LexRides

[politicalhero]

Below is an email from councilperson Jay McChord about his 2nd Sunday project. You can watch the video (not all that great) but the basic premise is he is trying to get as many counties to close a road on the second sunday in October from 2-6 and encourage people to come out and bike, run, roller blade, etc. I believe Jay is working to use Paris Pike for the Fayette County Road Closure.

Maybe this belongs in the bike advocacy section, dunno

Friend,
As many of you know over the past 4yrs I have been heavily involved in developing and constructing trails across Lexington. During that time I have been asked by other communities in KY to assist them. One year ago I heard about how Bogota, Columbia had started closing some of its roads on Sunday and encouraging its residents to come out and walk, run, blade, bike, push a stroller, etc...

Bogota saw over 400,000 people come out into its streets to exercise when they did that road closure. Needless to say, hearing that made a profound impact on me and gave me an idea of how KY might just change its health (physically, environmentally and economically) by doing something similar.

I am asking you to click on the link below and take a couple minutes to watch a video that will explain just how we can change KY. Once you watch this PLEASE forward it to everyone in your Rolodex that is in KY or has KY connections. There is no doubt in my mind this will work and that you play a part in this.

Enjoy!
http://www.ca.uky.edu/HES/secondsunday/videos/video.htm
Jay McChord

[brokebike]

I've been looking for an opportunity to dust off my trusty Rolodex.
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[haumanjoy]

Cool, the local hash house harriers (drinking club with a running problem)is celebrating their 100th run and would like to be a part if the road is near downtown. We're expecting 50 - 80 "hashers" to take part in the weekend from nearby states.

I wonder if the organizer (Hollie?) will take in account that that's during Keeneland's Fall meet...and shoo us to a little outside of New Circle road. I hope we can make a profound statement and close off some Downtown street!

[politicalhero]

I believe they are going to shut down Paris Pike so they can really open up some road mileage. However, Bike Lex is in the planning stages now of closing off downtown to cars and having bike races, polo matches, swap meet, etc

[brokebike]

Hopefully they will close off a section that will start closer into downtown. I think it would defeat the purpose a bit if the only thing they could do is to close off a section that is way the frick out there, and lots of folks who don't normally bike or whatever would feel like they need to drive their cars out Paris Pike, find a spot to park, all just to get out and enjoy a car-free stretch of road.
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[elzie5000]

You mean putting a bike on top of your car and driving 20 miles you wouldn't otherwise drive to a road that isn't in a congested urban area to begin with totally misses the point?

Go fig.

To a car-centric/law-enforcement mindset it makes sense to close off one side of Paris Pike and divert all the cars to the other lane. That way drivers don't get inconvenienced by having to go out of their way by as much as a city block.

Then again, people would would be riding their bikes on the road to the closed streets are the people who don't really need closed streets to begin with....so...what was the question?

[chadwick2wheels]

Way out there? I ride to paris to see my parents all the time and it's not a bad ride at all. Only 18 miles I think from one end of paris pike to the other. Surely we could all ride out there? My parents live on the golf course on paris pike so if this goes through I'll have to plan a BBQ or something for us. Or at least a headquaters or something. Also, if some of us do want to drive out there they can park at my parents house. When is the final word on whether or not this is going down?
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The sound of a car door opening in front of you is similar to the sound of a gun being cocked. ~Amy Webster

[brokebike]

well, I don't think anyone on here would consider that a great distance either... as I'm sure many of us ride that stretch in conjunction with the Muir Station / Bryan Station / Briar Hill loops. What we're talking about is more a question of, if they're wanting to do this and have it make an impact and get as many people out to participate - to have it be a statement about opening up a road to pedestrians and cyclists, why pick a road that is so out of the bounds of our urban area? By default, any section that is going to essentially start outside the boundary of New Circle will be easy to do (not as many intersections to block and traffic is certainly less heavy)... but moving it away from the core urban areas central to downtown / UK is just going to encourage more people to have to pack up in their cars and drive out to participate AND they're going to have to find parking.

I'd rather see it include a major road that connects more of the common areas of Lexington's urban area, so that even families could just hop on their bikes, or push their strollers from their own neighborhoods straight to the designated area. Imagine say, all of Alumni Drive, or Tates Creek from Armstrong Mill all the way to Limestone...

