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North End could get bike lanes next to the curb, rather than in traffic
By adamg on Sat, 04/30/2011 - 3:32pm
NorthEndWaterfront.com reports on proposed "hybrid" bike lanes along Commercial Street and Atlantic Avenue that would swap the normal positions of car-parking and bike lanes on one side of the streets. Also, Segways would be allowed.
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Comments
Rock and a hard place
So there's a car on your left and a curb on your right, and when somebody's passenger door opens, you hit the X button to jump?
1) Passenger doors open less
1) Passenger doors open less often than drivers doors.
2) The diagram shows a 2" buffer. Aka, the door zone.
3) The middle lane would be best off as a two way turning lane.
Wicked Smaht
you can always put the curb where it normally is on the left, and keep an angle curb to the right with markings.
Thar she blows
Now I am going to have to install one of these on the front of my bike to take out the Segway tourists in my lane.
This is how the lanes are
This is how the lanes are done all throughout Amsterdam. It works and is safer!
Safer?
Define "safer".
I know that Amsterdam, and I believe Paris, has these lanes. I don't know whether studies have been done, or can be believed, on safety. For a well-trained adult cyclist, the street is probably safer. And the street is much more likely not to be a snow pile 5 months of the year.
But I also think that many people will _feel_ safer in a cycle track, which generally leads to more people on bikes. And a critical mass of people on bikes means that drivers expect bikes to be there, so that could help safety too. It's really hard to ferret out causes and effects in road design decisions, and folks can and will argue endlessly.
Studies have been done. In
Studies have been done. In new york, dc, paris, amsterdam, london, los angeles etc. They all agree its safer, as long as it's implemented right (ie, dont put a wall between the bikes and the road so cars cant see them at corners)
This will be a definite
This will be a definite improvement. Resident cyclists and tourists who rent bikes and segways will now have a dedicated place to ride. The sidewalks in the North End get fairly crowded, so it will be much safer for families.
Bike sidepaths are dangerous
This is a terrible idea. It makes right-hook and driveway emerging accidents much more likely, and also causes bike-pedestrian accidents when people walk or stand in the paths.
It also makes it very difficult for bikes to turn left, pass other bikes, or avoid debris. And snow removal is a persistent problem with these paths.
With a normal on-street bike lane, or a wide shared lane, if there's any road problem you just check over your shoulder and merge left.
Most of Europe is moving away from these designs.
For a detailed critique of one Cambridge's sidepaths, see http://www.truewheelers.org/cases/vassarst/index.htm .
During a few recent trips to NYC, with beautiful weather, I didn't see a single bicyclist using one of the new sidepaths, except for two food delivery guys riding the wrong way. Of course there were a few cop cars illegally parked in them.
Right Hook Won't be a Problem
See the layout here:
The parking lane ends quite a bit before the cross street, and the bike lane then becomes color highlighted. It will be easy to see the bikes and more importantly, the cyclist will have plenty of opportunity to see the car. This is one of the safer lane types.
Well, they're attempting a
Well, they're attempting a treatment for right-turning cars at that one intersection, where it was easy because the side streets were offset. What about all the others?
And there's still the other issues I raised (left-turning bikes, passing other bikes, avoiding debris, and snow removal).