a midway bikelog

(via Minnesotacyclist.com)

We definitely need something like this on the new post-Light Rail version of University Avenue. The video is a follow-up on lanes painted in Long Beach, and many other cities are using them as well.

Cross-sections of the new version of the 120′ right of way layout along the Central Corridor seem to be finalized around 2 rail tracks, 2 traffic lanes with left turn lanes and sidewalk. That’s it; no parking space, no dedicated bike lane space. Parking is a very different issue (though i think off-street and side-street parking will pretty much take care of this). The bike lane isn’t such a huge loss as there’s no dedicated bike lane now, in fact the new University Avenue would be a safer cycling road than we currently have, if the right lane is marked as a shared bike lane.

Currently, cycling on University is a hit-and-miss proposition. Traffic is usually moderate to light and free-flowing. There’s a wide, sloppy right lane and parking space that generally allows the same amount of cycling space that a bike lane would allow, it’s just not marked. This works fine for some more dedicated cyclists who are comfortable negotiating traffic, but is intimidating to young and novice cyclists who (understandably) feel unsure about where they should be. Factor in speeding drivers and the poor condition of the road surface along most of University, and it’s not a very friendly route.

Sharrows in a well-marked shared traffic lane would improve this in many ways. Despite an overall narrower set of traffic lanes (especially a perceptibly smaller traffic space than the current layout), overall traffic speed won’t likely drop much, so cyclists will be caught up in high traffic flow with no buffer or escape space. Marking a shared lane will let drivers know both that this is shared space with slower road users as well as that the left lane is for faster speeds (and bike-free). The marking will also remind pedestrians to look for cyclists when crossing the street. Finally, cyclists that have a place to be will generally use it. If you watch a road with striped bike lanes, the vast majority of cyclists will use that lane rather than the traffic lane or the sidewalk. Most cyclists aren’t looking to interfere with cars, they just want to get where they’re going with the least grief and resistance (just like drivers!).

So why not shuttle bikes on to one of the parallel neighborhood streets? Lots of cyclists already use Thomas or Charles between Snelling Ave and downtown, but to the west those streets are blocked by the train tracks west of Prior. Just like with drivers, commuting cyclists want a smooth thoroughfare to their destination, and sharrows would provide that for everyone. No bikes on the road? No need to slow down. Really, for the price of a little extra painting, this would solve a lot of problems.