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Bill  On The Road

 by: Bill Oetinger  11/1/2000

What about bike paths?

Over the past few years our county parks department has been carving out a system of paved trails meandering through the western half of the county. As this is all happening pretty much in my backyard, I have been following the progress of the ambitious project very closely, and as each new section of trail has been completed, I've been out there on my bike, ready and eager to try it out, almost before the asphalt has cooled.

The path is built along the bed of an abandoned railway. It is now possible to ride almost all the way from the restored railroad depot in old town Santa Rosa west through my town of Sebastopol and onward through the village of Graton to the small town of Forestville...a mostly car-free run of over 15 miles. Eventually, another spur of the trail will carry on to the Russian River, one of our prime resort areas. Also, there are now other feeder paths connecting to the main trail in Santa Rosa, making it increasingly accessible from various neighborhoods.

Im quite pleased with the whole system. It has been well thought out and constructed to high standards, and in many parts of its length, it offers significantly better alternate routes to whatever roads are nearby...often busy highways with little or no shoulder. For much of its length, it is also very scenic, running across lovely meadows, through the dappled shade of overhanging woods, and in one spot bridging over a wetland on several hundred feet of wooden boardwalk.

Now the entire system of trails has been honored for its excellence by being named a Millennium Community Trail by the White House Millenium Council, whatever the heck that is. According to what I read in the paper, our West County Trail is among about 2000 projects recognized as exemplary trail systems by the White House. Aside from whatever honor and glory this might reflect on our local path, it apparently will lend credibility and cachet to any future requests for additional funding to expand the system, which certainly seems like a good thing.

All in all, this is a pretty happy story. Great trails, good re-use of the old rail bed, money well spent, everybody pleased...

Well, yes...mostly. But no "bike path" is every entirely a good news, win-win scenario for everyone, at least not if you listen to some of the criticism leveled at various trails projects over the years. The grumbles take many forms and reflect many points of view. But you might be surprised to know that most of most stinging complaints come not from some anti-bike faction, but from within the cycling community...the very people one might expect to be most pleased by bike paths.

As our new regional trails system nears completion, I thought it would be a good time to kick around some of the old arguments--pro and con--about "bike paths." Note that I keep putting "bike paths" in quotes. (And that's the last time I'll do so.) My intent is to point out that these paved trails so often referred to as bike paths are used for so much more than just biking...which is something of a good news-bad news deal. More on that later. Here are a few of the most commonly heard complaints about so-called bike paths...

* Bike paths encourage "bicycle apartheid." There is a widespread and firmly rooted suspicion among cycling advocates that the creation of separate places for bikes to travel--bike paths--fosters the notion in the minds of governmental planners and also motorists that bikes don't belong on roads...that they should stay on the little trails through the woods that we have made for them and leave the roads for the cars. Defenders of cyclists' rights say this perpetuates the trivialization of the bicycle as child's toy, as opposed to its being considered a legitimate form of transportation.

While this argument is probably overstated by the most paranoid of cycling's defenders, I believe the mindset of bicycle apartheid does exist, if only as an unwritten and only vaguely articulated notion. I have seen it at work in the resort community where my parents live. This is a sprawling development, with over 30 miles of bike paths meandering about. Sounds nice, right? But the downside is that those in charge at this planned community have decreed that bikes must keep to the path network and are verboten on the roads. (They can do this because the whole place is private...no state vehicle statutes apply.) Once, fed up with the congestion on the paths, I rode my bike out onto one of the little lanes. I didn't make it a quarter of a mile before some self-appointed vigilante in an SUV pulled up and screamed at me to get back on the path. It was clear to him that, if his property owner's dues had paid for all those bike paths, then by god that's where the damn bikes should be.

Many municipalities have constructed bike paths and then have followed up with local laws prohibiting riding on the nearby roads. Usually their argument is that they only have the safety of cyclists in mind, in particular, child cyclists. Whenever this misguided paternalism has occurred on a public road, cycling advocates have challenged the restrictions as a violation of the state vehicle code--which they clearly are--and as far as I know, in every case the courts have ruled against the municipalities. Section 21200 of the California Vehicle Code guarantees cyclists the right to the road(s), and only the state legislature can abridge those rights...not county or municipal governments.

* Building bike paths is expensive. Cycling advocates are forever scrapping and fighting for funds to improve cycling infrastructures: striped bike lanes on roads; bike lockers in city centers; more sensitive traffic detector loops; etc. Many adult cyclists, comfortable with riding on roads, complain that the high cost of building stand-alone bike paths squanders millions of dollars in cycling funding that could be going to other, equally worthy projects. For the cost of building one mile of bike path, we could be striping dozens, if not hundreds of miles of bike lanes on road shoulders.

This is very true. Federal and state monies earmarked specifically for enhancing cycling as a viable form of transport are being spent on lavish nature trails systems. County planners and public works bosses are essentially grabbing the money and running, turning cycling-specific funds into general parks funds. And while some cycle-commuters may use these trails, it's clear that the vast majority of the trail's users are not riding bicycles, and even fewer are using the trails to ride to work...the target at which the original funding was aimed. (Funding such as that provided by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Enhancement Act...ISTEA, or as it is commonly called, "Iced Tea.")

I guess this is a problem, if you follow the money carefully and if it matters to you exactly how it's being spent. But I doubt most of the trail users--cyclists or otherwise--really care how the path was funded. I try to work up a good case of indignation at this seeming de facto misappropriation of funds, but most of the time, I just end up enjoying the trails for what they are: occasionally good commute routes, but more frequently delightful linear parks for walkers and skaters, for birders and painters, for joggers and equestrians...and for recreational cyclists. Which brings us to the last and most common complaint...

