The Philadelphia Project that's TOO Successful /// Hovcart Ebike
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Timestamps:
0:00 What is a Schuylkill?
0:52 Philly and the Problem
1:56 Bike Ad
2:34 Congestion
3:36 Why is the Trail Popular?
4:27 Double Standards
5:39 Outro
Thanks for watching, hopefully we can build a better bike system for philly eventually.
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were you watching TV while you recorded the audio? I can barely hear you over the background noise...
tired of this sloganeered handwringing though, wearisomely acquiescing to spells crookedly cast by baronic cleptoparasites 💡💡💡
I think you should mention that there are cities in usa that bigger than many european walkable countries that are almost as walkable.
The us is just too big to reverse the damage that's been done due sub urbanization over the years.
you know, Big Business _is_ mostly to blame for corraling handwringing defeatists as though such trendiness be vogue... hurry up and be pricked by those poisonous boosters all over again, kiddos...
Great video, Alan!
One. More. Lane.
One More Time
One More Again
One 👏 more 👏 lane 👏
Just-
Two more lanes?
The wildest part to me is that they’re redoing the bridge at the art museum to massive expense, just so it can carry cars again. The obvious solve would have been just to leave it as is, and make the other side of the river permanently car free through fairmount park, which would alleviate a ton of north south bike traffic.
saw that construction today, but I had been impeded by it a number of times trying to cross back over the river (knowing it is closed.)
I agree, that is crazy... Such a simple solution to this very real problem of overcongestion on the trail.
I think that project should be used to justify slimming down number of lanes along kelly drive, turning it into a 'regular' road leaving more trail space along boat house row and make it less of a highway
All they needed to do was leave West River/MLK closed for good after shutting it down in 2020 for Covid. That would have created a permanent, wide, miles-long path from the Art Museum all the way to East Falls, giving both cyclists and runners ample additional space.
Instead they reopened it with zero discussion or public input. Meanwhile the East River side is completely packed, far too narrow, and you have to dodge all the boathouse traffic as well.
@@MikePalumbo52honestly I'm ok with then re-opening it to cars I do wish they had narrowed the car lane by 1 and made the walking/biking trails that are there wider past where it is closed now wider as before that it is quite comfortably wide. For the most part.
It wouldn’t alleviate it, it would’ve redirected it
I like how in a couple of the shots it looks like the bike riders are going faster than the cars in rush hour across the river.
One street in my hometown has this literally happen for most of the day. It's very often nearly gridlocked for cars while many cyclists transit freely in the protected bike lane and pedestrians on the sidewalks, all faster than the drivers. Makes you feel very smug to cruise by on a bike
Possible. I dont live in Philadelphia (or US), but I need around 20min to my job with my bike, 25-30min with Tram and 30-40 min with my car.
@@tilmanarchivar8945Cars as the slowest transit aside from walking? Based ah.
@@fatboy158 If you look up corridor capacity charts: cars are certainly the least space efficient. A cycle track can move as many people as a 6 lane freeway filled with lightly loaded personal vehicles.
@@jamesphillips2285 Yes, trains good. Glad we can agree on this.
I'm having some difficulty wrapping my head around the fact that this little pathway is a major 'trail'/thoroughfare with *both* bikes and pedestrians, for multiple kilometers I assume. They should definitely add a parallel bike path and keep this for pedestrians only.
I think the problem with a parallel bike path is the problem that people would straight up start running or walking on it lol
I Was think if it was possible, it should be just a bit separated or atleast in some different level, here in my country people always walk or run on bike lanes even when there are great sidewalks
@@xXSgtJackXx When the only separation is paint yeah that will happen, there's need to be enough separation (different road surface, small step, or just a big separating paving stone) so that pedestrians can always know they're not on a bike path, and enough space on the main foot path so that groups can widen enough to talk while still allowing space to runners passing, otherwise pedestrians will keep going around to find more space.
For example the foot path being paved and the bike one asphalt will incite both pedestrians and cyclists to be in the path that suits them better, and making an incursion on the other path immediately noticeable and clear to the user that it is that, an incursion
I think that's just a bandaid on the real problem, which is the amount of cars in cities. We should focus on making more car free or car light zones and better bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure throughout the city, especially because the trail runs north/south and doesn't help much for people who need to commute east/west.
