How Atlanta is gradually becoming a bona fide bike-friendly city (costs, dangerous)

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by TripTychTwo

It does appear, in my opinion, that the Birds are the initial movement into the mainstream of really modifying our anti-bike/pro-car culture here in the core. They are everywhere you turn. Low barriers of entry and relatively cheap. After coming back from Midtown lunch on a bird, I parked it on my street in Morningside and within 30 minutes, it was gone. And when they become even more widespread, the push for separated lanes be even more prominent. No more whining about too hot, too hilly, sweaty, etc from the pro-car folks. I'm looking forward to the public conversation over the next few years about these new transportation/last mile connectivity solutions.

As a cyclists and urbanist, I welcome E-scooters with open arms. I can pedal faster than their top speed, I have a helmet, and they are small so they don't impede my travel.
IMO they are replacing short ride hailing trips, for those who would otherwise not walk/bike 1-3 miles.

[TripTychTwo]

I rode around Midtown a few weeks ago when they first appeared, but yesterday was my first journey outside of the core back to my neighborhood. Probably around 2PM, the hottest part of the day, on a really hot day. No sweat, no problems, probably could have been in a full suite and not had any issue.

It could really replace my standard fixed-gear bicycle commute if I wanted to give up the exercise portion. Obviously not as fast, but the Cumberland Rd hill gets really annoying towards the top on the fixie late afternoon in the summer.

[arjay57]

I wonder if something like this makes sense for the ATL?

We certainly have plenty of quiet, leafy streets.

It may sound like a cop-out, but there’s some intelligent thinking to the scheme that makes it more than a ruse to tidy cyclists away under the carpet. For a start, London’s unique street design suits the idea brilliantly, which is why many London cyclists have used their own, unofficial versions of the networks for years. In the city’s core, streets are often too narrow to allow smooth flowing car traffic anyway, while London’s early love affair with streetcar suburbia means that it has nearly endless leafy streets for cyclists to weave through. The purpose of the routes is not to give users a tour of English domestic architecture, of course, but traveling these roads can be a revelation, opening up a handsome, less familiar London full of peace and elegant moderation.

The idea behind making these streets more cycling-friendly is simple, but impressive. As this excellent Cyclists in the City piece from last year details, London cyclists often get snarled up in traffic control systems designed to prevent cars from turning side streets into rat runs. The new Quietways are designed to help bikes avoid these issues by turning one-way streets for cars into two-way streets for bikes, beckoning cyclists along lanes blocked to cars with bollards. Old barriers that sometimes force riders to dismount will be smoothed away, while road markings will be made clearer.

More...London's Plan to Move Cyclists to Side Streets

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I wonder if something like this makes sense for the ATL?

We certainly have plenty of quiet, leafy streets.

Waze will just route car commuter to those same side streets during peak congestion. Better to transform all surface streets to Complete Streets.

[cqholt]

It's time to rethink bike lanes as “light individual transport lane” where e-scooters, skateboard, powered wheelchairs, etc. are welcome.

With scooters collapsing the distinctions that divide drivers, bikers, and pedestrians, she sees an opportunity to “ride that wave into government,” she says. “People love these things, so let’s make space from them.”

https://www.citylab.com/transportati...ane-is/568483/

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Waze will just route car commuter to those same side streets during peak congestion. Better to transform all surface streets to Complete Streets.

All surface streets. Is that even remotely practical, or even possible?

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Waze will just route car commuter to those same side streets during peak congestion. Better to transform all surface streets to Complete Streets.

Seems like it would be worth a shot. It's orders of magnitude less expensive than converting everything to Complete Streets. You could also get a program like this underway in short order, rather than messing around for decades.

[john-staten island]

No doubt the Birds are useful and popular. My only issue is that as a walker they come pretty close to pedestrians. They are silent so from behind they really surprise you. I see them on sidewalks, & streets. Today on 5th and Peachtree around 3 pm they seemed to be everywhere. Are there any rules ? Seems pretty much anything goes ....

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by john-staten island

No doubt the Birds are useful and popular. My only issue is that as a walker they come pretty close to pedestrians. They are silent so from behind they really surprise you. I see them on sidewalks, & streets. Today on 5th and Peachtree around 3 pm they seemed to be everywhere. Are there any rules ? Seems pretty much anything goes ....

They're not supposed to be on sidewalks.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Gulch

They're not supposed to be on sidewalks.

I wonder if bird riders know that? Most of the ones I've seen are zooming down the sidewalk.