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Connections - Getting from Point A to Point B without a car


zenstyle

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No such thing. They actually detect a mass of metal (cut lines in the pavement hide wiring), and the waiting vehicle triggers the circuit to close, which sends a "change" request to the traffic signal.

Bicycles and other narrow vehicles can experience delays because the sensors are placed to provide for something that's 6' or wider. Astute street departments paint arrows or other markings indicating where the two-wheeled operator should position in order to close the loop and make the signal change.

I've been known to dip my bike, laying it flat on the pavement, over the cut lines. (This really impresses club riders who don't know the technique, and sometimes resort to running the lengthy red light.)

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Here is a lengthy article (with photos and graphics) describing the issue and how to locate the buried wires.

http://www.bikexprt.com/bicycle/actuator.htm

Much more here:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=t...G=Google+Search

Glueing magnets to the bottom of your shoes, or hauling around a big chunk of iron to lower to the pavement, is recommended on a couple of these pages...but not by me!

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The south bound US-131/Ann St exit light is definitely a sensor... got stuck behind someone who wouldn't approach the light all the way.

When approaching a light, look at the road before you stop and you can see the sealant cutout area from where they put the sensors...

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Do you know of any examples where these sensors are used in GR? I ride a lot and have never really thought about this. Looking back I can think of some lights I have waited a long time for and occasionally go throught the red. Leonard and Marilyn is one example.

Riding a bicycle where only the chain and a few bolts are steel, one probably has no chance of tripping the sensor!

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This is unrelated to GR but the city of Greenville is going to be repaving a few roads this year and they plan to add a bicycle lane to 1 or 2 of the roads.

I've heard from some reliable sources in the area that they are looking to create a downtown bicycle path throughout town that will have such lanes and it should all happen within the next 3-5 years.

Glad to see that there is more progression with this mode of transportation in the area.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've done my first suburban bicycling this past weekend. I've ridden in rural areas before and downtown, but never out in the suburbs. I've ridden 5 times between Metro Health and 36th/Burlingame area and so far have had to swerve into the curb and nearly dive into the snow 3 times. Apparently some drivers out here think they can just push me off the road. They see me looking back at them and assume I will give up my lane for them, and seem to have a "well he knows we're behind him, if we don't slow down he'll have to move over" attitude. (Any coincidence one was driving an H2?) Got told to get out of the road once.. expected. Had a few people didn't know what to do and followed me at 8MPH until I pointed out to them there's a lane they can use to pass me.. also expected. I've even been "pushed" off the road before, but never at the frequency it's happening out here. It's rather scary.

But anyhow, if I ever get told to get off the road at a red light, I just tell them "then tell your city to add a bicycle lane." Can't ride a bicycle on a sidewalk (especially considering they're so horribly plowed. I've had to merge into road traffic just walking a few times due to unkept sidewalks.)

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I've done my first suburban bicycling this past weekend. ... I've ridden 5 times between Metro Health and 36th/Burlingame area and so far have had to swerve into the curb and nearly dive into the snow 3 times. Apparently some drivers out here think they can just push me off the road. They see me looking back at them and assume I will give up my lane for them, and seem to have a "well he knows we're behind him, if we don't slow down he'll have to move over" attitude. (Any coincidence one was driving an H2?) Got told to get out of the road once.. expected. Had a few people didn't know what to do and followed me at 8MPH until I pointed out to them there's a lane they can use to pass me.. also expected. I've even been "pushed" off the road before, but never at the frequency it's happening out here. It's rather scary. ...
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  • 5 weeks later...

It's gotten a little better since riding the route a bit more. Installing a mirror on the side of my bicycle also helped me realise half of these people aren't trying to push me off the side of the road, they're just waiting until the last second possible to pass me, which created a very dangerous situation last week on 44th St. when there was another car behind which could not change lanes and had to slam on their brakes and me take a dive into the snow bank. I really wish there were at least side streets which poked all the way through. The way the streets are set up in southwestern Wyoming, you are required to use 44th, 36th, Byron Center, Burlingame, etc. to travel.

As for what I wear: a once-nice orange button-up t-shirt worn over the top of a once-white-but-now-grey coat. (I really need to invest in a fender.) I have a co-worker who, for a month now, has kept promising to bring me a spare safety jacket he has but has never pulled through, and have also had a safety jacket on order through freewheeler for a month now which still has not arrived. I'm about ready to get car/trailer battery operated back lights and masking tape if this continues much longer. <<

Anyhow, a comment I've been wanting to share about the bicycle lanes in EGR: They're completely un-usable. Every time I've gone through there, the bicycle lanes have been used for one of two things: snow banks or parking. Much of the time the plows neglect them, and when they actually are plowed, people are parking in them.

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  • 3 months later...

Well I am not sure if this works in this section of the forum but hey it does represent how well your neighborhood works without cars. Since I live in a older section of Wyoming I have a higher score. 66 out of 100. I checked 200 West Fulton and it was an impressive 94 out of 100. In anycase the site is called Walk Score so feel free to post what your is. It is not perfect but it does a decent job non the less.

Maybe we can use this as a tool to see what neighborhoods need further help. I am sure a lot of people can find a dozen diffrent ideas to use this tool.

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Well I scored a 37 for living in Greenville. Although I do question the accuracy of this information because especially for where I live they aren't putting the trails into speculation. Then again I guess bikes aren't counting in this as I can take my bike and get anywhere in town in about 10 minutes with the trail or even the sidewalks. I would rather rate my town as a 75 because I find it very walkable - and the 25 is for when you have to go west of town to the alpine-ish meijer/walmart mess.

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72 - I live on the border of East Hills and Eastown.

Some of the listings are out-of-date or just weird (under movie theaters they've got Cina-Mini's, but not the Wealthy Theater :shok: ).

Business owners can update listings from a link in the 'How It Doesn't Work' section.

This is in the 'How It Doesn't Work' section too:

As MarlonBain said, "You should use the Web 3.0 app called going outside and investigating the world for yourself" before deciding whether a neighborhood is walkable!

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I just moved down to Lafayette recently for the purpose of being able to walk everywhere and it looks like I did a good job. 88 out of 100! It's really nice to be able to go everwhere without having to use the gas. I can't wait until I can start walking to school in the fall and not have to search or pay for parking :) !!!

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