Category Archives: Editorial

by Christopher | March 4, 2011 · 1:00 pm

Bicyclist May Not Use Full Lane

I wish I had better news. On this blog we bring you bicycle related news about events that happen around Albany. There is not a whole lot of it so we try to supplement those days with fun facts or interesting stories. Now I finally get something to share and it’s bad news. Charles F. Kettering once said, “Problems are the price of progress. Don’t bring me anything but trouble. Good news weakens me.” So in the name of “progress” here it is:

“Section 9B.06 Bicycles May Use Full Lane Sign (R4-11)

DELETE entire section; the R4-11 sign shall not be used in New York, as its message is not an accurate reflection of Section 1234 of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law, and could mislead inexperienced bicyclists into occupying inappropriate, and unsafe, positions within a roadway. On roadways where space is limited and interactions between motorists and bicyclists have proven problematic, it is preferable to either provide positive guidance to bicyclists in the form of Shared Lane Markings (see Section 9C.07) and/or warning to motorists in the form of the SHARE THE ROAD (W16-1P) plaque (see Section 2B.19).”

Basically they are taking down the “Bicyclists may use full lane” signs because “interactions between motorists and bicyclists have proven problematic.” Okay fine, take the signs down, but what are you going to replace them with? What is the better solution? Oh wait, you don’t have one? WELL THEN LEAVE THE SIGNS UP! You don’t change something unless you have an alternative ready to go! What, you think the “share the road” signs are helpful? Tell me, what part of the road are we supposed to be sharing, and how much space does each vehicle get? Can cars pass me at 1 foot or 3 feet? Can I take the entire lane if I need too? Do I have to pull over for cars if they want to pass me?

You can see where “share the road” is a lot more confusing then “bicyclist may use full lane.” At least the latter gives you a definite amount of space you may occupy and tells drivers to take a chill pill because we belong here too. It leaves no room for debate on how much you should share. Full lane can only mean full lane. Shared lane is ambiguous and dangerous if a novice cyclist and driver are sharing the same lane.

I hear all the time that “bicycling is so dangerous” and “I don’t ride because I don’t want to get hit by cars.” You know why public opinion is so anti-bike? It is because of things like this. Share the road. You might as well be saying, “Cars, the road is yours to share so give a little of it to the lowly cyclists.”

Angrily Written by Chris Belsole

5 Comments

Filed under Activism, Article, City Review, Editorial

by Christopher | October 30, 2010 · 1:00 pm

Has city riding come to this?

There is a reason people refer to cities as concrete jungles. They are crazy, hectic, and people are animals especially on the road. What is the answer? Are we supposed to join in the insanity and act like we are taking our lives in our own hands and do whatever it takes to come out ahead?

Sorry for all the dramatics, but I just got through reading the article 10 Rules For Urban Commuting by Josh King over at Commute By Bike, and I can not as a responsible cyclist, although don’t ask me how my bike is doing right now, agree with a lot of these rules that he is putting forward. City riding has always been a little troublesome and, dare I say it, dangerous, but the answer to this cannot be to not signal and not obey traffic rules. Granted he has a few rules in there that are good like wear a helmet and don’t be to close behind other bikes, but we can’t be advocating breaking the law. Running red lights and rolling through stop signs is fine in certain circumstances, I would never claim to be the perfect cyclist, but I would never tell someone to do this. Nor would I try to do this on an official ABC ride where we are trying to set the example for cyclists in Albany.

Heated, yes I am. We can not write things like this as a guide for people to follow because people will, and when they get hit by a car because they were being aggressive who going to get hurt, the writer or the cyclist? I understand that Albany and cities like New York and Seattle are different. In my opinion a rider needs to judge his or her own comfort level on the road. Are you okay with blowing through a red light? Fine. This should not be the standard though.

As always read the comments after the article. They make some good points.

Written by Chris Belsole

What to do with streets?

I read an intresting article called The Great Debate: Vehicular vs. Segregated Cycling by Stacey Moses which introduces the debate over what to do with streets. Is it better to integrate bicycles by treating them the same as cars for the purposes of position in the street, or would it be better for the bicycles to separate them with special lanes or a physical separation like concrete? I wonder.

The official stance of ABC, I believe, is to follow what was laid out in the Albany Bicycle Master Plan which advocates for bike lanes from the physically separated to the integrated.

