How To Better Use Your Street Space 

That is awesome, I will be rooting you to make some traction with your town’s leadership! It is my hope that these videos will be helpful to others to show how we can improve our cities!

I would love to share sometime! To describe it real quick, I positioned the Sketchup model to match the perspective of the drone footage and then exported a .png of the model. I then plugged the photo into Bluebeam and drew white polygons to remove all the background other than the pavement area. Then I overlaid the photo in Premiere Pro, used the color key tool to remove the white background. Then I finally used a moving mask to reveal the new configuration. I haven’t done a video recording my computer screen before, but I can try it and could do a quick tutorial on how I did this! I totally agree that visuals are a great way to convey the vision, and it is really nice to use this at my job too!

I definitely want to see more and more places here continue to take it more seriously too. We have the best example to look to over where you are in the Netherlands, no need to reinvent the wheel!

Thank you so much!! One of the future videos I would like to do is to address efficiencies of different modes of travel and the spatial requirements for each mode. I would like to use more graphics to show all of this too and hopefully make it easy for anyone to visualize how it works.

@@bikequestwithmikewest I would definitely second a video about the maintenance requirements and lifespans of different types of infrastructure. Either as a more theoretical analysis of the statistics on the relevant differences in construction materials, wear and tear from different modes, etc. Or as a more practical case study comparing the cumulative costs over time of the mix of infrastructure and transport types in two similar areas where one takes a hyper-car-focused approach and the other takes a more transit, walkability, bikeability approach. Or why not both?! Anyway, given the superb quality of this video, it seems likely that you'd do a great job tackling that topic, too! Now we just need to get you enough viewership to fund a better microphone. ;-)

Thank you!

Absolutely, a fear of mine too!

Absolutely! That is the goal and I hope to see more cities take this seriously! There is actually a new street being designed in my town that originally called for exposed bike lanes, but after meeting with the developer and explaining some of these issues, they agreed to switch the design to off-street protected bike lanes and they will be cheaper to build, talk about win-win!

This is definitely a frustrating part about being a planner! I certainly advocate for doing things right from the start to utilize the principles of sustainable safety. Many cities and their leadership either don’t understand what sustainable safety is or are unwilling to make too many changes too fast. People are used to the way things are but once they start seeing how things can be better, it will naturally push for positive change. Sometimes things have to be piloted so people can see how it works and to experience for themselves how biking and walking can be great and safe forms of mobility. I wish city leaders and decision makers from all over could fly to a place like Utrecht and see it first hand and know what the true possibilities are. My city leadership is luckily supportive of doing some great things, but it is a continual process to educate on these issues. There are some new projects in my town doing things right from the start, but we also have a lot of existing streets that can be retrofitted for now and can be changed when the street is due for complete reconstruction. Sometimes change takes time but with the right knowledge we can hopefully make things happen faster than going through all the trial and error that places like the Netherlands had to go through. My hope with this channel is to help educate and spread awareness from a North American perspective and show that great things are possible here too if we do it right.

@@bikequestwithmikewest Yeah, I can relate to that, I was born at the beginning of the seventies in the Netherlands and have seen some streets and roads changed many times before they got it right. Then still they sometimes find improvements, off course it remains a process that will never really be fnished. With my reply above I really meant 'bringing things up to most modern standards'. The thing is, once it is in place, sometimes it encourages so many people to cycle, that overcrowding becomes a problem. Like in many cities here they nowadays often shrink the protected Isles at the corners of intersections to enable expanding the cycling track where many cyclists have to wait for the traffic lights. Before they did this, some intersections had all the waiting cyclists block the ones that had a green light. What really makes the difference off course, is a government willing to keep improving.

@@vincenzodigrande2070 that is absolutely the key, having a government that is willing to keep improving! I have seen some videos of some of the bike facilities getting overcrowded there and also the improvements made to create more space. That is straight up induced demand for bike mobility! There are improvements that can be made, but I certainly like that better than all the widened highways I see getting built here and how they fill up with traffic congestion so quickly.

Thanks for the comment and for watching! I have seen some facilities going in up there in Seattle and I’m so excited to see more going in! It will be a whole different world once there is a city-wide connected network.

