Why are bike lanes controversial?

I'm honestly befuddled, so if you've either been privy to the arguments against the lanes or are yourself against them, consider me all ears here:

The Madison Plan Commission Monday night approved the Northport-Warner Park-Sherman Neighborhood Plan but did not confront the most controversial piece of it.

Bicycle advocates have long envisioned turning four-lane Sherman Avenue into a two-lane road with dedicated bike lanes. One option discussed is a two-lane road with turn lanes, know in planning parlance as a "TWTL."

Several commission members proposed including that language in the plan to help slow traffic on the busy thoroughfare and make it safer for non-motorists.

But Northside Ald. Satya Rhodes-Conway urged the commission not to mention "TWTL" in the final document. She said it was the most divisive issue in the entire area and would jeopardize what otherwise was a good plan.

And apparently she was right. But I honestly don't understand why, of everything else that could possibly be contentious when discussing a major redevelopment plan for a neighborhood, bike lanes were what drew the most ire.

Sherman Avenue could certainly use some bike and pedestrian friendly revamping. As it stands, there isn't nearly as much bicycle infrastructure on the North side as their ought to be, and I know several residents who would benefit from a change to that fact. Heck, I travel to that part of town pretty frequently, and being able to ride safely would be a major boon.

My guess is this has to do with car commuters not wanting to share the roads at all with people on bikes. Which, if that is the case, is all kinds of ridiculous...but not surprising. In the move to make cities more alternative transportation friendly, the bikes vs. car battle rages on - with both sides harboring their fair share of irrational jerks. There is middle ground to be had here, though, if only both bikers and drivers were willing to make some concessions.

But then, backing down from an extreme position isn't something we Americans have proven to be very good at lately. It's long past time we learned how, though.

UPDATE: There's an interesting little discussion about this issue over at The Daily Page forums (minus the random outburst from the first commenter). Check it out.

(photo by BikePortland.org on Flickr)

Riding the normally car-clogged streets

On Sunday, Madison held its first ever "Ride the Drive" event. Co-sponsored by the city itself and Trek Bikes, a handful of downtown streets were shut down to all but bicycle, foot, and skater traffic for the duration of Sunday morning.

There were parades, food vendors, public art, live music, bike repairs and information all along the 6-mile route. And smiles, lots of smiles. I got out to enjoy the rare opportunity to bike freely down some major thoroughfares and saw lots of people out enjoying the heck out of the day (which, thankfully, turned out rather beautiful - especially compared to the week we'd been having).

I would have liked to seen more in the way of bike education - people talking about the various bike paths and routes we have in the city, urging people to be active in lobbying for better bike and pedestrian access, and more outreach to lower income areas about how to get a basic, cheap bike and get around that way. Overall, though, I thought it was a great first year and a remarkable event. It takes some time to get everything right, after all.

Of course, there were plenty of detractors: Mostly people who found their vehicle paths through the city blocked, as well as those who rely on the buses to get around. The latter I can forgive, but honestly, drivers, can't you handle one day without immediate access? There were other ways to get around the RtD traffic - maybe adding a few minutes to your commute, but that's small beans compared to what those who travel by foot or bike have to put up with on a daily basis. You'll pardon me if I have little sympathy.

Ultimately, though, the whole thing seemed to go over quite well, and I'm hopeful that Madison will make this sort of thing a tradition. I'm also hoping, and planning to work for, better non-vehicle access to all parts of the city in the future. We all need to work together--bikers, pedestrians, and drivers alike--to make this a more livable place for everyone.

Cyclist bashing on parade...again

And the ridiculous war between motorists and cyclists continues. Seriously folks, how do we keep missing the central point in all of this? Everybody has to obey the rules of the road, and nobody has any excuse to abuse, either vocally or physically, other road users. We all have the right to be there.