Ebikes should be on the road. They are too fast and people are too reckless on them to be on a pedestrian trail
@@nitehawk86e-bikes are limited to 20mph. Most US cities have a minimum speed limit of 25mph. They need their own separated bike lanes is what it is. Move more people in less space without having to build expensive public transit.
I went to Chicago a few months ago. I was shocked and glad to see 2 lanes along the lake. One for bikes and one for walkers.
This, as someone who lives close enough to Chicago to visit often, the Lakefront Trail is one of my favorite things about the city. The 606 is also pretty cool, despite it not separating bikes and pedestrians.
Same! I was there a few weeks ago and used the bike share bikes to bike along the lake and through downtown. I was so impressed with the level of bike infrastructure for the US! Downtown they even had two-way protected bike lanes. Incredible!
It's good they are doing something right. I hate their toll roads.
Never count out Chicago
@@GalladofBales Yeah but we need way more, biking is easy in the city mostly thanks to the fact that when there isn't a safe bike path, I just go on the sidewalk that's literally almost the same size as the road. But I'm tired of going on the sidewalk whenever I get on State Street for example, so we definitely need way more protected lanes. At least we don't really have bike gutters, plus, the elevated train roads are perfectly safe to bike in thanks to low speeds and high visibility.
Inducing demand for bicycling and active transit by building "one more lane" is a good thing in this case :).
Hell yes! Induced demand for cycling is like induced demand for cuddling cute kittens.
It's because "one more lane" in this case can accommodate much more than one more lane of a highway. Pedestrian and bike traffic is far more efficient when it comes to space.
One more lane is good here for the same reason it's bad with highways : it will induce demand.
But on a trail without cars that's a good thing, we want people commuting actively and having good time outside.
Similar problems here in Vancouver. Even for the paths where bikes and pedestrians are separated (Seawall, Kits Beach), there is too much traffic overall because these are the few paths protected from traffic. The protected bike network throughout the city is piecemeal and frustrating. The solution is indeed to build out a connected network throughout the city to distribute non-motorized traffic, rather than funneling it to a handful of paths.
The lesson is here is that any mode of transit will suffer from induced demand, the difference is how much it costs to expand to meet that demand. People and bikes take up much less space than cars, you get a much better bang for your infrastructure buck if you prioritize people.
Yeah exactly, induced demand in and of itself will happen to any modes of movement. But induced demand is terrible when it comes to cars due to their space inefficiency. In contrast, induced demand for walking, biking, and public transit is actually desirable for their efficiency and various potential benefits.
@@wenkeli1409 but also, when a highway expands, the service doesn't improve. But when a tram line gets more frequent service to accommodate more passengers, everybody gets more freedom
@@bobmcbobbob1815 Induced demand for these modes of transport also tend to come with other benefits, induced demand for walking and biking improves public health and makes areas safer since there are more people around. Induced demands for both of those and rail reduces emissions and has benefits globally and locally as cleaner air also improves public health.
I laughed out loud at the end. The conclusion was literally just "less cars" which I totally agree with. Basically: "This trail is great, but it's very crowded because it is so desirable and there are not many places like it. The trail is being expanded which will lead to even more people using it so we might need ONE MORE LADNE. The solution to this problem is to get cars to fuck off. And with that I would like to thank hovsco to sponsor this video, I'll see yall in the next video."
"One more lane" makes more sense for anything OTHER THAN cars: since cars need so much space.
One more lane actually works with other types of transportation, as these usually don't induce enough traffic to create traffic jams instantly again
@@jan-lukas this honestly
He also said they need to build more trails in other parts of the city. Commuters may be stuck to one stretch of trail, but recreational users swarm from all over the city to use the SRT. If other nice trails were built elsewhere in the city, it would take the load off the SRT as people could use trails closer to home.
@@jamesphillips2285 I mean, considering the Schuykill expressway is literally wedged been rocks and a cliff, it's not like we're getting more lanes for cars.... The only area that could happen is Ridge Pike.... and nah, screw Ridge Pike... I'm all for the expansion of anything else other than roads at this point.
