Chief Bicycle Officer needed now

Thank you for including me in this review and for proposing a Vulnerable Road User ordinance. I especially like that you included tricycles in this as well as unforeseen emerging light assistive technology, plus the penalty for throwing of items and harassment in addition to physical bodily harm. The big thing that really does need to be deleted is the part about requiring a bike lane to be used if it is available. This is not the law in the State of Georgia, and there are, in fact, many valid reasons why a bike rider would choose not to use a bike lane. This MUST remain in the judgment of the bike rider as it involves assumption-of-risk decisions that could be life-or-death. These include but are not limited to: debris in the bike lane (often, in many places, including habitual puddling in two spots on Mt. Vernon Road which could hide hazards), bike lane next to parked cars (such as in front of Dunwoody High School — getting “doored” is a significant hazard that has caused deaths across the country, often by knocking a bike rider into motor vehicle traffic), bike lane too narrow for motor vehicle drivers to pass safely so “taking the lane” is recommended (this includes Mt. Vernon Road, Ashford Dunwoody Road, snd North Peachtree Road, all of which I would NOT ride in the bike lane if I did not have Bike Noodle with me), riding two abreast (which is legal, and may be the preferred way to ride as a parent with a child or someone with a person with a disability — additionally, some bikes such as the tricycle rickshaws used to give seniors rides, and cargo bikes, may be wider than the narrow bike lanes throughout Dunwoody), reducing the incidence of the deadly “right hook” at intersections when going straight, and preparing to make a left turn.

The League of American Bicyclists offers this model VRU law wording. I know that Georgia Bikes has been working on one as well that may be worth checking.

Please let me know if I can provide any additional assistance or insight. Thank you for all you do.

Trust the journey,

Pattie

P.S. I know there was a robust conversation on NextDoor recently about why people are increasingly running in the bike lanes. I think that may already be illegal in the State of Georgia, but it does seem as if those who are doing it have reasons worth considering.

P.S.S. An example of when I affirmatively do not use the bike lane (even with BikeNoodle) is when I make a left out of Brook Run Park on N. Peachtree to eventually go straight through the Kingsley Neighborhood to get back home (since Tilly Mill is too dangerous). Because of the position of the bike lane in relation to the upcoming right turn lane onto Tilly Mill, I have to remain in the left lane to achieve my continuing-straight direction of travel. (This would be a super-dangerous route for kids from the middle school or families going home from the park to maneuver, by the way, but it the only legal way to ride that intersection.)

Final P.S. I know you ride frequently, but if you would like to road-test any of the routes I mentioned with VRU ordinance in mind, I would be happy to go with you. 

I was appointed by City Hall to this city’s very first Comprehensive Land Use Plan Steering Committee years ago and made sure principles of access-for-all were baked into the DNA of that document (and public greenspace, by the way, as a requirement of increased density by private developers, which has since been severely eroded, but that’s a whole other story). However, when the plan was revised not long ago, despite being included in focus group discussions, I still uncovered these pervading inadequacies in the final version:

• I don’t see any measurable goals, such as application to become a Bicycle Friendly Community or specific metrics such as # of students walking/biking to school or people commuting to work;

• I don’t see any “big idea” such as the creation of a Dunwoody “Woodline” or other master loop that instills pride while providing continuous protected access to all parts of our city for all users (example: Atlanta has the Beltline; Alpharetta has the Alpha Loop). The proposed patchwork of solutions, although ambitious in some of its micro details, does not add up to a secure network for all;

• Any proposed roundabouts must include safe bike access;

• Crosswalks should be everywhere that a car would turn or cross (such as on 30mph Highland Rd in the Virginia Highland section of Atlanta) (note: convenient crosswalks are critical for children on bikes who ride on sidewalks);

• Bike riders choose to assume various levels of risk — this does not mean they do not have street skills. It would be more accurate to reword your classification of bike rider levels to reflect this;

• Is there a protected (not just buffered) bike lane and or/two-way protected bike lane (cycle track) anywhere in this plan?

• It would be appropriate to see reduced speed limits (and/or design elements that support that) on any main road that does not have protected or separated bike facilities;

• Bike parking is a major problem in our city for those of us who ride bike for utilitarian reasons (such as as #One Less Car to run errands). Please consider adding it as part of the city’s street furniture in commercial areas as well as requiring it in each shopping center;

• Sharrows on main roads are not bike infrastructure; bike route signs are not, either. Neither provide any addition safety or access and are merely wayfinding.

Many cities rely on volunteer advocacy groups to get their bike work done. However, we are moving beyond that as a society. These are jobs, and the work represents value, and value is shown in our society by compensation for the nonrenewable resource of time spent. What this city now needs is a paid part-time Chief Bicycle Officer (perhaps even just a one-year grant to finally land this plane, so to speak) who is both Big Picture and In the Weeds (or, shall we say, Rubber-Hits-the-Road) to quickly yet comprehensively: