CliffordK

Unlike Europe, we have almost no electric trains in the USA other than local metro/light rail.

Hard to say where electric vehicles will be. They have charging issues whenever one's trip is more than 100 to 200 miles. Having charging stations in every parking lot and every park would help, but we have a lot of infrastructure to build.

tcs

I apologize for not being able to find this again on the 'net, but: IIRC a study was done at a popular rural recreational trail in the northeast of trailhead parking lot car license tags --> home zip codes. Yeah, miles driven to the trail was an order of magnitude greater than miles ridden on the trail.

spinnaker

Producing carbon fiber is not as environmentally friendly as you might think. Though it is recyclable which surprises me. But considering the cost I imagine it is not done very often.

https://recyclenation.com/2015/10/is...nt-than-steel/

spinnaker

Actually all locomotives in the US are electric. They are just powered by generators which are powered by diesel engines.

Considering the huge expanses in the US, it would nearly impossible to have a true electric loco.

Rollfast

Since I have 4 bikes built before 1965, the energy expenditure is far outweighed by the longevity of the bikes and economy of their continued use.

PS Ask the folks on the other site I'm on about their Hawthornes, Elgins/JC Higgins. Colsons, etc.

PS Turn of the century bikes as well!

Rollfast

How did we make this left turn at Albuquerque?

willibrord

Talking about improving the Oregon Coast Bike Route, and sources of money to do the work. Is it good for the environment if people are using fossill fuels to get there?

spinnaker

Give it a rest already and save it for another thread. This thread is supposed to be about improving the Oregon Coastal route and not your political agenda.

willibrord

What? I am totally in favor of improving the Oregon Coast Route. Sometimes the convo derails and takes a turn. NTTAWT.
Okay, back to suggestions for improving the route.

CliffordK

We did get headed down the wrong track. But, I have an expansive view that the State of Oregon should spend hundreds of millions of dollars to do this project right. And, in doing so, one should also consider the environmental impacts of both construction and use of a paved Multi-use path.

fietsbob

I noted in NL use of a lot of interlocking brick paving stones , , rather than Bitumen,
but they had to be heated to high temperature, to fuse them , somehow in a brick kiln..

Making cement, cooking limestone, turns out be a huge source of the Carbon that is altering the atmosphere..

we are the problem.. our extinction may be the solution..

CliffordK

Here is the official route map.

https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/Programs...-route-map.pdf

They do suggest taking quite a few side roads. I'll go through the map and ODOT problems spots a bit more shortly. Of course, many of the side roads are even narrower than 101, but hopefully with less traffic, and fewer trucks and motor homes.

I was looking at routes near Tillamook yesterday, and out of nowhere an 800 foot hill popped up.

I tend to do long hard miles on my rides, so a few extra 800 foot hills could be killers.

There is also a coastal hiking trail (not sure if it is open to MTBs, but not a road bike trail).

spinnaker

Do they have a RideWithGPS of that route? Would be nice to be able to zoom in on alternates and be able to look at climbs.

fietsbob

Have You used the offered address to send in that suggestion, yet ?

that particular scanned map is a print edition, old, by now.. the printed one was replaced, since then , a few years ago....






....

CliffordK

I looked for it, and didn't see it.

I'm wondering if this is independent from the Oregon Scenic Bikeways which generally has RWGPS routes.

Here is the area near Tillamook that I was looking at. My idea as I had suggested earlier was to put a ferry across Tillamook bay. Part of the route is on the Official map.

If I can't find a RWGPS route or Strava route, I could probably make one pretty quickly, along with some possible alternates. I have some Christmas prep to do too, so it could be a day or so.

https://www.strava.com/routes/16456543

CliffordK

I copied that map I linked above to Strava the best I could.

https://www.strava.com/routes/16469270

Interesting exercise.

I presume there have been changes over the years with new roads popping up and connections between existing roads. Strava showed a few dotted lines which I assume are either gravel roads, or perhaps trails of some sort that might require further exploration.

If one is riding southbound, there would be a number of possible right hand turns one could easily make, chop off a mile or two of 101, then rejoin 101.

So, one option would be to make a preferred southbound route, and preferred northbound route that woudn't necessarily be the same, favoring right turns off the highway.

You are welcome to copy my map and make edits as you see fit. (Send me a PM if you want me to try a GPX or TCX export).

I think I have to plan on actual wheels on the road, so time to start thinking of what I want for a coastal touring bike for this spring. I could probably do the loop and some exploration in about 1000 miles???? Ugggh Salt & Sand???

CliffordK

I'll go through my map above in a bit. What I'd do is put in a bunch of "alternate" bypass routes, generally favoring right turns for southbound riding.

What would be handy would be road markings to help cyclists choose a route.

