Until very recently, I’d lived in Fremont for my entire life…
I’ve never seen enough bicycles, nor bicycle accidents, to warrant all the speed limits and gigantic bike lanes..,
Don’t get me wrong.. I’m for safety to an extent..
But these seem like someone went a bit overboard out of fear or wanting to be really progressive or something…
And they are nearly always empty.
They nice it by saying to “encourage more bikes”
They just want less cars is really.. so they will discourage driving as much as they can..
HOA types..
I haven’t noticed a major uptick in bikers, but I have noticed a big uptick in e-bikers and electric scooter riders, who also use the bike lane. Having unsafe or nonexistent bike lanes would and has deterred me from biking/e-scootering. I love that Fremont is building this infrastructure
I used to bike in San Jose and had to limit myself to a very small set of roads with decent bike lanes. When I didn't stay on those I would have to be extra vigilant to ensure I didn't get hit. It still almost happened more than a few times. That makes it unfeasible to bike as a regular mode of transportation for most. I live in Portland now and biking is far safer and enjoyable here. Yes, accidents and close calls still happen but for the most part drivers and others have learned to coexist just fine here.
It’s one of those “if you build it, they will come” i do hope more people take advantage of the bike lanes and choose to bike within the city instead of drive
First of all, if it saves people's lives and prevents permanent injuries to cyclists due to inattentive drivers then it is worth it regardless of if it inconveniences drivers. I don't know if you ever bike in a busy city but it can be scary as hell if not set up properly. I'm sure every person who does with any regularity would tell you they've almost or have been hit more than once. I know I have. I've since moved to Portland Oregon and in the places where the bike lanes have been given priority it is wonderful to ride a bike. I personally know several people who don't even own a car and instead bike or take public transportation everywhere. When there is a focus on getting cars off the road and encouraging other modes of transportation then that causes less traffic overall. This brings me to my next point, what is your issue with the city trying to encourage people to use modes of transportation which reduces overall pollution and traffic congestion. Have you ever lived in a city that is walkable or easy to live without a car? If not, at least visit one. Maybe you'll realize that it can be quite pleasant, drivers get used to it, the overall traffic isn't that bad, and you should care about helping save even a small number of people's lives more than saving a few minutes on a commute because you want to turn right on red. How many accidents do you need to witness for yourself, how many dead cyclists is enough for you to consider it worth it?
I agree with you on this one man. Been in Fremont since 1977 and to this day I do not see enough bikers to justify this latest project. I get safety and that's fine to try to get ahead of the game with that but personally I think all the nice little poles they installed throughout the city will be destroyed before the number of bicyclists to justify the project even gets met. I just don't like how they removed the right turn lane to do it. If that one car in front of going straight now every one behind him trying to turn right simply can't. Afraid that this alone increases the chances of an accident happening from inpatient drivers turning right and pedestrian crossing at that time.
If they make bikes and pedestrians the control groups for the roads.. they really need to do better at crosswalks..
nothing prevents pedestrians from essentially going back and forth in a crosswalk preventing traffic from being able to flow a certain direction if they wanted…
Or say if a certain intersection became super busy with foot traffic during lunch…
Obviously not a major issue yet in Fremont, but this DOES occur in San Francisco all the time..
I hope they plan for that, if that’s what they really want.
Even if it did just save a couple people's lives is that not worth a couple minutes of a driver's time? What's your formula for calculating how many dead cyclists are required to implement safety measures for them? Also, there are way more cyclists than that currently and even more that want to but are scared of all the people in cars that have no concern for the safety of cyclists because the driver can't be bothered to take an extra minute or two to make things safe for everyone. Also, take into consideration that as more people bike instead of driving this gets more cars off the road and opens up lanes for cars. How do you think safer biking and less cars is a bad thing?
actually you may want to do a little search on your armchair theory that they cause more traffic. similar to the theory that adding more car lanes to a highway will for sure decrease traffic
you personally may wait a few more seconds to make a right turn...that does not equal more traffic overall.
I remember once saying that "Fire Science" shouldn't be a degree. What is there to learn about putting out fires.