That is wild that they have a law about street parking like that! I guess if they build a second curb in the street to park against, maybe that covers it?! Doing pop-up style parking protected bike lanes as done in many North American cities is a way to at least get a network on the ground. Phasing and priority can be done to put in permanent protection on different streets. City policies can require that permanent and well-designed protected bike lanes can be implemented whenever a street is rebuilt. That is what places in the Netherlands have been doing the last 30 years or so for example. Every street has to be rebuilt at some point, and if the construction standards are good, then a great network will come together in time!

You bring up some good points. As I have worked for a city, I have come to the realization that people are going to be mad at you no matter what you decide to do. New projects change things, and people generally hate change and will complain. There is hope for Utah though, UVX down in Utah County shows that projects can be done and be successful. There were still unhappy people with it, but the project has provided a great mobility option down there. Things will catch on and I see more and more people understanding why it is good and will be more supportive. It is funny you bring up the pop-outs in Daybreak. There are people who hate them, but there are also lots of people who like them! There was an extensive conversation a few months ago on the resident Facebook group and there were people who both liked and disliked them. The people who disliked them seemed to be the ones who have hit them or popped a tire or something. I say they are just doing their job to slow people down and protect pedestrians. I hit one once before too, but for me it is like touching a cactus; once you touch a cactus once you will learn to watch out and not touch one again!

@@bikequestwithmikewest I agree! I lived in Provo for a while and got to watch the whole construction process for UVX, then got to use it for a couple of years before moving. There was a lot of public outcry and anger directed at it during its construction (for obvious reasons; no one likes construction on the busiest streets in town.) Once it was completed, that anger started to quiet down. There are by all means those who are still upset, but in my experience, there are many more who are quite happy with it. Probably the vast majority have just accepted it and moved on.

@@sinatrabone the thing about change is people usually don’t like it. However, when change happens, people are generally adaptable - sometimes with resistance but often find they don’t mind the change when they realize it didn’t have the negative effects they originally thought. It is always tough to propose deviations from what people are used to, but just as my daughter resists trying new foods out of the fear that she won’t like it, she often finds she loves new things!

Absolutely! I have seen some similar bike facilities built in San Jose del Cabo too! Although those ones could use some physical protection.

Absolutely agree! If building new or totally rebuilding a street, the separated and protected option should always be the one! The striping and reflector poles with parking protection provide a low-cost option that really would be more of a short-term solution until a street needs to be reconstructed. If the traffic volumes are low enough and you can really traffic calm the street, then a mixed traffic street wouldn’t be so bad. Thanks for watching and for the comment!

Definitely, I hope more cities do the same! Even though the design of permanent protected bike lanes has been advanced and shown to work by designers in the Netherlands; cities in the US often may need to utilize the retrofit/temporary option with reflector poles as shown in this video. Ultimately getting design standards in place for the city to build new streets and rebuild existing streets with the best design option is important so over time the permanent safe and comfortable network will be in place.

Thank you!

I tried to cover a lot of things the best I could! There is definitely a lot more I could say on the design of intersections and other conflict points, but I figure that may be a future video with enough to cover in of itself. Thanks for the comment and for watching!

Thanks for the comment and for watching! I sure hope Logan and the other cities up there start to consider these types of options. Since Logan is a college town and is much smaller than the Salt Lake area, it has a lot of potential in being a great bikable city. I wish their leadership would start to consider some of these options, and especially to do them right from the start in the new developing areas.

I will say exposed bike lanes are still better than nothing at all. Research shows that they are safer than no bike lanes at all, especially where there is on-street parking. However, protected bike lanes are certainly much safer and more comfortable than exposed bike lanes and will actually do more to encourage people to use them where there is a connected network. If you want to hope for any significant reduction in vehicle traffic, the bike facilities need to be comfortable, safe, and convenient for sure. Many places in the US are shifting preference to protected bike lanes and the newest AASHTO bike design guide (when it finally comes out) will address the design of those facilities. It doesn’t remove exposed bike lanes as an option though and with a country as large as the US, it would be difficult to remove them as an option all together. Groups such as Transportation for America are advocating and lobbying on the national level to push for principles of Vision Zero. Locally, cities could make policies to utilize protected bike lanes and adopt design standards that prioritize safety over traffic flow.