For example a series of green diagonal lines in the shoulder pointing in the direction of the turn (right or left), followed by a street sign that would list:

• Rank the bypass, A - Highly recommended, B - Optional, C - Marginal (narrow & busy, another following it, excessive climbing, etc), D - Dead End/Turn Around (sights/water/restrooms/camping).
• Distance/Climbing straight ahead to end of bypass
• Distance/Climbing taking bypass.
• Surface type (paved, gravel, dirt/sand)
• MUP
• Scenery
• Businesses
• Water/Restroom/Park Access/Camping
• Distance to next rest area?
• Seasonal or limited hour access for rest areas (current & next)

Mmmm... Lots of info, so probably end up adding a few codes and a small print key.

Oh, that might be another thought.

Any beach access or rural park, or public lighthouse should also have a 24 hour limit cycle camping area. Stove or fire as weather allows? Allow the purchase of a 2 week or annual camping pass that would cover all public camping along the general route (Local, County, State, or Federal).

One issue that I've frequently run into with route planning is 2 roads that come within say 100 yards, up to a mile or two that have no connection between the two. There can be many reasons not to have adequate connections such as rivers or creeks, hills, or property ownership. But, adding short connectors can be very cheap alternatives to major upgrades.

Rollfast

I don't see why a limit on your stay in a camp area is needed. They should have paid permits anyway and when my high school group made a summer trip down the coast to the Bay Area we were based in a campsite for a few days and it allowed us to have a stable base to explore from.

Realizing that it was a school bus but why limit the time you might really need to explore? This sort of thing is not in a rush.

CliffordK

I was thinking of special access for cyclists in the parks frequently marked "day use only". Perhaps a special permit system specifically for multi-day cycle tourists (not necessarily the whole route, but > 50 miles or so).

I haven't done a lot of touring, but tend to keep moving when I do. My day trips are up to 200 miles... which some people do in a few days.

Anyway, I would like to see some special designation specifically for cyclists that could have a couple of tent sites in small parks. Sorry, no school busses with kids camping for a week. Also, no long-term camping for homeless transients.

Garbage and restroom services are nice, and users should be expected to leave the campsites pristine. Daily registrations so one can see who left the mess?

CliffordK

What about bicycle cages?

I could imagine building some like little concrete bunkers. Italian Pill Boxes?

The lock, of course, could be the weak link. And, of course, people using them for long-term storage. Are there small padlocks that might be recommended? Mini-U-Locks? Security Cameras? Special "FELONY" warnings?

I'd hate to give a person too great of a sense of security, but it would be nice to be able to lock up all of one's belongings and head down to the beach. Or, if a campground/campsite isn't overly isolated, lock up at night.

Edit:
Thinking about this... SMART CARDS. Lockers are normally locked which prevents animals and people from using them as mini-storage or sleeping in them long-term. And, one can monitor who has access, when, and how much the lockers are being used. If networked, one could even know where empty lockers are.

There is also cell phone blue-tooth access. However, power is often an issue for long distance tourists. In fact, providing electricity and USB inside of the lockers would be a nice touch.

willibrord

Hmm. lots of thinking going on. How about charging stations for e-bikes at evry campground?

CliffordK

Only if I could randomly drain every 30th bike or so.

I assume most of the E-Bikes charge on 110V. Is 220V necessary? International users?

How many amps?

I was suggesting adding a plug in the cages to charge cell phones, lights, and bike accessories. But, one could say put a 15A, 110V dedicated circuit in to each cage for multi-use including charging.

Charge the E-Bike users, say $10 extra per 2-weeks for keycard access. That should cover power, and perhaps some of the capital costs.

Personally I'd require E-Bikes to have pedals, and not allow E-Scooters. But, the logical extension would be to start allowing multiple vehicle types to recharge.

But, the question now is how to improve and upgrade cycling access.

You know, if one is doing lockers, then figure out a way to get some in the cities too. Grocery stores, restaurants, etc. Every once in a while one reads a sad story about a bike tourist getting their bicycle and all of their gear stolen. One was reported in BikeForums in Astoria a while ago, but it could happen anywhere. The coast can be bad. About 30 years ago, we had a friend visiting from Italy. Someone broke the window of the car, stole her purse, mom's purse, and her camera. Not a good welcome to the country.

tcs

I suppose gas for mopeds & Whizzers is available along the highway, but some of these machines don't have much range. Are there any fuel gaps?

fietsbob

Big ones in Nevada..

CliffordK

Ok, so E-Bikes weren't on the top of my list, but why not? It may well be that E-Tourists would be an entirely different breed than the E-Commuters. For example, perhaps picking up a mismatched husband/wife couple, or mobility for the elderly.

I had thought about secure charging for phones and devices, but perhaps the better option is simply to put in coin operated phone booths. Pony Express?

Do we wish to support Electric vehicles... at least someday? So, perhaps allow them to charge while owners are off to the beach or having lunch in a park?