Sunday, September 14, 2008

Defending Forester

I've written a lot recently about writing about reasons why I posted the John Forester article a week or two ago. Instead of a post about it - I've instead responded at length to the challenging comments that were left for me.

The relavant posts and comments are here and here.

1 comment:

chiggins said...

Okay, so now I'm going to share a couple things that have happened since I read your post, and watched Mr. Forester's lecture.

I've noticed that the "progress" being made in D.C. is mostly streets getting bike lanes. And on most of those streets, I don't feel comfortable going much more than 8-12 because the city's decided to make me safer by forcing me into the doorzone, and because they use a solid line instead of a dashed one to mark the lane, leading to much confusion at right turns. It's mostly okay, I just ride the longtail to make 8-12 entertaining.

I am looking at what passes for infrastructure around here with a different eye, and sense the danger in places that were ostensibly designed to make me safer, and I owe that to looking further into Forester's (and Jeffrey Hiles's) research and writing.

I've also watched a few videos demonstrating some of the principles in action, used some of the techniques deliberately and effectively, and have been pleased with the results.

I'll likely get to reading Effective Cycling (though both toddlers can sense any book being opened anywhere in the house, so it may be a few years). But I gotta say, as far as separate infrastructure goes, I've ridden the separated bike lanes on 9th Ave. in NY, the closest experience to the Dutch ideal, and it was delightful.