I'm visiting Philadelphia for the first time in a couple weeks, the Schuylkill Trail looks cool, I'll have to check it out outside rush hour.
I hope the congestion on the trail leads to higher demand for safe infrastructure from the locals!
Definitely take it to Manayunk! 🤙
Avoid kensington at all costs
I'd recommend checking out Cira Green if you're taking the SRT through center city. Good view and one of the few public bathrooms.
@@Jack-rp6zyI actually was around Kensington a few weeks ago taking location photos, and it was completely cleaned up under the El. I was really surprised, but I think the city has quietly cleaned up the area, at least around Frankford.
I used to live up there and there's been a lot of development around American Ave & the Crane Arts building.
Check out Kelly Drive, on the weekends it’s closed to traffic😊
Something that comes to mind when it comes to a multi-use bike or jogging path along a river from when I lived in NJ is the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, which is supposed to connect the Bayonne Bridge to the George Washington Bridge. A NJ waterfront walkway was first discussed at the state level in the late 1970s. In 1988, the state Dept of Environmental Protection created the Coastal Zone Management Rules, which outlined the regulations and specifications for its construction. This required anyone building within 100 feet of the water's edge to provide a minimum of 30 feet (9.1 m) of public space along the shoreline. This was challenged by the National Association of Home Builders in 1999, but a federal judge upheld the rules.
The distance of the walkway from beginning to end is approximately 18.5 miles (29.8 km) and traverses residential and commercial areas, re-developed piers, wetland preservation zones, public and private marinas, and parks. It's not fully complete as Bayonne's waterfront is quite industrial, however the Downtown Jersey City section in particular has helped the growth of the city's downtown in achieving a pedestrianized transit-oriented lifestyle, with the HBLR further leading to said growth. The walkway is just the perfect place to just chillax and go fishing as well. Not to mention the fact cyclists and pedestrians can cross the George Washington Bridge free of charge.
Hell yeah I’ve ridden the trail all the way to reading! Beautiful! 🚴♂️ One of the best parts about Philly!
Schuylkill River Trail is so beautiful during sunset. My only gripe is when you reach Fairmount park, Kelly Drive is so loud with all the cars racing it. The sounds you hear doesn't match the tranquility of the green space around you.
Near center city it is crowded, past boathouse row it is empty...
The other side of the river, MLK drive, is even more empty. I walked the whole Loop from the Art Museum up Kelly Drive, across the Falls Bridge, and back using MLK drive last weekend, and saw all of 3 people walking on MLK the whole way. Mostly it was some bikes and roller skaters.
It would probably induce even more demand for the trail if they added bike lanes, but at least the two general speeds of users would be in less conflict.
Yeah, ultimately the law of induced demand isn't just for automobiles.
Maybe there should be more bike paths connecting various popular destinations, so that there isn't so much traffic concentrated onto on trail...
But see, induced demand in this case is actually desirable, because it's by far a more space efficient method of moving compared to cars.
@@wenkeli1409 Right, I don't think anyone's saying we'd rather see people use personal vehicles instead of the trail. The problem statement is more that congestion of the trail is currently deterring some users, so it's not meeting demand as well as it could. Adding lanes to the trail might marginally help, but not as much as building out a more robust network throughout the metro area.
We have the same issues on the Paul Dudley White path in Boston. From 5pm-7:30pm during most months of the year it's absolutely jam-packed, and the fact that it has such great views of the Boston skyline means that tourists, students and families are often pyloning taking photos or organizing themselves. I often take the adjacent road on my commutes and rides because it's just faster and more pleasant to race traffic than to dodge pedestrians.
Unfortunately, the Esplanade suffers from another couple problems that the Schuylkill trail doesn't. First, the trail just isn't in bikeable shape, at least not on a road-bike. There are too many raised cracks and fissures across the pathway for bike traffic at any sort of speed. The Schuylkill is pretty great as far as road surface, with the exception of a short section south of Conshohocken. The second is that the Esplanade is very much not car free. It forces cyclists to negotiate constant crosswalks. I think the longest stretch a cyclist can bike without having to enter a crosswalk is about a kilometer. It honestly stresses me out more than a bike lane.
