Post by edthebiker on Dec 3, 2019 21:08:51 GMT
A two-way bike path is definitely inferior to 2 x one-way bike paths. It's natural for any vehicle driver to only look towards approaching traffic when exiting a driveway. The cyclists approaching from the "unnatural" direction will get crushed, no doubt about it. Looking at the artist renderings, it would seem much more desirable to take the wide brick buffer away and use the space for two one-way bike lanes on either side of the road. Further, the car/bike buffer need not be a 4" painted strip as suggested in a rebuttal but rather a cross-hatched zone. Even approaching cyclists on this two-way path will converge at an alarming rate. As a cyclist who rides in downtown Boston daily (mainly on the Charles River bike path), the potential for accidents is extremely high. I don't ride in downtown Hopkinton, but if I did, I'd much rather take my chances on the primary roadway with my collection of front and rear blinking lights - better for cars to see you in the clear rather than hidden behind parked cars (where they are not looking anyway). In summary, the two-way bike path idea is a loser and must be eliminated from consideration if your aim is to make a safer system than what we have now.
I've asked the sender to please send his email to HopNews as well.