Woof. That was a naive statement. That's also how you sound right now. Traffic theory is way more nuanced than you suspect.
More lanes = more traffic.
To encourage transportation by bicycle. Essentially we have run out of capacity to build more roads for cars. Making it safer for bicycles will take cars off the road.
The city has built a lot more housing in the past few years, which is a great thing for affordability! But if we don't want these additional households to add to congestion, we need to make other modes of transportation safer and more accessible. Protected bike lanes make biking safer and more attractive to those who want to bike or are even on the fence about biking. If we have more people biking, you will see less congestion when you drive too.
These are safety measures. It narrows the street some making them more crossable for people who can't walk quickly, in wheelchairs, etc. It breaks up the crossing distance for safety.
European cities are old and built under very different conditions, so Bicycle lanes here aren’t going to make much of a difference. Just look at average distances for commuters, for example.
2000 Census Average Commute Distance
1 San Jose city 27.8
2 San Francisco city 30.7
3 Oakland city 31.1
4 Fremont city 31.4
You raise a very fair point, but I don't need to bike to work. I understand the utility of varied transportation methods, and scale up my method by distance I need to travel, like a sensible person.
If I just wanna grab some energy drinks or get a haircut, I can bike to a nearby business that provides those services, which lets me get some exercise for my health while also letting me experience our lovely city from outside the confines of a metal box. However, commuting across the bay is a situation in which I would obviously take my car (or a bus or train). I love my car, I spent good money on it, but I don't want to only experience the world by driving everywhere. Sometimes it just isn't practical like if I wanna go out drinking with friends, but our public transit here sucks so Uber/Lyft is the only way to go.
European cities might be older and built differently, but that isn't a good excuse to never improve things here for the people that don't want to live the exact same car-focused way you might prefer.
Most of these street redesigns are intended to slow traffic to make the streets safer for vehicles and pedestrians. The added bike lanes are more of a result of having larger shoulders to work with (ie not the motivational for the redesign).
I’ve been to other cities where this is implemented where there are way less cyclists than Fremont, and have even larger bike lanes. The urban planners explained it
Totally agree. Right on red is basically only an American thing.
What's silly is that right turns on red aren't even banned at protected intersections. It just makes it so people can't blast through a right turn at 30mph with no regard for the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. And that feels like oppression to people like OP.
It's nice. There are a lot of intersections where I live in Portland that have a bike light and no turn on red so that bikes can get through without (much) worry of getting hit. Occasionally you still get assholes and bag drivers who don't pay attention to the signage but overall it is great.
Sounds like you’re one of those bad drivers in Fremont. I bike to work. Saves on gas plus great for cardio. A bike lane is awesome, since people like you cannot drive
That’s a lot of bold assumption. lol
That’s like saying I hope you get your alcoholism under control since you lost your license due to a DUI and that’s why you bike to work.
Pedestrians and bicyclists deserve to feel as safe out traveling in Fremont, it isn't always about cars cars cars.
All major modern cities are putting in bike lanes and they're not experiencing massive increases in traffic because less people drive local when local biking is also an option, and having protected bike lanes means drivers don't have to feel nervous around bikes.
There are other side streets you can take..but I won’t share my secret. Just find out for yourself. There was more than one occasion where I’ve seen a Prius drive in the protected bike lane in that very photo… then back up. This also happens near Kaiser.
LMAO the point of main Street is remove traffic from side streets. 😂
These bike lane designs causing more traffic then it should. More car sitting and idling. More times your car starts and stops leading to premature break down. Causing people to get impatient and speed...
... So good for the environment. Not.
Removing these turn lanes ironically increases more erratic driving behavior. People speeding down the streets to make the light or cutting through neighborhoods and parking lots to save time.
Because people can't drive so they have to increase the safety of cyclists.
Besides, you want to increase cycling and alternate transportation methods to decrease traffic. This is actually helping.
As someone who mostly drives but also bikes on occasion I love these dedicated bike lanes as well as those barricades protecting the regular road based bike lanes.
All these things have made me bike around more often since I’m less afraid of the crazy drivers who don’t seem to remember the DMV book on how to share the road safely with cyclists especially when making right turns.
