Saturday, April 14, 2012

Cary Versus Portland

Information Signs at Major Points
Portland is known as the having the strongest bicycle culture in the USA as well as some of the best infrastructure for cycling. But recently I saw an article on Bike Portland about new way finding signs on the off street paths known as the Intertwine. They look informative but no more so than Cary's greenway signs. Plus Cary's signs are way more attractive. So at least in one bicycling attribute a Triangle community has one up on Portland.

Portland Intertwine Way Finding
I really like the Cary signs. The information is great and the signs are attractive. When I first decided to commute on the greenways I spent a Sunday afternoon exploring the routes. The only signs just said the greenway closes at sunset. There are lots of side trails and discontiguous sections at road crossings. Figuring out which way to was very much a trial and error process. Now Cary has signs at the intersections of greenway trails like these. The post is on one side of the trail and the arrows are oriented according to the way you are facing. One the other side of the trail is a larger sign with more information about destinations and the distance from your current spot.
Looking toward Northwoods Greenway
Looking down Black Creek Greenway
More Information Across Trail