[BikeLongmont] Longmont Bike Map

[Richard Masoner]

Buzz commented on a new bicycle map the city of Longmont is putting 
together. If you cycle in Longmont, get this map. I picked mine up from 
the Civic Center, but I imagine it's also available at the bike shops.

It's very handy and there is good information on the back side about 
riding law and etiquette. The only suggestion I have would be to include 
graphics for paths that will be completed in the next eighteen months or 
so. I have a couple of minor issues regarding the text on the back of 
the map:

    "2'-3' from the curb or row of parked vehicles is considered safe"
    -- When along a row of parked vehicles, two feet is still within the
    door zone and may not be safe. This website
    [http://www-personal.umich.edu/~riin/bikes/doorzone.htm
    <http://www-personal.umich.edu/%7Eriin/bikes/doorzone.htm>] outlines
    some deaths that have occurred to cyclists who rode in the door
    zone. Typically, a car door opens and the cyclist is either knocked
    into traffic or swerves into traffic and is hit by a bus.

    "Blocking lanes or paths irritates drivers, is unfair to other
    bicyclists, and is very dangerous to the bicyclists and motorists"
    -- In the context of road use, I agree absolutely that all users of
    the road system should be courteous to one another and that cyclists
    and pedestrians should not needlessly block traffic. There are
    times, however, when there is no room to safely share the lane, and
    riding in the gutter may encourage some motorists to attempt to
    squeeze by. Taking the lane is a legitimate tool to increase the
    safety of the cyclist. When the barricades on 9th Avenue were up
    during construction near Alpine Street, for example, if a car was
    coming up behind me I took the middle of the lane. There simply
    wasn't enough room for a motor vehicle and a bicycle to safely share
    the lane.

    Another example is Sunset Avenue south of Ken Pratt. The right lanes
    are a potholed mess and traffic regularly attempts to squeeze by at
    high speed. I and other cyclists I know who ride in this area ride
    in the right tire track. Motorists merge into the left lane to pass
    safely.

    Yet one more example: If I am last in a line of traffic crossing an
    intersection and there is oncoming traffic waiting to turn left, I
    will often position myself in the middle of the lane in order to
    increase visibility to the oncoming traffic. I was left crossed once
    because I was riding near the gutter and hidden by traffic in front
    of me. As soon as the last car cleared the intersection, the
    left-turner plowed into me.

It might be nice to include information about some concrete benefits of 
cycling to the public. For example, some of the busier intersections in 
town handle something like 22,000 cars and trucks per day. If 5% of 
these drivers cycled instead (Boulder commuter mode share for cyclists), 
that's 1,100 fewer cars at that intersection. Cyclists on the road might 
momentarily delay some motorist, but this delay is minimal compared to 
the delay caused by 1,100 cars.
Another benefit: Studies show that children who walk or bike to school 
retain what they learn better than those who ride in a car or bus. (It's 
not know if this benefit comes from the excercise or because these 
children begin the day actively engaging the environment vs sitting 
passively in the back of a vehicle.)

One more comment about the map: It's printed on some pretty thick paper 
which seems awfully expensive. I wouldn't be offended at all if 
something a little more cost effective was used.

RFM

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