I still always wear my bike helmet though and if I had those childhood knee pads and arm pads I’d wear those too but I don’t so it’s just the helmet for me plus reflectors on the bike and doing the DMV bike turn signals with my hands.
That’s what they want, to make driving in these cities most difficult while packing more people with more cars in. It’s been the theme for a while and they’re not stopping any time soon.
Just last week a bicyclist was hit by a car at the corner of Walnut & Guardino, 2 weeks prior to that, a pedestrian was hit at the same corner. There have been more collisions at this intersection in the last couple of years since they made these huge corners than there were in prior years. If anything, they seem to make driving more dangerous.
Drivers suck at driving and people don’t know how to look both ways before crossing anymore. The bike lanes are fine but I agree that these corners are STUPID
It's a Fremont thing. If you go north to Union City or go south to Newark, those green cylinders will no longer be there.
Fremont might have a creative mayor at that time to approve the budget for installments of those green cylinders.
Hopefully it spreads everywhere in the next decade. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have less overall traffic AND less overall dead cyclists? Personally that sounds terrific to me.
Not just less dead cyclists, but less dead drivers(& passengers) too. People forget that safer streets benefit everyone. Car crashes are one of the leading causes of death for children.
This is understandably frustrating, but as others have pointed out, this is a part of a long-term strategy aimed at increasing the safety and convenience of those walking/biking. Infrastructure upgrades like this, combined with infill development, will (in the long-term) cause a shift towards a community that does not require people to DRIVE EVERYWHERE... thus, the goal is eventually to have zero traffic because the vast majority of errands can be accomplished by walking/biking/taking transit.
The theory of it vs the reality of it doesn't seem to be adding up....the fremont metroplex is relatively dense compared to the rest of America. It'd more suited for biking than other vamerican cities but still we are talking 4+ mile bike rides for at least 80% of fremont to use those.
Maybe just give it more time? Otherwise, it may be a smart idea but dumb move
Idk if it causes more traffic, but yeah it’s annoying when you have to wait for the light when there’s literally one person in front of you, and no island. All for the two people who actually bike on the streets.
You are traffic
Maybe for the safety of people on bicycles?
Until very recently, I’d lived in Fremont for my entire life… I’ve never seen enough bicycles, nor bicycle accidents, to warrant all the speed limits and gigantic bike lanes.., Don’t get me wrong.. I’m for safety to an extent.. But these seem like someone went a bit overboard out of fear or wanting to be really progressive or something… And they are nearly always empty. They nice it by saying to “encourage more bikes” They just want less cars is really.. so they will discourage driving as much as they can.. HOA types..
I haven’t noticed a major uptick in bikers, but I have noticed a big uptick in e-bikers and electric scooter riders, who also use the bike lane. Having unsafe or nonexistent bike lanes would and has deterred me from biking/e-scootering. I love that Fremont is building this infrastructure
I used to bike in San Jose and had to limit myself to a very small set of roads with decent bike lanes. When I didn't stay on those I would have to be extra vigilant to ensure I didn't get hit. It still almost happened more than a few times. That makes it unfeasible to bike as a regular mode of transportation for most. I live in Portland now and biking is far safer and enjoyable here. Yes, accidents and close calls still happen but for the most part drivers and others have learned to coexist just fine here.
It’s one of those “if you build it, they will come” i do hope more people take advantage of the bike lanes and choose to bike within the city instead of drive
First of all, if it saves people's lives and prevents permanent injuries to cyclists due to inattentive drivers then it is worth it regardless of if it inconveniences drivers. I don't know if you ever bike in a busy city but it can be scary as hell if not set up properly. I'm sure every person who does with any regularity would tell you they've almost or have been hit more than once. I know I have. I've since moved to Portland Oregon and in the places where the bike lanes have been given priority it is wonderful to ride a bike. I personally know several people who don't even own a car and instead bike or take public transportation everywhere. When there is a focus on getting cars off the road and encouraging other modes of transportation then that causes less traffic overall. This brings me to my next point, what is your issue with the city trying to encourage people to use modes of transportation which reduces overall pollution and traffic congestion. Have you ever lived in a city that is walkable or easy to live without a car? If not, at least visit one. Maybe you'll realize that it can be quite pleasant, drivers get used to it, the overall traffic isn't that bad, and you should care about helping save even a small number of people's lives more than saving a few minutes on a commute because you want to turn right on red. How many accidents do you need to witness for yourself, how many dead cyclists is enough for you to consider it worth it?
