tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564958057737541664.post3905325789752430623..comments2024-02-14T17:11:22.168-08:00Comments on On Bicycles, and.... what else is there?: Mountain View streets: Pedestrian and Cycling Friendly?djconnelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01484858820878605035noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564958057737541664.post-30612708803032422132011-09-05T18:43:11.477-07:002011-09-05T18:43:11.477-07:00Thanks for those suggestions! I've ridden on ...Thanks for those suggestions! I've ridden on neither Latham nor Montecito. I'll look for those!djconnelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01484858820878605035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564958057737541664.post-67128178144036217772011-09-05T18:33:39.354-07:002011-09-05T18:33:39.354-07:00I live in Mountain View and bike to work in Palo A...I live in Mountain View and bike to work in Palo Alto 5x/wk. I also bike my child (used to be 2 children) to preschool in Palo Alto 5x/wk when school is in session - I drop her off and then continue on to work.<br /><br />So my priorities are much more heavily weighted to safety than yours, and less towards speed. I can't go more than 10-12 mph with all that load anyway, and while I can accept _my_ falling off my bike (and it has happened, before children :), I would beat myself up forever if it happened to my child (or children).<br /><br />I almost never take California or Middlefield to go up the spine of the Peninsula. I _much_ prefer taking Latham or Montecito.<br /><br />Both are human scaled streets (1 lane in each direction), and don't have too many stop signs to break the flow.<br /><br />IIRC, Latham has no stop signs from Escuela to Ortega - just one light in the middle.<br /><br />Montecito is an official "bike boulevard" (yes, Mountain View has bike boulevards too) and is very pleasant to ride, at least from Shoreline to Rengstroff.<br /><br />Also, one of my neighbours who is on the Mountain View Bike/Ped committee says that they are considering a new bike boulevard, and are taking input into where it should be.<br /><br />So if you really care about bicyling in Mountain View, you know where you can direct your comments :)<br /><br />http://www.mountainview.gov/city_council/bcc/bicycle_pedestrian.asp<br /><br />-- Shankaritamtomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07224124264579397452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564958057737541664.post-88558039843814384122011-07-11T12:18:26.636-07:002011-07-11T12:18:26.636-07:00Michael Matthews takes Caltrain to Mountain View, ...Michael Matthews takes Caltrain to Mountain View, Light Rail to Middlefield, and walks from there, FWIW.murphstahoehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17378354136823393492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564958057737541664.post-29077806974745780322011-07-11T06:58:52.372-07:002011-07-11T06:58:52.372-07:00Thanks for that feedback! I really like alternate...Thanks for that feedback! I really like alternate views.<br /><br />Park and Bryant are in Palo Alto, not Mountain View, and part of my point is as you go from Palo Alto to Mt View to Sunnyvale / Santa Clara things get worse as roads get wider. Not primarily for safety reasons but due to riding time. And while Bryant is nice until it essentially terminates into a maze of residential circles, Park has a large number of stop signs which cyclists generally run... until Palo Alto's finest decide this is a scourge on the neighborhood and crack down with expensive tickets.<br /><br />I've not ridden in Germany. I have ridden in UK but took the train to clear the London sprawl zone. I've ridden in Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland, and Greece (as well as Viet Nam, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia) and in each the drivers were more respectful of cyclists than they are in the US. That's a more important factor than infrastructure. On the other hand, British and German drivers have a different reputation.<br /><br />So really the big deal for me isn't that Middlefield or Central or Mary or Maude are particularly dangerous. It's the interminable traffic lights. At work the mode share of cycling is no more than 1% (and walking essentially zero) despite a large density of residences near by. In contrast in San Francisco it's much higher, and it's also higher in Palo Alto.djconnelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01484858820878605035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564958057737541664.post-76954797012235464832011-07-10T23:05:15.534-07:002011-07-10T23:05:15.534-07:00This is interesting - like Brian P, I feel endange...This is interesting - like Brian P, I feel endangered on Castro Street MV due to the narrow road, and possibility of cars opening doors. I rarely take that route - because I feel it is unsafe! I certainly agree that some "wide" roads like central expressway are less safe due to the speed of the vehicles. Nevertheless, my main point was that Mountain View is one of the nicest places in the world to ride a bike. I