I have checked out a lot of Boise and the paths along the river are great! I remember seeing a protected bike lane in downtown too. I was actually thinking of that whole development where Warm Springs Avenue is when you mentioned Boise because I went and checked out that out there last year and took some pictures of it all. There were several streets built this way and it is too bad that they didn’t just move the bike lanes off the street. It is probably one of those situations that it was planned with good intentions but was a less optimal solution. They even tried to improve the street scape along Warm Springs through there with street furniture, landscaping, and building orientations, but they missed out on this detail! They could certainly do what Austin did in the Mueller District though and switch up the space! Thanks for the comment and for watching!

Thanks so much and I hope to keep good things coming! It is great to have another local person watching too 😃 You’re just around the corner from me as well over in Taylorsville!

Cougar Blvd is definitely a step in the right direction and a lot better than what was there before; but I totally agree, it is a protected bike lane (with some design compromises) put onto a stroad. Often times the best bike facilities are designed a block or so off of the busy traffic moving roads, although circuitous and disconnected street networks in some places don’t always allow for that.

Thank you!

I am seeing many cities doing better here in Utah, but we still have a ways to go! 300 W in SLC is getting reconstructed with a two-way protected bike lane that I believe pulls them off the street. It is always good to see improvement, we just have to keep it going and speed it up!

This is something my Township is trying to improve over time, but it's a problem here too. Some places were just allowed to... not... build them? I'm not sure why it's like this in so many places.

@@RandomPerson123321 For the record, the worst offender of my Bell Road example also happens to be about the point Surprise gives way to Sun City. Surprise has a plan for *some* bicycle expansion. By 2035. Sun City... does not.

Absolutely great points! We need continuity for any facility and I have been there before when riding a bike just to have the painted bike gutter suddenly end. We need to plan good macro and micro connectivity for bike and pedestrian facilities. I always like to flip the thinking and ask what would people think if we did the same thing for roads for cars? It is part of the whole problem and train of thought that cars are the only real form of transportation, and that is what I hope to advocate to change. We need our leadership to understand the issues and help to prioritize alternative modes of travel. It is a huge issue for social equity because when bike lanes and sidewalks just end, it is a slap to the face to anyone who can’t drive or can’t afford to drive. It also pushes people into cars who want to get around in other ways but can’t do so safely, thus adding to the traffic problem. Thanks for the comment and for watching!

@@bikequestwithmikewest I just figured that, as an urban planner, you might have better luck with the knowledge of how not to do it (ie, how Phoenix does anything)

@@steveheist6426 definitely and I hope for many engineers and city leadership to truly understand how not to do it and the better way to do it as well. Phoenix is the epitome of car dependent sprawl unfortunately, but it doesn’t mean that improvements can’t be made for the better. I do love visiting the Sonoran Desert though and have visited Phoenix and Saguaro National Park several times!

Totally true! The bike lane acts as shy distance for the road which is typically a feature of a high speed highway to provide forgiveness to drivers. Not a good idea to put vulnerable people there on bikes, which is also why they aren’t used much. Most people want to stay away from the two-ton death machines if they are going to walk or bike! A good example are the bike lanes on Daybreak Parkway going west of 4000 W. People fly in their cars up that stretch and it feels very wide because of the bike lane space. There is a reason I have never ridden in those and always use the trails out of the roadway!

Oh, cool. I hadn't seen the term "shy distance" before. I was thinking of those painted bike lanes as a clear zone, but I suppose that either is valid. Thank you for expanding my vocabulary! Of course, Mike, if you use the trails when headed west along Daybreak Parkway then you're also going to miss out on the fun surprise of being forced into traffic as you cross that narrow bridge because the bike lane has disappeared.

Totally agree! I think many people would start to choose a viable alternative too if it was comfortable, safe, and convenient. I know that NYC has seen some good bike facilities popping up and biking absolutely has the potential to be more convenient and efficient than driving there. Biking can even be pretty competitive to driving in a suburban area for shorter trips, but people will only do it if there is a connected network of safe bike lanes and paths to use. Thanks for watching and for the comment!

