Convert the L Street cycletrack to two-way

[DaveK]

I don’t disagree that the current configuration is challenging, especially at the left turns, but converting it to two-way demands that you signalize cyclists separately from left-turning vehicles. Therefore you have to either provide separate storage for left-turning vehicles on L St (which means taking another lane away from vehicle traffic) or disallow left turns at the intersections. It would be a very significant vehicle traffic impact and I’m not sure DDOT is ready or willing to do that.

[DismalScientist]

I think there are two questions here. 1) What level of protection is appropriate? 2) Should the cycletrack be two ways?

My answers are as follows:
1) The current level is fine by me, but others may differ. I have issues with the width of path next to left turn lanes and illegally stopped vehicles and the plastic bollards make it difficult to merge back into the regular lanes to pass such obstacles.
2) No. There is a westbound cycletrack planned for M st. I don’t like two-way cycletracks in general because cross traffic often does not expect bicycle coming from the “wrong” direction.

[TwoWheelsDC]

I haven’t ridden L St. yet, as it’s not on any route I’m likely to use. That said, I’ve had experience with cycletracks in a few different cities and I think two-way, protected lanes are definitely the way to go. I don’t even know why L St. was done the way it was, as there’s plenty of room for two lanes and that also means placing a second track on M St. is less necessary (but they should build it anyway. cycletracks on every street, I say!!).

In Paris, they have put a bunch of cycletracks on portions of the sidewalk, which actually works really well:

[IMG]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZT7dx0kEP84/T0EMPjbEPSI/AAAAAAAAAQA/4yz1j3DvRmc/s640/IMG_0838.JPG[/IMG]

[IMG]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XTcmzmV6F_4/T0ELP9iOueI/AAAAAAAAAN4/KU2aESLirUI/s640/IMG_0808.JPG[/IMG]

And Vancouver has a few that are like 15th St, but protected:

[IMG]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qGta7YJ2tGc/UAY0dbtWtHI/AAAAAAAAAR0/IBPUNb8NJhA/s640/IMG_1171.JPG[/IMG]

[mstone]

I don’t know what the right answer is, all I know is that this configuration is a disaster–there is no possibility that motorists can be “educated” enough to make this safe.

[Terpfan]

I would also concur with making it a two way cycletrack and running it same model as 15th St Cycletrack against the curb. I’ve used it several times and honestly, I’m more comfortable riding on the street than in the cycletrack precisely for the reasons of turning and also because the merger for vehicles to turn left at roads worries me as I get the distinct impression they believe they have a right of way and will floor it to catch arrows. I’ve found making turns either way off the L to 15h St Cycletrack is best done by simply stoping in the cycletrack (sorry to the folks behind me) and then waiting to sort of join the massive crowd going across the crosswalk–this is of course a pain as you’re then crossing perpendicular at the crosswalk and trying to merge into cycletrack, but I prefer my odds with other cyclists and pedestrians than in challenging vehicles.

As for cars expecting you to be going one way, I don’t see that as a huge problem given all the places they’re turning left are generally also places with people crossing the sidewalk. Plus moving the cycletrack against the curb will have them looking at least in the right place for cyclists and pedestrians. The way it’s configured now, I’ve seen folks making lefts from the 2nd from left lane of L because they miss the turn lane, flooring it to make the arrows/lights, blocking the cycletrack entirely in line to make the turn and generally totally oblivious to cyclist users.

And if they’re not going to build a cycletrack running down M NW then they should definitely just make L a true two-way cycletrack. I also think they should have some sort of direction sign indicating the cycletrack running east-west exists because I see tons of idiots riding on the sidewalk and even occassionally on the street against the flow on M. I try yelling out there is a path on L, but it doesn’t seem to be making an impression.

[bobco85]

Since L is a one-way street and M is going to get a cycletrack this year, I would prefer to keep the L cycletrack one-way.

For the location of the cycletrack, I would get rid of the awful double-merging zones and make the cycletrack basically “hug” the left side of the street. As was stated earlier (and I have witnessed this myself), cars who miss the left turn lane will end up turning at the intersection across the cycletrack anyways, thus I find there is no point in having the left turn lanes. I think it’s much more intuitive to have cars turning across the cycletrack only at intersections because everyone (drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians) expect turns off of L to occur at intersections.

