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Readers Like Bike Lanes, Overlook Design Flaws

An overwhelming majority of readers like bike lanes, at least according to the unscientific poll last week:

Q: Which of the following best fits your view of bike lanes:

  1. Bike lanes are important, should be incorporated into street designs 75 [48.7%]
  2. Bike lanes are a great idea that needs to be taken to the next level 44 [28.57%]
  3. Bike lanes help keep cyclists out of my way when driving 16 [10.39%]
  4. Bikes are traffic, shouldn’t be segregated to the side 10 [6.49%]
  5. Bike lanes aren’t needed, give novice riders a false sense of security 3 [1.95%]
  6. Bicyclists should use sidewalks, not have their own lane 3 [1.95%]
  7. Doesn’t matter to me 2 [1.3%]
  8. Unsure/no answer 1 [0.65%]

This is despite some serious flaws in how they’re often implemented, especially in St. Louis.

Sign posted on westbound Lafayette Ave just before Jefferson Ave.
Sign posted on westbound Lafayette Ave just before Jefferson Ave.
Eastbound on Olive just before Jefferson the bike lane becomes part of the right turn lane
Eastbound on Olive just before Jefferson the bike lane becomes part of the right turn lane

The bike lane often becomes part of the automobile right turn lane, novice cyclists move over the right instead of holding their position. A cyclist going straight ahead shouldn’t be to the right of a car turning right — that’s a formula for conflict. Other cities do a much better job.

The places where cars are allowed to cross bike lanes for right turns are very clear in Portland OR.
The places where cars are allowed to cross bike lanes for right turns are very clear in Portland OR.

Bike lanes are great at keeping the cyclist to the right of vehicles, but leave the novice cyclist at a loss as to how to make a left turn. To turn left a skilled cyclist on the roads will make their way from the right lane, to left lane, to the left turn lane — just as you would if driving a car.  However, with bike lanes present, motorists get upset with cyclists who don’t stay in their bike lane.  How do you get from point to point without left turns?

If we’re going to have bike lanes I think they need to be designed far better, not just be a way to deal with excess roadway width.

— Steve Patterson

 

Poll: Thoughts on Bike Lanes

Eastbound on Olive just before Jefferson the bike lane becomes part of the right turn lane
Eastbound on Olive just before Jefferson the bike lane becomes part of the right turn lane

Few aspects of the public right-of-way are as controversial as bike lanes. This may surprise you: bicyclists are deeply divided on them. One side argues bike lanes make riders feel for comfortable biking near traffic. The other side argues trained cyclists don’t need bike lanes. Both are correct.

For the poll this week I’ve listed diverse statements about bike lanes, I’d like you to pick which most closely matches your views. You may agree with more than one so pick the one that’s a better match or that you feel more strongly about. The poll is in the right sidebar.

Results and more on the subject on Wednesday December 18th.

— Steve Patterson

 

 

Bike Lanes: Do Them Right Or Don’t Bother

Bike lanes, when done right, can greatly assist the users by guiding them and making motorists more aware.  Done wrong, the cyclist often ends up in the wrong position at  an intersection. Most of the time in St. Louis our bike lanes are flawed, especially at intersections.

ABOVE: Sign posted on westbound Lafayette Ave just before Jefferson Ave.
Sign posted on westbound Lafayette Ave just before Jefferson Ave.
Eastbound on Olive just before Jefferson the bike lane becomes part of the right turn lane
Eastbound on Olive just before Jefferson the bike lane becomes part of the right turn lane

In the situations above most people on bikes will incorrectly shift to the right so they’ll be to the right of right turning vehicles — not good for the cyclists or motorists. Bikes are vehicles so those continuing straight through the intersection need to be positioned to do that. Above, that means being on the white line separating the through lane from the right turn lane.

In cities where they do more than lip service bike lanes are more helpful.

The places where cars are allowed to cross bike lanes for right turns are very clear in Portland OR.
The places where cars are allowed to cross bike lanes for right turns are very clear in Portland OR. 2009 photo

In the above example from Portland, even the most amateur cyclist will stay in the proper position on the roadway to continue forward. Motorists will be able to get into the right turn lane and turn without conflicting with the cyclist.

Colored bike lanes

Colored bike lanes have been a feature of bicycle infrastructure in the Netherlands (red), Denmark (blue), France (green) and many other countries for many years. In the United Kingdom, both red and green pigments are used to delineate bike lanes and bike boxes. However, in this country their use has been limited to a few experiments in just a handful of locations. The most extensive trial took place in Portland, Ore., where a number of critical intersections had blue bike lanes marked through them and the results were carefully monitored. The results of the study, conducted by the City of Portland Office of Transportation and the UNC Highway Safety Research Center, can be found here.

The Portland photo was taken about a decade after their study. Portland cyclists must still be skilled to be able to make left turns, for example.

— Steve Patterson

 

How To Use An Inverted-U Bike Rack

Bike racks come in all shapes and sizes, but my preference is the basic “inverted-U” rack. Very simple, easy to use.

Here’s a perfect example:

This bike is properly placed next to the Inverted-U rack, the rack helps support the bike. .
This bike is properly secured to the Inverted-U rack in two points, helping support the bike. Looks like a fixed gear bike, nice!

And here’s how to NOT use an inverted-u bike rack:

This bike is not properly placed, it is taking up extra space on the sidewalk and could tip over.
This bike is not properly secured, the bike is extended beyond the rack blocking the path the driver of the red car might use. Also being locked in one point, it is a target for theft and at risk of tipping over.

So if you’re a cyclist and you use an inverted-u rack please place your bike so it is centered on the rack, using two locks so it doesn’t get stolen.

Bonus tip: If I can see your forehead when you’re wearing a bike helmet it won’t help you if you crash, cover your forehead.  Click here for pictures on the right & wrong ways to wear a helmet.

— Steve Patterson

 

 

Poll: How Should St. Louis County Reduce Traffic Congestion Between Mid & South County?

St. Louis County is still trying to make it easier to get from Hanley to Watson Rd., now through what’s being called the South County Connector. Various schemes have been around for decades:

A plan for an improved connection from south St. Louis County to central St. Louis County has existed since the late 1950s. The original concept was for a freeway “inner belt expressway” to provide better north-south access through the St. Louis suburbs. This freeway concept became Interstate 170 north of Interstate 64/U.S. Route 40. Originally, Interstate 170 was supposed to continue south into the southern part of St. Louis County to provide improved access between Interstates 44, 64 and 55. After much deliberation, area leaders decided in the 1990s not to pursue a southward extension of Interstate 170 due to public concerns. Although this option was abandoned, St. Louis County, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), and other local agencies continued planning efforts to identify potential options for north-south access improvements in south St. Louis County. (source)

Here’s a summary of the current proposal:

John Hicks, the county’s Transportation Development Analyst, says the county is now presenting two alternatives to the public, but both roughly follow a route from River Des Peres Boulevard at Watson Road, through a portion of the Shrewsbury MetroLink parking lot, across I-44, into Big Bend Industrial Court, crossing Deer Creek Center and ending at Hanley Road near Flora Avenue. (KMOV)

A good portion would be elevated roadway.

South Hanley ducks under railroad tracks.
South Hanley would be widened where it ducks under railroad tracks near Deer Creek Center.

Proponents say the project is needed to address projected increases in traffic, critics say the focus should be on transit, biking, and walking solutions.  They also say the widened/high-speed intersections would be dangerous to bikers and pedestrians.

I want to know what you think about it, the weekly poll is in the right sidebar. Cast your vote and share your thoughts below.

— Steve Patterson

 

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