What is your native language? Yes, he does speak faster than the majority of slow talkers on youtube. If you watch at x2 speed, only then it seems rushed.

This is public speaking 101 advice. Compare his speaking to Not Just Bikes and you’ll see what I am saying.

I totally agree, I'm fluent in English and can follow everything just fine, but it feels like he made an audio montage cutting most of the silent phases out. Feels rushed and quite often caught myself thinking 'take a breath man!'

This is great advice! I did cut out the silent sections, but I appreciate the feedback and won’t do that so much next time! I am naturally a faster talker too, so I will remember to slow things down a bit. Thanks again for the comment and for watching, I hope to keep improving and I have many more topics I would like to cover!

@@vincenzodigrande2070 haha you start to turn a little purple when talking like this! I do appreciate the feedback though and will improve and take a breath next time!

Wow, I know New York has been getting some new separated bike lanes on the ground, but it sounds like there is still work to be done to create a cohesive network of safe and comfortable routes! Those double parked cars are terrible, and it causes a real safety issue forcing people biking to have to mix in and out of traffic. That is why as you would know that proper protected bike lanes help to self-enforce issues like that. Also, long intersection crossings definitely are not ideal and leave people exposed, and 219 feet is super long! Thanks for checking out the video and leaving a comment!

I love it! That is what Austin did for their newer facility. The more protection and traffic calming that can be provided on a street like this, the better.

Definitely from a new build standpoint, building the bike path off the street would be best and most comfortable. Raised crossings would definitely help slow cars down and indicate through design the priority for the crossing. I would combine either chokers or a refuge island with a raised crossing depending on how much traffic the road is seeing. Thanks for checking out the video!

Yes! I would love to and plan to do one on stroads and how they could be improved. Honestly the best thing you can do is put a priority bike route on a parallel quiet street, but with the many disconnected street networks of US suburbs, that isn’t always possible; so the next best thing will be to provide as much separation as possible from cyclists/pedestrians to vehicle traffic. I have a couple other videos on my list I will do first, but I would like to do the “How to Heal an Ailing Stroad” video soon!

Honestly I am more supportive of it if they can get some things planned right. I think transit is a critical component since it will likely be a bedroom community where most people will commute out. I just hope UDOT doesn’t come widen all the east-west roads and make bigger barriers to walking and biking, and for the opportunity cost to transit. I would love to see a transit circulator where the end of the red line could go to Herriman and then swing down over to point of the mountain. However, in my conversations with UTA, that is not likely in the foreseeable future with the current funding mechanisms. It was encouraging though that the Governor’s budget included over $300 million for transit improvements, but I would love to see more funding shifted from highways to transit. Land use needs to be done right within the development to ensure comfortable, safe, and convenient walking and biking access to local destinations like schools. Compact neighborhoods with many housing options and a compact town center should be planned - with at least a grocery store, some services, restaurants if possible, and some community gathering spaces. I know Daybreak has had trouble getting more commercial to work within the community since so many regional car-centric centers have been built that monopolized the market (I would like to touch on that in a future video) so I hope they can make some things work in a town center. I have seen data showing that in some areas, more than 50% of travel trips are less than 5 miles, many of which have the potential to be completed by active transportation. Roads in the future are going to be congested one way or another, and a well-connected and direct network of protected bike lanes, sidewalks, and shared use paths would offer a safe and convenient alternative. It is surprising how much traffic on big roads like 11400 S is made up of shorter local trips that congest the road! Induced demand is a real thing and happening on our roads all the time, I would rather induce more demand for active transportation and transit use by prioritizing more funding and good design for those. I have heard people say Olympia Hills will be “like” Daybreak, but I have heard that quite a few times about other proposed developments only to find something that falls short. I don’t think they need to copy Daybreak, but getting land use right and ensuring a good amount of open space is provided (20% is good to accommodate the string of pearls concept of connected greenways and parks/open spaces) would certainly help with internal capture and creating a more livable community. I am weary when people say how awesome a project is until I see good standards adopted in their land use plan and to see it start to be built that way. The trade-off or externality to under-developing the area for Olympia Hills is that housing demand must be fulfilled somehow; if less demand is fulfilled in the Salt Lake Valley, it gets pushed elsewhere, and more development demand in places like south Utah County or Eagle Mountain city center for example would do more to make traffic worse, force people to drive farther, and have less opportunity for transit. Infill development isn’t producing housing nearly fast enough on its own unfortunately, so much of the development will spill over to greenfield development. To me minimizing the footprint of greenfield development is key and placing it in a location more likely to see transit improvements and relatively shorter driving distances. I definitely would encourage more infill development and transitioning commercial areas into mixed use centers before greenfield development, but I know realistically greenfield development is going to happen. So many people fear housing density, but it can be part of the answer to help support other modes of travel and truly reduce the overall amount of driving in the future. I often find that people don’t like change, but it is surprising how adaptable people can be when things do change. In the effort to prevent or minimize growth, city leaders are really just spreading things out more causing worse changes in my opinion since people will essentially be forced to drive. Sorry for the novel of my disorganized thoughts, there is more to it and I could go on and on about how they should design their infrastructure and lay out their land uses!

