Expansion of Bike Trail Systems

 Here's a photo from a ride the other night - 1950 Schwinn Superior 3 speed bike on a newly opened bike trail. 

I'm generally positive about new bike trails, but with a few caveats. First, the trail has to be reasonably surfaced. Most trails are OK, with some being very good and some being bad. I like paved and marked trails the best, with gravel trails being a decent second choice. I like rail trails because they tend to be flatter than other trails. 

 The trails, once installed, need to be kept up because tree roots, wheel ruts, and debris can make them difficult to navigate if they are neglected. The trails also have to be reasonably well marked and the signage has to be adequate, especially when they cross roads or where cars are involved. The three trails of which I am a big fan are the Farmington River trail Collinsville-Burlington-Canton, Connecticut, as well as the Capital Crescent Trail in Montgomery County, Maryland and Northwest, DC and the Mount Vernon Trail in northern Virginia. I especially had many hours on the Capital Crescent Trail when I lived in Bethesda, Maryland.

The downside of trails (and this goes for bike lanes as well) is once the trail or bike lane is installed, there is a fair number of drivers who expect all bikes to be on the trail or in the bike lane at all times. If you have to venture outside the bike lane or trail (say to avoid debris or blockage), these drivers become irritated and aggressive because you are not "in your lane".

 I had someone driving a car yell at me a couple of weeks ago in an area with a new bike trail nearby (something borderline insane about "all these bicyclists" and the motorists not being able to turn left at a particular intersection - it was on the edge of being gibberish).  I used to have this happen more frequently when I lived in the Washington, DC area, but it is the first time in several years it has happened here in Connecticut.