Tag Archives: roop street

Come Support Bike Lanes in Carson City

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Thanks to action taken by Muscle Powered, Bike Lanes are back on the Carson City Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) agenda for the Roop Street widening project. Muscle Powered would like to see bike lanes included on the section of Roop Street between Beverly Drive on the north and Washington Street on the south. If you would like to see Roop Street completed to accommodate bicycles, WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! Please come to the RTC meeting on Wednesday, October 14th at 5:30 PM at the Carson City Community Center, located at the corner of Roop Street and Highway 50 (ironically, the Community Center is located on this very route…the center of the city, with no bike lanes).  The item might come up about 6:00, but better to be there early rather than late.

Commuter Convoy
Bike Commuters on Roop Street

Last month, about 7 of us showed up to show our support for the bike lanes on Roop Street. This was enough of a message for continued discussion, but we need a much stronger message this time! There will be a chance to voice your opinion after the RTC discussion, but you don’t have to speak to show your support. Just being in the room will show the RTC that it’s not just a few die-hards that are interested in bike lanes. Don’t assume someone else will be there to represent you. If you can be there, we need you!

Roop Street is the only real north–south bicycle route available in Carson City, extending from Arrowhead Drive in the north to Clear Creek Avenue in the south, a distance of nearly six miles. All other north-south routes require zig-zagging back and forth across town to connect street sections, while Roop Street and its extensions of Silver Sage Drive to the south and Emerson Drive to the north offer the potential for a complete, linear bicycle route. If the section of Roop Street between Washington Street and Beverly Drive is reconstructed without bicycle lanes, this opportunity will be lost forever, with acceptable alternatives very unlikely.

More information from the Muscle Powered Blog:

Roop Street widening on agenda Oct 14
Originally posted by Dan Allison on the Muscle Powered Blog

The Roop Street widening project will be on the Carson City Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) agenda again this month. This is an informational item, no decisions will be made, but it would be great if Muscle Powered members and supporters attend to show our continued interest and concern on this issue.

The Carson City Public Works staff has come up with some ideas to mitigate the lack of bicycle facilities in the original project plan, and will present these ideas to the commission. This is the section of Roop St between Beverly Dr on the north and Washington St on the south.

The meeting is Wednesday, October 14, in the Sierra Room of the Community Center, and starts at 5:30. Roop St is item G-2. The item might come up about 6:00, but better to be there early rather than late.

From the official RTC agenda:

G-2 Informational update on the design of Phase II of the Roop Street widening project.

Staff Summary: City staff and engineering consultants are currently evaluating modifications to the design for Phase II of the Roop Street widening project that would allow for the provision of bicycle lanes along the entire length of the project. Staff will provide preliminary information regarding potential changes to the design, right-of-way acquisition, overall project costs, impacts to motor vehicle capacity, and schedule for implementation of the project.

From the Carson City website:

RTC Meeting
Date: 10/14/2009 5:30 PM
Location: Community Center, Sierra Room
851 East William Street
Carson City, Nevada 89701

The RTC Meeting will begin immediately following the CAMPO Meeting, which begins at 5:30 PM.

For additional information regarding this meeting or RTC in general, please contact RTC staff at 887-2355.

Multi-use Path Open!

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Multi-use Path Open!
by Dan Allison on MusclePowered.org

The path crosses under the freeway

The path crosses under the freeway

The multi-use path is open from Roop Street to Moffat Open Space. The western section, Linear Park, is now joined to the eastern section from Moffat Open Space near Mexican Ditch. The middle section was part of the Phase 2A of the Hwy 395 freeway that just opened. The path crosses under the freeway alongside Eagle Creek.

This 2.8 mile trail offers close up views of the ditches along Linear Park and the creek that eventually flows into the Carson River (often called Eagle Creek, but it has no official name), with willows, cattails, cottonwoods and a lot of birdlife. This is a less developed part of the valley, and it feels like you are a long ways away. Once the cottonwoods come back along the “Eagle Creek” wetland, this should be a really beautiful ride. The Linear Park section has several interpretive signs. The new section, just opened a few days ago, is already getting quite a bit of bicycling and walking use.

