Green Lanes Aren't Enough

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I've been hearing the news recently that W Commerce St out by OLLU are going to get some green painted bike lanes.(Image 28-1)  As these bike lanes are outside my map on where to live without a car, they should get the needed respect from distracting motorist, but don't count on it when you have to go around a Via bus stopped at a bus stop. (Image 28-2)  It's hard to find some data for green lanes and the only one I've found was a study in Florida a few years back.

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It has been my experience that motorist do respect the green lanes more than just the white paint although the ones in Austin that I have rode in are at least 6ft wide. The problem with these lanes will not be solved by putting some green paint down, what needs to be done, is that these lanes need to wider.  Around 24th St, they're not even wide enough to be bike lanes at all.  For safe reliable bike lanes, they need to be 6ft wide, maybe 5, but these are barely 4ft which don't allow you enough room to get out of the way when a car passes. The reason why people are getting hurt using these lanes is simply because they're simply not wide enough which doesn't even provide room to maneuver out of the way of hazards that you might encounter while riding in these lanes.  Cars pass you with in 2ft as you ride in this lane, so I'm sorry to say, if you want to fix these lanes, you'll have to remove that center turn lane and put that space to the bike lane with green paint, then the bicycle lane will work properly.  

I'll give Shirley Gonzales credit for trying for she is basically the only one towards an alternative transportation future, unlike Ron Nirenberg or Diego Bernal, who claim they are but are all full of talk and lack of actions just like regular politicians.  So I say this with the rest of San Antonio Bicycling Community, thank you very much Shirley Gonzales for your hard work and may you please stay in office forever, at least one side of town will be bicycle friendly after you leave office. Although if you can, please try to change some laws, maybe some of these mistakes could be avoided in the first place.  Also the city needs to adopt NATCO standards and get rid of the law Sec. 19-66. Conformity with state manual, which forces us to use AASHTO standards, the reason why we have unsafe bicycle lanes in the first place all around San Antonio.  Keep San Antonio Lame.

Now when I first heard about the green bicycle lanes, I thought It was going to happen on the one way sections of W Commerce and Buena Vista, but for the foreseeable future, they're going to stay the same. (Image 28-3)  Now the following cross sections that I've posted (Images 28-3, 28-5, 28-7) are facing east.  I did all these measurements at the corner of W Commerce and Nueces nearby the Bazan Library.  Now the Sidewalk length isn't the same the entire stretch of W Commerce and Buena Vista, the roadway surface is.

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In some of news stories I've heard, they mention Jose Carlos Macy death, but if anyone who's familiar with the circumstances of his death, will realize that is wasn't because of a stray motorist not paying attention, it was because two people were racing their cars down W Commerce, and second the tragedy was at the HEB by Zarzamora, not NW 24th St near OLLU.  Now I wrote about the tragedy that took place back in May, but I got something wrong about the size of the drive lanes which are not 14ft wide, but are actually 12ft wide. (Image 28-3)  Just by looking at the width of these lanes makes you think they're very wide and the way they manufacture cars today, it way to easy to exceed the speed limit. 

Personally, I don't ride in this bicycle lane because every time I'm crossing a major stroad like Zarzamora or Colorado, I almost get in a accident by drivers making left turns in front of me traditionally called "right hooks" which you can see the example of what almost happens to me when I ride in the left hand bike lane in the video above.  Also, it is ingrain into our society that slower traffic stays right, so somebody driving a car is more likely to expect a slow moving cyclist on the right hand side. Another thing, is the fact that these lanes don't provide much room and on any given day, you'll see someone parked in it. (Image 28-4)

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Now if we're really interested in solving the problems with W Commerce and Buena Vista which is a current place where people reporting of car races, then the solution isn't painting the lane green but reducing the drive lanes to 11ft wide and putting the bicycle lane on the other side of the stroad.  Lets keep this bicycle lane on the left hand side, but instead of going with the direction of traffic, it goes against the direction of traffic.  Make this lane 6ft wide and use the two feet that we get by reducing the drive lanes by putting in a concrete median.  By doing this, anybody who has a grand ideal of using Buena Vista or W Commerce as a race way, they're in for a big surprise for when they're racing, they'll end up hitting the curb and damaging their car and hopefully, not the people who happen to be riding home on a bicycle. (Image 28-5)

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One of the reasons that the bicycle lane got put on the left hand side was because Via complained about not having a place for their buses to stop.(Image 28-6)  Well, for all those who are worried about where are the buses going to stop, well here's the solution (Image 28-7) and it's nothing new for those who are frequent readers of this blog will know that the solution is a bus stop island just like the one in Austin on Guadalupe, just like the ones in the Netherlands

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But don't count on this solution being built any time soon or in the foreseeable future.  You will never see this on the west side because our political leaders care nothing for the loss of life except for the person proposing the green lanes, Shirley Gonzales.  Also Via is looking at this particular Corridor for it's future light rail system which because the cars are simply more important, it will use up space for a protected bicycle lane, instead of the cars.  It is a sad fact of reality that San Antonio doesn't want a safer street, but a dangerous stroad.  The day that San Antonio sees W Commerce And Buena Vista just like the cross sections I posted is the day that pigs fly.  Keep San Antonio Lame. 

