The BipedFred Blog

No, I never get tired of bitching about the Timberline Bike Lanes.

This little vid is typical of what happens on Timberline between Prospect and Mulberry and just north of Mulberry.  Cars going around these long corners at 40-50mph use the bike lane like it’s just another part of the road.

The only thing different this time is I’m driving in my vehicle with my camera turned on instead of seeing this car bearing down on me in my bike’s rear-view mirror. Seriously, I’ve had it happen so often that I’ve stopped riding in the Timberline bike lanes between the Poudre Bridge and Prospect.  I ride on the sidewalk instead.

The City of Fort Collins needs to do something to keep cars from drifting into the bike lanes at 50 mph before someone kills a rider. That little white line just isn’t cutting it.

Cut rumble strips and mark the bike lanes better or upgrade the sidewalk and call it a bike path. Actually, there is too much wrong with Timberline’s design to ever make the bike lanes safe. Give up and make the sidewalk part of the Poudre Trail system and then it won’t matter how bad the drivers drift.

And before you even ask, “No, I don’t think another stupid Share the Road sign would help.”

Do something about this stretch of road. DO SOMETHING!!

Here’s another vid and another tirade err, post.

And here’s the standard disclaimer: This driver probably wouldn’t drift into the bike lane if a bike was using it.  Unless the driver was texting, or eating a burger, or tuning the radio, or messing with their Ipod, or simply not looking. But what are the odds of that ever happening?

The new section of the Mason Corridor bike path was getting some finishing touches this week.  Seeding, ground cover, and some new pole fences.  I’m not sure why it needs fences, I’d rather run off into the grass than smack into a fence, but maybe that’s just me.

There were a couple of construction guys working nearby, that’s their truck.

As I was walking back down the path, here comes a motorcycle.  I thought it was some kid messing around and I took his picture since the camera was still in my hand.

It was a Policeman who wanted to know if that was my truck.  It’s not like there haven’t been white construction pickup trucks parked all over this project for the last six months, but I guess I must look fishy, walking on the path and all.

And it’s not like this is a good story, but the weather is ugly and I didn’t have anything better to post.

Disclaimer:

I complain often and loudly about cars violating bike lanes and generally scaring the hell out me, but overall, Fort Collins is a great place to ride bikes because the overwhelming majority of the drivers are courteous and helpful.

 There are some roads, like Timberline, where drivers tend to wander into the bike lanes at high speeds, but that’s simply bad design.  It’s up to me to avoid such roads out of self-defense and campaign for alternatives or fixes.

But I never want to let my appreciation for the courtesy of Fort Collins drivers go unsaid while complaining about awfully designed roads.

More often:

Drivers wave me through 4-way stops even when it is clearly not my turn. 

Drivers move to the left when passing me even when I’m riding in a sufficiently wide bike lane.

And it’s not rare to see drivers approaching from the opposite direction move over towards their shoulder to give a car passing me more room!!

It’s pretty easy to take pictures of drivers screwing up, but not so easy to capture the daily acts of kindness extended to me. 

And most of my near misses were caused by drivers simply not seeing me.  But those were not due to a lack of driver’s concern so much as the facts of life; intersections are designed for cars, not bikes, and bikes are rare enough that drivers simply aren’t watching for us.

So for every driver who has threatened my life (never intentionally, I hope) there have been thousands who have gone a bit out of their way for my safety.

And for that, I’m very grateful and I just wanted to say thank you!

I went on a short ride after work that took me up Timberline between Vine and Mountain Vista Road.  There were huge chunks of mud; mud boulders in both the bike lanes and I was incensed. I started framing a good rant in my mind; “How long would would it take to get them cleaned up if they were in the vehicle lanes??”

So when I finished my ride,  I grabbed my camera and jumped in my vehicle (since it was getting late).  By the time I got back onto Timberline the mud boulders were gone, the shoulder had been scrapped!!   I saw an ag-tractor with a blade in the vicinity so I guess the corn company that runs the nearby silage pile cleaned up their own mess.

Pretty much ruined my rant!

