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Bikes on I-76?

Started by msunat97, August 02, 2021, 08:01:02 AM

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msunat97

Driving back across I-76 on Friday, I saw a sign that indicated bikes could be on I-76.  They had to be kept all the way to the right on the shoulder.  Did I see that correctly?


hotdogPi

Quote from: msunat97 on August 02, 2021, 08:01:02 AM
Driving back across I-76 on Friday, I saw a sign that indicated bikes could be on I-76.  They had to be kept all the way to the right on the shoulder.  Did I see that correctly?

Some western Interstates allow bikes on the shoulder. I wouldn't be surprised if the western I-76 allowed it, but definitely not the eastern I-76. (I don't know which one you're referring to.)
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

formulanone


SkyPesos

Quote from: 1 on August 02, 2021, 08:06:42 AM
Quote from: msunat97 on August 02, 2021, 08:01:02 AM
Driving back across I-76 on Friday, I saw a sign that indicated bikes could be on I-76.  They had to be kept all the way to the right on the shoulder.  Did I see that correctly?

Some western Interstates allow bikes on the shoulder. I wouldn't be surprised if the western I-76 allowed it, but definitely not the eastern I-76. (I don't know which one you're referring to.)
Imagine a bike rolling up to a toll booth on the eastern I-76  :-D

Max Rockatansky

Several Interstates permit bicycle usage in remote areas.  I-17 north of Anthem was actually kind of popular with distance cyclists. 

hotdogPi

Quote from: SkyPesos on August 02, 2021, 10:07:11 AM
Imagine a bike rolling up to a toll booth on the eastern I-76  :-D

I imagine bikes would be free, the same way they are on toll bridges.
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

zachary_amaryllis

Quote from: formulanone on August 02, 2021, 08:27:02 AM
You saw that right...



and they mean keep FAR right. people haul the MAIL on that road.
clinched:
I-64, I-80, I-76 (west), *64s in hampton roads, 225,270,180 (co, wy)

mgk920

This is an occasional subject in here, there are many places out west where that is a necessity in that there is no other way to go.  Also, under interstate design standards, primarily the one that requires that shoulders be hard-paved, the western rural interstate is an ideal option.  Well-maintained hard surface, long and broad sight lines, generally light traffic and gentle grades make for such ideal conditions.

Also, bicycles and pedestrians are allowed to use the main roadways of the I-79 Ohio River bridge near Pittsburgh, PA.

Mike

msunat97


Evan_Th


Kniwt

#10
I frequently rode my bike on freeways across the West (in the Before Times, at least).

The paved shoulders are usually in excellent condition, and the lack of cross traffic generally makes for a safer experience. HOWEVER, a key consideration is how often those shoulders are swept of debris. Trucks in the West have a nasty habit of shredding their tires, leaving debris on the shoulder, often just little pieces of wire that are scarcely visible but will puncture your tubes in no time at all.

Another consideration is that, on some older surfaces, the various DOTs placed rumble strips not only along the white line, but also perpendicular to the direction of travel, leaving little to no clear space to ride without hitting thousands of rumble strips. I've run into this on parts of I-80 near Little America WY, and part of I-15 south of Nephi UT (which I didn't ride) has the same problem.

And in Arizona, I've encountered several shoulders only in fair-poor condition, just a few degrees above gravel. I-40 east of Needles and I-15 in the Virgin River Gorge are pretty miserable ... and, in fact, the Gorge from MP 8-24 is probably a no-go zone despite being 100% legal with posted signage.

On the other hand, I-15 in northern Montana is absolutely wonderful. And for the past year-plus, it's been a truly otherworldly and once-in-a-lifetime experience due to the Canadian border closure. I did much of I-15 north of Great Falls last summer, and there were often times I saw no traffic in either direction, and the traffic that was there was mostly semis who always moved far left.

Oh, but in Montana, there is always of course ... the wind:

seicer

Nice! I did a lot of cycling on Austin TX's freeways and had plenty of company. I've also biked parts of Corridor H in West Virginia - a 65 MPH expressway.

NE2

Quote from: formulanone on August 02, 2021, 08:27:02 AM
You saw that right...



The technical interpretation of that sign is that, since it's warning of bikes, it's intended for motorists, and thus motorists should keep far right.
pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".

machias

Quote from: Kniwt on August 02, 2021, 03:07:35 PM
I frequently rode my bike on freeways across the West (in the Before Times, at least).

(snip)

And in Arizona, I've encountered several shoulders only in fair-poor condition, just a few degrees above gravel. I-40 east of Needles and I-15 in the Virgin River Gorge are pretty miserable ... and, in fact, the Gorge from MP 8-24 is probably a no-go zone despite being 100% legal with posted signage.


I've been toying with the idea of cycling on an Interstate here in Arizona, most likely I-8. I've noticed the shoulders on I-10 east of Tucson are permissible for cycling, but the shoulders look to be in fair condition at best. I'm not sure I would enjoy that experience. In that direction I'd probably stick to old US 80.

The Ghostbuster

I don't think bicycles should be allowed on Interstate Highways. I would never ride a bicycle on an Interstate Highway, that is unless I had a death wish.