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 https://www.change.org/p/mayor-ivy-r-taylor-repeal-code-of-ordinances-22-28-e-so-as-to-allow-use-and-access-of-leon-and-salado-creek-greenway-facilities-beyond-daylight-hours-in-accordance-with-22-28-a?utm_campaign=friend_inviter_chat&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition&utm_term=permissions_dialog_false&share_id=JvxsaOGtXK

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Speaking about recreation trails, there's an important petition going on right now to give people a choice in getting round town outside loop 410.  It is a petition to allow use of the Howard Peak Linear Creekways after dark.  As a person who constantly broke this law to get safely home after the buses stopped running, I can attest that the worse thing I came in contact with wasn't an ax murder, but a big ass spider with the entire web blocking the trail right underneath the Houston St Bridge by the AT&T Center.  I doubt that our city leaders will give into this because they're more serious about making sure cars have big dangerous numerous lanes instead of bike lanes, like Diego Bernal who spoke that a 1,000 miles of bike lanes where coming but when they repaved the stroads in his district, they failed to put them in or Ron Nirenberg who wants to plan for them and then leave the plan collecting dust.  I'm still going to sign it and I'm going to be publishing this petition after every story until we get a new city council in May.  I wish I wasn't right but I know for a fact that our mayor and city council will ignore this petition while people like me just go out an brake the law because I rather get a ticket, then show up on the morning news about another cyclist got hit or killed on the many stroads San Antonio.

Images:
27-1: main image for petition.https://www.change.org/p/mayor-ivy-r-taylor-repeal-code-of-ordinances-22-28-e-so-as-to-allow-use-and-access-of-leon-and-salado-creek-greenway-facilities-beyond-daylight-hours-in-accordance-with-22-28-a?utm_campaign=friend_inviter_chat&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition&utm_term=permissions_dialog_false&share_id=JvxsaOGtXK
27-2:  The Spider Web I encountered around 3:30 AM back in July at the foot of the Houston St Bridge on Salado Creek Linear Creekway.

28-1:  W Commerce St of the bike lane next to the Valero to an entrance to OLLU looking west.
28-2:  A Via Bus stopped at the bus stop at the corner of 24th St and W Commerce showing how the buses have to invade the lane to make a stop.
28-3: A cross section of W Commerce at Nueces looking east on how it looks currently.
28-4: A picture of a car parked off the street and a car partially parked in the bike lane at Cibolo St on W Commerce looking West.
28-5:  A Cross Section of W Commerce at Nueces looking East if the bike lanes were put on either side while reducing the driving lanes.
28-6:  A Via Bus stopped at the bus stop across the stroad from the Bazan Library looking East. 
28-7:  A Cross Section of W Commerce at Nueces looking East if they had built a bus stop island. 

Earnabike CO-OP and More.......

I have three stories this weekend, so please read them all. 

Earn-A-Bike CO-OP

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On June 14, 2014, the first of it's kind bike shop open up in San Antonio. This isn't your typical Bike shop, but a place for you to build, repair, and share ideas on bicycling and to encourage more people to ride bicycles and other forms of Sustainable transportation. Many other cities have such a place where people who lack tools and bike repair stand could go to and learn how to repair a bicycle, and now San Antonio finally has one.

The Ideal started with Christian Sandoval and when he got his ideal and ran with it a week later, a person at VIA sitting on all the abandon bicycles that were left on the buses bike rack came to Sandoval and gave him 40 bikes.  The goal of the CO-OP is to get people who need bicycles on bicycles by providing them skills to keep their bicycles up and peddling along.  All somebody has to do is volunteer for 25 hours on building and repairing bicycles and you get your own in return.  So if you know somebody who's broke, and have plenty of time on their hand, please direct them to the Earnabike CO-OP at 2619 Guadalupe St, 78207.  They also have classes on coming up bicycle repair, so if you would like hands on training, please make time for this at this link:  https://www.facebook.com/eabcoop/events

They Are also in need of money to keep the place up and running as well as bicycle parts, tubes and everything else under the sun that is needed to keep a non-profit up and running and open so please visit the Earnabike website at http://www.earnabikecoop.org/ to donate or better yet, VOLUNTEER.  Also if you have a bicycle in the garage that your not touching anymore, please donate that too for somebody out there would like to put that fun between their legs.  Right now, their business hours are Tuesday and Thursday, 6PM to 9PM and Saturday 2PM to 5PM.   

Also FrankenBike will be having an event there on August 16, so please also attend then.  To Watch the Cutting of the bicycle tubes by Council Lady Shirley Gonzales, please watch the long video I manage to record. 

