Bill,
Thank you for speaking on behalf of cyclists and for inviting our input. By copy of this message, I pass your invitation on to the Bicycle Board and ask them to provide their recommendations to me. I will roll them up, run the roll-up by the Board and send it to you.
I personally am delighted with your response to them. Unfortunately, the scope being limited to the stretch between Dents Run and the Post Office doesn't address the worst problem bicyclists have coming into and leaving Granville. That is the railroad tracks heading north on Main St. and the huge potholes coming south into Granville. The transition from pavement to tracks is often riddled with huge holes and the elevation of the tracks above the pavement is often high enough to destroy a wheel and cause a crash. Water bottles popping out of their cages there is a common occurrence. The huge bone jarring wheel-damaging potholes coming south into Granville force cyclists to thread a swerving line between them.
Of course, the root cause is that this roadway does not have sufficient strength and toughness for the trucks that travel it. The roadway within the scope of their project is just fine for cyclists. It's already wide and smooth enough. Putting money into striping a bike lane on it would be absurd when to get to it, cyclists must exercise all their skill, strength and toughness just to avoid destroying their machine, swerving in front of an overtaking motor vehicle or falling down.
Since you need the input by next Tuesday night, I ask the Bicycle Board members to send me their input by next Monday.
Thanks again for working on behalf of bicyclists!
Frank /Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles/
On 12/17/2009 3:26 PM, Bill Austin wrote:
Frank,
The Town of Granville has received an enhancement grant for sidewalk/street lighting improvements on Main Street from the Dent's Run Creek Bridge to the post office. The Town met with DOH today and they seemed to be very receptive to the Town's desires. The Town wishes to be sensitive to the needs of cyclists as well as pedestrians and they had an interest in bike lanes. In discussing the issue with them I have suggested that providing slightly wider lanes and Share the Road signs may be of better service to cyclists.
I told the Town I would contact your group for any feedback you may have on this issue. The Town Council will be considering this matter in more depth on Tuesday night. Thank you for your assistance in this matter.
Bill Austin, AICP
Executive Director
Morgantown Monongalia MPO
180 Hart Field Road
Morgantown, WVA 26508
304-291-9571
304-692-7225 Mobile