Comments on: Press conference announcement http://blog.cascade.org/2011/09/we-can-do-better/ 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: Road safety summit « Cascade Bicycle Club Blog http://blog.cascade.org/2011/09/we-can-do-better/comment-page-1/#comment-29154 Road safety summit « Cascade Bicycle Club Blog Fri, 21 Oct 2011 21:54:45 +0000 http://blog.cascade.org/?p=8261#comment-29154 [...] we said at our September press conference, we can – and must – do better.  That means everybody.  Though cyclists and pedestrians are [...] [...] we said at our September press conference, we can – and must – do better.  That means everybody.  Though cyclists and pedestrians are [...]

]]> By: Bill K. http://blog.cascade.org/2011/09/we-can-do-better/comment-page-1/#comment-27192 Bill K. Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:19:52 +0000 http://blog.cascade.org/?p=8261#comment-27192 Laura H., I couldn't agree more when you say: "Having a stop sign and a crosswalk at the same intersection is contradictory." I can't believe that a sharp Civil Engineer couldn't design much safer intersections if he were so tasked. The problem is that the right engineer hasn't been tasked to simultaneously increase safety AND increase efficiency. An example is crossing Mercer Island on the I-90 trail where it crosses N. Mercer Way. The trail users have a stop sign, but the cars on N. Mercer Way only have a crosswalk. So who gets to go first? Cars often stop for me on my bike even before I have gotten to the stop sign. When I stop, the cars get impatient. The whole setup is very inefficient. A different design flaw is in the U-district where the Burke-Gilman trail crosses 15th Ave NE. Traffic traveling west on NE Pacific St that wants to turn North (a right turn) onto 15th has to cross the Burke-Gilman. Both the trail users and the right turning traffic have green lights at the same time, yet the turning traffic has to cross over the trail. Surely there are better solutions available. Laura H.,

I couldn’t agree more when you say:

“Having a stop sign and a crosswalk at the same intersection is contradictory.”

I can’t believe that a sharp Civil Engineer couldn’t design much safer intersections if he were so tasked. The problem is that the right engineer hasn’t been tasked to simultaneously increase safety AND increase efficiency.

An example is crossing Mercer Island on the I-90 trail where it crosses N. Mercer Way. The trail users have a stop sign, but the cars on N. Mercer Way only have a crosswalk. So who gets to go first? Cars often stop for me on my bike even before I have gotten to the stop sign. When I stop, the cars get impatient. The whole setup is very inefficient.

A different design flaw is in the U-district where the Burke-Gilman trail crosses 15th Ave NE. Traffic traveling west on NE Pacific St that wants to turn North (a right turn) onto 15th has to cross the Burke-Gilman. Both the trail users and the right turning traffic have green lights at the same time, yet the turning traffic has to cross over the trail.

Surely there are better solutions available.

]]> By: Hagen Green http://blog.cascade.org/2011/09/we-can-do-better/comment-page-1/#comment-27150 Hagen Green Sun, 25 Sep 2011 15:10:34 +0000 http://blog.cascade.org/?p=8261#comment-27150 Infrastructure and education are great foundational pillars to build a better-together story for automobiles and bicycles, but it only seems to go so far in its effectiveness in the real world. Many of us here are both cyclists and drivers, so we have the opportunity to see both perspectives compared to drivers who don't cycle. I believe one of the best ways for drivers to understand what cyclists go through is to ditch their car for a day and do everything by bike. Only then will drivers truly understand why we need to cross the solid white line, cross traffic to make a left turn, and get square into a lane with cars. On the flip side, cyclists should strive to understand drivers and the challenges posed by sharing the road. Be a driver, and see why they get frustrated by cyclists. Sometimes its infrastructure, but many times its a reckless or law-breaking cyclist. As in many professions, its key to read up and take classroom studies. But there's nothing like getting out there and really doing it. This applies equally to every party involved. I am a cyclist that puts more miles on my bike than my car. I love to ride and get to my destination quickly, but never at the expense of my or others safety. Let's all commit to doing our parts while we ask drivers to take the road. There must be an incentive for doing so, and this is an opportunity for Cascade to use its lobbying powers. One fatality is too many for us. Please be safe out there, as a cyclist and driver. Let's get more folks on bicycles and share the love and freedom of this wonderful sport. Infrastructure and education are great foundational pillars to build a better-together story for automobiles and bicycles, but it only seems to go so far in its effectiveness in the real world. Many of us here are both cyclists and drivers, so we have the opportunity to see both perspectives compared to drivers who don’t cycle. I believe one of the best ways for drivers to understand what cyclists go through is to ditch their car for a day and do everything by bike. Only then will drivers truly understand why we need to cross the solid white line, cross traffic to make a left turn, and get square into a lane with cars.
On the flip side, cyclists should strive to understand drivers and the challenges posed by sharing the road. Be a driver, and see why they get frustrated by cyclists. Sometimes its infrastructure, but many times its a reckless or law-breaking cyclist.
As in many professions, its key to read up and take classroom studies. But there’s nothing like getting out there and really doing it. This applies equally to every party involved.
I am a cyclist that puts more miles on my bike than my car. I love to ride and get to my destination quickly, but never at the expense of my or others safety. Let’s all commit to doing our parts while we ask drivers to take the road. There must be an incentive for doing so, and this is an opportunity for Cascade to use its lobbying powers.
One fatality is too many for us. Please be safe out there, as a cyclist and driver. Let’s get more folks on bicycles and share the love and freedom of this wonderful sport.

