What do roadgeeks think about the US Bike Route System ?

[silverback1065]

US BR 35 was just finalized in the state of Indiana, a portion of it goes through the city I live in, and it got me thinking, what do you all think of the system?  Like it?  Don't like it?  Don't care?  Intrigued?  I like it personally, my only problem with it is that it isn't required to sign the routes (it's up to the municipality it goes through), so no one knows they exist.  Has anyone rode on one, or been involved in signing a route? Also what does everyone think of the new shield for it? this is the official sign https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/interim_approval/ia15/figia15img_longdesc.htm

[hotdogPi]

I like it. People shouldn't be forced to own a car to get anywhere, and walking is nowhere near fast enough. However, bike routes should only be on roads that bikes can use easily (for example, if the speed limit is 45, and there is a single lane in each direction with no separate bike lanes or wide enough shoulders, there should not be a bike route there).

[Rothman]

The route of U.S. Bicycle Route 76 makes me facepalm.  The fact it follows roads with no shoulders in deep Appalachia is insane.  Thinking about KY 122 in particular and I have never seen a cyclist brave enough to ride on it.

Therefore, I wonder about if the expense of putting up the signage is worth it if it doesn't attract cyclists or worse, puts cyclists onto roads where they are likely to be hit.

[silverback1065]

I like it too, in a perfect world, they'd all be on multi-use paths, separate from the roadway entirely.  US BR 35's routing makes most sense, but in hamilton county the routing is a little weird.  US BR 50 in Indianapolis makes no sense, why bypass downtown? Not sure how I feel about the shield, it's just ok. 

[Max Rockatansky]

It's not bad but from what I've seen not signed especially well.  There was some fantastic signage in Utah for the US Bike Route system but it doesn't seem like some DOTs take it seriously.

[english si]

I like it too, in a perfect world, they'd all be on multi-use paths, separate from the roadway entirely.

Multiuse paths are terrible for cycle travel, rather than cycle leisure. Ideally they would be segregated from both, though there's clearly cases where sharing with cars, or with pedestrians, is sensible for cost reasons and doesn't hinder safety or speed too much.

[silverback1065]

I like it too, in a perfect world, they'd all be on multi-use paths, separate from the roadway entirely.

Multiuse paths are terrible for cycle travel, rather than cycle leisure. Ideally they would be segregated from both, though there's clearly cases where sharing with cars, or with pedestrians, is sensible for cost reasons and doesn't hinder safety or speed too much.

I was thinking leisure not for travel, I see your point

Nexus 6P

[silverback1065]

Anyone have pictures of signage in the field?

Nexus 6P

[Max Rockatansky]

Anyone have pictures of signage in the field?

Nexus 6P

I have some from Utah that I'll link over when I get home.  I want to say was US Bike Route 70?

[NE2]

It's another interesting system to map out. I've been meaning to map out some local signed bike routes for a while. Too bad Baboon Ugly got me banned from OSM.

PS: if you can't pass a bike on a shoulderless two lane road, suck it up.

[briantroutman]

As someone who enjoys cycling both as a recreational activity and as a part of functional day-to-day transportation, I'm generally in favor of expanding bicycle route infrastructure wherever possible.

That said, if the U.S. Bicycle Route System routes are anything like PennDOT's marked bike routes, they're probably not that useful. PennDOT can claim "thousands of miles of bicycle routes" ...because the "routes"  are just signs strung along existing state roads (for the most part), some of which aren't that bike friendly–to put it mildly.

Cross-country bike routes are probably not that useful for anyone other than a small minority of adventure seekers–the kind who would take a sabbatical to pedal from Maine to Arizona. Even with ideal bike facilities, riding beyond one's local area (let's say over 25 miles) would be limited primarily to recreational rides and bike tourism, and I'd guess that most long-distance trips would max out around 200 miles. For that kind of biking to be attractive to great numbers of people, I think bicycle routes need to be purpose-built on dedicated rights-of-way–scenic, with gentle grades and periodic services (at least bathrooms and water).

I could imagine these types of routes feasibly connecting nearby urban areas through scenic and tourist-oriented corridors, like a Philadelphia to Baltimore route that snakes through the Brandywine Valley–or New York to Philadelphia by way of New Hope.

I like it. People shouldn't be forced to own a car to get anywhere, and walking is nowhere near fast enough.

I agree, but in my estimation, national routes wouldn't help this goal much, whereas local/regional ones would. But Americans need to go through a much larger attitude shift toward bicycles in order for any meaningful changes to happen.

Currently, the prevailing attitude seems to be that bicycles are toys–primarily intended for youngsters who aren't yet licensed to drive. Befitting this outlook, when public funds are spent on bicycle facilities, they're often treated as trivialities: an isolated strip of pavement that goes nowhere meaningful and has no signage or traffic controls. I've seen numerous bike facilities posted "no winter maintenance"  or "daylight use only" –can you imagine an Interstate with these kinds of restrictions?

