Althouse: On the Capital City Bike Path...

July 26, 2010

On the Capital City Bike Path...

... you can roll along at your own speed.

20 comments:

MadisonMan said...: I haven't ridden the Cap City Trail from several years now. One Summer I commuted to work using it, turning my 1 mile ride into a 15 mile ride (I lost 15 pounds that summer).

I took to counting the number of rabbits I saw. The most on one day was 35, as I recall. They really are everywhere. There were also usually turkeys in the corn field just east of Cty M, I think it was. You head up a hill, round a corner, and there's a big field of corn all full of turkey.; 7/26/10, 9:53 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Damn do bike trails look the same all over?

Yesterday, I was on the Schuylkill River Trail and saw a bunch of groundhogs [it is Pa afterall] but not too many rabbits. Saw 4-5 deer last week near Valley Forge Park. They have killed more than a few drivers on the nearby PA turnpike.; 7/26/10, 10:16 PM
jungatheart said...: That looks like fun.; 7/26/10, 10:57 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Entering fee area.

how does that work?; 7/26/10, 11:00 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Albert Pujols is on Letterman.; 7/26/10, 11:15 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Where is everybody?; 7/27/10, 12:01 AM
MadisonMan said...: how does that work?

You buy a seasonal pass. It was $10 several years ago, I will guess it's gone up. If you're stopped by the ranger, and don't have the pass, you get fined.

Unless you are commuting to work. I recollect that the path is free if you are using it to commute.; 7/27/10, 12:04 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: thanks MM.; 7/27/10, 12:12 AM
Peter Hoh said...: Oh, you lucky people in Madison. NOM drops in for a visit Tuesday at noon.

Enjoy.; 7/27/10, 12:27 AM
Unknown said...: Well, we got through a whole day with only one minor skirmish (nobody even got bitten). Not Peace In Our Time. but maybe Peaceful Co-Existence.

peter hoh said...

Oh, you lucky people in Madison. NOM drops in for a visit Tuesday at noon.

Better them than The Zero and his family on their 5th vacation in a month.; 7/27/10, 6:04 AM
KCFleming said...: 5th vacation in 5 weeks.
That's only one per week!

Obama will not rest until....

...well let's just say Obama ain't no marathon runner. Mebbe 'a few jumping jacks then gotta sit down' kinda guy.

He reminds me of guys I worked with on the factory floor where we loaded speakers into semis. They took mandatory breaks, breaks between breaks, bathroom breaks where they disappeared to smoke a joint for 20 minutes, extended breaks, and stood by the time clock to punch out for about 15 minutes.

And still they bitched.; 7/27/10, 6:55 AM
Hagar said...: AJ,

The AASHTO "Green Book" and the MUTCD have sections on bicycle trails which come into play whenever Federal funds are contributed.
My best experience with this was with a municipal park area improvement project incorporating a paved trail that the Landscape Architect had incautiously labeled "Bicycle Trail," which called down about 3 full pages of review comments on his head. I suggested that he erase the word "Bicycle" and substitute "Asphalt," which resolved all difficulties and was adopted with acclamation, and the plans were approved with no further comment.

(The "Green Book" design guidelines (aka "Holy Writ") can also be a real headache for urban bikeways since they conflict with the rules for sidewalks and driveways in ways that cannot be resolved with just 3 physical dimensions to work with.); 7/27/10, 9:01 AM
Ann Althouse said...: It's $20 now. $6 for one day. Chances of getting stopped seemed small, but my conscience would hurt if I didn't stop and buy a pass. There are a couple places where you can fill out the form, take the receipt, and put your cash or check into a drop box. I had to ride a few miles after entering before I got to the box, so if I'd been stopped, I would have said I'm going to buy I pass when I get to the box. But it would be strange to be stopped. It's not like you're required to display the pass. You keep it in your pocket/wallet.; 7/27/10, 9:52 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: I would chip in for bike trails. It's a good use of tax money.

Here they don't require a license or fee. Maybe they could consider putting out a locked can so people could drop in donations.; 7/27/10, 11:21 AM
Hagar said...: For the money we spend on bikeways, we could buy every adult bikerider in town a Porsche; not a super-car, but certainly a base 911 with some options.

It's a horrific transfer of taxpayers' money to a well-to-do PC vociferous minority.; 7/27/10, 11:40 AM
Triangle Man said...: But it would be strange to be stopped. It's not like you're required to display the pass. You keep it in your pocket/wallet.

We were stopped two years in a row after entering the trail from the end opposite the registration box. A ranger was parked in the middle of the trail and stopped everyone passing by to check. We just had to buy the pass. No fine.

It's a horrific transfer of taxpayers' money to a well-to-do PC vociferous minority.

Just like all those other annoying unnecessary publicly maintained parks, green spaces, boat ramps, beaches, and sidewalks. All examples of robbing the poor and conservative to benefit the rich and liberal!; 7/27/10, 12:37 PM
Hagar said...: Those are voted on and are presumably wanted. At least the public has the opportunity to express their opinion, whether they take advantage of it or not. The bikelanes along our public roads are built by Federal mandates and are not subject to discussion, and from the use they get, are not much wanted.; 7/27/10, 1:16 PM
kjbe said...: I was on the Military Ridge Trail, last fall, and had the same thoughts as you, Ann, about just buying it. And as I was reading the box, the ranger drove up and set up shop, so I bought it from him. He was still there 4 hours later, when I returned.

As for the pictures, I've been out of town for over a week, and noticed how green things seem for July. It's usually getting pretty dry about now.; 7/27/10, 2:23 PM
Anonymous said...: The Little Miami bike path in the venerable Meade's former backyard is FREE! Perhaps you should reconsider his displacement. :-)); 7/27/10, 5:05 PM
jaed said...: For the money we spend on bikeways, we could buy every adult bikerider in town a Porsche

How can that possibly be true? A bike trail is normally built in land that's already government owned one way or another; putting in a bike path just involves a little surveying and pouring some concrete. How expensive can it be?; 7/27/10, 11:24 PM