Jul 19 2012

Biking and Trails Update

Bike Participation is Increasing While Reputation is Decreasing

car driver gestures to bicyclist

road rage is not cool

What do a construction worker and Time magazine have in common? No it’s not a bad joke, just a bad analogy. Today, while I was out test-driving a new toy (God I love my job.), I stopped to talk with some construction workers who were working on a stream mitigation project near the trail. After explaining the project, one of the workers said it was good to see a biker actually using the trail. He then went on to tell me about some of the bad incidents he has had with bikers on the roads. He said that in his work he sees miles and miles of bike trails all over the state, but they are often used very lightly while bicyclists clog the streets and often aren’t very nice about sharing those streets.

I let him know that he was preaching to the choir on that one. We were both baffled why more bikers didn’t use the trails and why so many bikers on the roads were impatient and unfriendly, to say the least. Then, when I got home, I read an article in Time magazine. Here’s one excerpt from the article:

“…even in the most pedal-friendly cities, cyclists can still feel they’re biking against traffic, legally and culturally. It’s as if just enough Americans have started cycling to prompt a backlash–call it a bikelash–as drivers and pedestrians ally against these rebels usurping precious traffic space.”

via Pedal Push – TIME.

Bryan Walsh, the author of the article believes that bicycling has become increasingly popular in the United States, but not quite popular enough. There are now more bicyclists out there, but there are still not enough of them to be considered part of the mainstream like they are in places like Denmark. It’s really a nicely written article that is well-researched; it has some interesting facts about biking worldwide and also some common-sense suggestions.

One of the main points of the article is that, even though many people feel threatened by bicyclists, “…cyclists are far more threatened than threatening.”  The article goes on to cite some extremely frightening statistics about the dangers of biking in the United States. Of course, pretty much all the bicycle dangers mentioned in the article are dangers of riding on the roads, not the bike trails.

So what do Time magazine and construction workers have in common? They both seem to point to the common sense notion that it is much safer and saner to ride bikes on the trails than on the roads… except for those fast, reckless and rude bike riders. Let’s encourage them to either a.) stay off bikes completely or, if that doesn’t work, b.) go ahead and stay on the roads. Lets keep the trails a safe and sane place for the rest of us. And for those car drivers who get sick of the rude bicyclists, you’re welcome to join us on the trails… but leave your cars (and cares) at home.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/07/19/biking-and-trails-update/

Jul 17 2012

Rail Trail Definition

What is a rail-trail?

rail trail beside abandoned railroad box cars

rail-trail in New Hampshire

I’m still surprised by how many people are unfamiliar with the term rail-trail. So as I was researching a completely different trail-related issue, I came across a good Wikipedia entry for rail-trails. I found the whole article to be enlightening, so I encourage you to click on the article link below this brief definition.

A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also covers trails running alongside working railways; these are called “rails with trails”.

via Rail trail – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

It is important to note that although the Ashuelot Rail Trail in the accompanying photo has a dirt surface, rail-trails have many different surface types. They can be paved trails, concrete trails, gravel trails or dirt trails.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/07/17/rail-trail-definition/

Jul 15 2012

Shared-use Path is the Official Name

Bike Trail Question Answered on Quora

I love all the great web 2.0 sites out there that allow users to answer each other’s questions. Recently I posed a bike trail question on Quora. I asked: “On most websites, biking is broken into two categories: road biking & mountain biking. What about bike trails that aren’t mountain bike trails. What is the generic name for trails like rail-trails, urban trails, paved trails, etc.?”

If it’s not mountain biking or road biking, what is it?

biker on shared use trail

shared-use path

In the “add more information” box, I provided the following details: “When you visit websites to look for biking venues, you’re often given only the choices of mountain biking & road biking. This seems to fly in the face of reason since the vast majority of people are either not inclined or not able to partake in these two forms of biking due to safety, strength, age, or ability. Similarly, bikers are often put into the same categories of mountain bikers and road bikers (even here on Quora) when that doesn’t describe even half the bikers out there. This issue has been brought up numerous times on the Trailsnet.com blog, but rarely gets many comments. Hopefully Quora users can provide an answer to what we call the largest group of bikers/biking.”

