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10-29-08, 11:11 AM
Speaking of using crosswalks, when I commute to work I merge into a crosswalk and use it to access a trail. This is at an intersection where I am heading south. The street I am on before I merge is a divided 4 lane. The cross street is a 2 lane. This is a light controlled intersection with right and left turn lanes, etc. As I cross heading south I merge into the crosswalk to access the trail, this is a trail head for one of the city's trails.
Whether I have to stop or not I always take the lane, by riding closer to the center of the travel lane, as I pass through the intersection and right before I merge into the crosswalk, to prevent getting right hooked. I merge into the crosswalk as I am crossing through the intersection only when I know that there are no pedestrians crossing first to prevent us from colliding. So far there have not been any pedestrians as I am merging into the crosswalk. If there ever are I would immediatley change from wanting to merge into the crosswalk to being a vehicle making a legal right turn and access the trail at another point a block or so away. Once I have ridden as far as I can on the trail I exit it and get back on the city streets to finish my commute to work.
I do not have to use the trail. There is nothing that says I can not use the roadways. It is no shorter in distance either. But it is faster because once on the trail I do not have to worry about stop signs or traffic lights until I am in the downtown area. There is on traffic light I have to deal with on the trail, where it crosses a road on the western edge of downtown. I push the button and wait for my turn to go with the crosswalk signal.
I go from being a legal vehicle on the roadway to a vehicle using the crosswalk to access the trail to a legal vehicle of the trail, then back to a legal vehicle of the roadways.
Whether I have to stop or not I always take the lane, by riding closer to the center of the travel lane, as I pass through the intersection and right before I merge into the crosswalk, to prevent getting right hooked. I merge into the crosswalk as I am crossing through the intersection only when I know that there are no pedestrians crossing first to prevent us from colliding. So far there have not been any pedestrians as I am merging into the crosswalk. If there ever are I would immediatley change from wanting to merge into the crosswalk to being a vehicle making a legal right turn and access the trail at another point a block or so away. Once I have ridden as far as I can on the trail I exit it and get back on the city streets to finish my commute to work.
I do not have to use the trail. There is nothing that says I can not use the roadways. It is no shorter in distance either. But it is faster because once on the trail I do not have to worry about stop signs or traffic lights until I am in the downtown area. There is on traffic light I have to deal with on the trail, where it crosses a road on the western edge of downtown. I push the button and wait for my turn to go with the crosswalk signal.
I go from being a legal vehicle on the roadway to a vehicle using the crosswalk to access the trail to a legal vehicle of the trail, then back to a legal vehicle of the roadways.