Paul, as an aside I wanted to let you know my position on BLs and WOLs to help frame the discussion with us local (metro-Phx, not AZ as a whole) folks.
I am most opposed to BL stripes approaching all intersections (arterials, minor roads and commercial driveways). An exception is that while I don't like but am OK with BLs to left of RTOL. (I don't like as they get filled with debris even more than other BLs in the area)
I strongly prefer 30mph and less roads do not have any bike lane striping. These roads are generally residential and intersection hazards (including residential driveways) and door zones abound.
I have no real issue with BL stripes on longer fully intersectionless roads. By longer this generally means 1/2-1mi stretches or more, depending on specific road design and conditions. However I do want this stripe to end 200' before any and all intersections.
If you look at our suburban road infrastructure/layout with frequent intersections this above preference means there will be very few striped BLs and mostly WOLs. This does not mean I am against BL stripes, just that they don't fit well in our current local environment. If signifcant changes are made (such as collecting all business driveways into one collector driveway) then there may be more places BL stripes are workable.
Al
Last edited by noisebeam; 03-21-07 at 12:21 PM.