Taking the Scenic Route

Along the Wingra Creek Bike Path

I'm of the mindset that the shortest bike route isn’t necessarily the best route. I often go out of my way to take bike paths or low-traffic roads, but until recently, I never applied this to my commute to work.  

 

  
The first half of my commute was comprised of Wingra Path, the Capital City Trail, and some calm residential streets. The second half was dominated by a two-mile section of West Broadway, a four-lane, 45 mph road through Monona. West Broadway does have a bike lane, or at least until it snows. Even with no snow, I rarely see another person on a bike, the lane is littered with debris, cars speed, and semis sweep past me.

Snow and ice in the West Broadway bike lane

I didn’t feel like I had any good options for avoiding West Broadway, because the alternate route added two miles each way, included residential roads not well maintained in the winter, not to mention Pflaum Road, which I couldn’t believe would be any better than West Broadway. Still, about a month ago, I took the alternate route.

First, the extra distance is SO worth the reduction in traffic stress! Second, I don’t mind biking on the snowy, quiet residential streets. Third, I was surprised to find that Pflaum is much better than West Broadway! There are two lanes of traffic instead of four and speeds are reduced in part by schools along the way.

A scenic and snowy route

I’m very happy with my new route and feel silly for waiting so long to try it out!

Berliners Bike

Dutch bikes and other types of practical bikes for transportation are the most common to be seen in Berlin. Several bike shops in Berlin specialize in Dutch bikes. However, this photo collection perhaps over-represents the Dutch bike contingent a bit, simply because they are more interesting to photograph. Although fewer in numbers, distance commuters dressed in bike-specific garb can also be spotted in Berlin, especially if you're out in the early morning hours. Like their American counterparts, these creatures wear bright colors, spandex, clipless shoes, and nearly always a helmet. Only a small minority of the rest of the cycling population wears a helmet.

We found that Berliners on bikes are much more likely to obey traffic laws than Madisonians, specifically in terms of stopping for traffic lights. While bicyclists may act more predictably, so do Berliner motorists, who seem to be on the lookout for bicyclists when stopped at an intersection and waiting to turn onto another street. A number of times I was pleasantly surprised to see a motorist about to cross the bike lane before making a right hand turn, but then come to a stop, look over his right hand shoulder, and wait for me or other bicyclists to pass before crossing the bike lane. - It’s a level of bike awareness among motorists we were unaccustomed to in Madison. Also, what’s strange to us is that there does not seem to be a look of annoyance or impatience on these drivers’ faces, even though they are often delayed by cyclists.

When overtaking other bicyclists, it is not common in Berlin to give a warning. It took a few times of being surprised by a biker passing within about a foot with no warning to be ready for this possibility. It is advised to ride on the right hand side of the bike path/lane in a straight line, as you see other Berliners doing.

While many aspects of Berlin bike culture seem to fit the German stereotype of orderly behavior, the amount of sidewalk riding then comes as a surprise. Although the sidewalk space is typically fairly wide, it did seem a bit chaotic for bicyclists to be weaving around pedestrians. Bicyclists will take the sidewalk if the adjacent street space is too busy or it is simply more convenient to ride on the sidewalk, such as to avoid a one-way street. Also, parents accompanying small children on bikes typically take the sidewalk over the street.

Berlin Bike Infrastructure

Bike infrastructure in Berlin has some different features to that of the US. First, cycle tracks (bike paths) separated from traffic and placed next to the sidewalk are a common feature. Yet, bikes are not always well separated from traffic. For instance, motor vehicles, the tram, and bikes share the same space in the Boxhagener Street (was part of my daily bike commute). In this environment, cars quickly accelerate to pass around bicyclists, which can be a bit intimidating.

There are bike turn lanes and turn-specific signals.

Although pavement paint is not used everywhere, the color red designates space for bicycles. 

Manhattan by Bike

My work producing The Ben Heck Show took me to New York City for the World Maker Faire. Before spending the weekend filming the show and seeing the latest and greatest in the maker movement, Ben and I had a day to explore the city.

After checking out a couple of citibikes, we headed out on a separated bike lane and got to experience the NYC bike infrastructure. The most notable thing about my experience was all the salmons, that is, the bikers and skateboarders going the wrong way on the bike lanes.

Madison's Bike Boulevards and You

When biking around Madison, you likely have noticed certain streets were upgraded for bicyclists with sharrows and signed as “bike boulevards,” such as on E. Mifflin St., Main St. and Kendall Ave. A bicycle boulevard is a street with low traffic speeds and low vehicular traffic volumes where the movement of bicycles is given priority. Bike boulevards work as a good alternative to bike lanes on quieter streets, which are typically too narrow for bike lanes.