The sad thing is how many places have designed things to be a suboptimal use of space and that it has been an accepted practice for so long. I hope to keep seeing more cities implement better facilities over time! I believe either Jersey City or Hoboken started implementing more facilities like this, so hopefully the practice catches on in other parts of the state.

It is currently sign and striped as a four way stop, and would have to be used accordingly. I am unsure what the laws in Texas are for bike and pedestrians, but here in Utah pedestrians always have the right of way with these crosswalks and bikes can treat the stop signs as a yield unless there is already a car or pedestrian moving through the intersection. If there was enough traffic at the intersection, I’m sure the city would have it signalized. I’m not sure where you live, but I love how the Netherlands doesn’t really have to use stop signs and uses more yield signs combined with traffic calming and of course roundabouts and signalized intersections for the busier roads.

Emergency response times are of great importance to our first responders, but I appreciate the Fire Marshal in my town and how he recognizes the danger large vehicles, such as fire trucks, pose to others, and having traffic calming enforces safer driving for everyone without really affecting response times. We don’t want to ironically create unsafe streets in the name of safety and emergency response.

Education on these issues needs to keep happening and become more widespread so planners can keep learning how to do it better. Also, for so many cities in North America, it is the city’s engineering or public works departments that are in charge of street planning and design. It makes it challenging for planners who understand good design when those in control don’t want to change how things are done.

I don’t work for South Jordan, but I do live in South Jordan! To this point I purposely have not shared where I work since this channel is a personal endeavor I work on in my personal time and doesn’t officially represent the city. Some of my future videos will probably give it away though!

People always find a way! Once enough people are riding in a town, there would likely be more awareness to the issue and more citizen enforcement. I’m probably not the only person out there stopping to get stuff out of the bike path or bike lane. My favorite is when it happens in the town I work for and I can call up the contractor or developer on a project where their equipment or signage block the bike path or sidewalk to have a word with them 😃

