N Judah Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 The topic about cyclists reminded me of something. At certain intersections the corners of the sidewalks have been pulled out and replaced by street-level concrete. Is this a Houston implementation of so-called "bike boxes" ? If so, I think this is really forward-thinking and I am glad they did it. I would like to see this done in other neighborhoods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 are you talking the wheelchair ramps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelguy_73 Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 These? http://www.portlandonline.com/TRANSPORTATI...dex.cfm?c=46717 What is a bike box? The bike box is an intersection safety design to prevent bicycle/car collisions, especially those between drivers turning right and bicyclists going straight. It is a green box on the road with a white bicycle symbol inside. It includes green bicycle lanes approaching and leading from the box. http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/how-to-use-a-bike-box/ eta: Now that I think about it, I think what you are seeing are concrete pads installed where Metro buses tend to sit. The concrete can better handle the weight of the bus and so the street is less likely to rut or sag over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N Judah Posted January 23, 2009 Author Share Posted January 23, 2009 An example would be at one of the intersections within the Houston Pavilions. The corner of the sidewalk was ripped out and now it is at street level for about the length of the crosswalk. It might be wheelchair ramps but I think it really works out for bicyclists since they could make right turns with better visibility.Also it looked like there is on-street parking with trees as separators. I happen to like that idea too and would like to see more of it.If I owned a camera I would take pictures.Edit: I think the east intersection of Fannin and Polk has what I'm talking about, unless I just imagined it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Ah, very interesting. I ride my bike through there sometimes and the curbs were a real pain in the ass. I haven't been over there in a few weeks, so maybe I'll check it out on the way home today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 An example would be at one of the intersections within the Houston Pavilions. The corner of the sidewalk was ripped out and now it is at street level for about the length of the crosswalk. It might be wheelchair ramps but I think it really works out for bicyclists since they could make right turns with better visibility.Perhaps I'm misunderstanding your point. I was of the impression that bicyclists are expected ride in the street or on bike paths. Why would the city install ramps to encourage bicycles to intrude on sidewalks?My guess is that it's a way to both comply with the wheelchair accessability requirements and eliminate those odd-shaped curbs that pose a hazard to pedestrians. The 'traditional' wheelchair curb cuts have been responsible for many sprained ankles, and worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsb320 Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 It's against the law to ride on the sidewalks downtown. There was a biker on the sidewalk that crashed with a car coming out of the Chronicle garage. I was told that he received a ticket for riding on the sidewalk. He was okay and refused medical treatment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 It's against the law to ride on the sidewalks downtown. There was a biker on the sidewalk that crashed with a car coming out of the Chronicle garage. I was told that he received a ticket for riding on the sidewalk. He was okay and refused medical treatment.Yeah, its not something they cite unless there's an accident or some other dispute. I ride past coppers on the sidewalks all the time, but only if its a sidewalk clear of pedestrians and with no surprises (like a garage exit). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N Judah Posted January 23, 2009 Author Share Posted January 23, 2009 It's not really a sidewalk, it's like an area where there once was a sidewalk but now it's level with the street. I need to get over there and make sure I'm remembering this correctly.Anyway even if this turns out to be a false alarm, Houston could still use "bike boxes" around town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N Judah Posted January 24, 2009 Author Share Posted January 24, 2009 The intersections along Houston Pavilions on the non-St-Joseph-Pkwy side of the development all have what I'm talking about, though upon closer inspection they are not exactly bike boxes but could possibly have a similar function.Basically they put these little white divider things in a way that more clearly demarcates the parking lanes from the driving lanes, and put some trees in for further effect. As a result there's an open space in between the curb and the dividers that bikes can use as a bike box (I think).Anyway, for whatever purpose they did it, it really does look a lot nicer and I hope to see similar landscaping around town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 The intersections along Houston Pavilions on the non-St-Joseph-Pkwy side of the development all have what I'm talking about, though upon closer inspection they are not exactly bike boxes but could possibly have a similar function.Basically they put these little white divider things in a way that more clearly demarcates the parking lanes from the driving lanes, and put some trees in for further effect. As a result there's an open space in between the curb and the dividers that bikes can use as a bike box (I think).Anyway, for whatever purpose they did it, it really does look a lot nicer and I hope to see similar landscaping around town.I don't get it. The bike boxes are for bikes to wait in at traffic lights? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N Judah Posted January 25, 2009 Author Share Posted January 25, 2009 Yes, but what I observed turned out to be just landscaping and not any kind of bicycle improvement.Basically it's for drivers who don't check their blind spot for bicyclists/pedestrians when turning right (ie, almost every driver in Houston). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
takeshi Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I don't get it. The bike boxes are for bikes to wait in at traffic lights?That's it. They do the same thing for mopeds in Taiwan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 Speaking of bike boxes, there used to be some very nice boxes you could store your bike in (and lock) so that nobody could even touch your bike in front of the old library building downtown (Lamar @ Smith). They were like hard white hard plastic things that hinged, and it could be lowered down over the bike and then locked into place with a padlock...but they have now gone missing! Anyone know what happened to these? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsb320 Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 Speaking of bike boxes, there used to be some very nice boxes you could store your bike in (and lock) so that nobody could even touch your bike in front of the old library building downtown (Lamar @ Smith). They were like hard white hard plastic things that hinged, and it could be lowered down over the bike and then locked into place with a padlock...but they have now gone missing! Anyone know what happened to these?They are over at the former HL&P building. I think it's a COH building now. It's one block north of One Shell. I really wish they had some sort of locking mechanism at the train stations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 I really wish they had some sort of locking mechanism at the train stations.Me too. I've got my bike locked at the bike rack at the Downtown Transit Center station today, and I really hate locking it up there. Sometimes I come back and some jerk has turned on my headlight or changed the tilt on my seat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsb320 Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 Me too. I've got my bike locked at the bike rack at the Downtown Transit Center station today, and I really hate locking it up there. Sometimes I come back and some jerk has turned on my headlight or changed the tilt on my seat.B-stards! Are the stations monitored by cameras? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 B-stards! Are the stations monitored by cameras?The stations probably are, but I doubt the bikeracks are (located across the street behind the train station). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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