Bikegeddon in downtown San Diego (to rent, insurance, to buy)

[newgensandiego]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

Most of SD's traffic is commuter traffic into a few job centers.

I'm assuming by traffic you mean congestion (traffic can also be interpreted as flow/movement).

I don't know if this statement is true (using data). But I do know that San Diego is arguably the most decentralized city with regards to concentration of jobs. This is why we have the shortest commute times of any major metro. It is also why high frequency transit is less viable in SD compared to other cities- because SD doesn't have the critical mass of commuters going to the same place to justify high-capacity transit. It also doesn't help that the high-capacity routes like SD trolley don't serve the largest employment centers.

Employment is not only spread across the region, but it is also spread out within the specific layout of each individual job center. So a "few job centers" is not actually correct relative to other cities.

Solving the traffic problem would have to require telecommuting as a much more significant population of the workforce. Companies and colleges would have to open smaller satellite campuses near residential areas instead of main campuses in crowded job centers.

Yes, teleworking is beneficial. That should be extended to classes (online) rather than satellite campuses. There are a lot of logistical/financial costs if campuses are spread out. We just need to make our college campus areas more ped/bike and transit accessible. College students are far more likely to not own a car than working folks, if there are viable alternatives.

It's really not hard to do but it would require a change in the way people think about work and life. All the other alternatives like improved rail, TOD, cost billions.

TOD (transit-oriented development) is private investment. Even if it does cost "billions", so would endless sprawl. If done correctly, TOD reduces traffic and infrastructure costs. The perfect example is the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor in Arlington, VA. Prior to Metro the corridor had horrid traffic. Now its easier for all commuters, including SOVs (single-occupancy vehicles).

Improved rail, even fully subsidized, pails in comparison to the millions of miles of road lanes that need to be maintained across the county.

[RosieSD]

Well, believe it or not, I saw TWO of these bikes dropped along roads here in Jamul this weekend. They were both 20+ miles from downtown. We were trying to figure out if they've been on the road for a while and just got here or if someone picked them up from SD and drove them here in a car. Maybe the riders were just trying to get to the casino.

[Mike930]

For the first time I've seen people other than the homeless guys using these bikes.

What looked like two families, all on bikes, including about five children. One guy was riding a lime bike and the rest had their own bikes. Another time a couple riding with two small children. The adults were on the lime bikes.

[sdurbanite]

Originally Posted by Mike930

For the first time I've seen people other than the homeless guys using these bikes.

What looked like two families, all on bikes, including about five children. One guy was riding a lime bike and the rest had their own bikes. Another time a couple riding with two small children. The adults were on the lime bikes.

Visit downtown on the weekend and you'll lose count of people riding bikes and scooters in the streets. And no one is getting injured from having to walk 2 steps around the bicycle littered sidewalks. I can't remember if I counted 300 bikes per block or just 3? I'll have to go back and check.

[T. Damon]

Originally Posted by sdurbanite

Visit downtown on the weekend and you'll lose count of people riding bikes and scooters in the streets. And no one is getting injured from having to walk 2 steps around the bicycle littered sidewalks. I can't remember if I counted 300 bikes per block or just 3? I'll have to go back and check.

On the weekends we scour the apps and find one a block or so from the house and coast on down from the Mesa to dt - piled some library books in the basket I needed to return on the way to game or a weekend adventure at a gallery or restaurant and even ride those heavy suckers back up the hill to home. Or head up to North Park, U Heights or Hillcrest. Absolutely love the concept and am glad that the perpetual whiners will lose out on this one.

Only Homeless folks riding? Hardly, we are solidly upper middle class (and middle aged) professionals, just happen to take advantage of liking to get out there and get some exercise and fresh air while we explore and enjoy our fine city.

The outrage about the actual non-issue of colorful bikes maybe being visually jarring all over the corners and more bicyclists and scooter riders becoming more prominent in the slow urban transportation matrix that we all share but not actually causing any real issues of consequence is something they are just going to have to get used to, or forever rail about, because it’s not going away.

[sdurbanite]

Originally Posted by T. Damon

On the weekends we scour the apps and find one a block or so from the house and coast on down from the Mesa to dt - piled some library books in the basket I needed to return on the way to game or a weekend adventure at a gallery or restaurant and even ride those heavy suckers back up the hill to home. Or head up to North Park, U Heights or Hillcrest. Absolutely love the concept and am glad that the perpetual whiners will lose out on this one.

Only Homeless folks riding? Hardly, we are solidly upper middle class (and middle aged) professionals, just happen to take advantage of liking to get out there and get some exercise and fresh air while we explore and enjoy our fine city.

