Asheville bike friendliness (school, law, dangerous)

[peregrino78]

Hello future neighbors,

Pardon me if this has already been covered ad nauseum, but I am looking for some reliable information on the ability to get around safely in Asheville on a bicycle. I am moving from Portland, Oregon in a month or so. Portland has its cycling issues, but mostly it's a dream for a cyclist.

Does anyone have information on multi-use paths, bike boulevards, dedicated bike lanes, and attitude of people (most importantly). I hear the air quality is getting bad there, and I'd hate to have to drive a car everywhere.

Thanks in advance for your replies,

Tailwinds,

Joe

[roxors]

You see a lot of bikes here, but there are not a lot of bike lanes in the city. Many cyclists I've encountered here feel they do not have to obey the traffic laws and it can get a little dangerous at times. You do see a lot of cyclists on the Blue Ridge Parkway as it runs through town. I don't see a lot of bike commuters.

[cooperwx]

I am an Asheville bike commuter. Drivers attitudes are very good, with few exceptions. They seem to understand we're all trying to get where we're going. Two other factors that may play into bike tolerance are that there are many mountain bikers around here, and there is a general respect for the environment that makes many drivers respect why bike commuters are out there.

That said, there are VERY few facilities such as bike lanes or off-road paths. And while there are many recreational cyclists, there aren't many bike commuters out there. There is a huge plan to create a network for cyclists. LINK

If you have more specific questions, please feel free to PM me.

[Asheville Native]

There are far too many cyclists that are of the opinion they are the only vehicle on the road. Came up on one last week on Sand Hill Rd., up hill less than 5 MPH, middle of the lane on a 2 lane road with a stream of oncoming traffic. This was at 5:30 PM in rush hour traffic, and she just didn't give a damn that she had a 1/4 mile string of traffic behind her, doing less than 5 MPH also.

I simply laid on the horn until she got the hell out of the way, sorry but her behavior deserved nothing less, and if I come behind her again, being a major obstruction to the flow of traffic, I'll do it again.

The "Share the Road" signs, mean just that.

[cooperwx]

I'm sure laying on the horn helped. If she's like me, she was very conscious of the traffic behind her and was doing her best to climb the hill. With oncoming traffic, the road isn't wide enough for vehicles to pass her. There's no bike lane and not even a shoulder. And there's no viable alternate route.

I'm sorry you got stuck. Would you have been as frustrated had it been a farm vehicle, a tractor cutting the grass on the shoulder, or a school bus stopping at every driveway? I have seen bad cyclists on Asheville streets, about the same percentage as there are bad drivers.

To the OP, fortunately I have never had anyone distract me with a long horn blast while riding. Again, most drivers understand that commuters are just trying to get to the store, to work, etc. Native's response does point out the fact that there are few alternate routes to the main roads here, and those main roads are often narrow and hilly.

[Asheville Native]

Originally Posted by cooperwx

I'm sorry you got stuck. Would you have been as frustrated had it been a farm vehicle, a tractor cutting the grass on the shoulder, or a school bus stopping at every driveway? I have seen bad cyclists on Asheville streets, about the same percentage as there are bad drivers..

1. In the area this occurred isn't "farm country" and besides farm tractors can do 15 - 20 MPH, she was doing less than 5 MPH.
2. School buses are not stopping at every driveway in 5:30 rush hour traffic, they start their runs at 2:30.
3. The mowing tractor isn't on the road at 5:30, the guy that drives it might have been in the long line of traffic behind me.

And she was at least 3 - 4 feet from the white line on the right side of the pavement, she was either deliberately preventing people from passing, or her riding abilities are such that she has no business on a bike in traffic.

[peregrino78]

for completely missing my question. I know being held up like that must have been traumatic for you. My best wishes for your speedy recovery.

[Asheville Native]

Originally Posted by peregrino78

for completely missing my question. I know being held up like that must have been traumatic for you. My best wishes for your speedy recovery.

This woman either through complete oblivion of her surrounds, the impact of her actions, or very likely her overflowing arrogance that she was the only important person in a 1/4 mile line of traffic, got what she needed, a long blast from a loud truck horn.

Seen the "Share the Road" signs all around? That is a two way street, and this woman in her silly little shorts was not following the rule. If it had been an elderly person driving that slow in a car, law enforcement would have pulled them over for impeding traffic.

Yesterday I stopped at a redlight so close to the curb that a guy on a bike couldn't pass me on the right so he could run the light and I would again need to navigate around him. His response, he flipped me off.

I am perfectly willing to share the road with cyclists that follow the rules (that would be the traffic laws of NC), but they seem to be the minority of riders around here.

[peregrino78]

And don't respond to this post anymore. You obviously have some issues to work out as far as your feelings toward cyclists. Good luck.

[peregrino78]

Thanks, cooperwx for the info and the link. And I will try my best to be a good road-sharer, whether I am in a car or on my bike.