* Bike paths are unsafe for bikes. This is the criticism that most surprises non-cyclists...especially those well-intentioned planners who conceive of the trails as safe havens for riders, away from traffic. But any cyclist who has negotiated a busy bike path on a Sunday afternoon can attest to the fact that extra vigilance is required to avoid close calls or actual accidents. Several statistics have been widely circulated in the cycling press to support the assertion that bike paths are in fact the most dangerous places a cyclist can ride. I'm not sure I agree with that absolutely, but I certainly understand and appreciate the basic premise, and I've had my own first-hand bad experiences to bear this out.

For cyclists, the hazards of bike paths come in two forms: the overall design and construction of the path, and the people (and animals) with whom we share the path.

Many paths through parks were never designed with the speeds of fit, active adult riders in mind. They are often paved over trails originally laid out by walkers or equestrians. They whip around sharp corners and topple over abrupt changes in grade, often with little or no warning. They are often under engineered as to their road bed and are therefore easily buckled by tree roots or cracked by subsidence.

I once had a fairly serious accident on one of these footpath-to-bike path conversions, and while it was partly my fault for riding too fast for the conditions--I was going about 20-mph--this section of path was clearly unsafe for anyone riding over about 10-mph, and there were no adequate signs to that effect posted where they would have done any good. After my complaint, the county did post larger, more appropriate warning signs, but there was nothing they could do about the inherently unsafe trail.

Exceptions to this unsafe-at-any-speed problem are often rails-to-trails conversions (including our new West County Trail). Railroad grades rarely make abrupt changes in direction or pitch, and a sub-base designed to accommodate trains will certainly hold up to bikes, and is usually more resistant to root damage or subsidence. Even on these trails though, cyclists can be ambushed by the various implements installed to blockade the paths from cars: stiles, bollards, and metal pipes in the middle of the trail. Many an unwary rider has come to grief colliding with these lethal, hard-to-see booby traps.

And then there are the many, diverse users of the trails with whom we must learn to coexist. As noted before, these trails are often very popular linear parks, affording many people many ways to recreate. This is undoubtedly good news from the point of view of expanding our parks--our places to play and to commune with nature--but it can create a harrowing obstacle course for a cyclist traveling at anything more than a walking pace. Active, experienced adult cyclists are at the top of the food chain on bike paths. As the fastest vehicles or persons on the paths, we have to school ourselves to patience and restraint, just as we hope motorists will be patient and courteous with us on the roads. Those signs on many bike paths posting the speed limit at 15-mph used to irritate me a bit, when hammering was a way of life for me. But I've come to realize that it's probably just about right for the conditions, and I've learned to dial it back a few notches when riding on paths, especially when the paths are crowded.

Now when I close on other, slower path users, I give a loud but cheery call of a single word: "Bicycle!" It's a word that can't be mistaken for any other, and it gives folks all the information they need to make their move. It's not overly aggressive or belligerent and it doesn't push anybody's buttons. It beats the heck out of "On your left!" Often, people only hear the last sound--"left!"--and they jump in that direction. I once nearly took out a dad with a baby in a backpack who hopped left, right into my path when I called this out. But even with the very effective "Bicycle!" I still slow a bit to see which way they'll jump. It's all part of relaxing and redefining your priorities when on a path. Forget about hammering. Save it for a country road.

So anyway...what do we think about bike paths? Do we love 'em or hate 'em? Well, I for one am enjoying the heck out of my new West County Trail. I ride one section or another of it every week, sometimes more frequently. I love the previously inaccessible stretches of meadows and woods it opens up for me, and I rejoice in the escape they afford me from some very unpleasant highway riding.
Do I mind the specter of bicycle apartheid? You bet. But I ride on roads whenever and wherever I want, regardless of other people's opinions. And no matter how many pretty paths they build for me, I will still defend my right to be on the road. Anyone who tries to suggest anything contrary to that will get a serious earfull from me.

Do I worry about the profligate expenditures for bike path projects? I can't really address the subject of funding for bike paths. The ways in which the funds are acquired and disbursed are complex and convoluted to a Byzantine extreme, and each project is different and needs to be judged on its own merits. I'll let someone with more of a head for bean-counting fight that battle.

Do I mind that some trails are unsafe? Yes! Where I can, I will rattle the appropriate bureaucrats' cages to fix or forestall dumb trail designs. And as for the mix of users on the trails, that's just a reminder to me to slow down, lighten up, and enjoy the scenery.

One last thing: a cycling friend of mine--an elementary school teacher--points out that bike paths are a great place, sometimes the only place, for learning how to ride anymore. He takes his whole class of youngsters out to our West Country Trail and gives them instruction on safe and effective riding. With so many streets either unsafe or perceived to be so, bike paths do offer a quiet place to take that first, wobbly roll. This applies not only to kids but to grown-ups rediscovering the magic of two wheels. For some, the bike path may be as far as they ever go with their cycling adventures, but for others, young or old, as they gain confidence and skill, they may eventually graduate from the paths to the wider world. They may eventually become hopeless cycling nuts and even--gasp!--politically active cycling advocates. In this sense, the paths act as incubators for fledgling riders, and as such, their value is immense...in spite of all their flaws.

Bill can be reached at srccride@sonic.net



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