Its a bike lane both directions on Wilshire at the edge of the traffic lanes from the abortion bridge to Rockwell and Wilshire where the very seldom used bike trail starts on the south side of Wilshire and runs east/west along the north side of the airport then southwest along the balance canal to connect with the Council Road section and then south to 50th street.
I've been by that bridge on NW Exp a couple times and my first thouight given the area is how many people are going to jump off that thing into traffic?
Just wait for the construction on I-40 east to 240 . . . that's going to be fun. At least we can use the North end of the Kickapoo Turnpike to avoid it.
I worked on the design manual many years prior to my retirement and continued working on it with my new employer until Roadways DE decided to take it over and make a 5 chapter design manual. Believe me, there is a bicycle chapter.
A certain female engineer who once headed up environmental is currently revisiting the design manual for a complete rewrite. I know because we sent her all the chapters we put together years ago.
Yeah, I've ridden it a couple times. Here's why you'll see some bikes on the road instead of the trail. Again, on Wilshire the bike lanes are very narrow. So you are riding in a lane that many cars don't even see as a bike lane, but instead a nice wide shoulder to use as they wish. Second, those lanes are filled with sharp rocks that make a getting a flat very likely. So from a safety standpoint, the road is probably better, unless someone road rages you.
The last time I was up there the trail paralleling Council had about a 100' stretch covered in small sharp rocks from traffic in and out of the well site on the airport grounds pretty close to Rockwell. On a road bike, I doubt you'd get through that stretch without popping a tire.
I like riding, so I'm admittedly biased on bike trails. When I can ride on a trail, I do, for my safety.
Again, the bridge does seem like a waste of money. I'm guessing, but it wouldn't surprise me if the weird, intricate design is due to the location and needing to meet ADA type regulations for ramps. Just FYI, I'll probably wait at the stoplight and cross like a car anyway.
That nice wide shoulder/gutter pan set aside for bicyclists (which was not paid for by the bicyclists community) is the bicycling lane. And, I believe by state statutes, cyclists are required to ride in when present. Meaning, don’t ride in traffic lanes when bike lanes are available. Regardless of what kind of small rock trash may be there.
I’ve read the manuals, the complaints of the trash in the narrow adjacent bike lanes. The retiming of traffic lights in downtown to make it convenient for cyclists to make the light so they don’t have to stop/start at signals. But, it’s okay to inconvenience the driver. Also, allow the cyclists to travel the wrong way on a one way street because they are more likely to take a direct route to their destination. (So this would allow them to break the law legally now). Which, puts all the responsibility on the vehicle driver and not the cyclist. A nice way for a driver to loose his butt in a law suit.
It’s amazing my generation survived riding our bicycles without a single paved trail or lane yet today we have to set aside designated routes for cyclists. And then, listen to them complain about what they got that they didn’t pay for out of any fees established for cyclists. What an ungrateful liberal lot.
I'm on a city commission that deals with bike lanes and sidewalks for our town. We are a town of 20K, with another 20K of students, but have to plan for football weekends that bring 60-80k people to town. Several years ago we met with a group consulting the city, county and university regarding our transportation network and the constant refrains from the consultants and city-wide focus groups always came back to a few themes with regards to bike lanes and sidewalks. They needed to be cleaned more and they needed to be designed so that they felt safer and also so that they connected to places (continuously) that people wanted to go.
The other thing that is often overlooked about bike lanes is that they (sometimes) aren't actually added for the bikers. In our town, the fire department requires roads to be a minimum of 28 feet wide now, which often creates lanes that are far too wide to function safely with regards to car speeds. Adding the bike lanes lets us eat up that roadway width and create lanes that encourage slower speeds.
Another example is that we have a city road that cuts through the campus of Ole Miss. Athletics uses lots all along this road to hold baseball parking. Last year we realized that people were parking along the road in a spot that hadn't been marked as bike lane (so it wasn't illegal to park there, and we are talking about an area that only held 2-3 cars), but the consequence was that the people walking to the game had no place to walk that wasn't in the roadway and couldn't reach the crosswalks to get from one side of the road to the other (where the stadium was located) so they were crossing at random and often unpredictable places. By getting the city to designate that small length of shoulder as a bike lane (and connecting it to other stretches of bike lane), parking in it was made illegal (per city code) and could be kept clear of parked cars. It immediately opened up a safe corridor to get fans from the parking lot, to the designated crosswalks and then to the stadium in a much safer manner.