]]> By: David http://blog.cascade.org/2011/09/we-can-do-better/comment-page-1/#comment-27053 David Sat, 24 Sep 2011 02:54:35 +0000 http://blog.cascade.org/?p=8261#comment-27053 According to this web page, Robert had no front brake on his bicycle. But he did have a rear brake and was thus bicycling lawfully. http://seattlebikeblog.com/2011/09/12/robert-townsend-killed-in-u-district-was-fastest-delivery-person-on-staff/ I don't know if he was riding too fast. He was riding downhill, but even so, you have to work pretty hard to reach the speed limit on a bicycle. He was also going straight and I assume he had a green light because that wasn't mentioned on that web page. From these details I don't think you could say he was being reckless. (Of course if there is a reliable source that says otherwise, obviously the story is different.) However, there is also nothing there that makes it seem the driver was reckless. Do your best everyone! Be safe! According to this web page, Robert had no front brake on his bicycle. But he did have a rear brake and was thus bicycling lawfully.
http://seattlebikeblog.com/2011/09/12/robert-townsend-killed-in-u-district-was-fastest-delivery-person-on-staff/
I don’t know if he was riding too fast. He was riding downhill, but even so, you have to work pretty hard to reach the speed limit on a bicycle.
He was also going straight and I assume he had a green light because that wasn’t mentioned on that web page.

From these details I don’t think you could say he was being reckless. (Of course if there is a reliable source that says otherwise, obviously the story is different.) However, there is also nothing there that makes it seem the driver was reckless.

Do your best everyone! Be safe!

]]> By: David http://blog.cascade.org/2011/09/we-can-do-better/comment-page-1/#comment-27049 David Sat, 24 Sep 2011 02:08:10 +0000 http://blog.cascade.org/?p=8261#comment-27049 Cyclists don't pay registration fees because a bicycle wears the road down maybe a 50th as much as a car. Even so, I'd gladly pay a fee to use the roads if that makes me seem less condescending. Cyclists don’t pay registration fees because a bicycle wears the road down maybe a 50th as much as a car. Even so, I’d gladly pay a fee to use the roads if that makes me seem less condescending.

]]> By: Shawn Jezerinac http://blog.cascade.org/2011/09/we-can-do-better/comment-page-1/#comment-27043 Shawn Jezerinac Fri, 23 Sep 2011 22:36:48 +0000 http://blog.cascade.org/?p=8261#comment-27043 Mr, Jackson. We are in the midst of an environmental crises even though global warming doesn't get the press it did. Cars pollute and are responsible for lung disease and countless associated deaths and illness. Obesity is an epidmic in the U.S. Though vehicles are a great convenience we pay a heavy price for their use especially in urban areas. We need to do everything we can to encourage cycling and take as many cars off of the road as we can. You may look at not having license fees as a way to encourage more people to cycle. It is in everyone's best interest, even those driving in cars. Consider every car removed from the roads as an improvement in you and your families health, and the health of the planet that supports you. Mr, Jackson. We are in the midst of an environmental crises even though global warming doesn’t get the press it did. Cars pollute and are responsible for lung disease and countless associated deaths and illness. Obesity is an epidmic in the U.S. Though vehicles are a great convenience we pay a heavy price for their use especially in urban areas. We need to do everything we can to encourage cycling and take as many cars off of the road as we can. You may look at not having license fees as a way to encourage more people to cycle. It is in everyone’s best interest, even those driving in cars. Consider every car removed from the roads as an improvement in you and your families health, and the health of the planet that supports you.