Portland's Transformation

by Peter Herreid

Portland wasn’t born a bicycle-friendly city; it had to earn its platinum rating from the League of American Bicyclists. A variety of actions dating back to the 1970s laid the groundwork for advocates to transform Portland into a bicycle-friendly city in the 1990s and 2000s. In the 1970s, Portland chose to remove the Harbor Drive freeway along the west bank of the Willamette and create the much more inviting Waterfront Park. Portland also chose to redirect funds from the creation of a freeway that would have run through the southeast section of the city towards investment in light rail. An urban growth boundary was adopted in order to contain urban sprawl and focus growth inward onto Portland’s traditional street grid, leading to a more compact and bikeable urban area. 

St. Johns Bridge – Portland, How About A Warning?

by Peter Herreid

During our stay in Portland, one day we had biked a nice tour of the NE bike boulevards, or “neighborhood greenways” as they are referred to locally, and wanted to cross the Willamette River to get to Forest Park. The Portland Bureau of Transportation’s bike map, which had till then faithfully served us, showed St. Johns Bridge as having a “multi-use path closed to motor vehicles.” Fortunate for us we thought, because it was the only bridge up and down the river for miles, so off we went. 

Approaching the bridge, the sidewalk didn’t exactly look like a multi-use path, but the road looked too dangerous to bike, so we stuck to the sidewalk. Now, you should know that heights make me nervous. I wasn’t sitting upright on my rented Dutch bike anymore. I was tucked low, nearly into a road cyclist’s racing position. 

 

Before the first tower, I was walking it up the sidewalk. Although the railing was high enough above my waist that it would take a conscious decision to jump over, it was not reassuringly high above my waist. Looking down to my right, through the bars of the bridge railing I could see warehouses, docks, and boats on the Willamette, all toy-like in the distance, yet all too real. To my left I couldn’t see much, but could feel the swoosh of each passing truck and then the heavy mist of rain droplets and road wash left in its wake. I couldn’t tell if or how far the passenger side mirrors were hanging over the sidewalk, but imagined them as baseball bats swinging through the air, just feet from my head.  

Portland's Bicycle Boulevards, Where Bikes Take the Lane

By Peter Herreid

Portland’s local streets are a showcase of bicycle boulevards, streets “with low vehicle traffic volumes where the movement of bicycles is given priority” (Portland City Code). A bike boulevard is a shared street with no specific bike lanes or paths, yet is inviting to bicyclists because of a variety of design features:

·   Sharrows (shared lane markings) remind bicyclists and motorists that bicycle travel has priority, as well as invite bicyclists to ride down the middle of the lane and not hug a row of parked cars where they are at risk of being doored.  

·   Flipped stop signs give bike boulevards the right of way (meaning stop signs face cross streets).

·   Traffic diversions reduce vehicle volumes – a variety of means adapted to specific sites are used to block or divert vehicular traffic, yet the barriers let bikes through.

·    Traffic calming measures, including:

o   Speed bumps

o   Roundabouts 

o   Curb extensions or bulb outs

o   Tree plantings

·   Facilitation of crossing at busy intersections with curb extensions to narrow crossing distances and extended traffic medians to serve as refuge islands

·   Signs that identify a street as a bike boulevard

·   Wayfinding signs that list destinations in miles and minutes by bike

 

·   Plentiful bike parking, including on-street bike corrals

Portland has established a grid of bike boulevards overlaid on a traditional street grid with a total of 59 miles already built and 15 more miles in the works. From a planner’s perspective, an advantage of bike boulevards is that they do not require a radical renovation of existing streets. Not only are they cheaper than cycle tracks and off-street paths, but most bicyclists also prefer them to bike lanes on major roads. Bike boulevards can also retain much of their original car parking, which avoids a political obstacle to their implementation.  

 

Portland’s bike boulevards offer a tourist a chance to better get to know neighborhoods and view the well-landscaped lawns and gardens of Portland’s residential streets. They are also very popular with locals. According to Portland’s Bicycle Plan for 2030 (adopted in 2010):

Bicycle boulevards, in particular, have proven to attract high numbers of riders due to the level of comfort they provide, the mobility function they serve and their proximity to where people live and travel. Indeed, bicycle boulevards have become among the city’s most popular bikeways. 

The Portland Bureau of Transportation prefers the term “neighborhood greenways” for the city's bike boulevards, because Portland has been upgrading basic bike boulevards with stormwater treatment, tree plantings and greening of private residences, community programming, and artwork at intersections. Portland will also be lowering speed limits to 20 mph on neighborhood greenways. They have been described as “park-like,” because the benefits extend beyond better bicycle infrastructure to make streets more pleasant for jogging, walking, and socializing with neighbors.  

For more information on Portland’s bike boulevards, visit the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s Neighborhood Greenways webpage, watch this Street Films video, and check out this bicycle boulevard planning and design guidebook.