Ottakee Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 I wish we did. We live in the country on a very busy 55+mph road with no bike lane. Our road is also a truck route. We could manage to ride to town (about 12 miles away) and avoid most traffic if we go across to the township park and then take gravel roads 6 miles where we could ride through a trailer park and catch the bike path. The problem is that the gravel roads are really loose rocky gravel, nothing nice and packed down for riding. Dh has done it but I have not done it with the girls yet. I love country living but it would be very nice to have a SAFE place to ride our bikes--even if just down to the mini mart 2 1/2 miles away (the closest thing to us). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnitWit Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 No, we do not. I could have written your post, OP. I wish we did. I LOVE living *out*, but sometimes I wish we lived in an area conducive to biking/walking and people living above their businesses. It just isn't going to happen where we are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lotsofpumpkins Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 No. We live in a rural area. We ride our bikes around on the roads right around our house (not out on the main highway), but we could never do what that lady does. It's 50 miles roundtrip for groceries, on a highway with lots of logging trucks. The library in our small town is about 15 miles roundtrip, on that same busy highway. So, nope, we will not be giving up our van! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsbaby Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Nope. We're out in the country. All the roads around here are two lane windy backroads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 No.... and it's scary at times. The city just put in bike lanes in some parts but they are very narrow, and end abruptly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amydavis Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 No, I wish that we did. We are definitely rural. We drive 30-45 minutes each time we go into town. That whole way is one highway and then the interstate. So, nope...not gonna happen. Even to go into the other nearby town is 15-20 minutes by car, and all of that is long, narrow, curvy country roads (not safe). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 As a serious mode of transportation, no. There are a few neighborhoods close to the grocery store but the roads on both sides of the store are 55 mph. As a form of sports or entertainment, we have a trail called the Greenway that people can walk, run, or bike on. It's a pleasant walk under the trees so a great place to walk on a hot day. But I actually don't like to go because of the bikes whizzing past. Frankly, they scare me. I just know I'm going to get run down one day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Yes and no. Our school, park, pool, amd downtown are all within easy biking and even walking distance if you want to do something in town. It takes me 5 minutes to walk to our corner grocery and meat market, and I ride my bike sometimes though it's easier for me to carry things when I walk. But there is no way I would attempt to ride a bike on the highway that leads to the city where we do most of our shopping, work, church, etc., even if the 16-mile trip one way made that practical. There is a wide shoulder, but with all the trucks and wide loads (we have a lot of windmills going up in our part of the state) and farm equipment that make use of that area as well, it just isn't safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 I wish we did. We live in the country on a very busy 55+mph road with no bike lane. Our road is also a truck route. We could manage to ride to town (about 12 miles away) and avoid most traffic if we go across to the township park and then take gravel roads 6 miles where we could ride through a trailer park and catch the bike path. The problem is that the gravel roads are really loose rocky gravel, nothing nice and packed down for riding. Dh has done it but I have not done it with the girls yet. I love country living but it would be very nice to have a SAFE place to ride our bikes--even if just down to the mini mart 2 1/2 miles away (the closest thing to us). Yes we do. Whenever dh was looking for a job it was a requirement. He bikes to work, and I bike most errands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilly Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 I live in a bike-friendly town. There are paths throughout the city. The problem is they are quite crowded with serious bikers, and I wouldn't feel comfortable taking the kids out on them to get around. I am sure we would be run down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Yes, for the most part. There are lots of designated bike lanes on local roads and bike paths. Whether the vehicle drivers are completely "bike friendly" is another story. There is a bit of a love/hate relationship going on, as many vehicle drivers are in their own rushed world and don't drive courteously toward anyone including cyclists, and many bikers don't follow the road signs, such as stop signs, one-way signs, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoyOBoy Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 My husband is temporarily in Northampton, MA (2 mo summer internship). He only has a bike and said bikes are used a lot there for transportation, including to work. Bike trails, low speed limits, etc. We are going to visit soon and I wish my kids knew how to ride so we could explore that way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 No. They put in bike lanes on a narrow two lane road. It makes no sense and when there are bike riders it becomes a two way one lane road. I have tried walking the dog all over town and there are spots with no sidewalks and major traffic. Plus we have right turn on red and we have had too many close calls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 No. There are bike lanes but I would never feel safe. If you have time, watch Urbanized. There's a segment in biking in Denmark. They have a biciycle lane to the side of parking. Very very clever and safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Yes. We are just outside Portland Oregon which is considered one of the most bike friendly cities in the US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 I wish we did. We live in the country on a very busy 55+mph road with no bike lane. Our road is also a truck route. We could manage to ride to town (about 12 miles away) and avoid most traffic if we go across to the township park and then take gravel roads 6 miles where we could ride through a trailer park and catch the bike path. The problem is that the gravel roads are really loose rocky gravel, nothing nice and packed down for riding. Dh has done it but I have not done it with the girls yet. I love country living but it would be very nice to have a SAFE place to ride our bikes--even if just down to the mini mart 2 1/2 miles away (the closest thing to us). We're in the same boat (busy country road with no bike lanes). We only live about 3 miles from town (less from where the bike lanes begin), but there are some lethal curves between our house and town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bug's Mom Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 It's ok. A lot of drivers do NOT like cyclists. Part of the problem is that a lot of cyclists ignore the rules of the road. They are talking about adding some bike lanes. That would be awesome. There are a lot of bike/walking trails around. Dd & I bike to the libraries quite often and to her GS meetings...stuff like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiana Daniels Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 We portray ourselves as a bike-friendly town, but I don't believe it with all the crosses on the side of the road and news stories about accidents. Very sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnitWit Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 http://letsgorideabike.com/blog/ This blog makes me envious. :lol: I want that Dutch bike! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Very cool, but between 40 below winters with knee deep snow, and living out in the middle of no where it would never work. Now in vancouver or something urban with a milder climate Sure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 No. Kids riding to friends' houses within the neighborhood *could* be okay during the day, avoiding certain streets. But outside of our development would be crazy. Most of our streets are 45-55mph, windy, hilly, and with little to no shoulder. It's often just a white line next to a guard rail along some pretty steep valleys. Our in-neighborhood streets are lined with drainage gullies. Even if it were proper to ride on sidewalks, there are none to speak of in this area. And when I say hilly, my house is at about 1800ft above sea level. Our supermarket, 9 miles down the road, is at 745ft above sea level. And you have to go UP hill part of the way to get there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkInTheBlue Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Not at all. There are very, very few sidewalks and the town is very spread out. I can walk about 3/4 mile to a new, bigger Dollar General, but grocery stores and any other chores at all are very spread out. I'm in a town of about 75,000 - 80,000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 I so wish we did, but no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 When I was growing up, we lived in a small town and often biked along the rural highways. We brought my kid sister from the time she was 5yo. If the kids can be trusted to follow the rules, it's not really dangerous. Right now, I live in a hilly area and my 5yos are not quite ready to deal with the hills. Hopefully we soon will be able to bike by walking our bikes part of the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Biking or walking on our streets is taking your life in your hands on not much more than a hope and a prayer. Our city isn't even public transit friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tress Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Oh, yes! :001_smile: We have bike lanes everywhere. It is generally easier and faster to travel by bike than to use the car. My husband has the car during the weekdays and I go everywhere by bike. Now, if I could get it to stop raining almost every day ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 I do now, but growing up it was all gravel. I still have some of the scars. Even in a bike-friendly area, though, it's scary sometimes. People have funny ideas about what speed limits mean in residential neighborhoods (25 here, but I'm quite sure some people pass my house going 50). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 We ride bikes around here close to home, but it's hard to really go anywhere as we have 3 miles of loose gravel before we get to any pavement. I know a few people that do ride bikes regularly, but here you are more likely to see a horse tied outside of the grocery store than a bike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamzanne Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Yes! Our city has over 120 miles of bike paths, seven bike bridges, and advanced intersections to accomodate bicycles. We are very bicycle friendly, but there are still several deaths caused by vehicle/bicycle collisions each year. Bicyclists get too confident sometimes. I admit that I feel like bicyclists should either decide to ride as a pedestrian or ride in traffic and follow all rules of whichever they choose. It is annoying to me that bicyclists here ride in traffic but then zip through intersections without stopping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefragile7393 Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Heeeeeeeeeck no. This city is very jacked up.....things are poorly laid out around here. The drivers are very disrespectful of bicyclists, too many bicyclists don't even know the traffic laws, and others disregard the traffic laws. Too dangerous. If I lived in a part of town where needed facilities are nearby, I would consider it. For commuting all over here though, no way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 No way. We live in a very busy city with no sidewalks and CRAZY drivers. It is so bad that we finally just sold the kids' bikes because they weren't using them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 (edited) YES! I love that we live in a bike friendly city. I live in a major city, hopped on my bike FROM HOME last Sunday and did 18 miles crossing roads only a handfull of times, which included beautiful routes along the Mississippi River, under our baseball stadium, past lakes and through many cool neighborhoods/shops along the way. Our city totally rocks in this regard. http://www.bikewalktwincities.org/maps-routes/bike-maps Not only that, they've installed a bike sharing system all over our cities. You can buy a subscription or you can buy one visit. There are stations everywhere now including within 3 blocks of my house. You can pick one up and leave it at any other station. https://www.niceridemn.org/ Note we're #1 for biking cities! http://www.bicycling.com/news/featured-stories/bicyclings-top-50 People commute by bike year round. Do you see the bike in my avatar?!? I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! :D ETA - one of my huge pet peeves are (normally men on road) bikes that think they own the road. There is ZERO excuse here for that behavior. Edited July 5, 2012 by kck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeFe Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 Our city is becoming more bike friendly. We have bike lanes but I wouldn't ride in them. We do have a great trail system called the Monon that is great for biking. http://www.carmel.in.gov/index.aspx?page=309 Our city has over 80 traffic circles. They seem to help traffic flow better and are generally safer for motorist and bikers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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