Granted, those are major streets that would logistically require a lot more planning, police and volunteers... maybe it's naive to think that it could be done... but if we're going to do it, why not go all out and really do it up right? We're only talking 4 hours anyway. Shit, I thought closing down Euclid for Bike Lexington was quite a feat, but it happened and it was really cool.
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[brokebike]

I know this has been posted before, but as a case in point, Portland just staged their first ciclovia-style event:
http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/index.cfm?c=46103

While, I understand we're no Portland - I think this further illustrates how the Paris Pike idea (if that's indeed what McChord is considering) is going about this the wrong way from the start... it's almost as if the idea of a road closure to cars has to equal a straight stretch, way outside of town in order for it to happen.

If you watch the videos on the Portland event and look at the map of their route, you'll see that instead of a straight roadway, it creates a loop, connecting neighborhoods and at least 4 city parks along the way. This is great because folks can join in, or jump out anywhere along the way and still be within the city - not to mention all the activities that could be found within the neighborhoods and parks.

I just don't see why it can't be a lot more like Bike Lexington's 10 mile ride... but with a better route that encourages more neighborhood and community interaction.
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[chadwick2wheels]

No I agree with you. I think having it on Paris Pike would be fine, but what are the odds of non-cycling people showing up if they have to pack the bags, pack the car, pack the bikes, pack the kids, etc. I don't think it would be a huge turn out.

I love how portland did there route. That video shows how succesful it can be.

So here is my question...If people are worried about pissing off motorists because of 4 hours of shutting down a road wouldn't the motorists traveling down paris pike to get home be really pissed when they have to turn around and take country roads all the way there? Seems to me that just shutting down a loop route like brokebike is saying would be easier, smarter and provide more alternate routes for motorists. Plus, it would provide more corners for us to hang out on and haggle people.
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The sound of a car door opening in front of you is similar to the sound of a gun being cocked. ~Amy Webster

[brokebike]

according to some things Tim has told me, they're considering NOT fully shutting down Paris Pike to cars, but only one lane of it (again, this illustrates the half-hearted, half-assedness of the way we go about doing things here in Lexington). We never want to just jump in and make a splash, we'd rather just get in up to our knees.

If this is the case, not only does it make even less of a statement, but it just sounds downright dangerous to me... way more dangerous than if they had just completely closed the road to cars.
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[elzie5000]

One lane or one side of Paris Pike?

It'd be relatively simple, with how the road is divided, to block off both lanes in one direction and route all the cars to the other side. The level of car traffic on weekends is low enough that it wouldn't pose much of a problem.

Still misses the point to do it out in the country, though. Goes along with the assumption that the only thing worth looking at in the area is horses and stone fences. Pay no attention to the pile of rubble that is your downtown.

[brokebike]

Sorry, yes... I'm assuming they mean one side of it.

Still... I just can't get behind it and be excited about it because to me, it could and should be so much more than what I'm hearing it will be... and I'm really fed up with our city leaders right now so anything they say or do is met with concern and criticism from me.
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[chadwick2wheels]

well judging by the monster hotel going up in our once historic downtown I'd say you have every right to have some concern. Every other event that goes on in this city that has any regard to fitness or going green gets all the attention, detail, and police force they need. For example, imagine next years Midsummer nights run 5k/BG 10,000/or any parade for that matter only getting one lane instead of the entire road. I agree with you again brokebike, if were going to do it let's go all out. Besides the only reason people show up for those races and bike lexington is because it's the real deal. I mean if they are trying to show alternate ways to travel besides riding in a car there has to be some excitement and attention to detail. So if this goes through in a half assed manner they might as well make it a one time thing because only avid cyclists will show up just so they can get some good miles in on an open road.

DO WE EVEN HAVE A SAY SO IN THIS? OR DO WE JUST WAIT FOR DETAILS?

p.s. if i sound mad, it's because I am. we always get the short end of the deal.
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The sound of a car door opening in front of you is similar to the sound of a gun being cocked. ~Amy Webster

[politicalhero]

Yes call McChord if you have feedback about his proposal.

Again, I believe the idea for Paris Pike is because it could create a long stretch that would be easy to shut down. Are there easier places, yup you bet. I like the idea of New Circle. It is not the greatest road but in terms of impact it really does get the message across.

I think McChord's message is more about physical health and less about freedom from the car so that might color his option to leave the road somewhat open.

Something else to chew on. We are in the process of trying to figure out road closures for bike lex (Friday Euclid, Saturday downtown from 8 a.m. - midnightish, and Monday for the family ride). The possible price tag for something like this is $35K due to all the intersections and police power.

Yes Portland used volunteers and maybe that is something we can look at but really, would you want to have to block a street?

I think McChord is playing safe with Paris Pike because there would be nothing worse then to close down a major road, have only a few people take advantage of it being closed but then have the PTB receive all the negative criticism from the neysayers and then it never happen again. Just my thoughts