wheel

Oh how I love to share the lane on a 45 mph road.







I even love it when the sharing ends, to make way for turn lanes and things.



Most of all I love how am excluded.



I love how my routes are so complicated for people to follow, we need signs telling us where to go.



I also love how at the end of the bicycle route there will be no way across a 7 lane street going 40 mph. Even though I can see a park and a bike route ahead of me.



Finally I admire how we put bicycle facilities on minor roads and leave the main roads alone.

Allister

Looks alright to me. Plenty of nice, wide lanes and bugger-all traffic. I should have it so good.

I'm curious, though. What function does that centre lane serve in the final picture? I've never seen anything like that. Is it a tidal lane, or a turning lane? Bus lane perhaps? It has solid lines adjacent to the other lanes, as though no-one's supposed to use it.

dr. nate

Yeah, the center lane is for turning.

cdotbois

You guys don't have those over there?

I think we call them Left Turn Refuges. You use them when you're making a left turn off the road, or if you're turning left onto the said road but can only clear the near traffic lanes. Then in theory, you stay stopped in the center lane until you can safely pull into the far lane completing your turn. Often times, however, drivers use them as acceleration lanes, which is especially good if, I don't know, say another car decides they need to turn left but speed racer feels the fly down the lane to save some on the long hand.

Cyclaholic

No wonder you guys have so many problems in traffic, everyone is on the wrong side of the road!

noisebeam

In the first three pics, why not ride centerish? Nearly all drivers will merge left before they get to you in those relatively light traffic conditions.

This is a case where I love to have a mirror. You can see all those drivers merging left early, if the rare one doesn't you can move to the right (or even further right) position you are in.

Al

wheel

I really don't find a need too at this time on Baseline. Seems more provocative in telling them to move over, than to let them decide if they just want to choose another lane. Considering sharing the lane is legal at this portion of roadway.

Yes I love taking the lane with a mirror can you say Southern.

noisebeam

I don't see it as provocative when traffic is not heavy. I notice in mirror that when I ride in center of moderately wide lanes in light traffic that pretty much all drivers merge left without any change in speed and do so so early as to not suggest any annoyance at me. Again, this is where traffic is light enough that there is always an easy gap for the motorist to merge left into.

Those very few who don't merge left early, you can still move right into the position you are in in the photos before they need to slow.

As to legal or not lane sharing. The only illegal lane sharing is caused by a motorist who chooses to pass with closer than 3ft clearance. Given your lane position you show in the first few photos it looks like the motorists need to be slightly into the adjacent lane to pass with >3' clearance - which with the combination of the lane width and your lane position makes it impossible for the motorist to legally share the lane. It may be legally sharable if you were even further right, but I wouldn't suggest being further right.

Al

wheel

So far I don't see that as a strategy I want to partake in. I have no problems sharing in light traffic so far
I think for me it would be more work trying to hold the lane, than just weave when I need too

rando

you're a braver man than I am. I'd be on the sidewalk on baseline. I'd try to avoid it altogether.

wheel

Tempe has a lot of physical barriers I10, SR202 , SR101, and multiple RR tracks. The only way across is a road built for lots of cars. I excluded the hwy60 as they have multiple friendly crossings.

Baseline gets me over the I10, RR tracks, and SR 101. Where no collector streets will.

noisebeam

I dunno, the two ped/bike crossings over I-60 are quite bike unfriendly with blind corners, excessively sharp u-turns, poles in the middle of the path, routed thru playgrounds with kids playing using the MUP path/bridges for games. I have had far more close calls using these bike/ped overpasses than on any road. Granted if a collision does occur it will likely be a less severe injury, but the additional concern is me hurting someone else.

Additionally if traveling N/S for any decent distance if one wants to use these bike/ped over passes one must travel E/W along baseline, southern, etc. to get to them, so one adds 1-2mi of arterial travel to avoid a couple miles of arterial travel.

Al

wheel

Yea I just go slower and take a break. If I need speed I will just hope on a road. Have you seen Maryland and I17's ped bridge that is frikin awesome.

Yep Tempe has some holes, I would like to see a complete network, too bad we gave the rights over to land developers, I doubt Tempe will ever get a good infrastructure now.

noisebeam

I do go slower 5-10mph and less when I see others and give friendly verbal alert well in advance. Problem is others are far less predicable than any drivers I've encountered. Kids bomb down the ramps on bikes and skateboards. Other cyclists ride will nilly on either side of the ramps some at excessive speed. I may slow to a near stop around the u-turns and blind 90deg corner and holler 'heads up' but others often do not and ignore the verbal alert.

Physically even with cooperation it is not possible for an up cyclist and a down cyclist to both use the U-turn at the same time. There simply is not room. There isn't even room for an opposing direction cyclist and pedestrian to pass each other on the U-turn. That's a ridiculous design.

The point is it didn't have to be this way. I went to half a dozen planning meetings for the Country Club bridge meeting and pointed out the issues from the earliest point before there were final plans on paper: Too narrow, U-turn bends, blind corners, etc. to deaf ears. They were far more concerned with fitting it into the park/playground space (a primary goal was connecting the two schools and creating a larger combined park/playground) and the aesthetics (the 'look' had already been decided apparently with artist selected) I suggested on the south side instead of a u-turn it could be a 90deg turn. Or even a long straight ramp from the top of the bridge (too dangerous) or divide it into three parts barriers with up/down sides and a pedestrian separated pedestrian area. Too complicated, would be too wide

Putting it on what is desired intended to be a primary N/S cycling route is ridiculous vs. spending money say widening the outer lane on Rural. Rural will never get proper improvements now with this inconvenient and flawed bridge design.

All the more that annoyed me was all the cycling advocacy group pressing and supporting for such a bridge - then when it came to the details nothing, off clamoring for the next bike path I suppose - I was consistently the only one at the meetings regarding design that even brought up bicycles.

Al

donnamb 

wheel

At least you tried. Sounds like a lot of work. Do you still go to meetings?

I wonder how many people who voted that plan even ride it. It always amazes the lack of commuters. Well for the east it is a good start they don't have anything out there. I avoid Rural mostly due to route choice origination. Let's add a real big curve so nobody can see you and then place the lane just wide enough so the outside becomes useless.