CommissionerSam.com

Re: Bike safety

Submitted by Unit on Thu, 01/17/2008 - 11:57am.

Michael,
You're right that it is important to learn from other experiences. Mr. Geller and PDOT considered Cal's model and decided to go another way. They summarized the concerns this way:

We believe that inviting motorists into bicycle lanes creates three conditions that will be uncomfortable to most cyclists.

First is the merge itself. It is not clear where this merge will occur and it still allows cyclists to be in a motorist’s blind spot when the motorist moves to the right.

Second is the blocking of the bicycle lane. One of the advantages of having a bicycle lane-the uninterrupted flow for the bicycle-would be eliminated at almost every intersection where there is a line of motorists waiting to turn right.

“We believe that inviting motorists into bicycle lanes creates… conditions that will be uncomfortable to most cyclists.”

Third is the weaving behavior this will encourage of cyclists, who will understandably not be content to stop in a bicycle lane, near the intersection, when the signal is green, and who will instead move left into the travel lane around the right-turning automobiles.

You can read the entire article at:
http://www.commissionersam.com/node/2984