Just after 7 p.m. Saturday, police say they responded to the collision in Marion County on Hwy 64 near milepost 5. According to investigators, the bicyclist, Harley Austin, 42, was riding south in the bike lane on Hwy 164 through the intersection of Talbot Rd SE when Hammons, who was driving a Dodge Ram 3500, turned onto the highway and collided with Austin.
Why is there a bike lane on a highway?
To be clear, I’m not taking the side of the driver. Fuck people with unnecessarily huge vehicles. I side with cyclists almost 100% of the time. But this just sounds unsafe.
To me, a highway means speeds in excess of 50mph. That isn’t a place where we should have a body unprotected sharing the road.
Bikes are fine on highways. On freeways that are enclosed and its impossible to roll onto ground or terrain probably not, which is why freeways have rules against it.
Huh. I use “highway” and “freeway” interchangeably. Just did a search and found the following, so thanks for enlightening me:
Highways have controlled areas, and traffic lights, tend to be placed in rural areas and always allow you to drive off. Freeways have higher speed limits and are, in essence, a faster way to get from one city to the other with minimal traffic control.
I guess maybe this is a result of my having grown up in a midwestern state where both could exist without distinction. TIL.
In California, if there is not a parallel alternative route for bicycles to take, they are allowed on the freeway. Many parts of the 101 freeway fit this exception.
State highway 130 (look it up on google maps) is a favorite of cyclists. It is a two lane state highway with a 40 MPH speed limit. for most of its length, there are no shoulders. In many places, the white line on the edge of the lane is also the edge of a vertical cliff. There are places where I have seen an SUV in front of me with one wheel on the white line, and the other on the double yellow line because the lane is so narrow. The road is so winding that there are very few places where you can even get to the speed limit, let alone exceed the speed limit.
But bicyclists love it because it was built to allow horse drawn wagons to haul heavy loads to the top of a 4000’ peak, so it has a very gentle grade, and there are great views along its entire length.
Why is there a bike lane on a highway?
To be clear, I’m not taking the side of the driver. Fuck people with unnecessarily huge vehicles. I side with cyclists almost 100% of the time. But this just sounds unsafe.
To me, a highway means speeds in excess of 50mph. That isn’t a place where we should have a body unprotected sharing the road.
Bikes are fine on highways. On freeways that are enclosed and its impossible to roll onto ground or terrain probably not, which is why freeways have rules against it.
Huh. I use “highway” and “freeway” interchangeably. Just did a search and found the following, so thanks for enlightening me:
I guess maybe this is a result of my having grown up in a midwestern state where both could exist without distinction. TIL.
im not even american so maybe my definition isnt applicable for you.
In California, if there is not a parallel alternative route for bicycles to take, they are allowed on the freeway. Many parts of the 101 freeway fit this exception. State highway 130 (look it up on google maps) is a favorite of cyclists. It is a two lane state highway with a 40 MPH speed limit. for most of its length, there are no shoulders. In many places, the white line on the edge of the lane is also the edge of a vertical cliff. There are places where I have seen an SUV in front of me with one wheel on the white line, and the other on the double yellow line because the lane is so narrow. The road is so winding that there are very few places where you can even get to the speed limit, let alone exceed the speed limit. But bicyclists love it because it was built to allow horse drawn wagons to haul heavy loads to the top of a 4000’ peak, so it has a very gentle grade, and there are great views along its entire length.
I think some rural states don’t, and they even allow horses and pedestrians.
In Kentucky some freeways have signs saying “no horses on freeway”. I always took that to mean there were some freeways that allowed horses.
We live in such a strange world.
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