personal safety & signed bike routes in residential neighbourhoods

[Owlie]

I'm also in Tucson, though in a different part of the city. I haven't done much recreational riding since I got here (that will change as soon as I pass my comprehensive exams!) but the absolute worst part of my commute is a residential street. 2-lane, no shoulder for part of it, and people seem to use it as a shortcut to get to the north-south route with less traffic than the major north-south road on this side of town. Now, I'm also trying to get to this road. It's got a wide bike lane all the way down to the bike path access point, and it's new pavement. I see plenty of cyclists on it on my way to work (not so many on the way back), so drivers are pretty good about it. The Loop isn't such a great option on weekends unless I leave early and it's winter, but it's fine on weekdays. Except winter afternoons, when you get the packs of roadies who use it as a shortcut and take up the entire path.

[Eden]

It's been shown that riding against traffic, even in a protected lane leads to more conflicts with turning traffic - both traffic turning off of the main road and crossing the bike lane and people turning from the side street across the protected lane. Motorists - and *especially* US motorists do not expect a fast moving vehicle to come from the opposite direction. I don't have time to search it down again right now, but I read somewhere that even the Dutch have decided that protected cycling lanes should only be one way and always travel in the direction of the lane of motor vehicle travel. IMHO using a 2 way protected cycling lane is little better than using a sidewalk, which is one of the most dangerous things you can do…

As far as the lane in the U district goes it has *tons* of serious problems. I refuse to get anywhere near it and won't be surprised when someone is hit using it.

[rebeccaC]

As far as the lane in the U district goes it has *tons* of serious problems. I refuse to get anywhere near it and won't be surprised when someone is hit using it.

I thought the University pbl isn’t even completely finished until they do repaving work this fall when it will add 20 more blocks, bus islands etc. Has that already happened? My understanding is that the first part was done with community support because that short section of road had a lot of bike/car incidents which has lessened substanially since the lane went in.

[Eden]

I don't know what the plans are, just what I've seen there as of now - from 45th (I think) down to the U bridge. Nearly every time I've been down that street since the separated lane was put in, I've seen something (most often a Fred Hutch shuttle bus) blocking it… just that plus the number of parking garages that dump out into it are enough to make me not want to use it, but then there's the transition…. OMG it is so incredibly dangerous. There's only a few feet to merge into traffic after the protected bike lane ends and if you can't merge you'll crash into some other immovable object. Cars are going fast down there, and it's downhill so bikes are going fast. I don't even *drive* in the right hand lane - because I know that if a cyclist were to catch up to me going down that hill and pop out of that bike lane I probably couldn't stop… As a cyclist I feel much, much safer just taking the right hand lane in the first place. I can go just as fast as traffic down that street and if I control the lane I don't have to worry about being wiped out in the merge. If they are going to add 20 more blocks to that project I can only hope it isn't as poorly designed as the first section...

[rebeccaC]

I don't know what the plans are, just what I've seen there as of now - from 45th (I think) down to the U bridge. .

Be patient….

A friend who works at SDOT replied this morning to an email I sent. She wrote the lane now is just an interim one until repaving. It was asked for by the community for safety now on just the worst part of that road, which is what I thought and to me seems like the SDOT is responding well to community requests.

“The final pbl after repaving will create a complete connection to the University Bridge bike lanes instead of the shared traffic lane merge right before the bridge now. Planned transit islands will keep shuttles and buses out of the bike lane.”

She also wrote that community organizations know that and until the repaving is done and the lane extended to 65th they and SDOT have gotten the message out that riders just need to just be careful until the repaving. Sounds reasonable to me....

Wasn't the garage problem worked out on the 2nd ave lane with visibility, signage and initial enforcement There's also a continuing education aspect to it. My friend at SDOT also wrote that they are looking at raising a bike lane at garage entrances/exits so drivers also have a slightly raised painted lane as a visual clue and reminder that there is a bike lane they have to drive over.

[OakLeaf]

riders just need to just be careful until the repaving. Sounds reasonable to me....

IOW, for the time being, riders need to control the whole lane and avoid the dangerous bike lane. So if riders can be educated to do that "for the time being," why do they need the lane at all?


I think enforcement is a part of the equation we haven't talked about. Enforcement is really the only education most people get about traffic laws! In your areas, are police aggressive about ticketing cyclists who ride on the sidewalk, against traffic, etc.? In my area, not at all.