Great comment! You’re absolutely right that protected bike lanes on both sides of the street is ideal. Though there are a lot of different considerations a city will be faced with in looking at the design and configuration of a street. First of all is whether the political leadership, engineering department, and public works department are even willing to work on this kind of stuff. They are likely unwilling to go to 10-foot travel lanes, introduce curb extensions and other traffic calming features if they don’t understand the benefits of such street design and is one of the reasons I decided to start this channel! Second is how much asphalt space is available. Providing enough of a buffer to keep cyclists out of the door zone from cars is important to prevent accidents and some space for people to get in and out of their cars. I find that many cities may do a two-way facility on one side since it requires only one buffer space in the cross section. Permanent protection is also half the cost if only one barrier needed to be built vs two. The asphalt width of streets throughout different cities will vary, and in the case of some, a two-way facility may be the only way to meet minimum width criteria with 10’ lanes, parking, buffering, and the bike lane space. Reconstruction of a street is the best opportunity to do it right though it may pose challenges and additional costs depending on where storm drain lines, sewers, and other sub-grade infrastructure is located. The Netherlands has been at it for a few decades now, and any time a street needs to be rebuilt, it is brought to their current standards for the roadways, bike lanes, and sidewalks. Here in the US and Canada most cities, states, and provinces are still too concerned about traffic speeds and flows as well as safety of drivers above all else, of which is still reflected by our current standards. I like referring to the Dutch Crow manual for design guidance, but we also have the NACTO Urban Bikeway guide that can help with these considerations. We just need AASHTO to come out with their new bike manual! Third is ease of access as you mentioned. A two-way protected bike lane on one side of a busy or higher speed street doesn’t work to provide safe and convenient access. High volume, higher speed roads and especially multi-lane roads need to have two-way facilities on both sides. I look at busy and especially multi-lane roads (which are usually stroads here in North America) as barriers. I always question the need for extra vehicle lanes, especially through city centers and neighborhoods, and if possible I like to look at neutralizing the barrier with a road diet and traffic calming. If a road remains a barrier, then safe and convenient crossing points must be included for cyclists and pedestrians. In the context of the example in the video, if the space allows for it, a one-way protected bike lane on both sides of the street is advantageous to provide better access from both sides of the street as you suggested. One-way lanes on both sides mean you may have to cross the street to access the other direction. I did have some engineering consultants from the Netherlands (DTV Consultants) look at some facilities in the town I work for, and they said cyclists in the Netherlands tend to go the wrong way on a one-way cycle track for a short distance until they get to a safe crossing point, so that is also a consideration! I will say a two-way on the side of a traffic calmed street is a whole different story than putting a two-way on only one side if a busy and higher speed roadway. There is a shared use path down the street from where I live, and as a cyclist I always have to cross the street to access it. The crossing is only 20-feet long (at the curb extensions) and vehicle traffic volumes and speeds are lower, so it is pretty easy to do so. I regularly see kids and older generations do the same without too much problem, though raised crossings would be helpful to better establish priority and traffic calm even more at conflict points. Fourth is how many driveways are located along a street. If there are tons of driveways, side streets, and conflict points, then two-way protected bike lanes can be potentially more dangerous since driver expectation may be altered with cyclists coming from both directions. Raised protected bike lanes with continuous crossings (cars ramp up to bike lanes/sidewalk) and ensured visibility can help to slow vehicles down at conflicts and establish priority of both cyclists and pedestrians through the psychology of the design. Sorry for the long response! I always have a lot to say when it comes to this stuff! Your comment was right on though and perhaps this kind of discussion could deserve a future video.

I will have to start calling it “The Door Prize” as well! Although that is a prize I hope to never get and I hope cities can design things to be more protected against the ongoing automobile zombie apocalypse! I agree though, it kind of scares me to know how little attention many people give while driving. I just prefer to stay away from cars as much as possible whether I am walking, biking, or even driving for that matter.

Something I learned from reading “The Humane Interface” (by Jef Raskin) is that instead of calling the users “stupid”, we should look at the design instead. Even though the book is about computers and software, I think that lesson applies beyond that. “The Design of Everyday Things” (by Donald Norman) is also good. Like in this video, where you can change the design to eliminate the door zone for bikes.

In the Netherlands car drivers are trained to use the 'dutch reach'. The driver opens the car door on his left side with his right hand, and by doing so automatically turns his head towards the door, which makes it natural to check for oncoming cyclists. Of course there are a few more bicycles on the road there, so not looking out for cyclists while opening your car door, could see you visit a repair shop once a month. 🤗

@@hendman4083 That could be easily done at the manufacturer's end. Right now door handles are located right beside the hand. Sounds intuitive, right? And it is so it takes a lot of thought just to remember to use the far hand to perform the Dutch Reach. Auto manufacturers can move the door handle right next to the occupant's shoulder forcing the person to physically turn his torso in order to put either hand on the door handle. Of course buyers of automobiles are going to complain because that would be inconvenient. But as far as road safety is concerned, inconvenience forces drivers to pay attention.

