From: dominic@scooter.genie.uottawa.ca (Dominic Richens)
Subject: Re: Bicycle lanes!
Followup-To: rec.bicycles.misc,ott.general
Originator: dominic@
Reply-To: dominic@shamin.genie.uottawa.ca
Organization: MCRLab - University of Ottawa
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 92 20:36:42 GMT


In article <1992Sep10.231339.19868@bcrka451.bnr.ca>, nadeau@bnr.ca (Rheal Nadeau) writes:
! In article <1992Sep8.183508.25325@csi.uottawa.ca> pete@aix1.uottawa.ca (Pete Hickey) writes:
! >They've painted messages (`wear your helmet' and `Be visible') on
! >the lanes which are upside-down on the left side message, which 
! >indicates that they are bi-directional lanes.  

[...discussion and neet pictures deleted about new Hull bike lanes...]

! How long before it looks like this?
! 
! >   |       |       |          ||          |      |        |
! >   |       |       |          ||          |      ______   |
! >   |       |       |          ||          |      |    |   |
! >   | Bikes | parked|  Cars    ||  Cars    |      |van  \  |
! >   |       | cars  |          ||          |      |____|   |
! >   |   |   |       |    |     ||   /|\    |       |    /|\|
! >   |  \|/  |       |    |     ||    |     |   ______   /  |
! >   |       |       |   \|/    ||    |     |   |    |  |   |
! >   |       |       |          ||          |   |car |      |
! >   |       |       |          ||          |   |____|      |
! 

I think Hull city planners should visit the Netherlands sometime.  I was in
Delft last summer, and they used a setup like this:

##|     |##|      |          ||          |      |##|     |#
# |     |##|      |          ||          |  ____|##|     |#
#S|     |##|      |          ||          | |    |##|     |
#i|Bikes|##|parked|  Cars    ||  Cars    | |van  \#|     |S
#d|     |##|cars  |          ||          | |____|##|     |i
#e|  |  |##|      |    |     ||   /|\    |%%    |##| /|\ |d
# | \|/ |##|  %%% |    |     ||    |     |  ____|##|  |  |e
#w|     |##/_%%%  |   \|/    ||    |     | |    |##|  |  |
#a|     |#||  |   |          ||          | |car |##|     |w
#l|     |#||B |   |          ||          | |____|##|Bikes|a
#k|     |#||u |   |          ||          | %    |##|     |l
# |     |#||s |   |          ||          |  %   \##|     |k
##|     |#||__|   |          ||          | %     |#|     |
##|     |##\      |          ||          |  Bus  |#|     |#
##|     |##|      |          ||          |  Stop |#|     |#
##|     |##|      |          ||          |       |#|     |#
##|     |##|      |          ||          |      /##|     |#


Legend
------
# - concrete median
% - exhaust

The concrete medians were wide enough to accomodate people waiting for the
bus, and for delivery vans to pile goods.  The resulting width of the street 
is equivalent to, say, the Rideau bus mall (ack!), in Ottawa.

There was also separate traffic lights at intersection for the bike lanes,
with various side walks and medians set up to protect the cyclist to make
them feel more at ease.  There were also bicycle bridges that crossed the 
canals, so that it was always faster to cross town on a bicycle (any old
clanker) than to take a car.


-- 
!@$^&*)($#$@!@#$^&*()_+_)(*&^$#@!$^&*()_+)(*&^$#@$^&*+_(*&^$#@#^&*()&*$#@(*&+_$!
 Dominic Richens  :  dominic@shamin.genie.uottawa.ca  :  Tel. (613) 564 9911 
      MCRLab, Dept of Elec Eng, University of Ottawa, K1N 6N5, CANADA   
"You construct intricate rituals which allow you to touch the skin of other men"