The path provides access to Fremont Elementary School by students living in the Eagle Valley neighborhood, and to Eagle Valley Middle School by students living in the Fremont and Seeliger neighborhoods.

NDOT, Carson City Public Works, Muscle Powered, and the Safe Routes to School Carson City program at talking about having a grand opening for the path. It may happen this fall, before the snow flies, or it may happen in the spring.

Linear Park Trail
Linear Park Trail

There are some places to be careful:

  1. If you are entering the path from Roop Street southbound or exiting the path to Roop Street southbound, you’ll be turning across traffic on a limited sight distance curve.
  2. The crossing of Saliman Road is marked by pedestrian and bicycle route signs. Some people will stop for you, but others won’t so yield and don’t cross until traffic is clear or stopped.
  3. The path crosses two gated cattle guards, which serve to allow the cows to travel freely between their north and south pasture, but to keep the cows of the rest of the path. The east gate will latch, but the west gate latch is currently broken and the gate is closed with a wire instead. Please keep the cows and the people happy by closing the gate behind you.
  4. At the tight curve diving underneath the freeway, watch for both other bicycles and for pedestrians, since sight distance is very short.
  5. As the path approaches Butti Way, it diverges. The right fork is probably intended to be the through route, but it leads to the crosswalk over Butti at Fifth Street. As a committed vehicular cyclist, I cringe riding across crosswalks, so I instead use the left fork and turn right onto Butti and then left again onto the path. Coming the other way, I turn right onto Butti and then left onto the path.
  6. If you leave the path at the roundabout, use caution. Though drivers are gradually becoming more adept at using the roundabout by taking turns and slowing down, it is still a place to be careful. Take the lane and do not allow yourself to be squeezed to the right.
  7. The crossing of Fairview Road at the user-activated flashing light is becoming safer, however, about 20% of the drivers are still ignoring this signal and blasting on through. Don’t cross until cars from both directions have stopped, and please acknowledge them for doing the right thing.

Mexican Ditch Trail
Bike Path near Moffat Open Space

A slide show of the path is available on Flickr. The route has been added to the Carson City Bicycle Route Map on Google Maps and to the Carson City Bicycle Routes Wiki.

Urban Cycling News

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Since the beginning of summer, I have seen a growing number of cyclists commuting to work. It’s not as apparent in the morning, but after work, they’re everywhere! 5:00 PM seems to be the universal quitting time. One thing we’ve done to make the commute more enjoyable and safer, is to start a commuter convoy.

Commuter Convoy
Bicycle Commuter Convoy on Roop Street

Our convoy is still pretty small at this time, with only 3 or 4 strong, but it makes a big difference. Not only do we get to talk along the way, but there is safety in numbers. Multiple cyclists riding together get more respect on the road. Not only is the pack more visible, but I think people are less apt to mess with a group of the people when the odds are not in their favor.

Not only is high visibility safer, but the message that cycling is fun is better advertised to the masses. If people see a group doing it, then maybe they get the idea in their head that they should give it a try. One of my fun activities on the way home is to count how many cars we pass on Roop Street. Roop Street is one of the main streets for getting around town, and is always backed up during rush hour. In just a short half mile stretch, I once counted over 30 cars passed!

We leave the capital grounds around 5 PM and head north if you’d like to join us. If you’re in another part of the city, and would like help connecting with other bicycle commuters, let me know (email address is on the contact page above)!

Elsewhere on the web…

Do you read Urban Velo? The current issue has some fantastic information for bicycle commuters that I’d like to point out. Page 30 has an article entitled STREET SMARTS – SURVIVAL SKILLS FROM A BICYCLE MESSENGER. Issue #9 is now available for download over on the Urban Velo Blog HERE.

When I was skimming the online magazine to get to the Street Smarts article, I came across a familiar face. Check out Page 22 of Urban Velo, and you’ll see Carson City’s Gabe Gonzalez! Gabe is frequently seen on his fixie at the local bicycle events, and it’s not uncommon to see him hanging out at the Bicycle Authority shooting the breeze with the rest of the guys. Go check out the interview with Gabe and see why he likes riding in the city.