The outrage about the actual non-issue of colorful bikes maybe being visually jarring all over the corners and more bicyclists and scooter riders becoming more prominent in the slow urban transportation matrix that we all share but not actually causing any real issues of consequence is something they are just going to have to get used to, or forever rail about, because it’s not going away.

Here in Kensington, we use to have more bikes scattered around until the topic got heated on Nextdoor. All it took was for someone to post a pic of one dockless bike tipped over and all of a sudden it turned into a safety issue for everyone. Are people really that stupid? Just checked the app and I see a few scattered bikes around, but way more in Normal Heights. I just used one in North Park last night to go to a concert. (Anyone else see Haim at the Observatory? Amazing show)

Dockless bikes have definitely encouraged more people to ride in the street and share the road with cars. I don't think people realize that if you see a sharrow in the road, a bicyclist can use the full lane. If drivers don't like it, then use another street.


https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/defau...f/sharrows.pdf

[T. Damon]

Originally Posted by sdurbanite

Here in Kensington, we use to have more bikes scattered around until the topic got heated on Nextdoor. All it took was for someone to post a pic of one dockless bike tipped over and all of a sudden it turned into a safety issue for everyone. Are people really that stupid? Just checked the app and I see a few scattered bikes around, but way more in Normal Heights. I just used one in North Park last night to go to a concert. (Anyone else see Haim at the Observatory? Amazing show)

Dockless bikes have definitely encouraged more people to ride in the street and share the road with cars. I don't think people realize that if you see a sharrow in the road, a bicyclist can use the full lane. If drivers don't like it, then use another street.


https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/defau...f/sharrows.pdf

OMG the Nextdoor and bike share is a ridiculously contentious topic as there ever was one (for those shaking their fists at the world folks)! I ignore, but honestly I want to exclaim that if their life is really otherwise so orderly and antiseptic that they actually need to complain about a couple of red or green bikes on the corner than God bless them, I only wish my life was so sanguine.

[Mike930]

Originally Posted by sdurbanite

Here in Kensington, we use to have more bikes scattered around until the topic got heated on Nextdoor. All it took was for someone to post a pic of one dockless bike tipped over and all of a sudden it turned into a safety issue for everyone. Are people really that stupid? Just checked the app and I see a few scattered bikes around, but way more in Normal Heights. I just used one in North Park last night to go to a concert. (Anyone else see Haim at the Observatory? Amazing show)

Dockless bikes have definitely encouraged more people to ride in the street and share the road with cars. I don't think people realize that if you see a sharrow in the road, a bicyclist can use the full lane. If drivers don't like it, then use another street.


https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/defau...f/sharrows.pdf

Based on your attitude about using the full lane, I hope you’re not like many cyclists I see that think they’re exempt from the rules of the road.

I like to take walks and every time I come to a crosswalk I’m wary. In those places I have the right of way I still wait sometimes. I’m within my rights to just walk, but I’d rather wait and yield my right than exercise my right and get hit.

You’d be wise to exercise the same caution instead of having a chip on your shoulder. There’s no harm for you to ride on the side of the road and be safe rather than take up the whole lane because you can. Maybe try something crazy, like being considerate of others.

[TacoSoup]

Originally Posted by sdurbanite

Dockless bikes have definitely encouraged more people to ride in the street and share the road with cars. I don't think people realize that if you see a sharrow in the road, a bicyclist can use the full lane. If drivers don't like it, then use another street.


https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/defau...f/sharrows.pdf

As someone who rides his bike more than most I would never take the full lane, probably because I’m not a selfish p****, and I don’t want to anger someone in a two ton vehicle.

As I’ve crawled behind these people I always thought it should only be fair that they pay the same registration fees I do for my car if they want all the same rights, or more like it that the same rules don’t apply. You want to see a cyclist angry and hypocritical, bring this topic up.

[sfosyd]

Originally Posted by TacoSoup

As someone who rides his bike more than most I would never take the full lane, probably because I’m not a selfish p****, and I don’t want to anger someone in a two ton vehicle.

As I’ve crawled behind these people I always thought it should only be fair that they pay the same registration fees I do for my car if they want all the same rights, or more like it that the same rules don’t apply. You want to see a cyclist angry and hypocritical, bring this topic up.

You seem very angry. Yes, there are cyclists who behave badly. Taking the entire lane is an example of that.

However, motorists also behave badly as I’m sure you have seen.

As an avid cyclist, I’d be happy to be pay the same car registration fees as motorists, IF the tax revenue that we pay to support motorists is divided equally between public transit, bike friendly infrastructure and highways as well as fuel subsidies. If you want to see a motorist hypocritical and angry, bring this topic up.