tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37888568.post3911735851621130289..comments2023-12-10T07:53:40.265-06:00Comments on KC Bike Commuting: May Day! May Day!Noahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271155305943176738noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37888568.post-8123425853595932102008-05-01T19:14:00.000-05:002008-05-01T19:14:00.000-05:00I'm alive.That whole stretch of 87th street is sim...I'm alive.<BR/><BR/>That whole stretch of 87th street is simply BRUTAL. Motorists regularly blast through at 60 miles per hour or even faster. The lanes are convoluted and if you're not going at least 30 MPH, the yellow light and the delay for the green are simply not long enough for anyone to get through the intersections. <BR/><BR/>Traffic engineers, concerned with getting a few million more cars shuffled onto and off of the highway per year, sure got their wish. City planners, who wanted a snazzy, pretty bridge with streetscape got theirs as well. Pedestrians and cyclists still have few safe ways to get from one side of I-35 to the other, aside from using the pedestrian bridge on Quivira, which is also convoluted and (IMHO) dangerous, just not as bad.<BR/><BR/>Case and point, getting from my apartment (right near where this crash occurred) at 85th and Monrovia to the JoCo Library at 87th and Farley, my best bet would be to take monrovia across 87th, take Santa Fe Trail drive up to the viaduct to cross I-35, ride down to 91st street, then go east to Farley and north. A genuine pain in the butt. I usually ride on 87th, or VERY, VERY, VERY carefully on the sidewalk on 87th. And I don't simply obey traffic laws, because on 87th street, that's how people like this guy get hurt. No one else obeys the laws, so you have to not only wait to get a crosswalk, you have to know when to command your position and know when you are in danger.<BR/><BR/>Basically, everyone that I've heard that says they want to use 87th, I tell them to find another way across. This stretch of road is a crash in progress just waiting for someone to victimize. Hell, cars can't even help from hitting each other almost daily between Switzer and Quivira on 87th.Noahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15271155305943176738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37888568.post-73209912789590098152008-05-01T17:59:00.000-05:002008-05-01T17:59:00.000-05:00Okay, I'm pretty certain that you were still at wo...Okay, I'm pretty certain that you were still at work when this happened, and this isn't part of your route, but ping us when you get a chance. <BR/><A HREF="http://www.kmbc.com/news/16116495/detail.html#" REL="nofollow">Bicyclist Hit At 87th, I-35</A>sallymanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17672868462667836277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37888568.post-31878377699416250442008-05-01T10:18:00.000-05:002008-05-01T10:18:00.000-05:00I am not masochistic enough to ride Summit regular...I am not masochistic enough to ride Summit regularly. This is my third time conquering it, and my last time for quite a while. It was just a detour. Here's my <A HREF="http://veloroutes.org/bikemaps/?route=1078" REL="nofollow">usual work-bound route</A>. Homeward is usually a bit different but it's about the same north of Shawnee Mission Parkway.Noahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15271155305943176738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37888568.post-2949165542569152562008-05-01T10:12:00.000-05:002008-05-01T10:12:00.000-05:00Great photos! I'm not an everyday commuter, but I...Great photos! I'm not an everyday commuter, but I try to ride in at least once a week. Summit Rd is my path into downtown as well. <BR/><BR/>I would be curious as to what your route is, since I come up from Prairie Village, and you from Lenexa.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37888568.post-48104432313251000792008-05-01T09:51:00.000-05:002008-05-01T09:51:00.000-05:00More great photos. What a fun detour on the way to...More great photos. What a fun detour on the way to work, I should do that. I get bored with my commute route sometimes, but there's no need to go the same way all the time ...Apertomehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00148516503920019073noreply@blogger.com