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Started 1 year ago by deraj1013
Latest reply from Mercurius

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deraj1013
Merion Village
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Both from the Columbus Dispatch...

Recession put brakes on miles of new bike trails

By Bill Bush

After a ceremonious kickoff almost two years ago, the city of Columbus has made little progress on its plan to add 50 miles of bicycle projects, including new trails.

Read more

and...

Do you have mettle to pedal via map routes?

by Joe Blundo

Google last week released a new feature: bicycle directions for 150 cities, including Columbus. (See http://www.maps.google.com/biking.)

Give it a starting point and a destination, and Google Maps will tell you how to pedal there.

Read more

Posted 1 year ago #
johnwirtz
Evanston, IL
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I'm not very happy with the Google bicycle directions I have received. I don't think the routing is very good and I wouldn't use the directions.

Posted 1 year ago #
JedThorp
Merion Village
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If we had good, designated bike routes in Columbus (not a dedicated bike path, or a bike "lane" on an otherwise busy street) it would be a lot easier to get good bike directions. Not sure what everyone else thinks, but I think too often non-cyclist transportation planners and civic leaders get all hung up on having more dedicated bike paths, like the one along the Olentangy, which are capital and labor heavy projects. Those are nice, but all I need is a network of existing streets to be designated as bike safe routes, with few stops, traffic calming measures, and clear signage. I wish someone here would go to Vancouver and see how they do it. Every now and then I'll see a "bike route #44" sign, but then the signs stop and I wonder if I'm still on the "bike route" or what that even means. Would love to hear others' thoughts.

Posted 1 year ago #
racheltb
clintonville
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I would guess that the google bike routes will improve with time.

I'm happy to ride on streets with vehicles, so long as there is awareness. Stoplight lane painting, cross street buttons in reach of cyclists, detectors sensitive enough for bikes, and other small accommodations would cost less than more paths and make cycling safer and easier.

Posted 1 year ago #
michaelcoyote
!seabus
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johnwirtz wrote >>
I'm not very happy with the Google bicycle directions I have received. I don't think the routing is very good and I wouldn't use the directions.

Yeah, I got a strong "not quite ready for prime time" vibe from the routes I ran through there. I'm guessing that like the road and walking directions, these will improve with time.

Posted 1 year ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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In the audio podcast we did a few months back with Jeff Stephens, we touched upon the topic of bike path development and the reason why there's been a slowdown with construction:

http://www.columbusunderground.com/cu-podcast-31-coffee-with-jeff-stephens

Posted 1 year ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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There was a discussion started last week on the Google Bike Directions.

And I am not surprised with the budget issues. This stuff, like any infrastructure, is labor and capital heavy. While it can be good to have these projects, in the short and long term we can probably get better bang for the buck supporting the existing education programs already being taught by volunteers.

A lane, a bike path and a boulevard can encourage people to bike. Teaching people how to do so legally and safely will give them the confidence and encouragement to do it with or without those things in place.

Posted 1 year ago #
deraj1013
Merion Village
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Whoops...missed the original post. Boo me!

Posted 1 year ago #
johnwirtz
Evanston, IL
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michaelcoyote wrote >>

johnwirtz wrote >>
I'm not very happy with the Google bicycle directions I have received. I don't think the routing is very good and I wouldn't use the directions.

Yeah, I got a strong "not quite ready for prime time" vibe from the routes I ran through there. I'm guessing that like the road and walking directions, these will improve with time.

It was routing me through alleys, on streets where cycling is actually prohibited, and had me making turns that don't exist due to grade separated roadways.

Posted 1 year ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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johnwirtz wrote >>

michaelcoyote wrote >>

johnwirtz wrote >>
I'm not very happy with the Google bicycle directions I have received. I don't think the routing is very good and I wouldn't use the directions.

Yeah, I got a strong "not quite ready for prime time" vibe from the routes I ran through there. I'm guessing that like the road and walking directions, these will improve with time.

It was routing me through alleys, on streets where cycling is actually prohibited, and had me making turns that don't exist due to grade separated roadways.

There should be a link to report issues with their road selection. Overall the routes I've played with in CMH haven't been horrible. Just funky little things like routing off of Oak/Bryden.

