise, they are in the way of paying clients.

]]> By: Is it Bad to Share the Road? : Great City http://blog.cascade.org/2010/09/ferry-commuters-%e2%80%93-go-to-the-back-of-the-line/comment-page-1/#comment-2726 Is it Bad to Share the Road? : Great City Wed, 29 Sep 2010 04:41:36 +0000 http://blog.cascade.org/?p=2802#comment-2726 [...] has been said around these parts lately about who the streets belong to, whether there’s a place for bicyclists in our transportation system and whether they are paying their fair share. Today, we [...] [...] has been said around these parts lately about who the streets belong to, whether there’s a place for bicyclists in our transportation system and whether they are paying their fair share. Today, we [...]

]]> By: M.J. Kelly http://blog.cascade.org/2010/09/ferry-commuters-%e2%80%93-go-to-the-back-of-the-line/comment-page-1/#comment-2677 M.J. Kelly Tue, 28 Sep 2010 16:42:38 +0000 http://blog.cascade.org/?p=2802#comment-2677 @Commuter: We do our best in terms of bicycle education, and offer some excellent training opportunities for riders of all skill levels: http://cbcef.org/classes-bike.html The issue, however, is often that riders feel that a) they aren't doing anything wrong and b) they have nothing new to learn. A quick read through the comments over here will show you that: http://blog.cascade.org/2010/09/dear-fellow-cyclists/ What you're asking for is enforcement, which we fully support but cannot employ. Of course, no one WANTS to have a police crackdown, but what do you think it will take to have riders respect the rules of the road? One last note, I disagree with your blanket statement: "cyclists don’t obey any of the laws and they have a elitist attitude toward everyone else." That's simply not true, and I don't need to watch a ferry unload to disprove it. Every day I see law-abiding cyclists who appear to have no particular attitude toward anyone else. @Commuter: We do our best in terms of bicycle education, and offer some excellent training opportunities for riders of all skill levels: http://cbcef.org/classes-bike.html

The issue, however, is often that riders feel that
a) they aren’t doing anything wrong and
b) they have nothing new to learn.
A quick read through the comments over here will show you that: http://blog.cascade.org/2010/09/dear-fellow-cyclists/

What you’re asking for is enforcement, which we fully support but cannot employ. Of course, no one WANTS to have a police crackdown, but what do you think it will take to have riders respect the rules of the road?

One last note, I disagree with your blanket statement: “cyclists don’t obey any of the laws and they have a elitist attitude toward everyone else.” That’s simply not true, and I don’t need to watch a ferry unload to disprove it. Every day I see law-abiding cyclists who appear to have no particular attitude toward anyone else.

]]> By: Commuter http://blog.cascade.org/2010/09/ferry-commuters-%e2%80%93-go-to-the-back-of-the-line/comment-page-1/#comment-2674 Commuter Tue, 28 Sep 2010 16:08:53 +0000 http://blog.cascade.org/?p=2802#comment-2674 I think it is stupid to load the bikes last for many reasons. The problem is cyclists don't obey any of the laws and they have a elitist attitude toward everyone else, this causes drivers to hate cyclists which gives us issues like we are seeing now. CBC should spend some time getting cyclists to stop acting like idiots and they wouldn't need to fight these fights. Anyone who disagrees with me seriously needs to have a reality check; go watch the bicycles get off the 6:20 boat in seattle and the 4:40 boat on bainbridge. Watch the bicycles weaving in and out of cars, taking sidewalks, running stop signs and red lights, cutting accross 4 lanes of traffic, riding down the middle of the road or the wrong side of the road, blocking traffic, cutting off cars, honestly, watch the stupidity, and pull your head out of the sand long enough to think about it from the point of view of a normal driver and see how drivers see cyclists, then tell me that the problem is the ferry system trying to screw us rather than us screwing ourselves. It's not us vs. them, it's us vs. us in my opinion. I think it is stupid to load the bikes last for many reasons. The problem is cyclists don’t obey any of the laws and they have a elitist attitude toward everyone else, this causes drivers to hate cyclists which gives us issues like we are seeing now. CBC should spend some time getting cyclists to stop acting like idiots and they wouldn’t need to fight these fights. Anyone who disagrees with me seriously needs to have a reality check; go watch the bicycles get off the 6:20 boat in seattle and the 4:40 boat on bainbridge. Watch the bicycles weaving in and out of cars, taking sidewalks, running stop signs and red lights, cutting accross 4 lanes of traffic, riding down the middle of the road or the wrong side of the road, blocking traffic, cutting off cars, honestly, watch the stupidity, and pull your head out of the sand long enough to think about it from the point of view of a normal driver and see how drivers see cyclists, then tell me that the problem is the ferry system trying to screw us rather than us screwing ourselves. It’s not us vs. them, it’s us vs. us in my opinion.

