Bike Riding (ride)

[Norm Barnes]

Well I borrowed a friends bike over the weekend with the possibility of buying it. For months I averaged walking more than 15 miles a week but I wanted to try the bike angle. What an experience! I live in southeastern PA and near Chadds Ford on a stretch of route 1. If you were driving on Saturday I apologize if I got in your way. I don't know -- would it be asking too much for the road engineers to donate about four feet on each side of the road for bike traffic? Probably! Anyway it started it at Wawa above Valley Brook Rd North on Rt 1. I rode down the highway within an 8 inch path and was constantly concerned of the traffic coming from my rear. When I passed one guy at the light at Valleybrook he just shook his head. I assure you I was operating in a safe manner --- then! I pushed it and decided to go east on Valleybrook -- Its okay because a church, funeral parlor, and cemetery are all nearby. Trust me I was no happier than the motorists -- finally I turned off the main road and drove some of the back streets without mishap. One Problem though I got lost. Well anyway all this is just to make a special request to road engineers everywhere -- make space on the highway for bike traffic. Who knows we may become more Asian or european.

[knurly]

I dare ride my bike only before 7:30 am. After that this small town becomes a hellish nightmare of traffic with no back streets to avoid the main drag. It is only my cursed luck, you know. Some places are very bike friendly however since I like tiny towns and this one pinches into a valley, I'm stuck with a virtual parking lot of bumper to bumper F250 locomotive diesel pickup trucks.

[tvdxer]

Originally Posted by Norm Barnes

Well I borrowed a friends bike over the weekend with the possibility of buying it. For months I averaged walking more than 15 miles a week but I wanted to try the bike angle. What an experience! I live in southeastern PA and near Chadds Ford on a stretch of route 1. If you were driving on Saturday I apologize if I got in your way. I don't know -- would it be asking too much for the road engineers to donate about four feet on each side of the road for bike traffic? Probably! Anyway it started it at Wawa above Valley Brook Rd North on Rt 1. I rode down the highway within an 8 inch path and was constantly concerned of the traffic coming from my rear. When I passed one guy at the light at Valleybrook he just shook his head. I assure you I was operating in a safe manner --- then! I pushed it and decided to go east on Valleybrook -- Its okay because a church, funeral parlor, and cemetery are all nearby. Trust me I was no happier than the motorists -- finally I turned off the main road and drove some of the back streets without mishap. One Problem though I got lost. Well anyway all this is just to make a special request to road engineers everywhere -- make space on the highway for bike traffic. Who knows we may become more Asian or european.

They have taken this approach in St. Louis County (Minnesota) and Duluth, at least the parts that I frequent. Almost all heavily-trafficked rural roads feature 8' wide shoulders on each side, and because almost all people have a driveway or garage or parking lot to park in, are virtually unused except for bicyclists, pedestrians, and those pulling off into a drive (and the very occasional motorist who has broken down). Those that don't are generally either unpaved or have low traffic. In the city, engineers are re-designing streets to be more bike-friendly. For example, Grand Ave. was converted from a four-lane road into a two-lane, with turn lanes where necessary and shoulders of similar width on both sides. Some highways with shoulders have rumble strips, which contrary to being a nuisance for bicyclists are actually a great reassurance, as they are located near the white lines separating the lane from the shoulder and do not interfere with bicycling.