I live in Dallas and the Katy Trail suffers from the same success when people get out from work: practically bumper to bumper dog walkers and bikers at its worst
Multi-use trails are ok for leisurely recreation but not as transportation corridors. Especially when they get busy.
Many American cities follow this same pattern:
Discredit walking/cycling infrastructure, saying "it'll never work here"
Eventually start getting desperate as growth peaks and pop. declines
Do bare minimum as a "test"
Are surprised at pedestrian infrastructure popularity, but learn entirely the wrong lessons
This was the exact problem with the Chicago LFT, we built separate paths for each.
See any number of recent LFT ride videos
It was the only solution.
yeah, Chicago knows what it's doing in a lot of things, but especially urbanism. No city has codes as strict as Chicago, every building needs to be a part of the sea of towers of flow with it. Look at the Roosevelt university building, and how its form and color is done to reflect and compliment its surrounding structures. The entire downtown area is planned like this.
We’re having a similar problem in Atlanta with our Beltline. It’s incredibly popular and a lot of abutting developments (read 5-over-1s) have sprung up around it. Despite light rail being a part of the plan from the beginning, NIMBYs have come out the woodwork saying “there’s no space.”
Shoutout to the manayunk towpath
Twenty years ago, this bike trail was just an unpaved path flanked by the Schuylkill river and derelict lots and was unused except by diehard runners and drug addicts. So we have made progress!
In some ways it was more interesting back then. Homeless encampments under the foundations of the office buildings and areas that were heavily vegetated, providing shelter and food for birds etc. A meeting area for men looking for sex. In some ways, more bucolic than it is now. A great place to run as it was a more natural- feeling setting than the manicured park that exists now. And of course, a lot fewer people.
The Schuylkill River trail needs just one more lane, bro. Not even being sarcastic.
You know, induced demand from pedestrians does not sound like a problem to me.
The same phenomenon occurs on the Charlotte rail trail, where it’s always packed as it’s a nice space to be in a relatively walkable neighborhood within an unwalkable city
The 606 in Chicago has similar problems. Suffering from success.
How idyllic and healthy - with a four lane highway right next to it. Enjoy your daily dose of particulate matter and don't forget your noise cancelling headphones!
The highway is on the opposite side of the river ~400 ft away. Not too much noise
One more lane will just induce demand and lead to more traffic again. Obviously the real solution is to put a little tiny train next to the trail (like one of those ones for kids you see at the mall)😂
You joke, but that sort of situation is actually one of those where a tram route is likely to be fairly successful, to my understanding.
This has the exact same problem to the beltline in Atlanta, a rails to trails path. Multi-modal and swamped nearly all the time. Plenty of business have opened up along it and absolutly thrive because of it.
The dual path in Forest Park in St. Louis is the perfect precedent on how to offer space for both bikes and runners and to actually encourage the use of both paths. There's actually several spots where the Schuylkill River Train splits into two paths but one is in such bad condition and doesn't offer much certainty on where it goes that hardly anyone uses it. Completely agree that more running and cycling space should be offered. I'm glad there's still talk of changes to Spring Garden St right now. I've noticed so many cyclists using it lately despite absolute minimal bike infrastructure.
I know most people refuse to believe it can happen, but----move the train traffic across the river to the high line. So what if doing that would involve expenses that help a private company. The result would be a park with MUCH greater access to the City and doubling the area of the park right at the point where it's the now the smallest. Keep up the good work
CSX has made it extremely clear to the city and the park management it will not allow any encroachment on its ROW. They randomly lock access gates and park trains to block crossings along the trail.
Agreed. A very large reason that this trail began to be built 30 years or so after it was envisioned had lots to do with the rail companies unwillingness to allow crossings.
I love that bike. And Philadelphia has some really awesome urban landscapes.
As a runner on this SRT, getting trucked by a 500 pound Hovcarts going 25 MPH is a real concern of mine. Separate paths would be ideal (funding?), but an e-bike ban on the trail would be more likely. Don’t worry e-bike users, Philly doesn’t enforce much of anything.