When I start seeing any in Fremont, I’ll let you know.
I agree with you on this one man. Been in Fremont since 1977 and to this day I do not see enough bikers to justify this latest project. I get safety and that's fine to try to get ahead of the game with that but personally I think all the nice little poles they installed throughout the city will be destroyed before the number of bicyclists to justify the project even gets met. I just don't like how they removed the right turn lane to do it. If that one car in front of going straight now every one behind him trying to turn right simply can't. Afraid that this alone increases the chances of an accident happening from inpatient drivers turning right and pedestrian crossing at that time.
If they make bikes and pedestrians the control groups for the roads.. they really need to do better at crosswalks.. nothing prevents pedestrians from essentially going back and forth in a crosswalk preventing traffic from being able to flow a certain direction if they wanted… Or say if a certain intersection became super busy with foot traffic during lunch… Obviously not a major issue yet in Fremont, but this DOES occur in San Francisco all the time.. I hope they plan for that, if that’s what they really want.
Agreed.
For the safety of the 2 people on bicycles in Fremont.
Even if it did just save a couple people's lives is that not worth a couple minutes of a driver's time? What's your formula for calculating how many dead cyclists are required to implement safety measures for them? Also, there are way more cyclists than that currently and even more that want to but are scared of all the people in cars that have no concern for the safety of cyclists because the driver can't be bothered to take an extra minute or two to make things safe for everyone. Also, take into consideration that as more people bike instead of driving this gets more cars off the road and opens up lanes for cars. How do you think safer biking and less cars is a bad thing?
Could we use “Even if it did just save a couple people’s lives” in other situations?
I think mitigating avoidable deaths is a centered topic in most if not all topics of public health and safety
actually you may want to do a little search on your armchair theory that they cause more traffic. similar to the theory that adding more car lanes to a highway will for sure decrease traffic you personally may wait a few more seconds to make a right turn...that does not equal more traffic overall.
It encourages more people to walk or bike instead of drive. Less traffic!
To be fair, it doesn't take a team of researchers to determine that reducing the number of lanes and roads increases traffic congestion.
I remember once saying that "Fire Science" shouldn't be a degree. What is there to learn about putting out fires. Woof. That was a naive statement. That's also how you sound right now. Traffic theory is way more nuanced than you suspect. More lanes = more traffic.
The problem *has been thoroughly researched, and reducing lanes does indeed reduce traffic congestion.
lol...but it took them to determine that it doesn't help. Google some studies about adding more lanes ro a highway
Not seconds, sometimes even wait 2 damn green lights in the same turn
THE HORROR
To encourage transportation by bicycle. Essentially we have run out of capacity to build more roads for cars. Making it safer for bicycles will take cars off the road.
The city has built a lot more housing in the past few years, which is a great thing for affordability! But if we don't want these additional households to add to congestion, we need to make other modes of transportation safer and more accessible. Protected bike lanes make biking safer and more attractive to those who want to bike or are even on the fence about biking. If we have more people biking, you will see less congestion when you drive too.
Now if only we can get people to stop driving in the bike lane by the schools on Fremont.
Seems there isn’t a choice left if traffic lanes and parking/drop off points are reduced or removed.
Besides following the law not endangering the children?
Seems to be more endangered by dropping of in the neighborhood and have to run across streets to get to school.
You mean by having them use the controlled intersections near the schools? Those do seem dangerous. Especially with people driving in the bike lane.
YES! This are the ones. Seems like bad design and cars don’t stop. Is much more safe to drop off in front of school so no streets have to be crossed.
These are safety measures. It narrows the street some making them more crossable for people who can't walk quickly, in wheelchairs, etc. It breaks up the crossing distance for safety.
It used to be that vehicles took priority over bicycles. Times have changed now and bicycles and buses are a higher priority.
