I have pedaled through lanes of traffic with motorized vehicles practically against my shoulders. I have also ridden through hairpin turns with nothing where a gust at my side, a rock against my tire could have sent me tumbling a few hundred meters down.
Still, there are some places I would never, ever ride. Among them are the vehicle lanes of most bridges, especially if they are long, high bridges--like the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge:
I recall reading, some time ago, that more people have committed suicide on the nearby Golden Gate Bridge than anyplace else in the world. (It seems that Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge in China has "overtaken" the Golden Gate in that category.) One can only wonder if the woman in the video was trying to end her life on the Bay's "other" bridge.
Still, there are some places I would never, ever ride. Among them are the vehicle lanes of most bridges, especially if they are long, high bridges--like the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge:
I recall reading, some time ago, that more people have committed suicide on the nearby Golden Gate Bridge than anyplace else in the world. (It seems that Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge in China has "overtaken" the Golden Gate in that category.) One can only wonder if the woman in the video was trying to end her life on the Bay's "other" bridge.
My local river crossing bridge used to insist that cyclists use the roadway. Now they insist that they share the narrow walkway with intruding lamp
ReplyDeleteposts.
Dismayed.
ReplyDeleteThe bicycle lanes on many bridges close at night (the specific hours are rarely to never posted, and may or may not be online buried deep in some bureaucracy's website on the eighth page of a FAQ), which makes it pretty easy to end up in a situation where the vehicle lane is your only choice. Earlier this year I did a long ride which began and ended near the western side of the Walkway Over the Hudson. We took the Metro-North up in the morning and rode over the walkway, but by the time we had finished, it was locked for the night. Fortunately the gate to the Mid-Hudson Bridge bike and pedestrian walkway was open, but only because the staff hadn't gotten around to locking it yet. If they had, we'd have had no way to get home except to ride in the car lanes. (Even if we'd had the legs ride back to the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge at night, its bike path also closes at 9pm.) Can you imagine the outcry if any bridge anywhere was closed to cars every night at 9pm?
ReplyDeleteEli--I understand your frustration. Here in NYC, Department of Transportation employees never seem to know which bridge walkways/bike lanes are open. So, I have pedaled 50 miles only to find I didn't have access to some bridge or another and had to find another way home, or wherever I was going.
ReplyDeleteColine--It seems transportation departments will insist that cyclists use the most hazardous parts of any facility. It's actually safer to use the roadways than the walkways on some bridges!
Anonymous--I agree.