Advocacy & Safety - Bike path meets right turn lane = bad

In Mississauga we have the Burnhamthorpe trail. It's a multi-use trail and most cyclist use it. This could apply to truely dedicated cycle paths as well so here goes:

When a bike path intersects a road which has advanced right turn signals, I find it very dangerous. The Burnhamthorpe at the corner of Mavis in Mississauga is a good example. You ride along the Burnhamthorpe trail heading west and then you stop at the corner of Mavis. Once the Mavis traffic going through has stopped there's an advanced left turn green for Burnhamthorpe. But at the same time there's an advanced green for the right turn lane going from Mavis south onto Burnhamthorpe west.

So while you wait for the traffic to clear there's always some bozo coming down Mavis in the right turn lane trying to make it before it goes red. By the time he reaches the corner the light is green for straight ahead traffic on Burnhamthorpe as well as the cyclists on the trail. But that same bozo will almost always be perfectly timed to intersect the cyclists crossing the intersection.

It's always the same problem; some nutcase in the right turn lane trying to make his right turn before the light goes red, and ends up running the red light.

I already reported one hit and run at that corner where a black Camry hit a cyclist and sped away. And just this morning while I come up upon that intersection heading the other way I notice a police car, a chevy Impala and a cyclist in close proximity in the Petro Canada gas station lot on the corner. I can only assume thee cop was writing up an accident report.

After refelecting on this I believe that these types of intersections should be banned. If you have a bike path intersecting a street, the right turn lane should be removed from that street.

Burnhamthorpe and Mavis is a notoriously dangerous intersection because of the volume of traffic, speeds and the poorly planned intersection. I honestly think that removing the right turn lane on the north side, where the bike path crosses, would significantly reduce the number of car vs. bike and car vs. pedestrian accidents.

If you have a bike path intersecting a street, the right turn lane should be removed from that street.
Word.

I was hit in a similar situation, except the driver that hit me was fully stopped, waiting to turn right on a red light. I was passing with the crosswalk signal, riding with another cyclist, at walking speed. The simple solution would be to place a warning sign to drivers that the intersection includes the bike/ped path, and not allowing right turns on red. Not that they would pay attention, anyway...

+1

This is one of the principal reasons some folks so vehemently oppose segregation of bicycle traffic. The price we pay for eliminating the risk of being struck from behind is a huge increase in the odds of being right-hooked at every intersection, including every driveway. The chance of being left-crossed also increases, because motorists typically are watching for oncoming car traffic in the main travel lanes and are therefore not paying any attention at all to the MUP crossing. The only way to get the best of both worlds is with special signal timing and signage or grade separation at intersections, such as along the San Luis Rey river MUP in Oceanside CA.

There is a similar situation on the Laurel trail in Waterloo at the intersection of Erb and Caroline. The trail north of Erb is on a diagonial to the left so cyclists have to make a left hand turn. There is a bike specific left turn lane BUT drivers coming down Caroline treat their right lane like a merge lane and cut through constantly without stopping on even on their red (This is where Erb becomes a two way street). It is not much fun southbound either. I usually find it safer and easier to take the street coming south.

Burnhamthorpe and Mavis is a notoriously dangerous intersection because of the volume of traffic, speeds and the poorly planned intersection. I honestly think that removing the right turn lane on the north side, where the bike path crosses, would significantly reduce the number of car vs. bike and car vs. pedestrian accidents.


+.75
Notice the point in there.

Ok in such cases the right turn lane does not need to be out right removed as it is very useful for motorists and cyclists alike. How ever it should be only in the last 100 feet of the road at most. If the bike path or mup is with in that zone say closer than 50 to 175 feet (depending on how busy the road is) then it should be re routed to be that far away from where the right turn lane begins.

Here the few places the ohio erie towpath trail does cross such a road thats basically how it is already. I have yet to see it not like that. Well ok one road is a exception but this is a road nearish a major metro park in a area where every one simply expects cyclists to be (impossible to miss noticing the fact heh)

Heres the thing about such crossings you can not really place blame on those who laid out the roads them selves. The fault belongs to those who choose the area where the path crosses the road. Who here would care if the crossing was 50 to 150 feet further down the road? Not me simply put a few pedal strokes more is all it would take and for any cyclists 5 or 10 pedal strokes is meaningless.