More about bikes

From my inbox, here are some more ideas about how to make Johnson County (and other Iowa counties) better for bikers, and other things to consider:

Cedar Rapidians Joyce and John Anderson:

Called to tell me that while trails are all well and good, cities need to be clear about who is paying for them and who will maintain them. The Andersons said they’ve been told they’ll have to keep up the 10-foot wide multi-purpose path the city is paving in front of their house on  Edgewood Road SW, and that doesn’t seem fair to them.

Dan Berkowitz, co-vice president of Bicyclists of Iowa City:
“From my home in Mosquito Flats, the route is idyllic. Out my street, through the park, cross Park Rd. onto campus and take the bike path over the bridge by the music building onto campus. It’s nearly all flat ground until I start the hill up to Gilmore Hall. But I haven’t taken that route since early June. A grad student told me last week that I had the very best bike commuting route in Iowa City. I took that for granted sometimes, but my commuting experiences since the flood have made his point clear.

From our friends’ home on Glenwood, it was pretty nice around 7th, with wider streets and few cars. There were a few parts where use of the streets became competitive, mainly once Market Street became one way, though. It was gently downhill on the way in, with several commuting cyclists along the way. I missed my commute through City Park, but found it was okay.

From our temporary residence in University Heights, I find commuting to be a struggle in comparison. Along Highland Dr. is great, passing by the older cottage homes. And then I hit Melrose and the games begin! Even the entry from Koser onto Highland is a challenge because the road is so narrow there. It’s better once I get into Iowa City where there’s a bike lane, but that’s shared with buses. Zooming around the Law School, I need to stick on the sidewalk to get on the bridge crossing Burlington. Staying on the street is out of the question, because the far right lane is a turning only lane. I’ve done battle with cars to stay on Burlington – once – but swore it off after that. It’s even difficult to take the turn onto campus with all the cars. So instead I either ride or walk (depending on the number of people) around and around the spiral bridge onto the sidewalk on Burlington, dodging pedestrians and bikers coming right at me. On campus, I then either ride sidewalks and dodge more pedestrians or stay on the street and actually hold up bus traffic. The climb up to Gilmore Hall from the IMU isn’t bad  now that I’ve done it more, but getting across to Gilmore is a challenge as well.

Next challenge…getting home. From Gilmore Hall, I can either go down the sidewalk to the IMU or go up the hill in the street once I can find an opening. The latter route is hairy, though, because as soon as I get onto Clinton, I have to dodge buses again – they’re all trying to scoot over to the stops on the right. So…do I ride in the left lane with cars or pray that the bus drivers are patient and don’t squish me? Once down by the Main Library, it’s  a little better for awhile, but it’s the same challenge at the spiral bridge – do I walk or ride up? When do I get on the road? Or do I dodge pedestrians again. So far, those Share The Road signs don’t inspire any motorists I’ve met. Up Melrose, there’s a luxurious stretch of bike lane for about two blocks. But when the right turn lane comes up, I’m wedged between two lanes of traffic and the mirror on the bus is like, oh, a foot away from my head! Final challenge? Finding a way to make the left turn from Melrose to Koser again. Usually traffic is backed up there, so I have to stop and then dart across when there’s an opening. Sometimes, though, I can signal early enough, say my prayers, and move into the left turn lane. Phew! It’s a real relief to get on the gentle incline up Koser and on to my temporary home on Highland again.

My big wish? To get back into my house and have that great commute through City Park once again.”

 

Gazette reporter and biker Diane Heldt:

“I bike mostly in Linn County so I’m not sure what Johnson County has for bike amenities. But I know most bikers wish for:

Paved bike lanes along the shoulders of city streets and paved county roads that are popular with bikers. Keeping these bike lanes clear of debris and broken glass is key to getting bikers to use them.

Bike trails that are lengthy and GO SOMEWHERE. If a bike trail is only 10 miles long, and I have to drive my car to get to and from it because it doesn’t connect to anything, it doesn’t really help me much. Connecting the trails in Linn County, Johnson County and other nearby counties would be a good way to get long distance mileage in for bikers. Also, rec trails in town are often crowded with walkers, runners, people with little kids and pets, making them unsafe for bikers who really want to get in serious mileage training or move along at a good speed. So having longer trails that go beyond the city make bikers happy.

I like paved trails, but I know that’s more expensive than the crushed limestone type trails. But trails with big gravel chunks are tough on skinny bike tires.

Respect for the bike lifestyle/culture is one of the biggest complaints/fears/issues I hear bikers talk about. So many drivers just don’t care about bike rights. Yes, bikers need to obey the same traffic laws. But in many recent cases where a biker was hit by a car, the driver of the car never even gets charged because they “just didn’t see the biker so what can you do.” My biggest fear as a biker is getting hit by a negligent driver who just doesn’t see me and/or doesn’t care when they get too close in passing me, or they can’t wait the 10 seconds to go around while there is an oncoming car.”