GREAT drone shots of Philly!!!
adding alternatives is always more cost effective than adding more capacity, its full because its unique, make another one and both will have half as many people (in optimal theory land)
The Schuylkill River Trail really do be Suffering from Success by DJ Khaled. Pyongyang has a lot of bike infrastructure too! It complements the Pyongyang Metro, trolleybuses, and trams. Bikes were actually banned in Pyongyang for decades until the ban was lifted in 1992. In 2017, a bike share program was introduced called Ryomyong/려명, or Dawn in English. The system is overseen by the Pyongyang Bicycle Rental Office, with bicycles manufactured domestically by a DPRK/Chinese joint venture, Phyongjin Bicycle Cooperative Company, located in Sosong district. Reservations may be made for 50 won per minute with a stored-value card at one of five locations on Kwangbok Street in the city's scenic Mangyongdae district.
If a city like Pyongyang can have a bikeshare program, a trolleybus system with over 35 miles in length, a tram system with 33 miles in length, AND two subway lines, then other cities have zero excuses not to take these steps to build new convenient bike infrastructure for the greater good.
When I graduated college and was spending my last few days of freedom in the park adjacent to this trail, I looked towards the highway at a complete stop and promised myself that I'd never allow myself to live the car life again. It's been 10 + years, no car, I somehow pulled it off :)
That’s my dream! Been mostly car free the last two years
this gives me optimism
Ahhh, yesss, amazing walk zone with beautiful view to six-lane highway😍😍😍
Rode it for the first time in over 10 years. Holy hell it's crowded. Almost got hit several times in a 30 minute stretch.
We noticed that as it got more crowded, big groups took over 60% of the entire trail, encroaching upon opposing traffic with 3-5 abreast. Really poor behavior.
Clearly though the main problem is cities need MORE spaces like these. A 10 foot wide trail for an entire city of 1.5m is insane.
same goes for certain parts of the lakefront trail in chicago. some parts of the trail separate bikes and pedestrians completely and it works fantastically
Dog walkers with long extendable leashes are my nemesis on multiuse trails.
In Riga, Latvia, we have the same problem where a trail along a river meant for bikes, walking etc. is overcrowded at weekends and evenings. Similar to Philly, it’s mostly because in that part of town there are no other places to hang out away from cars. It’s interesting how the situations are so similar in places thousands of kilometres away.
Spot-on analysis of alleviating the problem by providing more car-free spaces for people to use so they don't all crowd onto a few small bits and pieces.
The West Side Highway in New York is often crowded, but there is a bike lane and a pedestrian lane, which helps a ton
I've seen people talk about "inducing demand" for trains or bike networks, and have always seen them as sort of throw away statements, as induced demand really only seems valid if a system is at full capacity. But this seems like a perfect candidate! Let's induce some demand here!!!
Agreed, the "just build it and they'll come" crowd is the other side of the "no one bikes, why pay for it?" coin. The reason induced demand works for cars is cars have a network feeding into whatever you're widening.
In this case, I'd say the full capacity is a symptom of what the trail connects/bypasses.
Another problem with the trail is that lots of people walk double or triple file meaning it’s hard for bikers to get around
I can understand this entirely. I'm from Milton Keynes, a planned city in England with lots of green space that has an extensive network of walk/cycle paths. It's very walkable, but it can be stressful to have to dodge cyclists who are going too fast!
I was having this same conversation with my riding partner today! In Denver, a few trails are so popular that it’s beyond capacity for safe use by all during peak times. It’s time to acknowledge that in these places, expanding capacity with separate spaces is going to improve safety as well as capacity.
Thanks for calling out the issues with mixed mode trails: even a lot of cities with fairly decent public transit and such often have an issue with just shoving cyclists and pedestrians into the same place, which is unpleasant for everyone.
Love when us rollerbladers get a shout-out. There's dozens of us!
The river trail is one of my favorite things about living along the river corridor. I moved away years ago and miss it every single week!
Here in Vancouver the metro area is actually a conglomeration of cities so we've seen a few different solutions to this "problem" of over-popularitity of nice places to walk, run, bike, rollerblade, skate, etc. In Vancouver itself they have been trying where they can find the space to split the walking and biking paths into 2 different lanes rather than having them co-exist - in North Vancouver their mayors idea to solve the problem is to add speed bumps, bollards, fences and big painted "SLOW" signs on the ground in an effort to slow bikes down to walking pace. Their idea of a shared pathway is just to make everyone as slow as the slowest user. They should try this on a road, make everyone drive walking pace.
