New Bill to Require Drivers to Yield 4-Foot Safety Buffer to Cyclists (Pittsburgh: gated, taxes)

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Hopes

I still don't like that it's basically giving bikes the right of way.

I wouldn't say that--it is more treating them like they have a right to a narrow lane in the same sense that cars currently have a right to a full lane. I might note the bill also imposes a new duty on slow-moving bicycles to keep right, subject to some exceptions (e.g., when turning left), and a general duty to "use reasonable efforts so as not to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic."

If there's oncoming traffic, the cars will have to stay behind a bike even if it's possible to pass with less than 4 feet. Talk about congestion.

I'll bet you dollars to donuts that you'll get more congestion benefits from encouraging more bike use then you will lose to people having to wait to pass bikes.

[MeinGlanzendMotorrad]

I'll bet you that encouraging more bike use won't do squat to get more people riding bikes.

[Caladium]

Do people cycle to work during the winter months there? Or is that mostly just a summertime thing?

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by MeinGlanzendMotorrad

Where's MY protection as a motorist if I'm doing my best to avoid them?

If you are passing lawfully and they swerve into you, they may have violated one of the new provisions I just noted (keeping right and not impeding normal and reasonable movement of traffic).

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by MeinGlanzendMotorrad

I'll bet you that encouraging more bike use won't do squat to get more people riding bikes.

There is decent evidence that perceived risk of bike riding is an important factor in bike usage rates.

There is also decent evidence of feedback loops--more bike users can mean better-behaved drivers which can lead to lower perceived risks of bike riding and therefore more bike users.

[MeinGlanzendMotorrad]

And once they flatten the hills and get rid of our winters I'm sure bike riding rates will skyrocket!

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by MeinGlanzendMotorrad

And once they flatten the hills and get rid of our winters I'm sure bike riding rates will skyrocket!

And eliminate humid summers, stop the constant rain, and require all employers to provide showering facilities to employees.

[MeinGlanzendMotorrad]

Originally Posted by Hopes

And eliminate humid summers, stop the constant rain, and require all employers to provide showering facilities to employees.

What, my prediction wasn't improbable enough?

[stburr91]

Originally Posted by MeinGlanzendMotorrad

And once they flatten the hills and get rid of our winters I'm sure bike riding rates will skyrocket!

Originally Posted by Hopes

And eliminate humid summers, stop the constant rain, and require all employers to provide showering facilities to employees.

Well, Minneapolis and Boulder are considered some of the most bike friendly cities in the US, so clearly a cold climate isn't a deterrent. Seattle is ranked #4, so rain isn't a problem, and San Francisco is ranked #6, so hills aren't a problem either.

As Brian mentioned, it's all a matter of feeling safe, once people do, the number of riders grows considerably.

Here's a video Streetfilms did about biking and walking in Pittsburgh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VKW-e3meL8

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by MeinGlanzendMotorrad

And once they flatten the hills and get rid of our winters I'm sure bike riding rates will skyrocket!

Sure, increased bike usage would be totally unprecedented here . . .

The Bike Pittsburgh Blog Archives » Bike Commuting Rates in Pittsburgh Still on the Rise, Up 269% Percent Since 2000 Census