Generic Trail Name Provided by Quora User & Government Website

Thanks to Jonathan Rabinowitz for providing the following answer to the bike trail query: “The generic name for the thoroughfare is a shared-use path, although many people like multi-use path as well. See this U.S. government webpage:” http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/publications/sidewalk2/sidewalks214.cfm

Bicycle & Pedestrian Website

A quick visit to the website provides some helpful information about sidewalk design and trail access. According to the Bicycle & Pedestrian Program Website, “A shared-use path serves as part of a transportation circulation system and supports multiple recreation opportunities, such as walking, bicycling, and inline skating. A shared-use path typically has a surface that is asphalt, concrete, or firmly packed crushed aggregate.”

Rail-trails a Type of Shared-Use Path

The Bicycle & Pedestrian Path web page goes on to describe shared-use paths in more detail as well as to provide some diagrams. It was nice to read that all newly designed and built shared-use paths must provide accessibility for handicapped trail users. It was also enlightening to learn that rail-trails fall into the category of shared-use trails.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/07/15/shared-use-path-is-the-official-name/

Jul 15 2012

Trailsnet Sidebar Missing

Sorry for the inconvenience, but the Trailsnet website has gone haywire recently. For a while yesterday, it was totally messed up but thanks to Jason of MadLab Media for making some partial fixes at the last minute so the site is at least functional.

Unfortunately, since I contacted Jason on a Friday, there was only so much he could do before the weekend, so I’m hoping to get the sidebar back early this coming week. It may be something I could do myself, but I always worry that I’ll make a bad problem worse if I mess around with it.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/07/15/trailsnet-sidebar-missing/

Jul 09 2012

Recreational Trails Program Passes

Recreational Trail Funding Approved

Congress & President Obama have come to the rescue of trails across America.  On July 6, the Recreational Trails Program (RTP)

family on hiking trail

trails are for everyone

was rescued for another two years as Barack Obama signed the transportation bill that was approved by the U.S. Congress. Thanks to this legislation, the RTP will receive $85 million in annual funding for the next two fiscal years.

Since its original passage in 1991, the RTP program has funded state trails programs across the nation and provided essential funds for thousands of trail projects. This federal sponsorship has allowed partnerships between such organizations as state governments, non-profit organizations such as Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, private donors and corporate donors. As a result, the numbers, miles and quality of trails dramatically increased during that time period.

Thanks to all of you who wrote letters to your elected officials in support of our nation’s trails. This vote came right down to the wire and was a squeaker, so there is no doubt that your letters and emails made a difference. I am convinced that this legislation would not have passed without the input of trail lovers across the country. I wish I could say that the crusade was over, but we’ll probably have to step up to the plate again in two years to lobby for continuation of trail funding. In the meantime, let’s get out there and enjoy those trails, but keep in mind that they exist because we made raised our voices and were heard.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/07/09/recreational-trails-program-passes/

Jul 07 2012

Electric Trail Bikes

Are eBikes Legal on Trails?

I have discussed the legalities of electric bikes on trails numerous times in the hallowed halls of the Trails Network Blog. So I won’t belabor the ethics & legalities of electric vehicles on public paths in this particular blog post. Here’s the bottom-line. Electric bikes are allowed on some trails and not on others. Where they are allowed, there are often very specific rules that determine the extent of their use. In most cases, pedal-assist bikes are permitted even if they aren’t technically allowed on a trail. Often times, the local authorities either:

  • don’t know the rules themselves.
  • have bigger fish to fry than electric bike users.
  • have no idea you’re on a pedal-assisted or electric bike.

Electric Bike Producers, Sellers & Resellers

Below is a list of just some of the companies that make and/or sell electric bikes or pedal-assisted bicycles:

Of course this is just a small but diverse sample of the many electric bike, electric personal transportation vehicles and pedal assist bicycles out there. We’ll run more electric vehicle reviews in future Trailsnet blog posts. In the meantime, leave a comment sharing your experience with electric bikes or evehicles of any kind. As you know, we’re huge fans of personal transportation vehicles… especially if they can be ridden on trails!!

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/07/07/electric-trail-bikes/