Old rail routes and canals to be used - Page 2 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

03-04-2005, 05:31 AM

> > In the USA we have the [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] Trails to Rails
> > Conservancy Organization.
> > They have been working on putting in bike trials and paths all
over the
> US.

and there are canal towpath trails, too. The C&O Canal Trail in
Maryland was originally built, I think, by the Civilian Conservation
Corps during the Roosevelt administration, and has been popular ever
since, even during cycling's low point in the 1950s. I think the New
York State Barge Canal towpath was made into a bike path before 1900.
If it has been one ever since, it might be about as old as what I
thought was the USA's oldest bike path, alongside Ocean Ave, in
Brooklyn, NYC, built in 1895.

Jeremy Parker
London UK

03-04-2005, 06:47 AM

On Fri, 4 Mar 2005 05:47:32 -0600, "Earl Bollinger" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote:

>> The RtT has made some of the more interesting "linear parks" around
>> Florida. Many fun riding locations that the skaters, joggers and other lesser
>> lifeforms also enjoy.
>> Ron
>
>I think they helped to put a trail or path along the railroad tracks, a
>couple of blocks from where I live.
>It is only about 2.5 miles long, but when it isn't crowded, it is great for
>doing intervals.

One of our trail parks the Upper Tampa Bay Trail has bridge over Gunn H'way a
major 8 lane thoroughfare, with ramps up and down that I think of as "my little
interval." The ramps are short and cruel, steep enough to hit 21mph coasting
down in a tuck (starting from almost standing) and short enough that I'll be to
the top in about 30 seconds.

Great fun for things like starting at the bottom very slow and accelerate to the
top, see how fast you're going at the top of the climb. Or just go back and
forth until you get wobbly enough to scare yourself on the descent.

We don't have any real hills within 30 miles of me here so this is fun.

Ron

03-04-2005, 06:47 AM

On Fri, 4 Mar 2005 05:47:32 -0600, "Earl Bollinger" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote:

>> The RtT has made some of the more interesting "linear parks" around
>> Florida. Many fun riding locations that the skaters, joggers and other lesser
>> lifeforms also enjoy.
>> Ron
>
>I think they helped to put a trail or path along the railroad tracks, a
>couple of blocks from where I live.
>It is only about 2.5 miles long, but when it isn't crowded, it is great for
>doing intervals.

One of our trail parks the Upper Tampa Bay Trail has bridge over Gunn H'way a
major 8 lane thoroughfare, with ramps up and down that I think of as "my little
interval." The ramps are short and cruel, steep enough to hit 21mph coasting
down in a tuck (starting from almost standing) and short enough that I'll be to
the top in about 30 seconds.

Great fun for things like starting at the bottom very slow and accelerate to the
top, see how fast you're going at the top of the climb. Or just go back and
forth until you get wobbly enough to scare yourself on the descent.

We don't have any real hills within 30 miles of me here so this is fun.

Ron

03-06-2005, 01:41 PM

"Ken Marcet" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
> Interesting little bit. U.K. could convert some old rail routes and canals
> into bike routes.
> Makes me wonder how many unused rail routes are here in the U.S. that
> could
> be easily converted into bike routes.
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

There will be more bike routes than car routes in the UK by 2020, other
sites you may be interested in

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

The National Lottery is currently investing £20 Billion ($38 Billion) in
building new off-road bike routes.

03-06-2005, 01:41 PM

"Ken Marcet" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
> Interesting little bit. U.K. could convert some old rail routes and canals
> into bike routes.
> Makes me wonder how many unused rail routes are here in the U.S. that
> could
> be easily converted into bike routes.
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

There will be more bike routes than car routes in the UK by 2020, other
sites you may be interested in

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

The National Lottery is currently investing £20 Billion ($38 Billion) in
building new off-road bike routes.

03-06-2005, 03:11 PM

dennis lawson wrote:

> "Ken Marcet" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
> news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...

>> Interesting little bit. U.K. could convert some old rail routes and
>> canals into bike routes.
>> Makes me wonder how many unused rail routes are here in the U.S. that
>> could
>> be easily converted into bike routes.
>> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
> There will be more bike routes than car routes in the UK by 2020,
> other sites you may be interested in
>
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
> The National Lottery is currently investing £20 Billion ($38 Billion)
> in building new off-road bike routes.

