+100 on roundabouts. We have not nearly enough in the US, although they’re becoming more popular. A little troublesome for cyclists, though, because cars never stop. It’s a worst-case situation for bikes.
I live in Minneapolis, which is graced with 98 miles of bike lanes and 101 miles of off-street bikeways and trails. When industry turned from blue to more white collar last century, they tore out all of the old railway lines and converted it to paths. It’s the most incredible bicycling in the US, bar none. “Share the road” isn’t an issue, because you can get nearly anywhere in the greater metropolitan Twin Cities in dedicated bike paths, often without ever having to share a street with cars, except to cross.
I’m in a closed suburban neighborhood; within two miles are still farms and horses. Yet I can get on my bike, ride 5 blocks through the neighborhood (OK, with cars for that part), get on a Rail Line (they’re still mostly named after the rail lines they used to be), ride to a park, through it, onto another line, and all the way up into the nearest town 5 miles away to an organic grocery store. I have to cross 1 road on that entire line, and along a road-ajacent bike path for a half mile. And I could ride all the way across the Cities to a suburb on the far side - 47 miles - on dedicated bike paths. Some of those are bike lanes, but still; I’ve lived here for 7 years now, and it still blows my mind. The network is truly incredible, and something to be proud of. Most of the native cyclists, from the online bitching I read, have no clue how good they have it.
Many cyclists here - the spandex & clip-shoe types, still ride on the road with the cars, even when there’s a perfectly good, paved bike lane next to them; I chalk that up to basic Midwestern passive-aggressiveness, but I’ll grant that maybe there’s a good reason for it.
Anyway, that kind of strayed off the topic of round-abouts, but if you’re a cyclist, Minneapolis is one of the best cities in the world in which to live.
As long as they are done correctly. I’ve seen many new roundabouts that are two lanes wide and allow people in the middle lane to turn out of the roundabout. Only the outer lane should turn out, otherwise there’s essentially a stop sign because you never know what the other cars are going to do.
Roundabouts.
+100 on roundabouts. We have not nearly enough in the US, although they’re becoming more popular. A little troublesome for cyclists, though, because cars never stop. It’s a worst-case situation for bikes.
I live in Minneapolis, which is graced with 98 miles of bike lanes and 101 miles of off-street bikeways and trails. When industry turned from blue to more white collar last century, they tore out all of the old railway lines and converted it to paths. It’s the most incredible bicycling in the US, bar none. “Share the road” isn’t an issue, because you can get nearly anywhere in the greater metropolitan Twin Cities in dedicated bike paths, often without ever having to share a street with cars, except to cross.
I’m in a closed suburban neighborhood; within two miles are still farms and horses. Yet I can get on my bike, ride 5 blocks through the neighborhood (OK, with cars for that part), get on a Rail Line (they’re still mostly named after the rail lines they used to be), ride to a park, through it, onto another line, and all the way up into the nearest town 5 miles away to an organic grocery store. I have to cross 1 road on that entire line, and along a road-ajacent bike path for a half mile. And I could ride all the way across the Cities to a suburb on the far side - 47 miles - on dedicated bike paths. Some of those are bike lanes, but still; I’ve lived here for 7 years now, and it still blows my mind. The network is truly incredible, and something to be proud of. Most of the native cyclists, from the online bitching I read, have no clue how good they have it.
Many cyclists here - the spandex & clip-shoe types, still ride on the road with the cars, even when there’s a perfectly good, paved bike lane next to them; I chalk that up to basic Midwestern passive-aggressiveness, but I’ll grant that maybe there’s a good reason for it.
Anyway, that kind of strayed off the topic of round-abouts, but if you’re a cyclist, Minneapolis is one of the best cities in the world in which to live.
As long as they are done correctly. I’ve seen many new roundabouts that are two lanes wide and allow people in the middle lane to turn out of the roundabout. Only the outer lane should turn out, otherwise there’s essentially a stop sign because you never know what the other cars are going to do.
I would love, love love to see more roundabouts here, there’s a lot of inertia against them though.