bicycle courtesy and the new bike hiway

[sauerkraut]

When I run I just keep to the right side of the trail. I have no problems with bikes or rollerbladers, It does get to be a bit of a pain when there's tons of cyclists, as was the case two weeks ago on the Olentangy jogging trail in Columbus, Ohio. I don't know what was going on but the trail was full of bikes- it was  group after group of bikes flying by. I don't know if it was a cycling club out for a ride or some bike race going on or what- anyhow I just kept to the right and let them pass me. My biggest complaint is dogs, I find dogs the biggest pest on the trail and careless dog owners. Let dog owners use the dog parks and let the joggers have the trails.[]

[sauerkraut]

I was surprised by the comments of joggers and bike riders posted here. I thought Tulsa built a seprate trails one trail for us runners and one for the cyclists. Maybe the cyclists in Tulsa are more agressive or something than cyclists on our Ohio trails. I have ran the RiverSide trail alot and never had trouble with bikes or rollerbladers. I have not seen the new trail yet. I was last in Tulsa in early 2007. The Olentangy trail in Columbus, Ohio is very busy on weekends it's like a rush hour on the freeway, runners, bikes, walkers, rollerbladers all fighting for trail space, and  it's a bear just to find a parking spot. Sometimes you have to drive to another trail head just to park. I have been doing most of my running on the Heritage Trail in Hilliard, Ohio it's closer to my home and not as busy and parking is better. All the trails get busy on weekends.

[sauerkraut]

quote:Originally posted by bacjz00

quote:Originally posted by RecycleMichael

I was in Madison, Wisconsin last week and bikes were everywhere. Thousands of bikes...everywhere...

I noticed that many of the bikes had baskets and racks and special-made backpacks. People actually carried quite a bit of stuff with them while they road. Textbooks, groceries, laptops, all carried while they bike.

I never see anyone in Tulsa ever carry anything with them while they bike. There is that one guy who pulls a trailer, but I don't think he is what I would call utilitarian is his method.

Madison is home to one of the top 10 largest public universities in the US.  Their enrollment tops 40,000.  I would be more surprised if you DIDN'T see lots of bicycles there.  

Don't even get me started on higher-ed in Tulsa.  But let's just say we're about as POLAR opposite from Madison when it comes to the bike-riding demographic.

I understand Madison  has tons of trails I have never been there, but I heard about them.. The city of Omaha also has a great system of trails like a interstate highway for bikes & joggers with no street crossings. Very nice. I guess cyclists have differant issues and problems  over runners for one thing they can't stop as fast as a runner can or react to avoid a object in the trail as fast as a runner can. I have not rode a bike in over 10 years I'm just not into cycling.. I like running much more. But it seems to me both groups (bikes and runners) have trouble with dogs.

[sauerkraut]

In 3 weeks I'd like to enter a 10 mile race. I'm doing alot of training. That 5K I ran last month was great. There is nothing like the feeling you get crossing the finish line and having a chick put a medal around your neck and give ya a big kiss. I pulled in a second place for my age group in the Pancake 5K last month.

[sauerkraut]

I just finished a 6-mile run, 3 miles down the trail & 3 miles back and my time was in the dumper. I need to do more speed work to reach my goal.[B)]

[patric]

quote:Originally posted by patric

The bicycle enthusiasts among us are probably familiar with the "Critical Mass" ride to promote alternatives to automobile-choked streets, with celebrations from California to New York.

The one in New York was marred when police claimed that one bicyclist was alleged to have deliberately driven his bicycle into a police officer.  The man was subsequently charged with  blocking traffic, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and assault.  Case closed.

Funny thing about public celebrations is that there are lots of people taking pictures, and this video was recently posted to YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUkiyBVytRQ
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10001149-93.html

The resolution:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/charges-dropped-against-shoved-cyclist/?hp

Charges Against Shoved Cyclist Are Dropped
Prosecutors dropped charges on Friday morning, as expected, against the bicyclist who was shoved off his bike in July by a police officer in Times Square. The confrontation between the cyclist, Christopher Long, and a New York City police officer, Patrick Pogan, was captured on amateur video and circulated widely over the Internet.

Mr. Long, 29, had been charged with assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct on July 25 after Officer Pogan wrote in his report that Mr. Long had been weaving in and out of traffic and that he had deliberately hit the officer with his bicycle.

But video recorded by an onlooker soon surfaced on YouTube, showing Officer Pogan lowering his shoulder and shoving Mr. Long off his bike on Seventh Avenue at 46th Street as Mr. Long tried to steer out of the way. (Officer Pogan was stripped of his badge and gun and placed on desk duty pending the completion of an investigation into his conduct.)

Mr. Long, who appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court on Friday morning, wearing a plaid blue shirt and gray slacks, seemed to shy away from the attention and gave only a brief statement outside the courthouse.

"I'm just relieved the prosecution's over," he said. "I'm going to go back to normalcy."

He added: "This isn't the first time that we've clearly demonstrated police misconduct and brutality, and people are prosecuted. I'm just relieved that the prosecutors did take steps to stop the prosecution."

Mr. Long has seemed to attract a bit of a cult following. Several people who have ridden in the Critical Mass bike rides -- which Mr. Long was participating in when he was pushed, and which for years have had a troubled relationship with the police -- showed up in court and applauded when the judge ordered the case dismissed. A court officer quickly quieted them down. One of the supporters had a camcorder and was taping Mr. Long as he walked through the lobby of the courthouse, but again, court officers quickly intervened and demanded that the footage be erased.