Jim Rye rides Easton Hill all the time. Again NOT A FUN LOOKING RIDE.
I still don't see why we can't work with WVU to get access across the old
poultry farm and come down on the back side of the research park to West
Run. Connect right into Suncrest Town Center and the couple of housing
complexes as well as Stewart St etc downtown. I guess maybe this hasn't
been discussed since before Hugh came on board. Maybe worth revisiting -
last time I talked it up it was shot down by Russ Lorince with the research
corporation.
On Thu, Jan 13, 2011 at 12:40 PM, Frank Gmeindl
frank.gmeindl@comcast.net wrote:
I think we have two concepts. One, is to modify West Run Road to make it
more bike friendly and Two is a segregated path.
Modify West Run Rd.
For many years before the District, I rode West Run Rd. several
times/week around 5 pm., always from east to west. See map at
http://tinyurl.com/46ofgs3 It was fine except that occasionally, I'd be
head-on with some junior doctor zipping along in his BMW or S-2000 and we'd
both be eyeing the fence posts, mailboxes and culverts for room to squeeze
by. Improving sight-lines is imperative; widening would be nice; shared
lane markings and Bicycles May Use Full Lane signs, or at least share the
road signs would help. Moving, leveling and realigning the intersection
with 119 is also imperative.
I used to ride the old bike route over White Avenue to Dug Hill Rd,
Pierpont Rd., across 857, down Old Cheat Rd. to Easton then along 119 to
West Run as shown on the map at http://tinyurl.com/46ofgs3. Except for
the little stretches of 857 and 119, there wasn't much traffic but it's
quite hilly and would probably discourage novices. However, once West Run
is improved, it would be a suitable extension of the bike route with
appropriate mapping to indicate the hills and to warn of the high traffic
zones on 857 and 119.
Segregated Path
The best segregated path option would be as I think Chet is suggesting,
basically between West Run Rd. and West Run creek. Heck, let's propose to
go all the way to the Mon River trail in the long run.
Coming from the District out to Easton, you can cross Easton Hill Rd. and
continue out West Run Rd. where it dead-ends at I-68. Crossing the
intersection by Easton School will be a challenge. Before I-68, West Run
Rd. used to continue up the hill to Pierpont Rd. (Who hasn't ridden through
the West Run culverts under I-68? Perhaps you missed the BB initiation
ceremony;)
Don Spencer has told me that there has been some discussion of running a
trail along the west side of I-68 over to Sabraton. We should explore this.
Then, we could connect with the Decker Creek trail and have a bicycle
beltway around the City:) My concern remains that if we put all our energy
into projects like this, it will eventually become impossible to ride your
bike from the trail to any practical destination because we were diverted
from reclaiming the streets that were ours to being with.
At Easton, going up Easton Hill and across the Mileground should be an
option that could be handled by a bicycle climbing lane. If they can crane
a shopping center and housing development on the side of that hill and add a
full-width travel lane and roundabouts to the Mileground, they can add 8
feet to Easton Hill for a bicycle climbing lane! I still occasionally ride
up Easton Hill. It's not pleasant and if you don't take the lane, you'll
get squeezed into the guard rail. It is nearly impossible to walk up or
down there though because there is absolutely no shoulder.
Untrue!
We've seen our buddy NickH going up it a few times. Did not seem like
it would be a pleasant experience *at* *all*. But maybe Nick can
chime in here.
The hundreds of people living in that valley now would be stranded and
starve to death when the gasoline runs out.
And this would be a bad thing?
Frank
On Jan 13, 2011, at 11:18 AM, Gunnar Shogren wrote:
Wider road and signage.
I've biked on it off and on throughout the years, problem is that it
just doesn't lead anywhere easily, there's a big hill off it as soon
as you go toward town, or even go away from town.
Sure not many folks use it now, but perhaps they would if even to go
from Apt complex to complex, to play XBox or Magic: The Gathering.
Widen that puppy and put some signs up. Nice wide shoulder just to
ease the minds of less experienced cyclists as well.
On Wed, Jan 12, 2011 at 3:00 PM, Chet Parsons chetparsons@gmail.com
wrote:
> I think Bill Austin already has this stuff in his head, but here's my
two
> cents.
> The section from Van Voorhis to Stewartstown can be used in combination
of
> on-street markings and using the floodplain owned by WVU (basically
from the
> dairy farm to Pineview). Once you get to Stewartstown, Ryan is right.
> You'll need to cut down behind Copper Beech and up between it and the
stuff
> up on the backside of the Mileground. Follow that route until you get
to
> Easton School, which will be closed soon anyway. Then tie in to
whatever
> new development is getting ready to go in along 857 out to I-68. If
you
> haven't noticed, the DOH has been clearing and widening 857 for about 4
> months now and my bet is that there will be a new development with an
> additional access point by summer.
> Another option, but will probably be a more expensive easement, is to
create
> a couple switchbacks up the farm on the opposite side of the hill as
West
> Run Apartments and then run a path through the apartment complex and
out to
> 119/857.
> Chet
>
> On Wed, Jan 12, 2011 at 2:49 PM, Ryan Post rpostwvu@gmail.com wrote:
>>
>> West Run, from Stewartstown to 119 (where all the houses are), is
twisty,
>> narrow and hilly.
>>
>>
>>
>> Given those conditions, it can never be bike friendly. Road needs
widened
>> and/or straightened significantly. Or create a separate bike/walk
path. I
>> doubt many would walk however, since there’s very little within ½
mile.
>>
>>
>>
>> It’s a no-man’s land of bad planning and shouldn’t have been Zoned on
w/o
>> correcting the road first, IMO.
>>
>>
>>
>> From: bikeboard-bounces@cheat.org [mailto:bikeboard-bounces@cheat.org]
On
>> Behalf Of Frank Gmeindl
>> Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2011 7:36 AM
>> To: Bicycle Board
>> Subject: [Bikeboard] Fwd: Work on West Run
>>
>>
>>
>> Bicycle Board Members,
>>
>>
>>
>> Heads up. What are your ideas for making West Run more bicycle
friendly?
>>
>>
>>
>> I don't know what DOH is planning for West Run yet. I'll keep you
posted.
>>
>>
>>
>> Frank
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Begin forwarded message:
>>
>> From: "Bill Austin" baustin@moncpc.org
>>
>> Date: January 11, 2011 4:30:44 PM EST
>>
>> To: "'Frank Gmeindl'" frank.gmeindl@comcast.net
>>
>> Subject: Work on West Run
>>
>> Frank,
>>
>>
>>
>> DOH has a project to improve West Run. They would like to work with
you
>> and the Board on the proper way to accommodate cyclists. I would
appreciate
>> discussing the matter with you prior to the CAC Meeting Thursday.
Also, they
>> let me know they identified five grates along Mon Boulevard that they
will
>> be replacing.
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>>
>>
>> Bill Austin, AICP
>>
>> Executive Director
>>
>> Morgantown Monongalia MPO
>>
>> 82 Hart Field Road Ste. 105
>>
>> Morgantown, WVA 26505
>>
>> 304-291-9571
>>
>> 304-692-7225 Mobile
>>
>>
>>
>> “Nobody can go back and make a new beginning, but anyone can start
today
>> and make a new ending.”-Maria Robinson
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Bikeboard mailing list
>> Bikeboard@cheat.org
>> http://cheat.org/mailman/listinfo/bikeboard
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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Chet Parsons
Frank Gmeindl