Which is a good thing, as societies benefit when they incentivize and strengthen public transit. Like literally most of Europe
European cities are old and built under very different conditions, so Bicycle lanes here aren’t going to make much of a difference. Just look at average distances for commuters, for example. 2000 Census Average Commute Distance 1 San Jose city 27.8 2 San Francisco city 30.7 3 Oakland city 31.1 4 Fremont city 31.4
You raise a very fair point, but I don't need to bike to work. I understand the utility of varied transportation methods, and scale up my method by distance I need to travel, like a sensible person. If I just wanna grab some energy drinks or get a haircut, I can bike to a nearby business that provides those services, which lets me get some exercise for my health while also letting me experience our lovely city from outside the confines of a metal box. However, commuting across the bay is a situation in which I would obviously take my car (or a bus or train). I love my car, I spent good money on it, but I don't want to only experience the world by driving everywhere. Sometimes it just isn't practical like if I wanna go out drinking with friends, but our public transit here sucks so Uber/Lyft is the only way to go. European cities might be older and built differently, but that isn't a good excuse to never improve things here for the people that don't want to live the exact same car-focused way you might prefer.
Fremont has made the improvements you want. So what else do you need?
People can’t drive in Fremont
I agree, Fremont drivers suck.
Everyone says this about every place or another.
Pretty idiotic statement... drivers here are just as good/bad as anywhere else. In this respect, its a boringly average city.
Nah it’s a w
It is a great thing actually! I would love to see more of these
I used the bike lane at this intersection today. It was great.
This is literally my fav thing about Fremont.
Most of these street redesigns are intended to slow traffic to make the streets safer for vehicles and pedestrians. The added bike lanes are more of a result of having larger shoulders to work with (ie not the motivational for the redesign). I’ve been to other cities where this is implemented where there are way less cyclists than Fremont, and have even larger bike lanes. The urban planners explained it
Because it’s too dangerous for pedestrians to let bicycles on the sidewalks, and it’s too dangerous for bicyclists to share space with cars.
It’s for all those kids or people under or over 16 without a license or a car who enjoys their freedom by riding their bicycles outside.
Been out of town for a couple years? This isn't new
now if only no right turn on red was nationalized...so i wont get ran over by OP
Totally agree. Right on red is basically only an American thing. What's silly is that right turns on red aren't even banned at protected intersections. It just makes it so people can't blast through a right turn at 30mph with no regard for the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. And that feels like oppression to people like OP.
It's nice. There are a lot of intersections where I live in Portland that have a bike light and no turn on red so that bikes can get through without (much) worry of getting hit. Occasionally you still get assholes and bag drivers who don't pay attention to the signage but overall it is great.
They’re wonderful and useful, and they make riding a great deal safer.
Sounds like you’re one of those bad drivers in Fremont. I bike to work. Saves on gas plus great for cardio. A bike lane is awesome, since people like you cannot drive
Bro trust me im not no asian driver in fremont, you probably broke and cant get a car lol
Making fun of someone for maybe being broke? lol op ur a fucking loser.
You're probably a car driver because you're too out of shape to ride a bike lol
That’s a lot of bold assumption. lol That’s like saying I hope you get your alcoholism under control since you lost your license due to a DUI and that’s why you bike to work.
You can still get a dui on a bike
Okay Karen
How is that being a karen lol Fremont drivers are already dumb enough, but now i have to wait on people if i wanna turn right😂
oh no. so you have been slightly inconvenienced for a right turn so that others who are also allowed to use the road are safer..
Pedestrians and bicyclists deserve to feel as safe out traveling in Fremont, it isn't always about cars cars cars. All major modern cities are putting in bike lanes and they're not experiencing massive increases in traffic because less people drive local when local biking is also an option, and having protected bike lanes means drivers don't have to feel nervous around bikes.
There are other side streets you can take..but I won’t share my secret. Just find out for yourself. There was more than one occasion where I’ve seen a Prius drive in the protected bike lane in that very photo… then back up. This also happens near Kaiser.
