Those of you who follow this blog on Twitter & Facebook know I post a few pics of the new protected bike lane last week. I’d read about it in an article on the 18th or 19th:
The city also announced the addition of its first parking-protected bike lane downtown on Chestnut Street between Fourth and 20th streets. It uses parked cars and flexible posts to separate the cycling lane from the driving lane. A striped buffer painted on the street also creates space between open car doors and the bike lane. (Post-Dispatch)
It was a few days before I could get over to Chestnut to see in person, passing by at 15th headed to transit.
On Wednesday July 22 @9;15am I was disappointed to see a long line of cars parked in the bike lane. Traffic Commissioner Deanna Venker told me work wasn’t finished yet.The following morning, Thursday July 23 @ 11am, I was again headed this direction. This time the poles were in place and it was being respected.
With the bike lane running for 16 blocks, 20th t0 4th, I knew I couldn’t just cross at a single point and expect to understand it. If I wasn’t disabled, biking the mile distance would be the best way to experience it. Friday morning I started at 20th and made my way East to 4th, mostly on the adjacent sidewalk or at crosswalks. Let’s start at 20th:
Looking West we see the I-64 off-ramp. A dashed line would help guide motorists to the leftFrom the NE corner, looking SW. toward Aloe Plaza & Union StationA Facebook commenter pointed out many like to load/unload in front of Anthem. If they do now traffic flow will be blockedIt appeared the city plans to paint a crosswalk mid-block, but no curb cuts existAt 18th Street the bike lane remains protected, though drivers & cyclists still need to worry about right-turning cars or left-turning bikes. The city vacated 19th Street decades ago.I saw two different cyclists using the new bike lane during the 45 minutes I was next to itIn this block auto parking is on both sides of a single traffic lane, which the city truck had blocked.At the former 16th Street we see the narrow public walkway, the dashed blue I added shoes that an ADA-conpliant crosswalk is needed here. Click image to see October 2013 post on this subject.Looking East from 15th toward 14th the day before, the angled parking is now back-in style. Auto traffic now has 2 EB lanes.View from the sidewalk, also from Thursday, Back-in parking is safer for cyclists than front-inFriday no cars were parked here, looking West from 14th back toward 15thStill looking West, now from the other side of 14th, we can see the big jog to the left for both cyclists & motorists .Looking West from 13th toward 14thI don’t recall angled parking in front of Soldiers Memorial before
So 20th to 15th is parking-protected, 15th to Tucker (12th) isn’t:
Protected: 5 blocks
Exposed: 3 blocks
As we continue East across Tucker things get more complicated. Also back to a single lane for vehicular traffic.
Diagonal back-in parking continues…brieflyThis is probably the single most controversial part of the route, the second half of this block has a conventional exposed bike lane. Hope drivers know to get over to the left.Looking East toward 11th, not sure why the bike lane isn’t on the right side of these parked cars. I see two possibilities: 1) not enough width, and 2) would create an angle crossing 11th.At 11th looking back WestIf more width was needed to protect the bike lane there’s extra on the north side of the streetLooking East across 11th, if the lane on the prior block were protected the angle here would be greater, but still better than the one a half a block backThe lane resumes being protected by parking East of 11th. Twain is on the right,Looking back West from 10thThe first block adjacent to Citygarden is protectedThe 2nd block, East of 9th, starts off protected — but I found a Ford Focus parked in the bike lane. It had two tickets.Looking West from 8th we see the bike lane goes around the delivery area. The white truck belongs to workers on the bike lane.Still looking West, now from the other side of 8th. I’m concerned about vehicles turning right from EB Chestnut onto SB 8th. Will they cut through the delivery area?The block from 8th to 7th is protected by parked cars. I do anticipate problems with people mot seeing disable;ed parking signs, especially back by Tucker. .Curb bulbs are great for pedestrians, bad for protected bike lanes. The last 3 blocks are exposed.Looking West from Broadway (5th), great potential for conflict with right-turning cars.Looking East from Broadway. Why wasn’t the single row of parking placed to protect the bike lane?And finally a taxi that sat in the bike lane through 2 cycles of traffic lights before turning left onto NB 4th
So Tucker to 4th the break down is:
Protected: 3.5 blocks
Exposed: 4.5 blocks
Which gives us totals of:
Protected: 8.5 blocks
Exposed: 7.5 blocks
Of the 16 blocks from 20th to 4th, just over half (53.125%) are protected.