Wow. We'd be lucky to get a tenth that much nationally, and we're six times
your population and many more times the land area!

Matt O.

03-06-2005, 03:11 PM

dennis lawson wrote:

> "Ken Marcet" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
> news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...

>> Interesting little bit. U.K. could convert some old rail routes and
>> canals into bike routes.
>> Makes me wonder how many unused rail routes are here in the U.S. that
>> could
>> be easily converted into bike routes.
>> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
> There will be more bike routes than car routes in the UK by 2020,
> other sites you may be interested in
>
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
> The National Lottery is currently investing £20 Billion ($38 Billion)
> in building new off-road bike routes.

Wow. We'd be lucky to get a tenth that much nationally, and we're six times
your population and many more times the land area!

Matt O.

03-06-2005, 03:51 PM

On Sun, 6 Mar 2005 18:11:30 -0500, "Matt O'Toole" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>dennis lawson wrote:
>
>> "Ken Marcet" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
>> news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
>
>>> Interesting little bit. U.K. could convert some old rail routes and
>>> canals into bike routes.
>>> Makes me wonder how many unused rail routes are here in the U.S. that
>>> could
>>> be easily converted into bike routes.
>>> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>>
>> There will be more bike routes than car routes in the UK by 2020,
>> other sites you may be interested in
>>
>> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>>
>> The National Lottery is currently investing £20 Billion ($38 Billion)
>> in building new off-road bike routes.
>
>Wow. We'd be lucky to get a tenth that much nationally, and we're six times
>your population and many more times the land area!

I've got trailheads for about 200 miles of paved and unpaved bike trail within
20 miles of me. Probably another few hundred miles within 50 miles of me. That's
in Tampa. Where ever do you live that you've got such a pessimistic outlook on
the subject?

Ron

03-06-2005, 03:51 PM

On Sun, 6 Mar 2005 18:11:30 -0500, "Matt O'Toole" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>dennis lawson wrote:
>
>> "Ken Marcet" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
>> news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
>
>>> Interesting little bit. U.K. could convert some old rail routes and
>>> canals into bike routes.
>>> Makes me wonder how many unused rail routes are here in the U.S. that
>>> could
>>> be easily converted into bike routes.
>>> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>>
>> There will be more bike routes than car routes in the UK by 2020,
>> other sites you may be interested in
>>
>> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>>
>> The National Lottery is currently investing £20 Billion ($38 Billion)
>> in building new off-road bike routes.
>
>Wow. We'd be lucky to get a tenth that much nationally, and we're six times
>your population and many more times the land area!

I've got trailheads for about 200 miles of paved and unpaved bike trail within
20 miles of me. Probably another few hundred miles within 50 miles of me. That's
in Tampa. Where ever do you live that you've got such a pessimistic outlook on
the subject?

Ron

03-06-2005, 05:48 PM

RonSonic wrote:

> On Sun, 6 Mar 2005 18:11:30 -0500, "Matt O'Toole" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
> wrote:
>
>> dennis lawson wrote:
>>
>>> "Ken Marcet" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
>>> news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
>>
>>>> Interesting little bit. U.K. could convert some old rail routes and
>>>> canals into bike routes.
>>>> Makes me wonder how many unused rail routes are here in the U.S.
>>>> that could
>>>> be easily converted into bike routes.
>>>> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>>>
>>> There will be more bike routes than car routes in the UK by 2020,
>>> other sites you may be interested in
>>>
>>> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>>> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>>> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>>>
>>> The National Lottery is currently investing £20 Billion ($38
>>> Billion) in building new off-road bike routes.
>>
>> Wow. We'd be lucky to get a tenth that much nationally, and we're
>> six times your population and many more times the land area!
>
> I've got trailheads for about 200 miles of paved and unpaved bike
> trail within 20 miles of me. Probably another few hundred miles
> within 50 miles of me. That's in Tampa. Where ever do you live that
> you've got such a pessimistic outlook on the subject?

That's not pessimistic, it's what's actually being spent by the Feds. In fact
they just demanded all the unspent money back:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Can't afford no bah-sickles this year. People wanna ride bah-sickles, let 'em
pay for 'em their selves!

We do have some nice rail-trails around here, with more on the way. Where you
and I live we're blessed. But some places have none, and horrible roads to
boot -- take Myrtle Beach, for example.

Matt O.