Shared road is not the solution. A 60-80kph car can't share a road safely with 25kph bike, and the bike can't share the road safely with 5kph pedestrians. We need a fundamental rethinking of the road system. May be create a new class of road (let's call it bike lane for the now) for intermedia speed vehicles of all shapes and sizes (bike, e-bike, e-scooter, moped, electric micro car, etc...)
This is what I’d like to call a “good problem”
Very true. In my city the situation is similar. Public transport is good but there's a lack of bike infrastructure. Neighborhoods are mostly walkable but there isn't enough sidewalk space (or it's even nonexistent) and the streets are too loud. Crowded sidewalks of course also make it hard to share with bikes. Bikes that are encouraged by the city to use the sidewalk rather than the street or a bike path. This means everyone squeezes onto the river trails. There are a handful of them but 2 run right through the city so everyone goes there. Commuters, walkers, joggers, and kids playing all on one trail. THANKFULLY the city rebuilt one of them (and is working on the other) to make a bike trail and a walking trail. However the walking side doesn't get enough shade so walkers will often wonder over to the cycling side. And there are a few choke points where the trails come together or cross each other and these places are always a danger to eveyone.
We kinda have this problem in the Netherlands as well since our no-cars bike lanes are also used by walkers, runners, low-speed scooters, and even horses sometimes. When on dedicated walking trails, I often complain when a cyclist buzzes me because they should be using different trails. But here the cyclists own the road. As a walker, this annoys me. We don't have separate bike and walking trails (which I think we should have) in most places. But we do expand the bike lanes often so that we don't have nearly the crowding you showed in Philly.
Do not forge scooters which drive at 50 kph 30 mph. They share the same right of way
Nice drone shots
Hit the nail on the head. The Schuylkill Trail is my favorite part about Philly.
Yup, t's been crowded for 20 years.. especially after typical work hours, weekends and with pleasant weather. If you prefer less people try west side, further north and/or wait for darkness, rain, or cold.
There is "One more lane" and "An additional lane"
i think repealing §12-701 is a crucial step here to make it far easier to construct protected bike lanes and move cycle traffic to places beyond the srt! there are so many places that could afford the loss of their parking lane in favor of a protected bike lane!
I also find a double standard of cyclists getting super frustrated at pedestrians, and then in the same vein, drive on the road and expect vehicles not to be frustrated when they hold traffic or filter at stoplights.
Really cool trail
Please consider a follow up video suggesting additional places to put more trails like the one in the video!
Just open it up for car traffic, that will take care of those pesky cyclists and pedestrians.
Schuylkill river trail: suffering from success
This reminds me of the situation when I used to commute to Silicon Valley. From my office building, there was access to a multi-use creek trail. Unlike the situation you describe in Philly, the issue was all about lunch time. Among the tech workers, there's a tradition of going out for leisurely stroll on the trail with several of your closets buddies. They walk three or four across, completely oblivious that anybody else could be on the trail. I had to give up trying to wade through these tech bros for a bike ride at lunch. I tried to sneak out at 2PM or so to avoid it.
Mowing down tech bros with a bicycle is a victimless crime.
@@lesdmarkHAHAHA Actually, I'm a tech bro by profession, but I'm too old for the "tech bro" culture.
Same problem here in Boston with both the Esplanade (our equivalent to this) and major regional bike routes (e.g. the Minuteman)
#onemorelanebro. Seriously though, if they had the space to do separate Bike and Walk lanes that would be nice. Lakefront Trail in Chicago does a nice job of this
"Just one more lane bro" but for a walking and biking path
*whispers*
Tear down I-76
What's really refreshing is that people are keeping to they right hand side in their direction. Nice! Wish people would do that here and to not all their dog leash to cover the width of the trail.
This is a great topic - we often hear about how great multimodal paths are (yes they are, but ANY non-car infrastructure is an improvement). But from a user perspective, they can be pretty chaotic and dangerous.
I live in Atlanta, and this video explains our Beltline to a T.
Alan: Our bike lanes suck
Me: you have bike lanes?
