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Tuesday, July 28, 2009
More efforts to ban cycling from certain roads
Last week I had an entry about a group in Colorado who want to ban cyclists from county roads. Well now the rally has spread to Iowa.
Radio Iowa is reporting that a group calling itself the “Citizens for Safety Coalition of Iowa” is asking people to sign a petition that asks the legislature to create a ballot initiative for the November 2010 election that would ban bicycles on farm-to-market roads.
It’s a tricky debate. I don’t feel safe riding my bike on two-lane roads with no shoulder unless I’m with a group. There’s a good reason for the uneasiness. Cars are usually traveling between 40-60 mph on those types of roads, a lot faster than me. It’s really not safe for the driver or the cyclist.
At the same time, I don’t think it’s a good idea to ban cyclists from these rural-type roads. There are many group and charity rides that use these less-traveled roads on the weekends. If you banned them from having access, then there would be more congestion on busier city streets. It’s not a safe move for anyone involved.
I understand both sides of the debate, but the proposed solution is not the answer.
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Waller Creek Bike Tour
From the austinist.com, this sounds like an interesting opportunity to see how sections of Waller Creek may be utilized.
Waller Creek Bike Tour
Saturday, August 1, 10 am
Mexican American Cultural Center Plaza (600 River Street)
Bring Your Own Bike!
The Waller Creek master planning process is well underway. This is an effort to redesign the currently underutilized downtown creek into a premier community space; a potential venue for strolling, jogging, biking, dining, shopping, music, break-dancing, balloon-animal-making, capoeira demonstrations, competitive toenail-painting, and a host of other activities. The master planning process will help us decide what kind of space we want and what kind of activities we want to promote to activate the space.
A key issue shaping the decisions is the facts on the ground, the condition of the creek and the creek side amenities today. Hop on your bike and join us for a two-wheeled exploration of the opportunities and constraints for this future community hub.
We’ll be joined by experts and participants in the Waller Creek master planning process, including:
Council Member Chris Riley
Jeb Boyt of the Waller Creek Citizen’s Advisory Committee and Austin Metro Trails & Greenways
Jana McCann of ROMA Design Group
James Moody of The Mohawk and the Austin Live Music Task Force
Shawn Shillington, the Urban Development Editor for Austinist.com
You’ll be good and educated to participate in future opportunities for public input that will come in August. The tour will end with appropriate libations at the Crown and Anchor.
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Cyclists are fighting an uphill battle
I’ve heard the reasons that Gov. Perry has given for his veto of the Safe Passing Bill. His decision wasn’t good enough for the cycling community, nor should it be. There have been a few who agree with Texas’ Top Aggie, and one one of those is Kenneth Bain. The name probably doesn’t ring a bell. But with a little digging (including some Freedom of Information requests) by Bicycle Sport Shop’s Leslie Luciano, his angle becomes a little more intriguing. His son, Kenneth Bain Jr., is out on bond after killing two cyclists with his car in Grand Prairie a year ago. The whole story can be found here.
It’s not surprising that he would take this stand considering his son’s situation. But I truly believe that anyone who takes the time to research cycling on the streets will come to the conclusion that those of us on two wheels need more protection. And I don’t just mean from the Safe Passing Bill. We need more bike lanes, more cycling awareness and more education. Look, the streets will never be totally safe for motorists, cyclists or pedestrians. But conditions should be improved for two-wheeled transportation because it’s only increasing in popularity.
I’ve heard the argument that roads were not built to handle bicycles and cars. Yeah, well we have the technology to modify. It’s really not hard to understand that things change, including modes of travel. Many cities at one point converted their streets for cable car use, and later restructured and widened lanes to accommodate more vehicular traffic. It’s time to take more aggressive action for our new travel needs.
I know the City of Austin is working to install more bike lanes, and every little bit helps. But we could have used the Safe Passing Bill to help create more awareness about cycling and safety. It’s a shame Perry didn’t see fit to be progressive in his approach to making the city a healthier, cleaner and safer place to live.