The new white stripes look great against the dark black asphalt, but how will this look in a few years when both fade? I’d like to see the bike half block next to the Civil Courts be protected. When Kiener Plaza gets rebuilt hopefully those two blocks can become protected.
Tomorrow night is one of my favorite events — the World Naked Bike Ride:
The World Naked Bike Ride in St. Louis is part of an international event to raise awareness of cyclist rights and vulnerability on the road, and promote positive body image and protest oil dependency.
This year’s 8th annual World Naked Bike Ride in St. Louis will take place on Saturday, July 18. The pre-ride WNBR festival and rally will take place on Manchester Ave. in the Grove, between Sarah and Kentucky. Stay tuned for more details on the time of the event!
Click image to hear a webinar featuring author Carlton Reid
When I had my stroke in February 2008 I owned 5-6 bicycles, the oldest was a very original 1950s Huffy. I kept my bright orange Kronan, a reproduction of a single-speed WWII Swedish Army bike, as art. I love all things bicycle.
My library includes a few coffee table books on bicycles and their history. Those books briefly touch on early dirt roads and how cyclists pushed for better roads on which to ride, but they quickly get into the various bike designs, mechanicals, etc. A new book just out focuses not on bicycles, but on the early cyclist’s push for better roads. In ‘Roads Were Not Built for Cars: How Cyclists were the First to Push for Good Roads & Became the Pioneers of Motoring’ author Carlton Reid goes into great detail, from publisher Island Press:
In Roads Were Not Built for Cars, Carlton Reid reveals the pivotal—and largely unrecognized—role that bicyclists played in the development of modern roadways. Reid introduces readers to cycling personalities, such as Henry Ford, and the cycling advocacy groups that influenced early road improvements, literally paving the way for the motor car. When the bicycle morphed from the vehicle of rich transport progressives in the 1890s to the “poor man’s transport” in the 1920s, some cyclists became ardent motorists and were all too happy to forget their cycling roots. But, Reid explains, many motor pioneers continued cycling, celebrating the shared links between transport modes that are now seen as worlds apart. In this engaging and meticulously researched book, Carlton Reid encourages us all to celebrate those links once again.
Allow the cyclist to secure both wheels & frame to the rack
Support bikes that don’t have kickstands
Position the bike so as not block the public sidewalk
Are located near the entrance
When downtown’s grocery store, Culinaria, opened in August 2009 they had bike parking but missed on all four of the above points.
When Culinaria opened in August 2009 I was disappointed by the four “dish drainer” bike racks along 9th Street
The “dish drainer” is the worst urban bike rack.
Over a year ago when I was working with Culinaria’s new manager, Adam Scheer, on reducing the number of cafe tables blocking the public sidewalk (see Balancing Sidewalk Seating & Walkability at Culinaria) I also discussed bike parking with him. A few weeks later he told me they were working on new bike parking — which was just completed.
May 26th I posted this image to Twitter & Facebook of the new rack being installed on 9th StreetWhen I returned yesterday installation was completeCloser view of the rack using previously wasted right-of-way
High visibility is a boost for cycling — everyone coming/going at Culinaria will see the bike parking — hopefully cyclists will begin using it in large numbers.
Yesterday morning only one bike was parked in front of the store, narrowing the sidewalk.
I’m not sure if they plan to remove the four dish drainer racks, I mentioned that when I emailed them sharing my pleasure at the new rack on 9th near the entry.
Many thought we’d never get a bike station — a place to shower, change clothes, and store your bike. After it opened the question became how long would it remain open? Today marks four years, in that time Trailnet moved their offices from a storefront space at 16th & Washington to an upper floor of the same building as the bike station. Also, local retailer Big Shark Bicycle Co opened Urban Shark in a connected space — offering service & sales.
A large crowd of supporters gathered for the ribbon cutting on Thursday April 28, 2011
For more information on daily, monthly, & annual memberships click here. I know when I commuted to work by bike in the late 90s I was glad my employer had a locker & shower I could use, this is an important asset for downtown as not all employers have such facilities.
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