Our city has also taken the approach of piecemeal additions to our pedestrian network, often relying on redevelopment to spur the additions of bike lanes and sidewalks. So naturally we've ended up with sections of lanes and sidewalks that don't really connect to anything. That is, until the area next to it is redeveloped and lanes and sidewalks are added. As you'd expect, those areas where things aren't connected are low. But once things are connected, use increases.
(I'm sure @CHenry knows more about this stuff than i ever will).
Probably right. Get off my lawn.
lol. Cyclists pay taxes and many own cars. Not every project is funded by the gas tax, especially local roads. Bikes, which can easily cost thousands, if not 10s of thousands, are also taxed at a higher rate than cars.
And it's not 'regardless of what kind of small rocks or trash may be there'. The law in Oklahoma City says (amongst other things)
"(c)When riding on roadways with designated bicycle lanes, the bicycle operator shall ride within the bicycle lane, except when: (1)overtaking or passing another bicycle, vehicle or pedestrian within the lane or about to enter the lane if such overtaking and passing cannot be done safely within the lane;(2)preparing for a turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway; or (3)necessary to leave the bicycle lane to avoid debris or other hazardous conditions."
The state law includes: "e. any time it is unsafe to continue along the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway;"
If a lane is too cluttered, or damaged, etc, it can be unsafe to ride in. Some cities are great at building a lane, but terrible about common sense and often leave drainage grates that have openings that run parallel to the lane, creating a very dangerous situation for people on narrow bike tires. All that to say, there are a number of reasons why a rider might be in the roadway for extended distances.
One study years ago found that cyclists and drivers break traffic laws at a rate that is pretty even. And many states do recognize that bikes and cars aren't equal (yes, you can still have equal access to the roadway while still acknowledging that bikes and cars aren't equal. I've biked behind enough tractors driving down rural roads to know it happens for more than just bikes).
There is a concept that is often referred to as the "Idaho stop" which many states (including oklahoma) have started to adopt. It is based (correctly) on the reality that bikes interact better at stop signs when they can be treated (legally) as yield signs. If it's safe to proceed, the law allows bikes to slow, check and keep going. This is not only safer for the rider but also improves the flow of traffic behind the bike.
And really, after almost a decade of biking, i've come to realize that an ******* is an *******, regardless of whether they are on foot, on a bike or in a car.
Last edited:
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – The pedestrian bridge over Northwest Expressway has been under construction since 2021 and in that time, businesses along the construction zone say it may be driving away their customers, literally and figuratively.
“It would be like a mission impossible with this traffic,” said the Owner of Eggceptional Cafe, Ignacio Irra.
Irra and his family opened Eggceptional Cafe back in May.
Unfortunately, he says the “bumper to bumper” traffic in their area is all they’ve ever known.
NW Expressway Tuesday morning. KFOR photo.
Pedestrian bridge over NW Expressway closed off Tuesday morning. KFOR photo.
“It’s just pretty hectic. I’m not sure if that’s either good or bad for us. It could help people slow down and look at our restaurant or it could just be like, ‘I don’t want to stop by because this is going to be a hassle leaving,'” explained Irra.
His other concern is the construction and traffic comes out of nowhere when coming from side streets.
“Sometimes my children will come in and kind of help us out, but I kind of don’t want them to anymore because they used to walk by this little private street right here, but people don’t go slow. It’s starting to become a concern and to avoid any tragedies,” Irra said.
‘It’s been well anticipated,’ Multi-million dollar OKC project in its final phase
The City of Oklahoma City Public Works Public Information Officer, Shannon Cox said she understands the difficulty of driving through these construction zones, but they’re working as diligently as they can.
Cox told KFOR the project was supposed to wrap up by the end of this year, but because of “some material delays and unanticipated things,” the completion date has now been pushed back to spring 2023.
Construction started in November 2021.
We were visiting relatives in early December last year and got caught in that traffic mess. It took 30 minutes to get 2 blocks on NW Expy on a weekday afternoon.
If the city is involved it will take another year(s) to finish this project. I won't be going that way .
Last edited:
