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In 1897, a Bicycle Superhighway Was the Future of California Transit

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Re: In 1897, a Bicycle Superhighway Was the Future of California Transit

#51

Post by Al-Khwarizmi »

cpprototypes wrote: post #40
mjn wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

LA is slowly improving its transit situation from what it used to be, though unevenly. A light-rail line from downtown to Pasadena was opened in 2003, and the subway system is finally being extended, it seems, through some of the more densely populated area of the westside: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Line_Extension The Metrolink commuter-rail system also runs 500 miles of track, and is now a reasonable optio…

The biggest issue with public transit in LA for commuting is the last mile problem. It's similar to the "last mile" problem of fast fiber optic cables to slow copper wires to homes. Here the issue is efficient and fast rail transit to extremely inefficient bus system for that last few miles from stations to work. I once tried to plan my commute using public transit and here's what I found: 1) Drive to rail station fo…

In Europe, when we only need to cover a short distance like a mile, we typically use an antique means of transport called "walking".

Re: In 1897, a Bicycle Superhighway Was the Future of California Transit

#52

Post by ry0ohki »

If I told you there was a new form of transport that would allow travel over great distances without having to maintain a horse or use gas, it would be revolutionary right? I can't help but wish the bicycle had a longer time period between when the safety bike and automobile were invented...

Re: In 1897, a Bicycle Superhighway Was the Future of California Transit

#53

Post by mwilcox »

tnuc wrote: post #5

Copenhagen has had bicycle highways for a while now. http://www.copenhagenize.com/2012/04/launching-copenhagens-b... The elevated highway that mjn mentioned is only a few hundred metres long while the new highways have 300Km planned.

Similarly, Auckland's proposed cycle network includes a number of cycle highways and connections: http://transportblog.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Region...

Re: In 1897, a Bicycle Superhighway Was the Future of California Transit

#54

Post by benjiweber »

cpprototypes wrote: post #40
mjn wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

LA is slowly improving its transit situation from what it used to be, though unevenly. A light-rail line from downtown to Pasadena was opened in 2003, and the subway system is finally being extended, it seems, through some of the more densely populated area of the westside: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Line_Extension The Metrolink commuter-rail system also runs 500 miles of track, and is now a reasonable optio…

The biggest issue with public transit in LA for commuting is the last mile problem. It's similar to the "last mile" problem of fast fiber optic cables to slow copper wires to homes. Here the issue is efficient and fast rail transit to extremely inefficient bus system for that last few miles from stations to work. I once tried to plan my commute using public transit and here's what I found: 1) Drive to rail station fo…

There's an alternative for the last mile http://www.brompton.co.uk/pages/9035

Re: In 1897, a Bicycle Superhighway Was the Future of California Transit

#55

Post by larsberg »

tnuc wrote: post #5

Copenhagen has had bicycle highways for a while now. http://www.copenhagenize.com/2012/04/launching-copenhagens-b... The elevated highway that mjn mentioned is only a few hundred metres long while the new highways have 300Km planned.

The pictures in that article don't really give a sense for how bicycle-friendly that city is. I went there for a conference last September, and the fact that there were bikes and bike lanes everywhere as well as more bike parking at every train station than you can imagine really stuck with me.

That and the lack of worry about theft. At a coffee shop and going to the bathroom? Just leave your laptop, wallet, and cell phone on the table. I couldn't physically do that if I tried, after growing up in Chicago.

Re: In 1897, a Bicycle Superhighway Was the Future of California Transit

#56

Post by Samuel_Michon »

“The plan was to charge bicyclists 10¢ a pop for hopping on the bike-only highway one way, or 15¢ round trip. That's a savings of 50% if you make a day of it, folks.”

Is it just me, or is that math off? The round trip is 50% more expensive than the one way ticket. The round trip costs 75% of what 2 one way tickets would cost, it’s a 25% discount. “If you make a day of it”, savings of 50% would mean a round way ticket costs the same as a one way ticket.

Re: In 1897, a Bicycle Superhighway Was the Future of California Transit

#57

Post by prawn »

cpprototypes wrote: post #40
mjn wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

LA is slowly improving its transit situation from what it used to be, though unevenly. A light-rail line from downtown to Pasadena was opened in 2003, and the subway system is finally being extended, it seems, through some of the more densely populated area of the westside: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Line_Extension The Metrolink commuter-rail system also runs 500 miles of track, and is now a reasonable optio…

The biggest issue with public transit in LA for commuting is the last mile problem. It's similar to the "last mile" problem of fast fiber optic cables to slow copper wires to homes. Here the issue is efficient and fast rail transit to extremely inefficient bus system for that last few miles from stations to work. I once tried to plan my commute using public transit and here's what I found: 1) Drive to rail station fo…

Motorised skateboard?

Re: In 1897, a Bicycle Superhighway Was the Future of California Transit

#58

Post by dredmorbius »

ry0ohki wrote: post #52

If I told you there was a new form of transport that would allow travel over great distances without having to maintain a horse or use gas, it would be revolutionary right? I can't help but wish the bicycle had a longer time period between when the safety bike and automobile were invented...

Even in countries where it was widely adopted (look at China), the car has a tremendous appeal.

There are parts of Europe where war and high gas prices didn't drive bicycle use completely underground (despite fairly inclement weather), but it's a tough sell.

More's the pity though, I agree.

Re: In 1897, a Bicycle Superhighway Was the Future of California Transit

#60

Post by seanmcdirmid »

dredmorbius wrote: post #58
ry0ohki wrote: post #52

If I told you there was a new form of transport that would allow travel over great distances without having to maintain a horse or use gas, it would be revolutionary right? I can't help but wish the bicycle had a longer time period between when the safety bike and automobile were invented...

Even in countries where it was widely adopted (look at China), the car has a tremendous appeal. There are parts of Europe where war and high gas prices didn't drive bicycle use completely underground (despite fairly inclement weather), but it's a tough sell. More's the pity though, I agree.

Back in 1999 on my first visit to Beijing this was true: there were lanes dedicated to the sea of bicycles that was used for commutes. This sea has mostly disappeared, and many of the bicycle lanes used exclusively for bikes before have turned into a mess of parking and extra car lanes.

Using these lanes today for non-electric biking is very frustrating.

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