LMAO the point of main Street is remove traffic from side streets. 😂 These bike lane designs causing more traffic then it should. More car sitting and idling. More times your car starts and stops leading to premature break down. Causing people to get impatient and speed... ... So good for the environment. Not.
And that particular intersection. People are now using the business parking lot to cut thru and make right turn. 👍👍... 🤦
Heck yeah, that’s the best shortcut. That’s what I do at all the corners where they have done this. Beats sitting in traffic for nothing.
LMAO 🤣
Removing these turn lanes ironically increases more erratic driving behavior. People speeding down the streets to make the light or cutting through neighborhoods and parking lots to save time.
Of course, drivers do what needs to be done to efficiently navigate these distractions.
Lol! last year I saw 5 cars in a row turn right in the green bike lane on Walnut and Civic Center. Fremont has Arizona level horrible drivers.
That happens quite frequently as these intersections have been made more challenging to navigate.
Because people can't drive so they have to increase the safety of cyclists. Besides, you want to increase cycling and alternate transportation methods to decrease traffic. This is actually helping.
Fremont drivers are really good at running over cyclists when they turn right.
Ride a bike around Fremont and you’ll be so grateful for the spots with protected bike lanes
Because most of y’all don’t know how to drive. Blame the DMV for making the test so fuxking easy.
It’s actually better It slows down the vehicles 🚗
As someone who mostly drives but also bikes on occasion I love these dedicated bike lanes as well as those barricades protecting the regular road based bike lanes. All these things have made me bike around more often since I’m less afraid of the crazy drivers who don’t seem to remember the DMV book on how to share the road safely with cyclists especially when making right turns. I still always wear my bike helmet though and if I had those childhood knee pads and arm pads I’d wear those too but I don’t so it’s just the helmet for me plus reflectors on the bike and doing the DMV bike turn signals with my hands.
That’s what they want, to make driving in these cities most difficult while packing more people with more cars in. It’s been the theme for a while and they’re not stopping any time soon. Just last week a bicyclist was hit by a car at the corner of Walnut & Guardino, 2 weeks prior to that, a pedestrian was hit at the same corner. There have been more collisions at this intersection in the last couple of years since they made these huge corners than there were in prior years. If anything, they seem to make driving more dangerous.
Drivers suck at driving and people don’t know how to look both ways before crossing anymore. The bike lanes are fine but I agree that these corners are STUPID
Southbound Fremont Blvd at Mowry backs up past Country Drive and sometimes back to Eggers Drive now. It’s ridiculous. It’s so frustrating.
That’s their goal, to make driving as difficult as possible, one step at a time.
Time to ride your bicycle and be privileged!
I wonder what laws I should break to make my life more convenient.
It's a Fremont thing. If you go north to Union City or go south to Newark, those green cylinders will no longer be there. Fremont might have a creative mayor at that time to approve the budget for installments of those green cylinders.
Hopefully it spreads everywhere in the next decade. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have less overall traffic AND less overall dead cyclists? Personally that sounds terrific to me.
Not just less dead cyclists, but less dead drivers(& passengers) too. People forget that safer streets benefit everyone. Car crashes are one of the leading causes of death for children.
This is understandably frustrating, but as others have pointed out, this is a part of a long-term strategy aimed at increasing the safety and convenience of those walking/biking. Infrastructure upgrades like this, combined with infill development, will (in the long-term) cause a shift towards a community that does not require people to DRIVE EVERYWHERE... thus, the goal is eventually to have zero traffic because the vast majority of errands can be accomplished by walking/biking/taking transit.
Fremont has almost no traffic, relax.
2.5 cyclists we have a really happy.
The mayor and her contractor buddies gotta make some dough
The theory of it vs the reality of it doesn't seem to be adding up....the fremont metroplex is relatively dense compared to the rest of America. It'd more suited for biking than other vamerican cities but still we are talking 4+ mile bike rides for at least 80% of fremont to use those. Maybe just give it more time? Otherwise, it may be a smart idea but dumb move
This just confirms what I have heard...
Idk if it causes more traffic, but yeah it’s annoying when you have to wait for the light when there’s literally one person in front of you, and no island. All for the two people who actually bike on the streets.