Some metro areas seem to have a more enlightened attitude than others, but I haven't yet found one that truly takes bikes as seriously as cars. For several years, I lived in Marin County, CA–often hailed as one of the most progressive and bike friendly places in the country. And despite having a fairly useful bicycle route network, there were inconsistencies that even the worst DOT wouldn't tolerate on auto route. Sometimes construction would block a bike path; no advance warning signage posted, no detour provided–"...just turn around and go home, son" . In some instances, a paved bike path might simply empty onto a sidewalk or the wrong side of a divided street. And even fairly "complete"  routes were fragmented to the point that the average suburbanite likely wouldn't consider giving up his car for the confusion and frustration of trying to commute by bike.

[hbelkins]

It's another interesting system to map out. I've been meaning to map out some local signed bike routes for a while. Too bad Baboon Ugly got me banned from OSM.

Who?

Anyone have pictures of signage in the field?

From http://transportation.ky.gov/District-10/Pages/PressReleasePage.aspx?&FilterField1=ID&FilterValue1=233

On Tuesday night, I had a public meeting at Owsley County High School in Booneville, which is located just off KY 28. When I left the meeting, I saw what appeared to be two long-distance cyclists heading west on KY 28 and crossing the bridge over the South Fork of the Kentucky River. I say they appeared to be long-distance cyclists because both of them had pretty good sized backpacks.

[vdeane]

If roads were like bike lanes:

[epzik8]

I think nothing about it.

[thenetwork]

Nice if they regularly maintained and replaced missing signage along the route.

One of the first signed bike routes I saw in OH was a bike route "N", which was pretty much a cross-state route from Ashtabula to Cincinnati back in the middle 80s.  When I started driving only a couple years after they installed the signs, I followed part of the route by car.  Already I had missed turns due to missing/damaged signs (found out after I bought the official Bike Route "N" strip maps).  By the mid 90's, much of the signage was either gone by theft or damage, or officially taken down.

Here in Western Colorado, there is a signed bike route (forgot the official name of it) which starts at the CO/UT border (via old Highway 6 & 50). The custom signs were sparsely spaced, and when they came into Grand Junction, they just used standard green BIKE ROUTE signs which blended in with the city's other surface street routes. It's been about 10-12 years since I have seen the signs and knew about the route, but if you cannot maintain the route properly in accurate and frequent signage, why bother to spend the money on signing the route anyway?

Kinda goes back to all these tree-huggers who want more federal and gas-tax money for more "green" bike lanes and trails, but once they are built and their victory "signs" are posted, they move on to other projects and concerns without bothering to demand regular upkeep of what they already have.

[csw]

Mississippi River Trail in Western KY, most signs are pretty faded like this but still readable.

[SectorZ]

I am an avid cyclist, and have not planned a single mile of riding based on the routing of the USBR. Literally care 0% about it. Just give good roads with nice shoulders, regardless of speed, and I'll figure out the rest.

[kkt]

If roads were like bike lanes:

[Mr. Matté]

The people who theoretically would be helped the most by this, the avid long-distance cyclists, can already probably figure out a cue sheet noting turns, road names, route numbers, etc. This site is more useful in determining routes than a route system which is subject to sporadic signage by DOTs.

Although if my state signs my personal-named routes, good luck trying to fit "Typical Route to Washington Crossing" on a sign and during the winter months, "Typical Route to Washington Crossing via Alternate CR 546."

[Max Rockatansky]

Some of my USBR 70 shield photos:

70Bikea by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

70Bikeb by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

[hbelkins]

Kentucky's District 12 used these signs five years ago. They may have have been replaced with the green versions.

UPDATE: They have definitely been replaced. I drove all of USBR 76 between the Virginia state line and Hindman on Monday, and the black and white signs have been replaced with the green and white ones.

2012 Various Ky pics Jan-June - 070 by H.B. Elkins, on Flickr

The black and white Kentucky sign is a variant of what Virginia used.

2013 Various KY pics July-Sept - 223 by H.B. Elkins, on Flickr

[JJBers]

Unrelated, but the East Coast Greenway signage is pretty good.

CC 2.0 JJBers (Me)

But I'm pretty sure the Bike Route 1 will be running through my area...

[kurumi]

If you count bike routes, then CT is still designating new highways: USBR 7 (Western New England Greenway) was approved in 2016. I haven't found anything about signing plans. USBR 7 is not just a bike lane on US 7 -- the route follows back roads and some trails. (article with maps)

I think BRs are a good idea, a good incentive to ride and explore, and can encourage construction of new trails to bridge gaps or bypass dangerous sections of motor routes.

[silverback1065]

what do you all think of the shields?

[briantroutman]

According to Wikipedia, these are the 1978, 2009, and 2012 markers, respectively.



In my opinion, we're moving in the wrong direction. The 1978 marker is fine. The shape is distinctive, and the number is prominent and easy to see. I don't see the need to emphasize "bike"  so heavily on the 2009 and 2012 versions.

I mean, would we need an Interstate shield like this?