Kniwt

Quote from: machias on August 02, 2021, 06:26:43 PM
I've been toying with the idea of cycling on an Interstate here in Arizona, most likely I-8. I've noticed the shoulders on I-10 east of Tucson are permissible for cycling, but the shoulders look to be in fair condition at best. I'm not sure I would enjoy that experience. In that direction I'd probably stick to old US 80.

I've done I-8 from the east end of Yuma as far as Wellton (and also the bike-legal parts from Yuma to El Centro, but that's off-topic on this subforum :) ). Good shoulder, plus you get to see the reverse-direction setup up close. A few eyebrows raised while going through the ICE checkpoint, but no strip-search. ;)

Came back on Old 80 and then a series of county roads connecting to US 95. ICE presence there was, at least to me, extraordinarily strong and visible (some would say "intimidating"), much more so than on I-8, but none of them bothered me. I did give a middle finger to one of their robot roadside cameras, though. :)

East of Tucson, there's no way to ride on pavement directly to Benson without doing at least a few miles of I-10 (or detouring south way, way out of the way). But I've avoided doing it for exactly the reasons you cite.

kphoger

Quote from: NE2 on August 02, 2021, 03:58:41 PM

Quote from: formulanone on August 02, 2021, 08:27:02 AM
You saw that right...




The technical interpretation of that sign is that, since it's warning of bikes, it's intended for motorists, and thus motorists should keep far right.

Ha!  You're so right!  Almost the opposite of what they really meant to convey...

As signed, it means "You might encounter cyclists, so keep far to the right."




Quote from: Kniwt on August 02, 2021, 03:07:35 PM
I frequently rode my bike on freeways across the West ... and the lack of cross traffic generally makes for a safer experience.

Quote from: The Ghostbuster on August 02, 2021, 06:31:53 PM
I would never ride a bicycle on an Interstate Highway, that is unless I had a death wish.

Sounds like the real-life experience of someone who's actually done it quite a bit doesn't line up with what you imagine to be true.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

SectorZ

Quote from: kphoger on August 02, 2021, 07:26:48 PM
Quote from: Kniwt on August 02, 2021, 03:07:35 PM
I frequently rode my bike on freeways across the West ... and the lack of cross traffic generally makes for a safer experience.

Quote from: The Ghostbuster on August 02, 2021, 06:31:53 PM
I would never ride a bicycle on an Interstate Highway, that is unless I had a death wish.

Sounds like the real-life experience of someone who's actually done it quite a bit doesn't line up with what you imagine to be true.

I find when it comes to discussing cycling with either non-cyclists or people who don't ride one outside a house, this ensues.

Highway Star will rage if this is new info to him/her.

kphoger

Yeah, I don't see how riding on a freeway with paved shoulders and good minimum standards could possibly be more dangerous than riding on a highway with lower design standards, head-to-head traffic, and cars and trucks moving nearly as fast.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

machias

Quote from: The Ghostbuster on August 02, 2021, 06:31:53 PM
I don't think bicycles should be allowed on Interstate Highways. I would never ride a bicycle on an Interstate Highway, that is unless I had a death wish.

I've ridden on one freeway back east but it wasn't marked as an Interstate, just a rural state route built to interstate specs. It was good ride for the most part and the motorists were respectful, but this was 20 years ago.

seicer

Generally, people who don't ride on roads have no real-life experiences to talk about. They lump in all cycling on roadways as dangerous and unimaginable while pedaling away on pedestrian-oriented sidewalks and bike paths - or worse yet, on their Pelotons :D

keithvh

Bikes are allowed on the far northern part of I-25 in Colorado too (Buckeye Road exit up to Wyoming).  There is no frontage road alongside that stretch of highway, similar to the pictured part of I-76.

zachary_amaryllis

Quote from: keithvh on August 02, 2021, 10:12:15 PM
Bikes are allowed on the far northern part of I-25 in Colorado too (Buckeye Road exit up to Wyoming).  There is no frontage road alongside that stretch of highway, similar to the pictured part of I-76.

i imagine traffic counts play a role in allowing this...

i-25 traffic drops pretty dramatically north of sh-14 (mile 269), and even more so north of wellington (mile 278)
clinched:
I-64, I-80, I-76 (west), *64s in hampton roads, 225,270,180 (co, wy)

Kniwt

Quote from: zachary_amaryllis on August 03, 2021, 10:11:10 AM
Quote from: keithvh on August 02, 2021, 10:12:15 PM
Bikes are allowed on the far northern part of I-25 in Colorado too (Buckeye Road exit up to Wyoming).  There is no frontage road alongside that stretch of highway, similar to the pictured part of I-76.
i imagine traffic counts play a role in allowing this...

It's much more a function of whether there's a viable frontage road or nearby alternate available. At least on that part of I-25, the no-bikes sign goes up as soon as the paved frontage road reappears.

In California, that's the law: Bikes must be allowed on freeways if no reasonable alternate exists. Thus, there are short segments in the Bay Area of 8-10-lane freeways where bikes are legal. The most notable one is I-280 near CA 35, where traffic counts are anything but light.

Henry

There has to be a dividing line between where bikes are allowed on freeways vs. where they are forbidden. Perhaps, I'm guessing that TX, OK, KS, NE and the two Dakotas are the furthest east where you could take your bike onto the freeway, am I right?
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