@@georgeemil3618 Knowing car manufacturers, they would just come up with an option to open doors with the push of a button. 😉 Using the Dutch Reach requires less thought when you are trained from the start to use it. It has to be said though that passing the drivers license exam in the Netherlands requires a bit more training then usually is the case in the USA. 30+ hours of driving lessons with a licensed instructor is not uncommon, and 20 hours seems to be the bare minimum.

It is definitely a problem when the bike lanes become hazardous loading zones! Much of the time, these exposed bike lanes are just an afterthought or may be put in by someone who doesn’t experience or understand how to design for all ages and abilities. Thanks for checking out the video and for the comment!

Haha not bad at all! I bet the pedestrian didn’t like the extra crossing distance with no refuge island either!

There are definitely some places in the US that unfortunately will be dependent on cars for the foreseeable future. There are varying levels of opportunity and even some sprawling car dependent places could still get to some places within biking distance, like schools, a grocery store, and parks, if the infrastructure was there. It does boggle my mind a bit when places like many towns in the UK and other countries have things closer together but still design a lot around car travel. I will say a two-way facility may not always be the answer, but it certainly could work in many cases. If a road is too tight, parking could be eliminated from one side and some good protection installed beyond reflector poles, but removing parking typically comes with some good public pushback, especially where parking is limited. Parking demand management is a great way to incentivize alternative transport options though if viable options are available! One-way parking protected bike lanes could also be utilized but require more space since you need a separate buffer on both sides of the street, and you lose out on some passing space if you don’t make the lanes wide enough. Busier roads really should have two-way facilities on both sides and with greater separation from the carriageway. Thanks for the comment and I appreciate the UK perspective!

Hi Alex, that is awesome! I always love to support aspiring planners and share what it is we do and what it takes to become a planner. Generally employers (of course depending who it is) will look for someone with a planning degree or a similar degree and confidence that you understand good planning principles. I will consider applicants with related degree types but I look for evidence that they understand good planning principles. When jobs get competitive, you will often be going up against applicants that have master’s degrees, although it doesn’t necessarily mean you also need a master’s to be considered. I got my entry level planning job with just a bachelor’s and earned my master’s later. There are different organization types a planner can work for such as a city, county, MPO, consulting firm, non-profit, development firm, transit agency, and many others. You may want to think about what you are most passionate about to help guide you where you want to go in your career and what potential employers are going to be looking for. Internships are awesome to get some experience and start building your resume. I know when I am hiring for my planning team I tend to like some experience even for an entry level position and would like to see some of the work an applicant has done. Team fit is important and I love to see someone with enthusiasm and passion for planning. I don’t know if I directly answered your question, but hopefully that helps! We definitely need more passionate people who understand the issues a place faces and who want to make our world a little bit better!

@@bikequestwithmikewest Thank you so much for the info, its greatly appreciated.

Absolutely agree! Dutch street design does it best and there are planners and engineers learning in North America how to really do it right. There are many more that still need to learn but I hope to see that happen and more and more of the sustainable safety principles implemented here. We have a couple housing projects underway in my town that include features like continuous sidewalks and bike paths to help prioritize walking and biking. A neighboring city has constructed some protected bike lanes with protected intersections as well, although they missed the mark by not including continuous sidewalks and bike paths. One other cool thing is I have gotten our whole Planning Division and Engineering Department to sign up for a bike design course from DTV Consultants there in the Netherlands to learn about these principles from the source! I hope to spread the word and get other cities considering the course as well. Great comment and thanks for taking the time to watch!

You only need to reach 8 and there aren't even adds

@@burgerpommes2001 Many youtubers believe it's ten. This could have easily been a six minute video without all the repetition. Ads can be on any length of video at the start, but I have no idea about them.

@@lightdark00 he surely didnt do it for the money

@@burgerpommes2001 I appreciate the support! I probably could work on making videos a good balance of being concise and getting out a lot of what I would like to share. I don’t shoot for any magic number on video length, but I am certainly learning how to best present the content in an engaging way and hope to not create anything that drags along in my future videos. Thanks again for the comments!

@@lightdark00 I honestly am not shooting for any magic number on video lengths, although it is helpful to know that the beginning of the video probably could have been cut shorter and would have made the same points. I have a lot to share but I am still learning how to better produce videos!