Sam's Burger Joint

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This Saturday June 21, 2014, I saw something amazing.  The Sysco delivery truck was not parked in the cycletrack making it's delivery (Image 12-2 and 12-3).  I was so amazed, that instead of turning down Pearl Parkway to go to the farmers market, I did a one-eighty and went down Grayson to take a picture of the amazement before my eyes.   Why this wasn't done earlier, like years ago is beyond me, but this is a nice start to see. 

I don't know if this blog is the reason why I'm now seeing this, but if it is, I would like to thank the readers who took time and made this possible.  I can only hope that the Famed Restaurant keeps this going and support the cycle track replacement on Broadway where it is needed the most.  Right now, construction behind the old Butter Crust Bakery is making this unused if the construction gets finished soon, more will use it. 


San Antonio Streetcar

I have yet to write about the famed streetcar that VIA is going to build simply because I have yet to go get some pictures of Greenville Ave and McKinney Ave in Dallas and it will probably won't be until August before I'm able to go.  However, there's a Town Hall meeting coming up tonight at UTSA Downtown Campus at 7PM.  As the anti cycling, pro-driving group called the Toll Party will try to pack the house yelling against it and spewing oil companies propaganda about it while the supporters of the Streetcar, try to counter act the miss information.  However, who is going to be there asking about the cyclist?  Let me tell you people again, I'm at work and I have no intention of missing work to attend this meeting.  So who among my readers are going to attend and make a voice for us?  Who among you will get out and say, why aren't you people building protected bicycle lanes like what they're doing in Austin in our downtown?  Why won't the city of San Antonio build a cycle track down Broadway and Frio St?  Because this is what is missing from this discussion.  

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Also what is missing from this discussion is that when the tracks are put down, will VIA issue a statement saying that bicycles must take a separate route like they did in Washington DC.  For me, I'm not going to have a problem with the streetcar or the tracks they're going to lay down.  I'm experience enough to just ride in between the tracks and not have my bicycle get caught in between the rails.  But I ride a mountain bike and a cruiser with 26 inch mountain bike tires, so this isn't going to be a problem with me however, other people will have a problem because most people have road tires and it is the unofficial position of the City of San Antonio that cycling is a nuance and is only for recreation, not for transportation.  My blog, San Antonio Don't Deserve Bronze lays out the case for that and points out the unofficial position of the City of San Antonio.  I can only hope what happen in Tuscon don't happen here.

For the Record, I'm for this streetcar because I know that when people start riding it, they're going to start demanding it be expanded.  Mothers are going to discover that they don't have to fold their strollers when boarding and wheelchairs aren't going to take 20 minutes to get aboard like they do right now when boarding a bus including the VIA Primo.  Your going to be able to take your bicycle aboard the streetcar and not just three, but as many as needed especially on a rainy day.  Try doing that on a bus that has it's bike rack full.  I have ridden rail transit before not just in Dallas, but also in other places like Chicago, Seattle, Houston and New York and I can tell you, that this is the best that the City of San Antonio can come up with to improve the community because this community cannot see pass using a motor and not the two feet we all have as a transportation.  Also, if Portland, Oregon can have streetcars and be the American Capital of Cycling, so can San Antonio.  If your going to want to see what a modern streetcar is  going to be like, just watch this video from Portland and decide for yourself that it is better than a bus.   Until I am ready to write about the streetcar and explain my full opinion, this is just going to have to do.

Images:
12-1:  The Earnabike Co-op grand opening. 
12-2:  The Sysco Delivery Truck parked on Grayson looking West from Broadway
12-3:  The Sysco Delivery Truck Parked On Grayson looking South from Avenue B Cycletrack
12-4:  The Warning Signs about bicycles and Streetcar Tracks.  Image from:  http://www.atlantabike.org/files/warning-streetcar-tracks.png

Up Coming Bicycle Events

 
 Cycle In-Cinema .  
When:   Every Thursday, June-August at Dusk, 8:45pm
Where:  Main Plaza, 115 N Main Ave, 78205
Description:  Out Door Movie.  




Tour De Tube 2014
When:  Sunday June 29, 2014
Where:  The Slab, 414 W Cevallos, across the street from La Tuna
Description: A group bicycle ride from La Tuna to the Comal River.  For more information, click here:  Facebook

FrankenBike #50When:   Saturday July 19, 2014  10AM to 4PM
Where:  Alamo Bike Shop/Taps y Tapas ~ 1016 N. Flores St ~ 78212
Description:  San Antonio's Bicycle Swap Meet and Flea Market.

Important Input needed.

Also Via is continuing its input for the the South/West Connector Corridor Study Area by having a online survey.  Please remember, to put in the ideas for Bus Stop Islands And Bike Lids like DART uses in Dallas, TX  at major bus stops while filling out the survey.  To connect the the Survey, please click here:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=498P%2fFAtHTQYxMeDJNmk%2bK2DGZAQ9EtW4KyVtbaQkdQ%3d