Dr. Roger Ray writes this morning in the Springfield News-Leader about the Ozark Greenways trails and his opinion that they are unsuitable for “commuting.” His assessment: “While these Greenways have been created with the very best of intentions, their execution and maintenance renders them virtually useless to bike commuters.”
He bases this assessment on having taken rides on two trails recently for the purpose of checking their suitability. He reports that following about 10,000 miles of bicycling without an accident, he had accidents riding his road bike on both trails.
See if you can guess what the problem is here:
There are several places on the Ward Branch trail which have water over the pavement. Near the west end of this path there is a spot where several inches of water cover an invisible grate which is so covered in slime that a road bike has little chance of staying perpendicular to the ground. I lost some skin and my sunglasses, tire pump and water bottle floated away while I was face down in the creek…. Which smells rather like the creek of proverbial fame.
This may indeed indicate a maintenance problem. But it may also indicate another problem. It’s the same problem that may be involved here:
With a newly bandaged knee, I headed out on the Galloway Creek trail the next day and was taken down by a lady who was walking a small dog on a very long leash which she allowed to stretch across the trail. I came around the curve and caught the leash in my gears and was brought to a sudden and injudicious stop. If you have ever wondered what, in fact, it takes to “make a preacher cuss,” well, consider this to be your answer.
Let me gently suggest that Dr. Ray hasn’t learned very much in those 10,000 miles.
Granted, the greenways are parks set up for multiple users. And they are often crowded. And, like any city street, Mother Nature and other factors may conspire to create an obstacle. But Dr. Ray’s troubles seem to me to be caused more by bicyclist error than any inherent problem with the trails.
Try this: Slow down.
Yes, I’m assuming. But I’ll bet it’s a damned good assumption. Road bicycles are like sports cars; they encourage speed. They are built for speed and put the body into a position to generate the kind of power necessary to achieve and maintain speed. In my opinion, the average road bike is unsuitable for short-distance commuting (under 8 miles) or utility cycling. Or trail riding for that matter.
One other thing: Don’t ride across standing water on a trail or on a street. That’s just basic common sense.
As proof that one can ride on these trails without incident, take another look at these two videos. Remember: While making these I am riding with one hand while holding a camera.
Galloway Creek Greenway from acline on Vimeo.
South Creek Greenway from acline on Vimeo.
Speed. The whole commercial culture of American bicycling is set up to encourage speed. This means the whole commercial culture of American bicycling is set up to fail by ensuring that bicycling remains a “sport” practiced by an affluent few. This whole system, and the mentality it fosters, leads directly to the kinds of bicycle “accidents” described above.
Who’s to blame? The trail? While we can point to examples of dangerous infrastructure in Springfield (e.g. the bicycle lanes on Boonville), crashes such as the ones Dr. Ray describes seem to me to be caused largely by bicyclist error. True or not, I ride with that assertion as a guiding principle. If I make a bone-headed error, the crash (not an accident) is my fault.
A greenway may or may not be good for utility cycling depending upon a number of things. Primary among them: Does it go where you want it to go? If it does, then one may certainly negotiate it without incident if one is willing to take personal responsibility as user of the trail. That means knowing the trail’s “personality” and how/when it is used by others. It means adjusting how you ride to the conditions presented at any given moment. These are things we must take into account no matter where we are riding — from a busy city street to the best Dutch bicycle highway.
When in doubt: Slow down.
Comments 5
I thought of you while reading his article today. I laughed, wondering what you would say about it all. I questioned the fact that he has ridden 10,000 miles sans accident but somehow has two accidents together.
I think your argument is probably correct. He also comes from a purely bicycle-only perspective. You, however, are more inclusive about the Greenways. It is everyone’s trail, not just bicyclers. Dog owners and walkers could and should be more considerate.
Posted 03 Jun 2009 at 8:45 am ¶I almost laughed out loud when I read his article this morning. In the first place, I’ve never been particularly impressed with the guy, but that may just be my bias. Secondly, even though I usually avoid the Greenway trails because they are MULTI-USE TRAILS, they are a great resource that shouldn’t be overlooked. I’ve ridden hundreds of miles on them and the only mishap I’ve had was one of my own inexperience at the time.
It should go beyond saying that they are not appropriate for speed. They contain pedestrians and families and should be ridden appropriately and with consideration for the other users who will be there.
Posted 03 Jun 2009 at 9:29 am ¶Yep. My hubby and I ride the Galloway and South Creek Greenways often. Both are quite close to our house. Being fairly new to town, I’m not familiar with the Ward Branch Trail.
Like the reverend, I’ve had a couple of wrecks on the Greenways. One in particular was due to my going too fast and failing to spot a mud slick. My response was not to blame the maintenance or other users of the trail, it was to slow down.
I have a friend who’s a road biker, who was unimpressed by my average speed of 10 mph on the trails. I could go faster, but after the crashes, I insist on slowing down to round curves, go under blind bridges and when dogs, small children, or others likely to behave erratically are spotted. My speed just doesn’t matter as much as my (and their) safety. I also use my bike bell a lot.
Posted 03 Jun 2009 at 11:56 am ¶While his speed might have been the cause of the accidents, that doesn’t negate the fact that the Greenway trails are insufficient for, “Walk, Bike, Run to Work.” They’re fine for a leisurely ride somewhere, but they’re not good for commuting IMO, and they’re certainly not good enough for exercise on a bicycle (it’s impossible for me to maintain the speed/heart rate needed for a good workout on most of the trails).
Posted 04 Jun 2009 at 5:56 am ¶Thanks for this. Here in Wichita, what the city calls bike paths are really multi-use paths; their primary function is not for commuting but for recreation (though I use parts of three of ours for commuting to work). Thus the arbitrary serpentine quality of many of them; in places, in fact, one of those paths is deliberately built to pass over berms to give the recreational cyclist a little thrill. Moreover, the path that runs along the Arkansas River is set so close to the water in places that when the river rises more than a foot (something that happens a few times every year), the path is completely impassable: again, a “water feature” that is not conducive to daily commuting. In the face of a near-absence of bike lanes or otherwise bike-friendly streets along my route to work, though, using the bike paths is a necessary evil.
So, yes: I’d just echo your advice to slow down on these paths. They’re deliberately not built for speed.
Posted 04 Jun 2009 at 7:05 am ¶