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Tamagawa CR -> Tamagawa WR

kpykc

Speeding Up
Jun 13, 2007
805
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Yes, from cycling road to walking road.

Photo by rommelgc -

26958_389720603552_636118552_3856791_8049255_n.jpg


Be careful when riding the stretch of Tamagawa WR from Tamagawara brg. (多摩川原橋) to Tamasuido brg. (多摩水道橋) (the one that goes next to baseball fields, under the bridges) - I suggest to avoid it completely. These barriers are now all over the place every 50-100 meters. "Smart" decision to drive the cyclists off the road, even mamachari had to avoid these and ride on sides.
 
Hmmm, wonder if this had anything to do with it? (From Wikipedia)

調布では、2010年2月にロードレーサーによる暴行事件も起きた。

Any of you running wild on your road bikes in February?
 
Yes I discovered these today as well - nasty piece of work. They're so awkward to ride, you can already see the new path either side where riders have ridden on the grass to avoid the bumps.

Well its done its purpose I suppose, as Ill be on the road between Noborito and Yanokuchi from now on.
 
Hmmm, wonder if this had anything to do with it? (From Wikipedia)

調布では、2010年2月にロードレーサーによる暴行事件も起きた。

Any of you running wild on your road bikes in February?

:eek:uch: Nope, never been to Chofu.
 
Thanks for posting the picture. A friend told me about them on Saturday ("They're building them now, and they're really annoying!") but I didn't get that far up the river that day.

Presumably this is a knee-jerk, asphalt-and-concrete response to the cyclist vs. pedestrian accident in which the pedestrian died. Was it last June? I remember seeing a post but can't find it now.

<rant>

1. Some sort of protest or direct action is in order. Perhaps build a sculpture using a collection of abandoned mama-chari? Or ride in a big group really slowly, backwards and forwards?

2. Or hire some equipment, go out one evening, and put it back how it should be. That's sooo tempting! It would be very obvious if the road crew were all gaijin, but a few hours and a diesel-powered scraper should do it. Or maybe just asphalt the improvised lanes at the side. (Some of the lanes around killjoy gates on the Arakawa are almost acrobatic.) I'm also tempted to build a bunch of these inside the city office.

3. I hope that everyone who dents or chips their rims, however (in)expensive, or even simply gets a flat, as a result of these bumps sues the local city council for reparations.

4. Unfortunately it's likely to have (precisely) the (intended) effect of pushing cyclists out into a narrow, busy road, where they are much more liable to be much more seriously injured. No sign of any new safety features in the road!!

5. I know it's a different municipality, but while I'm whining about the Tamasai why on earth is the section from Tama-suido-bashi to Komae-danchi still unsurfaced. Not to mention the "Out you go - play with the cars!" section on the Kawasaki side by Noborito. Aaargh! Are they actually waiting for someone to be killed before they do something there?

</rant>

Parenthetically, Rhetorically,

--Mike--
 
<irony>Great, just in time for the spring classics! Tamagawa-Rubaix!</irony>

I hope this act of institutional misjudgment punishing all cyclist can be punished/amended somehow.

One can only wonder who made that decision and who pulled the strings.

There are surely idiot cyclists out there who don't pay enough attentions to other road users health. But if you compare the number of deadly/severe accidents within Tokyo (as indicated on police box signboards) happening daily, statistically sooner or later accidents are bound to happen on this road as well. With the amount of cyclists/foot traffic it gets because of the lack of other recreational routes this is not surprising at all. My pity and condolences are with any victims, but regardless of if it was carelessness or freak chance that led to an accident, even on a cycling road (and even with barricades) these are bound to happen as we are all human and make mistakes.

To willingly degrade this cycling road (sic!) and punish all cyclists is like introducing periodic traffic lights on the expressway just to make sure that nobody is speeding as this is statistically linked to more accidents. The result would be likewise - traffic spilling onto regular roads and leading to unnecessary commotion there. Just because of a car-centric mindset the expressway idea seems ridiculous to most, where for some one-minded bureaucrat decision maker this farce must have seemed like a great idea. Great use of tax-payer money, great service to the community.:mad:

Maybe the upcoming Sekidobashi flea-market on the banks of the Tamagawa will prove as a suitable grounds for community action against this? Like walking around and collecting 20-50Yen each from attending cyclists for remedying the situation with a little bit of concrete:p Still the ultimate remedy would be removing the responsible officials from office.
 
Are those things well lit at night?

Those could be quite a shock at dusk or after dark! (easily the cause of an accident)
 
When the city and national governments figure out how to spend money wisely, and not on useless bridges and endless banks of concrete, perhaps Japan will transform into a multi-transportation friendly country. Until then, we have to put up with this sort of reaction driven municipality waste. Sadly, the Tamagawa could be a great trail and cycleway.
 
<irony>Great, just in time for the spring classics! Tamagawa-Rubaix!</irony>
That was what I was originally thinking when I took the photo. Just in time for the spring classics indeed!

Note that they are not lighted (as of last weekend). The only thing marking them is the yellow strip on top of the hump. Thus it poses a big hazard to cyclists encountering these barriers for the first time specially at dusk. These might change though. More from the city government website:
http://www.city.chofu.tokyo.jp/www/contents/1268355097647/index.html
 
To be honest I don't see what the huge fuss is about.

Many other countries have speed bumps on cycle roads especaily in high risk areas where pedestrians and cyclists converge or share an area.

Of course there are a huge array of other alternatives but the likelyhood of the local goverment consulting with a cyclist specailist on such matters is slim indeed and often the cheapest and quickest methos will be used.
 
I rode the Tamagawa from the Keio Oval cycle track to Y`s Road and didn`t see any bumps. (except for the annoying green stripes of paint)
Where exactly are they?
 
I rode the Tamagawa from the Keio Oval cycle track to Y`s Road and didn`t see any bumps. (except for the annoying green stripes of paint)
Where exactly are they?

Now I see!
Looks to be down by the Oval, which explains everything!
Oyajis and one cup are a dangerous mix! Throw in a narrow cycling road and disaster is sure to follow.:eek:
 
Thanks for finding that.

For the hard of Kanji, it says approximately: "There has recently been a spate of collisions between bicycles and pedestrians on the Tamagawa Cycling Road. In order to control the speed of bicycles, Chofu City has, in cooperation with the police, installed bumpy surfacing along the most accident-prone section (illustrated). This will be inconvenient for all users of the cycling road. Please understand and cooperate. Road Mgt. Section 042-481-7408"

Interesting that they still call it the Tamagawa Cycling Road; I'm sure I read somewhere that the official name has been changed to de-emphasise cycling.

It would be ironic if these unlit bumps ended up tripping up and injuring pedestrians out walking at night; so many of them don't seem to look where they're going even at the best of times. ;)

@FarEast - these are real rim-busters, dude. They induce not an "I'd better slow down" feeling but rather an "I'd better avoid this completely" feeling. At least in me.
 
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