Originally Posted by
UniChris
Yes - that's likely the root of it though they were likely intentionally not wanting to make neighborhood streets car shortcuts. Some sort of bike-only connectors could be interesting, but they'd need to have good sightlines and not be chokepoints that create their own hazards.
It likely depends on the city. I know of a few places that are closed for cars, but open for bikes, and it generally works OK. One must be vigilant, of course.
How big of a problem is the shortcuts? There are features that can be put in that make it OK for bikes, but discourage cars.
Not through?
Originally Posted by
UniChris
These help a lot for casual cyclists and family rides. Though cities where the roads are so bad that the greenways are also the only place where roadies can go for an intense ride tend to see a lot of mode conflict between users of the paths there. Really, road rides work better on road like things than path like things.
I've been on some wonderful riverfront paths, that can be like bike freeways. But, not necessarily bike race tracks.
Here we have sawdust jogging trails that more or less go parallel to some of the paved bike trails. Perhaps it helps reduce bike/jogger conflicts. There are still walkers. So, the trails are good for commuting, but perhaps not training rides. Fortunately, around here, it is easy enough to get out of the city if one wishes.