Most bikers will tell you, especially the ones that are just starting to ride in traffic, that they prefer bike lanes to riding in the same lanes as cars. For most cases I would say, at least for me, that this is true. When I am riding down Central Ave. I say a prayer the entire way that some car does not side swipe me onto the sidewalk, and believe me this almost happened a few times. Although there have been time where I have found it easier to ride in front of cars on a four lane road then take to the sidewalk.

I have talked to many people about this, drivers and cyclists alike, and from a driver’s prospective the most prevalent and pervasive comment is that, “Bicycles should not be in the road anyway” to which spawn a twenty minuet “your wrong” fest in which no side really makes any headway.

So are bike lanes the answer, or is that admitting to the drivers out they that, “Yeah we don’t belong on the road. So we have to change the road to accommodate ourselves?” Maybe riding with traffic is the way to go to say to motorists that we do belong in the road and we are here weather you like it or not, something the Critical Mass event seems to be trying to do.

Who knows? If we had the answer it would not be a debate. All we can do is look at what other people have done and try to emulate what works. I encourage you to read the article and decide for yourself. Also, check out the comments at the bottom. Some of the people make good points.

If you have something to say pleas feel free to leave a comment.

Written by Chris Belsole

5 Comments

Filed under Article, Editorial, Popular

by Toni | October 21, 2010 · 1:00 pm

Critical Mass – Extended Version – Better Late Than Never Edition

Critical Mass last week was just the beginning of a much longer ride. We started at the monument and rode around Washington park with a four-year-old in lead. His dad was riding a big bike that kept getting glances and cheers from kids all over the park. Once, we exited the park we headed up some side streets towards UAlbany. We ended up turning down Ontario, then back on to Western heading down to Lark. All along the way we drew looks and cheers from pedestrians, it was great. On Lark we lost a few riders, but it a group of seven continued on. From Lark we went on a sharrow tour, down Delaware up New Scotland, before heading back towards Western, before ending Critical Mass at Dunkin Donuts on Madison.

That was just the ten miler beginning.

We relaxed and chatted at Dunkin Donuts for a few, while waiting for another rider to join us on, a Full Moon Ride. Once, the five of us were ready off we went down to the bike trail, heading towards Troy. Downtown near the river was busy as heck as live music and fireworks went off. Once, we left the crowds behind the moon was the main event. The harvest moon lit up the sky, and it was an awesome site. The weather was perfect as we rode to Troy.

Once in Troy, we headed to Brown’s for some dinner and relaxation. Little did we know that this was just phase two of the ride.

We hung out at Brown’s for awhile, eating good food, when the conversation came up, “Do we want to just go back the way we came or take the scenic route?” Everyone agreed to take the scenic route up the rail trail. The rail trail was very cool and we got to go through 3 tunnels which were slightly creepy. This part of the ride was interrupted by a flat tire. Once, the tube was changed out off we went. We took the rail trail to Latham, where we left it before it hit GE. We hopped onto another bike trail near British American Blvd to Sand Creek, then down a side rode to cross over Central. From there we headed towards the dump and hopped on another bike trail that let us out onto Fuller road near the Pine Bush. We took Fuller to Western Ave, which was where the ride finally broke up, the four night riders going our separate ways.

Overall, it was a great ride, and I had no idea half the bike paths we went on. One, I speak to the ride leader, I will update with the names since it was late and I can’t remember. It was my longest ride at 42.3 miles and it was awesome.

Written by Toni Cameron

1 Comment

Filed under Article, Critical Mass, Editorial, Rides

by Christopher | October 20, 2010 · 1:00 pm

Fuller Road/Washington Avenue Intersection Reconstruction Project

The Fuller Road/Washington Avenue Intersection Reconstruction Project is, officially, an undertaking to improve pedestrian and bicycle accommodations, reconstruct the existing asphalt and concrete pavement, improve safety for all modes of travel, and to minimize the construction impact on the traveling public. What the intersection is now is a giant crossroads where, if you are a pedestrian or a cyclist, it can be a little daunting to traverse. There are three main options that the project committee has laid out for what to do with the intersection. Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under Article, Editorial, Fuller Rd., Popular

Tagged as construction, Fuller Rd.