hotbike

You may know, I first enrolled in Engineering School in 1984. Majored in Mechanical Engineering, on account that NYIT did not have Aircraft Structural Engineering as a major. Earned my Airframers License from the United States Navy (NATTC) in 1991.
At this point, we could build some Velomobiles, but there's not a strong market for recumbents in metropolitan New York.
I have been thinking of designing Bike Paths, or Bike Lanes, and submitting a proposal to Nassau County DPW. But this is more in the realm of CIVIL Engineering, is it not?
Should I seek a Civil Engineer to review the Proposal? Or should I hit-the-books and get a Civil Engineering License? Or should I seek more input from the General Public?

I need yours all advice.

Thanks in advance!

howsteepisit

It's not clear to me what roles you ae proposing. Any design will need to be stamped by a Civil PE, however I don't think that a proposal to a county needs to be stamped. If the county wants to go forward then they will start the process, and either self deign or hire an outside firm to design and possibly manage the construction. The design firm will need a Civil PE on staff to stamp that design. I don't think that you are going to be able to propose the project then compete for the design contract.

You may be able to informally discuss the project with some planning people, at the risk of excluding yourself.

Also in most states not only will you need to pass the FE exam, then need some years of work supervised by a responsible licensed PE before you are able to sit the PE exam.

randomgear

You don't need a professional stamp to propose things to a government agency, city, town, county... They won't build directly from your designs even if they think its a good idea. They will either do in-house engineering and create drawings or farm it out to a professional engineer. Then they use the plans to either build/paint the lanes themselves or put it out to bid.

It helps if you run your designs by a trained traffic engineer who has a strong interest in bike facilities - I frequently use a professor at a nearby University. I strongly recommend using the NACTO guides as a reference. And also to run them by your local walking and biking advocacy groups. It is important to get the walking advocates on your side, telling them that proper on-road bike lanes (preferably separated lanes - AKA cycle tracks) get cyclists off sidewalks. Once they understand that they can be some of your best supporters for bike facilities. Also sell the design to your local senior group, they tend to be vocal in local politics and can be very interested in making roads safer for all. Help to get them walking outdoors instead of walking in the mall. Last but not certainly not least, if your proposed facility is near a school, they can be great supporters, too.

Of course, there will likely be review by administrators at the very least and possibly public meetings and revisions and votes taken by transportation boards and city council/selectman before more revisions and more public meetings...

Don't get discouraged if it takes years to get something done - some of the first public meetings I attended were for a moderately simple street crossing five years ago and it was finally mostly completed last fall. I have friends who have advocated for 30 years for improvements at that same crossing...

hotbike

Now that I'm getting older, 30 years doesn't seem like too long a time...

hotbike

I've also go to check to see if they have anything planned, maybe ten years from now, long-term planning wise...
I know they have these plans, but they don't share them with the public.

Long Island is rather unique. I'm in Nassau. Suffolk is to the East. Nothing but water all around. Suffolk traffic has to go through Nassau to reach the North American continent. Queens and Brooklyn are part of Long Island, but your NOT supposed to say that ! Queens and Brooklyn are part of New York City.

There are Bike Lanes in New York City. I like to ride in Manhattan. I take a LIRR Train , and use a Citi Bike when I get there. It's a great advantage now that we have Citi Bike, when you consider the prohibition of bicycles on many trains, either Rush Hour, or Holiday trains , bikes aboard trains are forbidden.

The State of New York controls many East-West Roads , i.e. 25, 25A, 25B, and North South Routes , 106, and 107. These are what need Bike Lanes.
We are very dependent on our County , here in Nassau. Nothing gets done without approval of the County.

fietsbob

Maybe a course in Decision Science? you can help all the 'should I' posters here thereafter.

You Have a County Planning Council, and they have a Staff, naturally.. you, citizen, already pay them..

ItsJustMe

How many years have you been riding on roads, with traffic?

Seriously, most bike paths seem to be designed by civil engineers who have never been on a bike in traffic, and it shows.

Daniel4

Read "Street Fight" by Janette Sadik-Khan, former traffic commissioner of NYC under Michael Bloomberg. In the book, she criticizes traffic engineers for street designs with the thought of moving only automobiles quickly. Traditional designs don't put any thought into pedestrian safety except to push them all to the side.

MixedRider

Are you trying to do this to make money or to do this on your own time to help encourage bicycle infrastructure?

hotbike

I've bicycled about 149,000 miles since 1972...

I wanted to click on the "Like" button, but I keep forgetting BF doesn't have a "Like" button...

It's exactly the case, that many Highway Improvements that I've seen on Long Island, were designed by someone from Albany, the State Capitol , upstate, who has NEVER been on Long Island. Usually, it's Hydrology... Places where Groundwater , Springs, come up through the pavement. The Planner needs to be more precise in locating where that Spring is, and put in a French Drain, routed into the Storm Sewer...

hotbike

Not trying to make money , But I meant I should give-up trying to make money, building custom bikes, I think I'm wasting my time...
I think we need the Bike Lane first, and THEN there will be a market for Bikes.

I'm only interested in the LOCAL market. My Bikes are Not perfect. I would label my Bikes "Beta Versions". They need more testing. We redesigned the bike in Florida in 1991. Everyone on Long Island just wants to figure out how they can sue you. People are willing to work in Fla.

But back then , there was no internet, not with my 128k Macintosh .

There aren't too many builders combining the features of a Cargo Bike with the features of a Velomobile.

I have a very small cargo space, because I mainly carry crushed stone, to solidify muddy paths. Heavy stuff, doesn't need a lot of volume. The bike would be unrideable if overloaded with stone...

Everyone wants 1920 prices , they think of bicycles as "Nostalgia"... and they want a motor too, but Not Electric, it has to be Loud...

wphamilton

Velomobile plus cargo plus electric seems to me would fill a niche that hasn't been explored very well yet. But not only the bike but the niche would have to be developed. Which I sense is one of the goals of your current project.

Good luck with the infrastructure engineering!

hotbike

Ten pounds of sugar in a five pound bag.

hotbike

I looked that up... No, it was on my Facebook Timeline, March 21st:

Conventional Bike Lanes - National Association of City Transportation Officials

Velo Mule

I live in Nassau as well. No doubt you have a picked a tough area to work with. Corruption, incompetence, paralysis. Perhaps you can run for County Executive.


You'll get my vote.

KD5NRH

They get downright uncivil when you point out the flaws, too.

AlexCyclistRoch

How true. Near where I used to live ran NY bike route #5. It was a very busy street (4-lanes) with high curbs, zero shoulders, curves, and 2'x2' drainage grates on the edge.