Thread started by vigilAnthony at 10.21.09 - 6:39 pm

I read this article last night at work in Bicycling Magazine and found it online today and thought it was worth sharing. It's kinda long but a good article nonetheless.

http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s-3-583-19643-1,00.html

Quick Summary:
"Do-it-yourself bike lanes are illegal, perhaps dangerous, potentially damaging to the cause of legitimate bike advocates everywhere—and really, really effective."

It tells about how small groups of cyclists have organized and painted their own bike lanes, particularly one made here in LA in July on Fletcher Drive where it crosses the 5. Apparently plans for a bike lane on this same bridge date back to 1984. Ironically, the city removed the DIY bike lane by painting over it with black paint, but both cyclists and motorist reportedly still acknowledged and treated it as a legitimate bike lane and both stayed on their sides of the line.

What amazed me the most was that the original plan for a bike lane on the Fletcher Drive bridge dates back 25 years ago and they have yet to put in a bike lane themselves. But it only took the city 100 hours before they noticed it and had it painted over.



...and if this is a repost, DEAL WITH IT

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not trying to be the repost police here but the author of the article posted back on the original thread about a month after the article came out. agreed, it was a nice read.



tfunk408
10.21.09 - 10:25 pm

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doh! you're right. I searched "bike lane" as two words this time and there it was. haha

so...when is this ride?



vigilAnthony
responding to a comment by tfunk408
10.21.09 - 10:51 pm

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a delete post option would sure be nice...



vigilAnthony
10.21.09 - 10:53 pm

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ACTUALLY THIS RIDE IDEA HAS BEEN DONE A COUPLE OF TIMES, THAT I KNOW OF ( WITH A CAN OF PAINT IN MY HANDS).

AT THE BREWERY AND THE RIVER BED PATH NEXT TO THE PASADENA FREEWAY, WHICH TURNED OUT TO ACTUALLY INFLUENCED IT BEING DONE CORRECTLY AND OFFICIALLY.



eddieboyinla
10.21.09 - 10:58 pm

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Even if it is a repost it is worthy of another read.



Foldie
10.22.09 - 9:19 am

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from the experience of the Reseda bike lane. I think the only real way to get my bike lanes is to preempt resurfacing projects at Neighborhood council meetings. Its tough to convince them to take up paint and repaint again. But if they need to put the paint down anyways cause they resurfaced.

But where do we find lists of street resurfaceings?



thegodofthor
10.22.09 - 9:53 am

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Here's a cool idea for DIY bike lanes: automated chalk dispensers for bikes !

Too bad it's just a design idea and not a product you can buy.



0gravity
10.22.09 - 10:08 am

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the problem seems to be that most lanes simply aren't wide enough to support a bike lane, and a can of paint can't widen the roads.



professor fate
10.22.09 - 10:15 am

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