Is your city bicycle friendly?

[JR]

A lot of North American cities pay lip service, but in Sweden it's apparently the real deal.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1159654214642&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154&t=TS_Home

True, in Toronto we talk a lot about empowering two-wheelers, but it's little more than hot air. Anyone who actually rides the mean streets of this city knows that Toronto is about cars, not bicycles.

To the average Canadian driver, bikes are for kids, not a means of transportation. They are seen as either a dangerous obstacle or an inconvenience not to be taken seriously.

 

[SF_Express]

A lot of North American cities pay lip service, but in Sweden it's apparently the real deal.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1159654214642&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154&t=TS_Home

True, in Toronto we talk a lot about empowering two-wheelers, but it's little more than hot air. Anyone who actually rides the mean streets of this city knows that Toronto is about cars, not bicycles.

To the average Canadian driver, bikes are for kids, not a means of transportation. They are seen as either a dangerous obstacle or an inconvenience not to be taken seriously.

Our locality just made it a law that cars now have to give three feet of room when passing a cyclist.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

A lot of North American cities pay lip service, but in Sweden it's apparently the real deal.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1159654214642&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154&t=TS_Home

True, in Toronto we talk a lot about empowering two-wheelers, but it's little more than hot air. Anyone who actually rides the mean streets of this city knows that Toronto is about cars, not bicycles.

To the average Canadian driver, bikes are for kids, not a means of transportation. They are seen as either a dangerous obstacle or an inconvenience not to be taken seriously.

Our locality just made it a law that cars now have to give three feet of room when passing a cyclist.

See if you can get that passed in my locality. There are really chippy little bastards in cars in my corner of the world.

 

[Sxysprtswrtr]

Same here ... my little area of the world - you hardly ever see bicycles.

What I can't stand are those roads that include bicycle paths - what, 3 feet of space lined off from the rest of the road - and, yet, some bicyclists STILL use the sidewalk or are ballsy enough to use the road. Hence, a wasted 3 feet of space.

 

[Oz]

I think our town is OK. There are bike lines, but we don't have much in the way of trails. And there's not many places to go unless you go down a U.S. highway, which would never be my first choice with its heavy traffic.

 

[Dirk Legume]

A lot of North American cities pay lip service, but in Sweden it's apparently the real deal.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1159654214642&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154&t=TS_Home

True, in Toronto we talk a lot about empowering two-wheelers, but it's little more than hot air. Anyone who actually rides the mean streets of this city knows that Toronto is about cars, not bicycles.

To the average Canadian driver, bikes are for kids, not a means of transportation. They are seen as either a dangerous obstacle or an inconvenience not to be taken seriously.

Our locality just made it a law that cars now have to give three feet of room when passing a cyclist.

Not sayin' it's a bad idea. Just wondering how they handle enforcement.

 

[The Big Ragu]

Ain't all that bike friendly here. Nothing more fun than riding with clipless pedals and processing that second and a half when you know you are about to get hit by a cab and you can't get your feet free.

I was surprised that article talked about "the mean streets of Toronto." My memory of the Toronto trip was of pedestrians crossing streets on cue like herded goats.

 

[JR]

I was surprised that article talked about "the mean streets of Toronto." My memory of the Toronto trip was of pedestrians crossing streets on cue like herded goats.

I think your phrase was "herded sheep".

 

[JR]

One of the problems here in Toronto is that the bike lanes have explicit "No stopping/standing" signs for cars. Doesn't matter. Cars use them as parking spots all the time and the cops don't do anything to enforce it.

 

[MileHigh]

Very biker friendly here. Lots of lanes and tails -- on and off road.

 

[Idaho]

Getting better here. Many bike lanes into downtown, but the lanes disappear as you get into the sprawl in some areas. Several lanes along some of the more significant roads into downtown from the burbs, though.

We also have a 40-mile trail system along a small river that is about 80-percent paved from one end of the county to the other with parking lots and trailheads all over it. The thing is frequently loaded with families going for group bike rides. About 10 miles of it has an equestrian trail beside it, too. so that's pretty cool.

The canyons are the scary things. Narrow roads with no bike lanes. Yet, cyclists love to ride on them and act outraged when someone is hit by a car. We do have three or four canyons with no/limited car access, though, and you can do a 10-15 paved ride with only a few hikers and their dogs to worry about.

 

[Rambler]

Chicago has a lot of bike lanes. Unfortunately, cab drivers love to use them as an extra lane.