Another Photo Essay!

http://www.resourceroom.net/pcc/countryfairpath/

It's a "compare and contrast" about a "bicycle path" (you'll understand why that's in quotes when you see the "FOOT TRAFFIC ONLY!" areas) vs. the road; some of my biking buddes prefer the path.

We had a meeting last night of the 'pedestrian & bicycle advisory commission." I realized that one of the other guys *wasn't* being unreasonable when he kept coming b ack to "okay, that's a nice path plan, but what is that going ot mean to people who want to use the streets?" because almost everybody there - despite being "the bicycle people" - *still* think of bicyclists and envision Mom with three kids on their training wheeled thingies tooling down a wide path... with of course *nobody* else on it to get in their way (or vice versa)... and you don't see the confusion 100 yards later when there's a driveway or a street... and...

The good news being that okay, awareness is that first step... except that they still think it's just a couple of odd folks who like to risk their lives (or maybe that we are complaining too much and everything's fine) - somehow all those bikes riding by just don't connect in their minds.

Geonz -

Thanks for another amazing photo review - a great reminder to always pay attention! Before I started riding I just assumed that nice, wide, open paved paths 10 feet off the road (the part you see when driving) were the norm, and never considered toddlers with training wheels on the same path as experienced riders. Well, now I know better.

Have any of these elected and appointed people taken an actual ride with you? :eek:

Nope, they don't ride, as far as I k now... it's good to hear from you to be reminded just how lovely the paths *look* when you're driving by - it helps when I'm trying to understand "why don't they get it ?@?@?" - and maybe the real pictures of the real problems will help them make sense of the statistics and standards we have that keep showing that vehicular cycling is best done on the roadways (not car-ways, roadways...)

Hey thanks for sharing. Your bike trails are worse than ours! and we complain!

:)

That "path" is scary! Geez Louise!