New "speed control" bariers at Roosevelt Island

[Drewdane]

It's too bad there isn't a trail going past the parking lot that you could use instead.

Too bad the trail going past the parking lot is unsuited to cyclists' practical needs for reasons mentioned upthread.

[dasgeh]

Too bad the trail going past the parking lot is unsuited to cyclists' practical needs for reasons mentioned upthread.

Too bad the trail going past the parking lot is UNSAFE for reasons outlined above.

[baiskeli]

Too bad the trail going past the parking lot is unsuited to cyclists' practical needs for reasons mentioned upthread.

The trail works fine. It's not optimal, but it works. You simply have to slow down a little to use it. It's not a dirt road, or a busy highway, or a narrow strip full of broken glass. It's a trail. It's usable.

[baiskeli]

Too bad the trail going past the parking lot is UNSAFE for reasons outlined above.

I think it's not as safe as it could be, but I don't get how going through a busy parking lot is safer.

[consularrider]

I think it's not as safe as it could be, but I don't get how going through a busy parking lot is safer.

I think what a lot of people are saying that this is not a busy parking lot 90% of the time so the jersey barriers are overkill.

[Drewdane]

The trail works fine. It's not optimal, but it works. You simply have to slow down a little to use it. It's not a dirt road, or a busy highway, or a narrow strip full of broken glass. It's a trail. It's usable.

The parking lot works fine too, and it is closer to optimal than the trail. It is every bit as safe as (if not safer than) the trail, and is rarely busy enough that bicyclists would pose an additional hazard to themselves or others.

IMO, the biggest hazard to using the parking lot is the potential damage to my wheels from hopping the curb while the jersey barriers are in place.

[baiskeli]

The parking lot works fine too, and it is closer to optimal than the trail. It is every bit as safe as (if not safer than) the trail, and is rarely busy enough that bicyclists would pose an additional hazard to themselves or others.

IMO, the biggest hazard to using the parking lot is the potential damage to my wheels from hopping the curb while the jersey barriers are in place.

Well, if the trail and lot are the same, just don't hop the curb.

[baiskeli]

I think what a lot of people are saying that this is not a busy parking lot 90% of the time so the jersey barriers are overkill.

Okay, but the NPS still feels the need for them 10% of the time, and they can't remove them daily.

I just don't see how it's a terrible burden to just ride on the trail.

I know why it feels like a burden. You have to slow down, and you have to turn a funny way. Cycling feels awesome, and slowing down is torture. But that's a feeling that gets some of us in trouble. It's why some cyclists do dumb things. (Same goes for motorists - slowing down in a car can feel like hell too). But it's just a second or two more out of your life.

If there's a safety problem with using the trail, that's different. I don't perceive the parking lot as being safer than the trail, but I could be wrong.

I think one safety issue is cyclists coming through the lot and crossing or joining the trail in the middle, and not yielding to cyclists crossing the crosswalk while entirely in the trail.

[Drewdane]

Well, if the trail and lot are the same, just don't hop the curb.

They aren't.

[TwoWheelsDC]

Okay, but the NPS still feels the need for them 10% of the time, and they can't remove them daily.

I just don't see how it's a terrible burden to just ride on the trail.

I know why it feels like a burden. You have to slow down, and you have to turn a funny way. Cycling feels awesome, and slowing down is torture. But that's a feeling that gets some of us in trouble. It's why some cyclists do dumb things. (Same goes for motorists - slowing down in a car can feel like hell too). But it's just a second or two more out of your life.

If there's a safety problem with using the trail, that's different. I don't perceive the parking lot as being safer than the trail, but I could be wrong.

I think one safety issue is cyclists coming through the lot and crossing or joining the trail in the middle, and not yielding to cyclists crossing the crosswalk while entirely in the trail.

Well...I get what you're saying, but it's not just about not wanting to slow down. Where the trail crosses the entrance from the smaller lot to the larger parking lot makes for a hairy intersection that is overall probably less safe than just riding through the parking lot. Coming north, for instance, you have to negotiate a 90 degree right hand turn that may or may not have peds/other bikes in it, then immediately cross the parking lot entrance that may or may not have cars coming from BOTH directions, then negotiate another 90 degree turn to the left, where again peds/other bikes may or may not be present. Cutting through the parking lot, on the other hand, is a straight shot that has cyclists negotiating the parking lot in the same manner that cars do (yielding to peds at the crossing, looking out for reversing cars, etc...) and is something cyclists generally are used to. And that parking lot is cramped so I feel drivers are generally cautious. So for me, the parking lot is safer than the trail because it involves fewer variables. Convenience is a secondary complaint.