]]> By: Elias http://blog.cascade.org/2010/09/ferry-commuters-%e2%80%93-go-to-the-back-of-the-line/comment-page-1/#comment-2522 Elias Sun, 26 Sep 2010 19:13:47 +0000 http://blog.cascade.org/?p=2802#comment-2522 The more transportation facilities are inconvenient to cyclists, the less cyclists will use them. Then if these commuters become drivers, what are the advantages to other ferry service users if there are more drivers? The consequences of changing policy to favor drivers is an invisible consequence which is easy to ignore. Then there's a ton of annoyed and anxious drivers, like Herb above, that can point their finger at specific things--some cyclists delaying ferry traffic or not stopping at stop signs--but no driver can point the finger at other drivers being the problem, can they? And if people have an strong emotional reaction, doesn't that justify their perception? Not really, as the role of government is to quantify and address the overall problem. But politics seems to simply play to people's emotional side and politics won in this instance. The more transportation facilities are inconvenient to cyclists, the less cyclists will use them. Then if these commuters become drivers, what are the advantages to other ferry service users if there are more drivers? The consequences of changing policy to favor drivers is an invisible consequence which is easy to ignore.

Then there’s a ton of annoyed and anxious drivers, like Herb above, that can point their finger at specific things–some cyclists delaying ferry traffic or not stopping at stop signs–but no driver can point the finger at other drivers being the problem, can they? And if people have an strong emotional reaction, doesn’t that justify their perception? Not really, as the role of government is to quantify and address the overall problem. But politics seems to simply play to people’s emotional side and politics won in this instance.

]]> By: Joel http://blog.cascade.org/2010/09/ferry-commuters-%e2%80%93-go-to-the-back-of-the-line/comment-page-1/#comment-2517 Joel Sun, 26 Sep 2010 16:35:38 +0000 http://blog.cascade.org/?p=2802#comment-2517 "Bikes are also slower than cars" Someone should really let the bike messenger industry know about this! In all seriousness, how about a policy tailor-made for where you are offloading. When going into seattle for example, bikes are faster. When offloading up a long hill (bainbridge), bikes could still go first but should use the bike lane off to the left. “Bikes are also slower than cars”

Someone should really let the bike messenger industry know about this!

In all seriousness, how about a policy tailor-made for where you are offloading. When going into seattle for example, bikes are faster. When offloading up a long hill (bainbridge), bikes could still go first but should use the bike lane off to the left.

]]> By: Joel http://blog.cascade.org/2010/09/ferry-commuters-%e2%80%93-go-to-the-back-of-the-line/comment-page-1/#comment-2516 Joel Sun, 26 Sep 2010 15:50:12 +0000 http://blog.cascade.org/?p=2802#comment-2516 The main argument of the finding has to do with improving safety at any cost to load time. My comments on that: - Bikes starting behind cars will create far more mingling of bikes and cars as they come off. - 100-200 bikes loading on the back will create loading hazards unless substantially less cars are allowed on - Use of the bike lane on bainbridge could be enforced without anyone complaining - Cars could be made to wait longer before following the bikes off (safety at any cost !) The main argument of the finding has to do with improving safety at any cost to load time. My comments on that:

- Bikes starting behind cars will create far more mingling of bikes and cars as they come off.
- 100-200 bikes loading on the back will create loading hazards unless substantially less cars are allowed on
- Use of the bike lane on bainbridge could be enforced without anyone complaining
- Cars could be made to wait longer before following the bikes off (safety at any cost !)

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