Running there was stressful, i wish there were more options. But ultimately i love the schuylkill river trail and I'm glad to live in a city where i can walk by the river
I bike this trail, well I guess used to bike this trail, because someone broke into our house and stole my locked up bike, but this video is an accurate assessment. I hadn't fully realized what the video makes clear that it is one of the few car free areas.
This could legitimately be the W&OD Trail in Northern Virginia.
Similar problem here in Brisbane, Australia. We have some world class bikeways (with separate space for pedestrians!) that lead towards our city centre river paths, which are either multi-use or being converted from separated paths into multi-use. The state government is on board with bikeways but the local council tackles our 21st century problems with 20th century, car-focused solutions
The Santa Monica Beach bike path does a really good job and I think is a model. The busier parts are separated pedestrian and bike paths, and the less busy some parts are combined but with clear markings for pedestrians and bikers so its easier for both to stay in their "areas"
I really hate how cars have 4 lanes to drive fast AF by the park and absolutely everyone outside a car needs to share a little trail. Cyclist, runner, Walker, kids, all on the same close trail…
But if you widen the trail, and add more lanes, you'll suffer induced demand!
This reminds me of some of the problems I see at Katy trail in Dallas! It’s a small trail but does connect certain parts of the city in a protected way. But it is mainly for pedestrians as cycling through the trail is quite tough when it is busy
I haven't ridden in Philly in so long. Mostly on foot when i go but I've been wanting an e scooter to explore again.
Bicycles running into people can be deadly. My friend was killed getting hit by a bike rider.
Something similar happened in the Dried out river in Valencia (Which is Now a park). Solution was to build a path for people walking, another for people running and another one for bikes. Worked out great!
And another for the e-bikes that want to ride 30+ km/h...
In Minneapolis we have a trail that goes around the entire city, Its amazing when you take it to commute, the only problem it's too hilly in some parts to be able to use it for commuting by bike. But now that I got an e-bike its honestly the most enjoyable way to get to work.
My old friend from college bike commutes to Conshohocken from South Philly using this Schuylkill trail. He always brags about how much money he's saving on his commute whenever we meet up 🤣
1:30 do you guys hear the guy speaking in the back? (editing error?)
Yeah I thought was going crazy
@@Cookiejarlid same lol
I live in Philly and have no issues with this trail even when it's busy. I ride my bike there all the time. If I come up on people I say on your left and continue on. That's kind of an unwritten rule if you're cycling on any trail in Philly.
Ooo ooo, put in a tolled managed lane for bikes! 😊
0:04 I agree! I've biked there along my commute and every 0.01 seconds is BIKE ON YOUR RIGHT! To warn pedestrians
Actually the best warning is to tell the pedestrian to "move to your left if you're on their right or "move to your right if you're on their left" as it's been shown that if you say "Bike on your right" the first instinctive reaction for most people is to move to their right!
not from philly/don't live there but it kind of sounds like they need to widen the trail and separate bikes and pedestrians. obviously they need to make more car-free spaces too but at this point it's kind of ridiculous to expect everyone to share the same trail which is not super wide when roads get widened every time traffic happens
In the areas where there's actually crowding, there either isn't really enough space to widen the trail or widening the trail would take up heavily used and very much needed green space.
Vulfpeck as BGM, nice
That's like Canal Lachine in Montreal during summer. We montrealers love to get outside during our brief summer and even though there are lanes on each side of the canal, they often are both crowded during rush hour. The rest of the time it is fine and it's a really quick way to move around.
That looks rather nice. Makes me wonder if there are any trails leading into Pittsburgh from the north. That would make for a nice trek one weekend
I get that double standard:
Recently of the news:
"E-Bikes are an Extension to the body, that makes it faster than it would be naturally, so its not possible for someone to look around properly"
I just came back from Philly (awesome city! I love it!) and I'm looking at the trail on Google maps. For the most part, they can separate or widen the paths for bike and pedestrian traffic. The only tricky part would be the Boardwalk between South and Locust. There, you can maybe do some land reclamation along the RR tracks, build a path and make it bike only.
What a wonderful problem to have, but at the same time, what a sad revelation of the spite still encountered by non-vehicle infrastructure.