]]> By: Laura H. http://blog.cascade.org/2011/09/we-can-do-better/comment-page-1/#comment-27042 Laura H. Fri, 23 Sep 2011 22:02:17 +0000 http://blog.cascade.org/?p=8261#comment-27042 I agree that being more polite -- as motorists or cyclists -- could go along way toward reducing the animosity presented by both drivers and cyclists. I am both, and I get just as annoyed at cyclists riding side by side when cars are piling up behind them as I do at drivers who pass too closely. (Well, maybe more at the second, because that's more dangerous.) Cyclists should definitely follow the rules of the road better. I agree that cyclists and pedestrians don't mix well on multi-use paths. Unfortunately, the federal government likes to fund these trails, so they are common. Finally, the signage on the Burke-Gilman Trail needs to be improved. Having a stop sign and a crosswalk at the same intersection is contradictory. I think it just encourages cyclists to disregard stop signs. (I moved here four years ago and was completely confused by this.) I agree that being more polite — as motorists or cyclists — could go along way toward reducing the animosity presented by both drivers and cyclists. I am both, and I get just as annoyed at cyclists riding side by side when cars are piling up behind them as I do at drivers who pass too closely. (Well, maybe more at the second, because that’s more dangerous.) Cyclists should definitely follow the rules of the road better.

I agree that cyclists and pedestrians don’t mix well on multi-use paths. Unfortunately, the federal government likes to fund these trails, so they are common.

Finally, the signage on the Burke-Gilman Trail needs to be improved. Having a stop sign and a crosswalk at the same intersection is contradictory. I think it just encourages cyclists to disregard stop signs. (I moved here four years ago and was completely confused by this.)

]]> By: Jake Jackson http://blog.cascade.org/2011/09/we-can-do-better/comment-page-1/#comment-26599 Jake Jackson Fri, 16 Sep 2011 23:55:13 +0000 http://blog.cascade.org/?p=8261#comment-26599 <i>We also live in abodes, and a portion of our property taxes (or our rent) pays for the roads.</i> So the Cascade Bicycle Club is in favor of abolishing car tabs, motorcycle tabs, and licensing requirements for drivers of those vehicles, I presume. After all, their property taxes pay for the streets too. Ah, but no, because as a bicyclist you are <i>so much better</i> than we are, correct? We also live in abodes, and a portion of our property taxes (or our rent) pays for the roads.

So the Cascade Bicycle Club is in favor of abolishing car tabs, motorcycle tabs, and licensing requirements for drivers of those vehicles, I presume. After all, their property taxes pay for the streets too. Ah, but no, because as a bicyclist you are so much better than we are, correct?

]]> By: M.J. Kelly http://blog.cascade.org/2011/09/we-can-do-better/comment-page-1/#comment-26595 M.J. Kelly Fri, 16 Sep 2011 21:32:18 +0000 http://blog.cascade.org/?p=8261#comment-26595 Mr. Jackson, I invite you to get to know more about our organization. We educate kids in the elementary, middle school and high school levels. We educate adults from their 20s to their 80s through many, many classes throughout the year. We have -- and we always will -- educate and advocate for obeying the laws of the road and for enforcement for all people who violate traffic laws. We work with businesses to help them be more bike-friendly because, as you see on the roads and trails, people want to bike for their commute. And we work with our government leaders to educate them on the many benefits of having a funded, well-designed, complete bicycle network. Cascade is pro-bike, not anti-car. The majority of bicyclists in our state own cars. We also live in abodes, and a portion of our property taxes (or our rent) pays for the roads. Mr. Jackson, I invite you to get to know more about our organization.

We educate kids in the elementary, middle school and high school levels. We educate adults from their 20s to their 80s through many, many classes throughout the year. We have — and we always will — educate and advocate for obeying the laws of the road and for enforcement for all people who violate traffic laws.

We work with businesses to help them be more bike-friendly because, as you see on the roads and trails, people want to bike for their commute.

And we work with our government leaders to educate them on the many benefits of having a funded, well-designed, complete bicycle network. Cascade is pro-bike, not anti-car. The majority of bicyclists in our state own cars. We also live in abodes, and a portion of our property taxes (or our rent) pays for the roads.

]]> By: Safer roadways press conference « Family Ride http://blog.cascade.org/2011/09/we-can-do-better/comment-page-1/#comment-26544 Safer roadways press conference « Family Ride Fri, 16 Sep 2011 05:46:42 +0000 http://blog.cascade.org/?p=8261#comment-26544 [...] have reached a turning point in Seattle bicycle safety which alerted me to the Cascade Bicycle Club press conference today. It was less than a mile from home so I dragged myself out of my sick bed and biked over with [...] [...] have reached a turning point in Seattle bicycle safety which alerted me to the Cascade Bicycle Club press conference today. It was less than a mile from home so I dragged myself out of my sick bed and biked over with [...]

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