ETA

It's a decent tool but probably the best resource we have is the community here. Chat up local cyclists to help find some good routes and learn from experience, be it our local message boards, spending some time at the co-ops or visiting/riding to/volunteering with Pedal Instead.

Posted 1 year ago #
alove
Downtown
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I agree with Mr. Blundo of the Dispatch on the subject of making cross-routes stemming from the wonderful Olentangy trail.

But just when I thought Columbus was beginning to make progress with biking accommodations, I hear sh*t like this. Not very happy. :(

I guess I'd be happy to know it will get done eventually.

Posted 1 year ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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alove wrote >>
I agree with Mr. Blundo of the Dispatch on the subject of making cross-routes stemming from the wonderful Olentangy trail.
But just when I thought Columbus was beginning to make progress with biking accommodations, I hear sh*t like this. Not very happy. :(
I guess I'd be happy to know it will get done eventually.

Article aside, there is good and important bike work being done in terms of infrastructure.

We really don't need infrastructure and we are more fortunate in that regard. At the very least, the work that is being done with the little funding available is working to create the connections that will make a more expansive system possible-like the Hilltop Connecter.

Compare the maps of our city, where it is possible to find a route suitable for all levels within the outer-belt-and even parts of the outlying suburbs-most of the time, to cities where it just isn't.

Posted 1 year ago #
rory
Weinland Park in the Historic Short North
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Does anyone know if the Olentangy trail between Patterson and Weber is open again

Posted 1 year ago #
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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rory wrote >>
Does anyone know if the Olentangy trail between Patterson and Weber is open again

Last report I saw was mid-April.

Posted 1 year ago #
Andrew Hall
Dennison Place (The Circles)
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lifeontwowheels wrote >>

rory wrote >>
Does anyone know if the Olentangy trail between Patterson and Weber is open again

Last report I saw was mid-April.

This is navigable currently. You have to lift your bike over the pipes at each end of the first bridge.

What exactly is going on?

A.

Posted 1 year ago #
futureman
Grandview Heights
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Andrew Hall wrote >>

lifeontwowheels wrote >>

rory wrote >>
Does anyone know if the Olentangy trail between Patterson and Weber is open again

Last report I saw was mid-April.

This is navigable currently. You have to lift your bike over the pipes at each end of the first bridge.
What exactly is going on?
A.

"The city sewer department will be using stimulus money to begin relining the sewer pipes along the bike trail. The trail will be blocked off from Weber Road going south to Patterson. The bike traffic will be rerouted up Weber Road to High Street, south to North Street and south on Neil Avenue to Patterson where the rider can get back onto the trail. The project will start within the next ten days and last until the middle of April. The trail will be removed, then repaved after the completion of the project."

From here - http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/olentangy-multi-use-trail-to-close-between-weber-and-patterson

Is this the section they just widened a couple years back?

Posted 1 year ago #
billyzenko

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Speaking of redoing the Olentangy Trail...

Does this city have any plans to install drinking fountains? Seems like a no-brainer to me.

Posted 1 year ago #
Analogue Kid
5th by West-Northwest
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billyzenko wrote >>
Speaking of redoing the Olentangy Trail...
Does this city have any plans to install drinking fountains? Seems like a no-brainer to me.

Currently available at Whetstone Park, Antrim Park, RPAC, and by the Santa Maria. How thirsty are you?

Posted 1 year ago #
Charlie
Victorian Village
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Any news for this year's Bike 2 work week? I wanted to get the company I work for more involved this year.

Posted 1 year ago #
yaybikes
82 E. 16th Avenue, Columbus, OH
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Charlie wrote >>
Any news for this year's Bike 2 work week? I wanted to get the company I work for more involved this year.

We meet every Tuesday, from 7-8:30 PM, at 82 E 16th Avenue for B2WW '10 planning. We would love for you or anyone else to join us as you are able.

Our sponsorship packet just came off the press as well. Take a look and download a copy on our site.

The challenge website itself is being revamped and we'll have an announcement as soon as it is live and ready for teams to register.

Posted 1 year ago #