scott967

Blogger BSNYC also does a daily bike report on transportation alternatives that highlights bike lane follies.

scott s.
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work4bike

10mph That's slow as .....

Bikes are a form of transportation for some of us, not recreation. Can't be plodding along at 10mph...You can't even win the NYC marathon at that speed.


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Daniel4

I've done lots of commutes at 10 mph even at 10 km/h. What's the rush? That's the beauty of bicycle commuting. You have the chpuce of going as slowly as you want and still enjoy the ride and nobody's going to push you to go faster.

ascherer 

I've been commuting for about 5 years, mix of path and streets. I'm very comfortable in traffic so driving or cycling in the city is NBD but without a doubt it requires a high degree of situational awareness. Generally it's not as bad as the stories would suggest. Most drivers are fairly predictable. But sometimes...sheesh. Not for the faint of heart.

noglider 

Well put, @ascherer.

Redpath

Big fan of Terry Barensten's HotLine series YouTube videos flying through NYC (and others) on fixies. Anybody else watch these? Some serious skills...
Also enjoy Kelsey Leigh's videos as a NYC bike messenger. She's pretty good too.

noglider 

I'll check those out, as I haven't seen them. But you do not need a crazy-high level of skill to survive here. As I said previously, there are plenty of inexperienced cyclists, some of them old, who ride here regularly.

rydabent

Tell someone from the midwest why anyone would want to live in that snake pit full of rude people.

Chinghis

Wow, that sucks. Los Angeles just put in a protected bike lane on the street that I used to use. After they set it up, I used it once. Never again. We don't have the same density of pedestrians, of course, but they still wander into the lane. Worse, delivery trucks, ride-share cars, and just general regular cars use it for parking or stopping. They don't have the curb up yet, so you can drift out of the lane, but there are usually cars parked (that's our "protection" until they install the cement curbs). I don't think we have the same law.

italktocats

**** doenst work like that

noglider 

Speaking of rude, I learned when I was a kid that it's rude to insult someone's home. Then I learned that some people make an exception to that rule when talking about New York. It doesn't make any sense to me. It's just something I've observed.

I would tell you about how truly rude behavior here isn't that common, but might not believe me.

ksryder

I'm from the midwest and I've enjoyed my visits to NYC. I think what midwesterners and southerners interpret as rude is actually just people being no-nonsense and straight to the point. I appreciate that. I hate having to waste time with pleasantries and small talk about things I honestly don't care about before getting to the point.

Nebraska, on the other hand...

scott967

I think Ca law is a little vague, as the Streets & Highway code defines "bikeway" with four classes:

class I - bike path
class II - bike lane
class III - bike route
class iv - cycle track

In the Vehicle Code, if a "bike lane" exists, cycles must use it if they are traveling under the prevailing speed. But your "protected lane" would seem to be a class iv bikeway, not class ii.

I know when I lived there I was stopped by a Ventura County cop for not riding in a marked "bike path" (which was actually the sidewalk) on Victoria in Ventura.

scott s.
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rydabent

As a technician I attended many training classes. Almost to a one the people from New York City were total rude know it alls. OTOH the guys from up state NY were normal people.

Chinghis

Cool, thanks. I should look more carefully. Maybe I'll just stick to streets without bike lanes!

PaulH

10 mph is close to my normal speed. It's faster than driving and gets me to work on time.

Kapusta

noglider 

It's funny how some people like riding here in NYC. I grew up here, and I generally don't find it to be the nicest place to ride. Yet I know some people who make a trip into the city just to ride here. I also know people who live here (such as @ascherer and @wilfried) who are great at making adventurous routes within the city limits. I've gone with them sometimes, and I did have some great times, but all things being equal, I'd rather be on a country road, at least for a fun ride. Maybe I wouldn't like commuting on a country road. I don't know.

Suburban riding can be bad, depending on road design. Traffic can be dense, and people are impatient. I lived in New Jersey suburbs for 26 years.

ascherer 

The last time I rode in the suburbs, I went back to secondary roads I'd ridden for decades on the North Shore of Long Island. I was a bit startled at how close and fast many people passed and the preponderance of SUVs. I found that odd given all my city riding, but there it is. I love the quiet backroads of New England, and I love the adventures of riding to destinations around the city. Best of both worlds.

Jim from Boston

FYA, I recently posted to this Commuting thread, “Have you given up the car?, in the context of Living Car Free or Light, but for me:

Maelochs

Unless, of course, you actually have to be somewhere on time, and somewhere else after that.

Sure, i could ride at walking speed ... but then I'd have to get up at 2:30 a.m. or something. And if (as it was for along while) I have classes after work, well ... I'd have to cancel all my classes so i could "enjoy the ride." (Actually, I used to enjoy going fast and riding hard .... but I was not old and fat then.)

But ... cycling for transport means needing to meet schedules. Getting to the store after it closes, getting to class after it's over, getting to work late .... Maybe if your daily commute is only five miles, it doesn't matter, but if you are looking at 30-50 miles per day, plus time at work, plus time at classes, and want to get home in time to eat and sleep enough to do it again the next day ... yeah, dawdling is not really an option.

jon c. 

I ride mostly empty country roads. It's wonderful and definitely the preferred setting for me. But I like riding busy urban streets because I don't do it that often. It's more fun, I think, when you don't do it frequently as the novelty factor is high.

noglider 

You could find it invigorating, for sure. My friend from New Jersey and her husband and daughter took a trip to Shanghai, and they rented bikes and rode around the city. She said traffic was crazy. Her daughter, then around 11 years old, said it was relaxing, but perhaps she really meant invigorating. Now the kid is at City College of New York, so maybe city life is her calling.

work4bike

Eggsactually!

noglider 

Yes it can be!