Carbon Trace

Tom Vanderbilt (author of Traffic — required reading for all humans) took a quick look at bicycle infrastructure in his Slate column last week. His conclusion:

One sometimes hears, in critiques of bringing bicycling in a bigger way to American cities, something along the lines of “that might work in Europe, but it will never work here.” But the preponderance of cycling didn’t just happen in Amsterdam or anywhere else—it was the result of a politically nonexpedient, concerted effort. Now, that refrain has often shifted to something like, “Well, that might work in Portland, but it wouldn’t work in a city like (insert your city here).” Who knows where it won’t work next?

Question: What is bicycle infrastructure?

To the fan of old-school (i.e. grumpy) vehicular cycling, bicycle infrastructure is all around us — roads.

Many Europeans champion separate and superior (i.e. separate traffic control) systems of bicycle highways.

And most of us on this side of the pond are familiar with the lowly  bicycle lane — that painted stripe on the road that is supposed to keep us from being “run down.”

Vanderbilt’s column is a good general introduction to the issue if not the specifics. The problem is: Our ability to safely and efficiently travel by bicycle is in the specifics. It’s in what we actually build.

What encourages people to ride bicycles? Infrastructure? If so, what kind?

That last question is important because not all infrastructure is created equal. That simple, painted line along the gutter, or along parked cars, is far more dangerous than one might suppose. I was able to easily demonstrate to my wife on our ride to Commercial Streets last week the dramatic difference in the passing clearances drivers give bicyclists between riding in a commanding lane position versus riding in a bicycle lane (generalized: bicycle lane = close pass; commanding lane position in the road = safe pass) . And, as you can see above, getting doored in a bicycle lane is a very real possibility.

Separate highways? I have no problem with these. In Springfield, we call them Greenways. We have a few nice ones. More are coming plus The Link to create a coherent bicycle and pedestrian system. And the CIP renewal will be paying for improvements to the existing bicycle route system, including adding sharrows to the roads and a route-numbering system.

I think what we have planned will work here, i.e. create a safe and efficient system that will encourage more people to ride bicycles for transportation. These are improvements we can pay for. These are improvements that are politically acceptable. These are improvements that will enhance safety instead of create an illusion of safety.

UPDATE: Check out this animation about stress-free bicycling, i.e. why riding in a commanding lane position is safer and more efficient than hugging the gutter.

Technorati Tags: bicycle advocacy, bicycle culture, bicycle infrastructure, bicycle politics, bicycle safety, cycling, Transportation Planning, Urban Planning