Originally Posted by
JeffS
I'm confused. Why are you in the crosswalk?
If you're traveling along the MUP I'm talking about (C-470) you don't really have a choice, it crosses at grade at/through crosswalks at every major intersection.
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=h&...1,0.00269&z=19
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=3...16.39,,0,11.64
Assume you're traveling eastbound along the trail. The idea is to get across the road before the cars who took the offramp traveling westbound on C470, and are waiting at the red light, get the green light (along with your green walk light) and start making right hand turns behind cars taking a left and not seeing you.
Originally Posted by
Breathegood
I'm on the 470 MUP twice a week and I do the same thing you do. Complete stop, check traffic, move to island, check traffic, cross the rest of the way. I find that if I wait for the light, the motorist (or string of motorists) making a right turn doesn't have a clue that I'm there and takes off as soon as the light changes without looking to his/her right. I usually try to make eye contact, but most of the time they are focussed on the traffic approaching from the left.
This is the same MUP I'm talking about, there are certain intersections that seem worse than others (highlands ranch drivers seem more oblivious). Otherwise it is very convenient.
Again, this is just for when you're on a MUP or bike trail and it spits you out onto the islands with crosswalks in an intersection. I do take the lane and know how to handle myself on the road, and I will stop completely and wait at red lights in that case, no filtering, etc, these just present a different situation.