quotes:
"From Geneva, Switzerland, they got the idea of raised bike lanes, a layer of pavement above street level and below the curb that would help dissuade motorists from veering into cycling territory. By 2010, the city hopes to experiment with raised lanes in a few locations.
In Copenhagen, Cambridge and other places, planners saw bicycle lanes colored a startling shade of teal green, thermoplastic markings they hope to duplicate at some Chicago intersections to try to warn right-turning cars to watch for bikes"
What is this raised BL idea? Sounds like a problem to me, a ledge that a cyclist must navigate over to go in/out of BL to avoid debris, pass other, get out of DZ, etc. I didn't say navigate over to get out of BL at intersections as I can't believe it would be so constrictive.
And the color, why a bandaid solution instead of getting rid of the BL stripe to when it places cyclist to the right of potential right turning vehicles?
Al
ThatWhichRolls
06-12-06, 01:53 PM
Sounds like a problem to me, too. Given the condition our handful of existing bike lanes in Chicago, I'm seriously doubting how great those 500 miles of new lanes are going to be after one summer. And I see plenty of drivers jump curbs and medians when they're not paying attention...how much is an elevated bit of pavement that's *lower* than curb level going to deter an inattentive or otherwise careless motorists from getting the edges of their vehicles tires on the edge of said pavement?
What's more, anyone who has almost been taken down or has been taken down when their wheels have laterally struck even a 1/4" lip in the road knows how terrible this could potentially be. I guess it's all well and good if you live in a smaller (area-wise) city and have consistent cleaning and maintenance of these lanes, but I don't see that happening here. I can't even get through to the city about fixing up a bad seam in on a stationary paved bridge in the middle of an existing bike lane. How the feck is this supposed to work here?
michael tegler
06-12-06, 02:07 PM
seems an answer to deal with traffic in certain circumstances throughout the city. there are too many roads just out of the downtown area that are soft lanes for cars. habit seems to be here is ignore the painted stripes, unless a cop is around. turning lanes for cars are also meaningless. people just use them to cheat the line.
LCI_Brian
06-12-06, 02:45 PM
Will the raised bike lanes get snowplowed in the winter?
EnigManiac
06-12-06, 03:11 PM
The raised lanes I have read about and seen pictures of have a sloped edge to allow cyclists easy access on and off. They prove effective with cars because they feel a distinctive rise if their right tires begin to climb it. Raised lanes are just one of the alternatives I am proposing to the Chairman of the Bike Committee here in Toronto (if other more ambitious concepts are declined and even if they aren't) on Wednesday and I will be citing other cities that are experimenting with them. In Copenhagen, they also have a short curb through stretches of road where a bicycle would not likely turn left, specifically to ward cars away from the lane, and their lanes are painted.
In Toronto, the Mayor has promised that Bike Lanes would be plowed with the same regularity as motor vehicle traffic lanes. I question that, however, as many routes have adjacent parking and plows cannot plow right over to the curb when there are cars all along the curb. Therefore, those who clear their sidewalks and the snow off their cars deposit all the snow right into the bike lane and, of course, the outer edge of the plow blade deposits the snow right in the bike lane. So, unless they have everyone move their cars, they won't be able to plow the bike lane. Unless, of course, if they move the bike lane into the middle of the road. Another idea I am suggesting.
Da Tinker
06-12-06, 05:36 PM
If memory serves, raised lanes have been tried in Portland (may be somewhere else in the Pacific Northwest). They are effective mid-block, but suffer from the same problems as all on-street bikelanes:
What to do with snow?
Dooring issues with on-street parking.
Trash & debris.
What to do at intersections? Although a raised lane may also be an effective speed table at intersections.
Guest
06-12-06, 07:04 PM
Please continue your discussions here: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=202860