Some poor souls still can't seem to wrap their minds around the concept, though, and even get so twisted in their ignorance and anger that they resort to completely mind-boggling outbursts like the one aired on WJJO the other morning. I'll let the venerable Bike Snob of NYC take it from here, as he does a far better job of commenting on the incident than I could ever do:

Basically, some guy with a goofy Harry Shearer radio voice says he's sick of bicyclists, or "spandex cowboys." He then segues into some skit which is a parody of a hunting show, in which the host goes to the "Wisconsin Bicycle Trail of Death," where he kills bicycles instead of deer "because we feel they're flamers and they should be shot at!" He then launches into some weird homoerotic reverie in which he positions himself near someplace "gay and retarded" because that's where cyclists like to congregate. Once he spies some effeminate male cyclists, he then shoots them and excitedly declares that he "bagged me a nancy boy!" Then the host comes back and says that "if motorcyclists...if we did what bicyclists do we'd be in jail and our bikes impounded." Then they go to commercial.

You should read the rest of his response, because it's both spot-on and hilarious. You can listen to the actual radio broadcast over at madvelocity.com.

Clearly, we've all still got a long ways to go on this issue. Which is sad, considering we're talking about people's ability to be somewhat safe while traveling. This should all just be a given. But the same could be said of the homophobia so clearly on display in the radio spot, too.

Madison recently took a step in the right direction by passing a (long overdue, in my opinion) ordinance that "made it illegal for someone to open the door of a parked or standing vehicle into traffic without checking to make sure it’s safe." It also "makes it illegal for someone to leave a door open facing traffic for an unreasonable time."

Both requirements seem perfectly logical to me, but that didn't stop an absolute shit-storm of virulently anti-cyclist comments from cropping up in response to the article about the ordinance.

It's frustrating as all hell because the comments weren't really about the content of the article and ordinance itself, but rather people using it as an excuse to vent their spleens about the few cyclists they have (or maybe haven't) seen bending or breaking laws. But you know what? I see motorists doing the same crap all the time. Do I think it means they're all scum, not deserving of space on the roadways I share with them? Nope. It means I think those who break laws and put other people's safety in jeopardy, no matter their mode of transportation, should be held accountable. And I think the laws need to be better understood and enforced.

This kind of irrational hatred has no place in our society--not toward cyclists, not toward any group, period.

A car-less you

Gas prices got you down? Thinking about the negative impact on your environment and your health that so much driving might have? Just want to try something new? Then I recommend checking out the upcoming "Car-less U" event - a week of "fun, free eco-transportation events" put on by the Madison Environmental Group's EnAct program.

This is a good chance to get basic information about things like bike trails and routes, bike safety, how to navigate the sometimes wonky Madison Metro bus system, community car programs, and other tips and tricks for lessening your reliance on automobiles.

The full schedule of events is available here.

I love programs like this, because they help to make things like bike commuting and public transportation more approachable for everyone.

And I should mention that dane101 publishes a regular feature about biking called Bike-It-Yourself that offers some pretty good, down-to-earth advice on the subject, too.

Mode of transportation

I almost forgot a sight too good not to pass along from last Friday. I only wish I'd had a camera with me at the time.

Picture this: I'm driving down S. Bassett toward the lake. The cars in front of me are desperately trying to get around something in the road. When it's my turn to pull around it, I see what was causing the trouble. One young woman is riding her bicycle (no helmet, my inner curmudgeon notes) and she's got a long, loopy cable lock in one hand while trying to steer with the other. At the opposite end of said cable lock is another young woman, only she's riding on a longboard, her feet planted on the back half and a box of beer perched on the front half. She's being towed along the street, rather awkwardly, by the girl on the bike.

There were so many things wrong with that picture, I don't even know where to begin. I imagine it seemed like a good idea when they first conceived of it, but a whole crap load of alarm bells should have been going off in their heads the moment they got situated.

I don't wish death and/or dismemberment on anyone, really, but I can't think of a better example of Natural Selection in action in my recent memory.