have ridden bikes in many, many countries, and most of these 50 states... and Mountain View, in my estimation is a cycling utopia with generous bike lanes, and safe feeling roads. I have ridden all over Europe, and yes, there are small regions of cycling bliss - but honestly, the Peninsula has a MUCH higher density of cycling friendly routes than I ever encountered in countries that Americans often tout as being cycling utopias. Do you like riding on sidewalks? OK Germany is a decent place for cycling. Do you like bike lanes that abruptly end after A FEW HUNDRED FEET... and then start up again after 1/2 mile? If so, London is OK. Sure, there are always things that can be improved, here in Mountain View. Palo Alto has the wonderful Ellen Fletcher Bicycle boulevard - just a few blocks away from Central... OR Park Avenue that is almost as nice. That's two great alternatives within a mile of each other. They aren't much slower, either, due to road blocks that prohibit cars from crossing.. and due to 2 way stop signs that often let bikes cruise through. Finally, the bike sensors really work, and are nearly immediate when you arrive, at least on these roads. Sorry if my comment seems highly contradictory... I really like your blog, so I don't mean to say anything negative towards you. But I do want to point out to Peninsula residents that they are blessed with the highest density of cycling wonder in the world. We should give thanks for this awesomeness, and of course, continue to make improvements.Brian Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02002939644062470690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564958057737541664.post-18232450963879497592011-07-01T07:38:27.533-07:002011-07-01T07:38:27.533-07:00Fuklmar2: wider roads bring higher peak speeds (no...Fuklmar2: wider roads bring higher peak speeds (not necessarily higher averages, due to the time spent at traffic lights, and traffic since "everyone drives everywhere"). This is especially a problem at corners, which are designed for speed, and increase the chances of getting clipped. So I respect your preference, but I feel I'm more likely to get killed riding in the 'burbs than in San Francisco, and statistics support that. And Steven's Creek Trail is great, but for "up-down" Middlefield and California are very slow with the extreme light cycles.<br /><br />Brian: Castro is great for pedestrians. I actually like riding it because there's people there, not just cars, and while it's slow I enjoy being around real people.<br /><br />John: +1djconnelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01484858820878605035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564958057737541664.post-39199783248536529392011-07-01T06:39:09.711-07:002011-07-01T06:39:09.711-07:00I view it as tragically unfortunate that much of t...I view it as tragically unfortunate that much of the developing world has adopted something similar to the image of North Mathilda and what it stands for--people, mainly solitary individuals, moving at nominal high speed in gas burning vehicles of their own, from place of habitation to place of employment to place of consumer economic activity to place of mass entertainment and back--as the target model for their own aspirations. A dream which is dehumanizing, unsustainable, and unlivable. A dream which a few, like China, have achieved, and are taking to new levels of their own. What have we done, is not an unfair question at this point.John Romeo Alphahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01289456379789026152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564958057737541664.post-58580447106637905292011-06-30T21:36:43.092-07:002011-06-30T21:36:43.092-07:00Dan - I actually find Castro to be very dangerous ...Dan - I actually find Castro to be very dangerous to cyclists. The street parking causes people to "dive" in to spots without looking at all for a cyclist or pedestrians. Additionally, cars pull crazy uturns and such on Castro when they realize the missed a parking spot or drove past their destination. I've almost been hit several times, and I know other riders who have been hit. I try and avoid riding on Castro street for the most part.Brian Petersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16526342604881980594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1564958057737541664.post-35923235337972626182011-06-30T18:29:39.036-07:002011-06-30T18:29:39.036-07:00Going to have to disagree with you on this one... ...Going to have to disagree with you on this one... Mountain View paths and bike lanes are superb. There are legal ways around long waiting / trying to hit the left turn lanes. One example is simply using the cross walks. At each intersection, while you're cruising at 15mph towards a changing light, you have time to decide what the best strategy is for each intersection. For me, it's second nature. I love mountain view due to the abundance of wide, safe feeling, moderately-paced-traffic streets. Wide lanes mean more room for the cars to give you a generous berth.Brian Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02002939644062470690noreply@blogger.com