Well, maybe not completely. A couple of miles further, on Turnberry approaching E. Douglas Road, is a warning sign in the bike lane:

Why is it OK to plop this thing in the bike lane? Why not just put it in the vehicle lane (ha ha!). Why is it OK to force people to ride this close to 45mph traffic?  Because it isn’t really a bike lane, it’s a road shoulder.

Construction signs in the bike lane is a pretty common site all over town.

And here is what the sign is warning us of:

This thing is in the ditch just sitting there doing nothing.  The warning sign is a bigger hazard than this. There’s also a warning sign on the other side of the road, so both bike lanes are blocked to warn us there’s a chunk of benign machinery off in the ditch.

And then further on up E. Douglas Road, some folks are getting a new driveway.  The concrete guys found a good place to store their rebar — in the little narrow bike lane.

This rant would have been so much better if I got a shot of the mud boulders before they scrapped them away!!  I could have used the title: “Just because you call it a bike lane doesn’t make it a bike lane”.

Oh well, maybe next time.

Later – Here’s some big chunks of stuff in the bike lane; big chunks of snow. 

But it simply doesn’t matter in this case.  Almost no one ever uses this bike land and the speed limit is only 25mph.  So it may be “chunks of stuff in the bike lane”, but it doesn’t warrant a complaint; I just wanted an excuse to use the picture.

I’ve voted Timberline Road as the place I’m most likely to be run over and killed.  I’m talking about the section north from Prospect accross Mulberry, up to Vine Drive.  Cars treat the “bike lane” as just another part of their space.

It’s not really a bike lane when there’s a car in it. This driver is completely ordinary.  The City of Fort Collins could easily cut some rumble strips, but they won’t.

Update 10-Mar-2010: A friend took umbrage because I was ragging on this guy/lady for driving in the bike lane.  “So what, there wasn’t a bike in the lane.”

So here’s my new standard disclaimer: This driver probably wouldn’t drift into the bike lane if a bike was using it.  Unless the driver was texting, or eating a burger, or tuning the radio, or messing with their Ipod, or simply not looking. But what are the odds of that ever happening?

So there.

I  have lousy timing!  About an hour after I wrote a blog post complaining about the lack of warning signs at the intersection of the Mason Corridor Bike Trail and the Spring Creek Trail, I go by on my way home and there are brand new stop signs in place!

I don’t know when they were installed but they are in place now.  Yes, cyclists will ignore them, but now they will have no one to blame but themselves when they collide.

So now I have to re-tweet and take back all my criticism and  I’d simply like to say; The City of Fort Collins did a good job! 

Never mind, problem solved, nothing to see here, move along!!

(Pictures of the new section of the Mason Corridor Bike Trail here)

Update 11-Feb-2010:  I got a closer look at the  intersection.

Riders on the Spring Creek Trail (SCT) approaching the underpass see a nice big warning sign.

Read more…

I took a walk on the new section of the Mason Corridor Bike Path that runs between the Spring Creek trail intersection and Prospect Road today.  It was cold, windy, and the ground was muddy, but the new section of bike path is a thing of beauty to me.

It is 20ft (6m) wide, smooth, not unduly curvy, the bridge over Spring Creek is substantial and best of all, no nearby roads.  This will be a nice place to ride once there’s grass and bushes instead of mud.

Read more…

I’m usually critical of the City of Fort Collins’ bike web site “Tips”, but their new offering “How to Avoid Common Crashes” is worth reading, especially if you are new to dealing with cars. It’s worth taking a look even if you are an experienced rider.

I had a couple of close calls with the “Right Cross” scenario last fall, including a collision.  I like what they say about the right cross, but I’d like to add my own tips: 

1. Be ready to stop, hands on brakes.

2. Be good at stopping, practice it. Your front brake is the one that counts. Use it always so it becomes second nature.

3. Move as far left as practical to improve your chance the driver will see you, but never, ever leave the bike lane.

4. When in doubt, stop. Never ever, never ride in front of a car unless you are 100% sure they see you. Never.

5. When the light is bad, or the traffic is heavy, or it’s raining, I slow down or even stop to let the car clear the intersection long before I get there.

6. When in doubt, stop (that one is worth repeating).