So I found some more about the bike bridge path realignment project I wrote about the other day (this is at the Fernside end of the Harbor Bay bicycle bridge). When I went back there to meet with a guy from the city who had the scoop on it, someone had conveniently drawn pink lines on the ground to show exactly where the path should go. Here they are.
As you can plainly see, it’s only HALF the tree that’s in the way. That’s a real pity in my opinion. The main reason the man said the tree can’t stay is that there is a visibility issue because of it. The thing I tried to point out is that the visibility issue has pretty much been there for the past 20 years, yet no head-on bicycle collisions have been reported because of it. I mean, people are a lot more careful in real life than the liability experts will have you believe, I think that’s common knowledge. Yet the Liability Specter looms large every time someone undertakes even the tiniest project, and giant trees are felled like sticks because a line was drawn through them! I can totally see that pink line being drawn just a foot inward, putting the whole instead of half the tree behind it, and the whole issue disappears like that, easy. I even offered to redraw the line, but I think he thought I was joking. You know, planners are so serious about their lines. Got pink spray paint, anyone?
So after reflecting on this, I think I’m going to write to our Chief City Engineer, Barbara Hawkins, and see what she think about redrawing that line. I’m concerned that if this tree goes, the two behind it may become a problem soon too. When trees grow together in groves like this, they protect each other from the elements and each develops in relationship to the rest. Like your teeth, kind of. The one in the way of the path is the strongest of the tree, and the other two may not be able to withstand gusts of wind too well without it.
For the sake of fair reporting, I should say that the plan calls for the planting of five additional trees as part of the project. This is wonderful, of course, I just think we should try and retain the older trees too as long as they are healthy and thriving, and way can be devised around them.
Will be updated.
The real visibility issue using the bike bridge comes when biking under the vehicle bridge from Otis Drive through little Towata Park. You can’t see what’s coming your way when you’re biking around that corner from either way.
Riders traveling up or down the bike bridge in the area you are referring to anticipate traffic coming up because they are on a long stretch and can anticipate (i.e. “see”) that there is potential bike traffic coming.
The city should put a mirror on the turns going under the vehicle bridge instead.
Thanks for the blog, I read it regularly
Yes, I agree about he visibility issue under the bridge and a mirror would help, on the rail right at the corner there.
I have learned that there’s more to that eucalyptus slated for removal than visibility. (There always is.) The project is being done with Caltrans money, and Caltrans had already approved the drawings BEFORE the tree was posted. Another cart-before-the-horse case. Also, I was told the tree was being posted as a “courtesy” as it’s technically not a street tree. A better courtesy would be for the city to notify people before they cast things in stone. Otherwise, what’s the point?
This is similar to another rash approval I wrote about here . That ash is still standing though, I think the homeowner’s financing for the project probably fell through.
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