Nov 17 2010

New York City introduces long-term bike plan

The Big Apple is onboard with the worldwide move toward more bicycle transportation and recreation.
It sounds like the New York city bicycle plan includes lots of bike lanes…

I didn’t read much about independent bike & pedestrian paths. I think that is vital to making the bike plan accessible to everyone. There are many (I would say the majority) of people who do not want to risk their lives in traffic to get from point a to point b. This is true of some commuters but especially of recreational riders. And all such city bike plans should include both commuters and recreational cyclists in the planning process.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/11/17/new-york-city-introduces-long-term-bike-plan/

Nov 16 2010

Mapquest unveils new bike routes mapping

Mapquest has announced a new “Bike Route” service in their mapping program.
As most of you know, Google already has a bike route option available for some of their mapping areas and is expanding that option daily.

I’m glad to see Mapquest jumping on the bandwagon, or in this case the tagalong.

What pleases me most is that it sounds like whenever/wherever possible, the bike route will involve trails instead of roads. I think that is critical for safety and enjoyability.

Hopefully the new mapquest bike
routes will direct bicycle riders
under roads instead of on them.

Here is a list of rules or criteria that Mapquest has applied to the new Bicycle Routes:

  • Avoids roads where bicycle access in OpenStreetMap is set to false
  • Avoids all limited access highways
  • Favors bike specific paths (road segments that have bicycle access only – no auto or pedestrian)
  • Favors walkways with no auto access
  • Applies various weights to roads based on the maxspeed tag (ex. favors routes where maxspeed <= 30 mph)
For more details, visit the mapquest blog page by following this link.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/11/16/mapquest-unveils-new-bike-routes-mapping/

Nov 15 2010

It’s time to add a third category of bikers

I may never have really given the issue of trail categories a second thought if I hadn’t started writing and publishing trail descriptions, guides, and reviews. In fact, I didn’t even really need to ponder the category issue on my own trailsnet website or trails network blog because the sites specialize in multi-use, multi-user trails that are  used by people of all ages and abilities.
Just because you’re on a bike in the
mountains, doesn’t mean you’re
mountain biking.
However, when I started writing trail guides and reviews for other companies/websites/ blogs, I was asked to classify the trails as either mountain bike or road bike. That quickly became frustrating, because most of the trails I rode fell into neither of those categories. They definitely were not on the road, because I avoid road-riding whenever possible. And mountain biking is what I used to do, back when I was childless, immortal, and invincible… oh yeah, and when I spent a lot more time in the mountains. But alas (or thank goodness, depending on your perspective) those days are behind me.
Then I started looking for trails, that were family friendly, knee friendly, and, well, just plain friendly. That’s when I discovered rail trails and other recreational trails that weren’t necessarily mountain bike trails. These trails were scenic, they were fun, they allowed riders to pull tagalongs and strollers. And life was good…
Except for two problems. First, the trails were hard to find because there weren’t any websites for them; and two, there was no official category for this type of biking. And there still isn’t. As you can see, it isn’t mountain biking because it often isn’t in the mountains and it isn’t the crazy, roller-coasterish type biking that is associated with mountain biking. And (my favorite part) it isn’t done on the roads.
So my solution is apolitical. I say we just call it trail biking. It’s not only for the gonzo, speed-demon, over-the-top daredevils (although it does not necessarily exclude them) that are drawn to mountain biking. It can be practiced in any part of the country by seniors, youth, parents, toddlers in bike trailers, athletes, non-athletes, commuters, recreationalists… the list goes on.
It is a very inclusive type of biking that encourages family togetherness, exercise, ecotravel, energy conservation and so on.
I think that by adding the category of trail biking, it would be more inviting and less intimidating to those, like me, who just like to venture forth on our bikes for a relaxing jaunt on the trail, whether that trail is a half mile or 150 miles.
I know that’s a bit of a ramble, but I’m on a roll. It’s time to open up biking to everyone.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/11/15/its-time-to-add-a-third-category-of-bikers/

Nov 15 2010

A trail guide for Rockingham Recreational Trail in New Hampshire is now available on Everytrail

Hurry, hurry, read all about it!!

There’s finally a trail guide available for New Hampshire’s Rockingham Recreational Trail.

Rockingham Recreational Trail
in New Hampshire

Of course the trailsnet guide for the Rockingham trail has been available for almost a year now, but now there’s an Everytrail interactive trail guide you can download right to your smart phone (such as Android & iPhone).

This will allow you to pack everything you need to know about the trail (directions to trail, parking, food, distance/length, trail map, pictures, points of interest, etc.)

If you haven’t experienced one of these yet, give it a try using the Rockingham rec trail guide.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/11/15/a-trail-guide-for-rockingham-recreational-trail-in-new-hampshire-is-now-available-on-everytrail/

Nov 14 2010

Bicycle Haikus

The Yen of bicycling
(or something like that)

   Bicycling is zenlike
Until a car sideswipes you
  That’s why I like trails

Okay, maybe I should stick to prose. But here is the natural progression of life:

  • Man discovers bikes.
  • Man rides bikes.
  • Man writes Haikus about bikes.
It’s inevitable. No trend is complete until there is a haiku page dedicated to it.
So here it is: a haiku page for bicycling. Enjoy. There’s even a haiku that links bicycles w/ Queen. (The Freddy Mercury one, not the Elizabeth one.)
In addition, I added the Bike Reader website to our blogroll on the left. I love it. More on that later.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/11/14/bicycle-haikus/

Nov 13 2010

Rails to Trails Conservancy features Santa Fe Trail in Winter Magazine

Aahh, this month’s Rails to Trails magazine brought back fond memories of my time spent pedaling my bike on the Santa Fe Rail Trail in Santa Fe, New Mexico.


As I wrote about in an earlier blog, I loved the ease with which I could ride the trail in Santa Fe, then ride the rail to Albuquerque. It brought the whole rail-trail experience full circle.

I hitched a ride from Boulder, CO to Santa Fe. Well I didn’t literally hitch a ride since it was my own car and my dad drove it, but…

Anyway, I spent the night in Santa Fe, then rode the Santa Fe Rail Trail the next day. It didn’t take me long to figure out that it wasn’t a typical rail trail. First, it resembled a dirt bike trail more than a typical flat rail trail. Second, it was less of a rail to trail than a rail beside trail since it ran beside an active railroad track the entire way.

I had a great time on the trail, but the experience that stuck out the most for me was loading my bike on the Rail Runner Express and riding smack-dab through Native American reservations to Albuquerque. It was as if the whole rail/trail experience came full circle. It started with the Santa Fe Railroad, then a bike trail was built, and now the two are connected with a trail beside a rail and a railroad trip to Albuquerque. Of course, then I flew home, but airplanes have no place in this particular circle of recreation story.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/11/13/rails-to-trails-conservancy-features-santa-fe-trail-in-winter-magazine/