tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731149177870823280.post7081048640741606477..comments2024-02-24T18:01:44.751-08:00Comments on Musings . . . by Karen Lynn Allen: My Car-free Excursion to IkeaKaren Lynn Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01570980995774757572noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731149177870823280.post-38929096363945072792013-01-04T10:38:14.614-08:002013-01-04T10:38:14.614-08:00In Denmark,the Ikea stores have bike paths directl...In Denmark,the Ikea stores have bike paths directly to them! (Or at least one does, as described in a nice account on Copenhagenize.com) I wonder how long before Ikea realizes the suburban hell model of store placement even in the US has a limited future? <br /><br />Even here in the middle of San Francisco, Trader Joe's won't open up a store where they can't offer an adjacent parking lot, not even if it's in a particularly dense, walkable, transit-rich area where thousands of customers would stream in and out on foot every day. <br /><br />At least in Baltimore you have access to a pretty reasonable train system running from Boston to Washington DC. I would take that over public transit to Ikea any day!Karen Lynn Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01570980995774757572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731149177870823280.post-73055986587164317382013-01-04T10:14:38.900-08:002013-01-04T10:14:38.900-08:00I'm envious you even have a transit-accessible...I'm envious you even have a transit-accessible Ikea in San Fran. Here in Baltimore, our Ikea is in the middle of suburban hell. Mark R. Brownhttp://www.carfreebaltimore.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731149177870823280.post-79035507075499753242012-12-07T11:41:18.229-08:002012-12-07T11:41:18.229-08:00Robert,
Thanks for the great info! So frustrating...Robert,<br /><br />Thanks for the great info! So frustrating with bikeshare being delayed because it's such an effective, inexpensive way of dealing with the "last mile" (or two) problem that all transit inevitably faces.<br /><br />Okay, two recommendations now for West Oakland and Mandela Parkway. I'll have to check it out (maybe when I'm with my husband.)Karen Lynn Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01570980995774757572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731149177870823280.post-84608486890721547912012-12-06T22:12:21.920-08:002012-12-06T22:12:21.920-08:00Interesting side note: All of Emeryville west of t...Interesting side note: All of Emeryville west of the train tracks is landfill, so if you want to see the "real" Emeryville you'll have to head over to the other side next time!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08024303659353518814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731149177870823280.post-35173535378779997772012-12-06T22:11:46.989-08:002012-12-06T22:11:46.989-08:00Thanks for the great review. As a member of both t...Thanks for the great review. As a member of both the Emeryville and Oakland BPACs I am always interested to hear people's opinions who are experiencing the infrastructure for the first time.<br /><br />Regarding bike share, both Oakland and Emeryville are very interested in implementing systems, but nobody wants to move forward on a plan before San Francisco, at the risk of having their equipment, cards, accounts, etc, be incompatible with the larger system. I agree that it would make sense to have one system work for the whole Bay Area, but as such those plans are on hold for the time being.<br /><br />The direct route from MacArthur BART to Emerville's Bay Street Mall is 40th Street, which curves via a bridge and becomes Shellmound Street. The Emeryville portion or 40th and all of Shellmound both have wide, freshly painted and paved bike lanes, and the portion on the curved bridge is even protected with a wide buffer, but I agree that with four lanes of fast moving traffic the experience can be uncomfortable to the occasional cyclist. Emeryville also has a system of neighborhood bike boulevards which also serve the same destinations (minus a bike/ped bridge over the train tracks that was cut with the loss of state redevelopment funding), but are less direct and more complicated to follow, unfortunately. A protected bike lane may be in the long term future for 40th Street, however, as the city has an interest in removing curb cuts and curbside parking on this route, which would make a cycletrack possible.<br /><br />As for Oakland's part of 40th Street, they have been trying to install bike lanes there for years but have met continued resistance from the residents who refuse to remove the planted median or curbside parking, and from AC Transit who refuses to allow a road diet on this admittedly important transit corridor. As such the compromise which will be implemented in 2013 is a Long Beach-style "super sharrow" bike lane hybrid, which entails a continuous green bike lane running in the center of the rightmost lane, with white sharrow markings on top of the green. I'm currently in a "wait and see" mode before I make a decision on whether it is safe and comfortable to use, but it will at least be a step up from nothing.<br /><br />Additionally, the street that parallels 40th to the south, West MacArthur, is actually getting a road diet, part of which has already been completed, and in 2013 there will probably be continuous bike lanes from that side of the MacArthur BART station all the way to Emeryville as well. Not quite as direct, but an alternative for people who do not like the "super sharrows".<br /><br />To be fair, I feel that Oakland has developed the best bike wayfinding signage standards of the entire Bay Area, and their work has even been used as an suggested example in the NACTO guidelines. The destinations these signs point to include business districts but never individual businesses, however, so the best you will get is guidance directing you to Emeryville, or to the Amtrak station, or to a park, hospital, etc. There are bikeway and pedestrian wayfinding signs around the MacArthur BART station, but perhaps not right at the exits. I'll mention that to the Oakland bike coordinator to find out if there is a reason why not.<br /><br />I agree with the commenter regarding the West Oakland BART connection along Mandela being a great alternative connection to Emeryville, and another interesting example of a former urban highway being converted to a more complete street. That part of Oakland is very interesting to explore by bike, despite the crappy pavement and train tracks, and is not nearly as dangerous as people make it out to be. The old victorians that survived the highway and BART construction, as well as gritty artist studios and plenty of awesome murals and street art make it a worthwhile trip, topped off with chicken and waffles at the Brown Sugar Kitchen.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08024303659353518814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731149177870823280.post-22291305217244701262012-12-06T14:47:21.359-08:002012-12-06T14:47:21.359-08:00Thanks for the suggestion! I didn't realize th...Thanks for the suggestion! I didn't realize the West Oakland station was as close to the Ikea/Bay Street area as it is. Only 3/10ths of a mile further than the MacArthur station. I, too, would rather go a little extra distance in order to ride on a bike lane on a calm parkway. Perhaps I will try it in the future. Still want a bikshare system, though!Karen Lynn Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01570980995774757572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8731149177870823280.post-86750610500489816702012-12-06T14:30:45.200-08:002012-12-06T14:30:45.200-08:00Those EGR buses lurch quite a bit when changing ge...Those EGR buses lurch quite a bit when changing gears, so I can understand why you started to feel sick. As for bike lanes, they only exist on 40th Street west of San Pablo Avenue, so about half of the trip between MacArthur BART and IKEA/Bay Street is riding in mixed traffic. I much prefer to ride my bike up to Emeryville from the West Oakland station, since there are bike lanes all the way on the relatively calm Mandela Parkway (flat as a pancake), even though the neighborhood around that station is really sketchy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com