Comments on: Portland Transportation Leader Peddles Cycling Story http://www.localmotion.org/blog/2010/11/portland-transportation-leader-peddles-cycling-story/ Building a culture of walking and biking in northwest Vermont Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:25:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Matt Boulanger http://www.localmotion.org/blog/2010/11/portland-transportation-leader-peddles-cycling-story/comment-page-1/#comment-4655 Matt Boulanger Tue, 30 Nov 2010 13:39:42 +0000 http://www.localmotion.org/blog/?p=1327#comment-4655 I'd love to see bike boxes along my commute. Look, I' as dedicated and fearless as the come. My commute involves getting between Williston and South Burlington either via Williston Road or the Tilley-Community-Kimball-Marshall "back door." Both of these routes have at least one really awful left turn where, fearless as I am otherwise, I have no confidence that I'm going to make it through unscathed. Coming home to South Burlington on Williston Road, I need to make the dreaded left turn onto Hinesburg Road. The logistics of getting a bike over into the left lane and then standing there at the green, waiting for the red so it can cycle back to the green arrow is maddening- spoils that entire route for me. My other "bad left" is coming home as well- left on to Community from Kimball at the intersection with Gregory- made worse by the blind hill and unsignalized nature of the intersection. I love bike lanes and sharrows and all of that great stuff, but honestly I think the "one bad barrier" is what keeps more people from cycling. Some of those, like my intersections., are fixable, others, like bad weather or big hills are harder to fix. I'd love to see bike boxes along my commute. Look, I' as dedicated and fearless as the come. My commute involves getting between Williston and South Burlington either via Williston Road or the Tilley-Community-Kimball-Marshall "back door." Both of these routes have at least one really awful left turn where, fearless as I am otherwise, I have no confidence that I'm going to make it through unscathed. Coming home to South Burlington on Williston Road, I need to make the dreaded left turn onto Hinesburg Road. The logistics of getting a bike over into the left lane and then standing there at the green, waiting for the red so it can cycle back to the green arrow is maddening- spoils that entire route for me. My other "bad left" is coming home as well- left on to Community from Kimball at the intersection with Gregory- made worse by the blind hill and unsignalized nature of the intersection.

I love bike lanes and sharrows and all of that great stuff, but honestly I think the "one bad barrier" is what keeps more people from cycling. Some of those, like my intersections., are fixable, others, like bad weather or big hills are harder to fix.

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