This is why you want to avoid building door zone bike lanes (especially downhill):
When you feel unsafe, avoid the door zone - take the lane!
Welcome to the door zone
Submitted by fixmtl on
This is why you want to avoid building door zone bike lanes (especially downhill):
When you feel unsafe, avoid the door zone - take the lane!
Like this?
Submitted by DarrenB on
37 St NW:
Yup!
Submitted by fixmtl on
Yup!
Or...
Submitted by bclark on
Like any of the other recent examples in the NW...
+ Charleswood Drive
+ 10th Street I'm sure there's more.
From my quick look at the SW LRT plans there's also a number of them there.
So here's the thing, I wouldn't teach my kids to ride in a bike lane that runs along side parked cars. They aren't tall enough to see into the window of the car they are approaching and likely aren't thinking about a door opening. In their minds, a bike lane is for bikes and should be safe. This plainly isn't the case. Now think of an adult who is new to urban cycling. Same situation. Bike lane. Expectation. Safe. WRONG. The safety factor becomes even more problematic on flats or slight downhills, i.e. SAFETY is inversly proportional to SPEED.
Solution. Don't build door zone bike lanes. Recognize that mobility is priority to parking and remove the parking lane (lots of houses have off-street parking and...since there isn't a bike lane on every street...there is the option for visitors to park on nearby side-streets). If parking for residents and visitors is a problem then don't put in all sorts of mid-street curbs to constrict the lanes, instead put in the bike lane but include a buffer between the bike and parking (assuming roadway space allows). This might help, though I'd be curious to know what others think.
sharrows
Submitted by mikewarren on
If there's not room to build a real bike lane -- including if the the reason is "we aren't willing/able to remove parking" than the only safe solution is sharrows. They "give cyclists their own space/legitimatcy" but they also don't make it look like you're supposed to try your luck at the door zone.
.... unless you put them
Submitted by Richard Z on
.... unless you put them right in the door zone, which the City is still doing!
true...
Submitted by mikewarren on
...
and drivers also
Submitted by Wild Turkey on
walk out to their cars and ignore you while entering their vehicles, despite bell rings/yells/arm waving, all the while pretending the cyclist is not even there.