@TwoWheelsDC 43860 wrote:

And Vancouver has a few that are like 15th St, but protected:

I would love to see a small concrete border like the above image implemented on on the L, Penn, 15th, and (future) M cycletracks. I’d put spikes on them for added visual impact (personal preference). No one’s going to want to U-turn across those barriers!

[mstone]

@bobco85 43889 wrote:

For the location of the cycletrack, I would get rid of the awful double-merging zones and make the cycletrack basically “hug” the left side of the street. As was stated earlier (and I have witnessed this myself), cars who miss the left turn lane will end up turning at the intersection across the cycletrack anyways, thus I find there is no point in having the left turn lanes.

Unless I’m missing something, there are parts of L where the left turn lane is parking evenings and weekends, and your proposal is basically how the cycletrack already works during those times. The crazy left turn lane thing seems entirely predicated on car LOS during rush hour, not common sense or safety.

[jnva]

Keep it one way, make another westbound cycle track on M street.

And most importantly get cars to stop parking in the cycle track. I’ve noticed less delivery trucks and more cars parked lately.

[bobco85]

@mstone 43895 wrote:

Unless I’m missing something, there are parts of L where the left turn lane is parking evenings and weekends, and your proposal is basically how the cycletrack already works during those times. The crazy left turn lane thing seems entirely predicated on car LOS during rush hour, not common sense or safety.

I only ride on the cycletrack on the weekends, so my info may be faulty, but I think the left lane is for parking (evenings and weekends) only between 25th and New Hampshire (the first 3 blocks) where the cycletrack is only a bike lane/sharrows.

[ShawnoftheDread]

@bobco85 43902 wrote:

I only ride on the cycletrack on the weekends, so my info may be faulty, but I think the left lane is for parking (evenings and weekends) only between 25th and New Hampshire (the first 3 blocks) where the cycletrack is only a bike lane/sharrows.

Correct.

[Terpfan]

After reading Bobcat’s post, I’m confused they are or aren’t building a cycletrack down M St NW. I know they’re doing on on M St SE, but I’m still unclear on M St NW (would run from 14th/well circle I suppose all the way down to near Georgetown I would suspect). In fairness, I’ve actually never had much probably riding down M St NW except at the intersection with Connecticut because cars are seemingly running the lights in every direction.

[Greenbelt]

At the very least, they need to repave some of the utility cuts on M near Connecticut! To avoid the cuts, you have to ride in the 2nd lane from the left, and of course rush hours drivers try to squeeze by on your left when you do that, leaving you stranded in the middle of the road.

My understanding is that they’re planning a westbound semi-protected cycletrack on M, but construction hasn’t started yet.

I would probably have the same concerns as on L — two way fully protected with garage cuts better than one way with semi-protection and merge zones. I think giving bikes and peds a leading interval and signing “turning traffic yield” solves most of the turn conflicts across the lane, but recognize that in some cases a bike/ped stop with traffic turn signal may be needed.

[bobco85]

@Terpfan 43950 wrote:

After reading Bobcat’s post, I’m confused they are or aren’t building a cycletrack down M St NW. I know they’re doing on on M St SE, but I’m still unclear on M St NW (would run from 14th/well circle I suppose all the way down to near Georgetown I would suspect).

A cycletrack for M St NW is being planned for this summer. It will run from 14th to 28th Streets. I am unsure of the status for an M St SE/SW cycletrack (I actually learned about its existence from your post and a quick search).

[arlrider]

Keep L the way it is; once they do M it will all make perfect sense. What would be nice is if they figured out some way to have a reasonable start to the L street cycletrack. The majority of people using it are getting on it from the very beginning – at the hell intersection of Pennsylvania, L, and 25th. In years of riding I have yet to find a safe and effective way to navigate that intersection. When there was no cycletrack it was actually better; I could merge into the rightmost turn/straight lane (with slow moving traffic) and then end up in the right lane of L. Now that we’ve got to get all the way over to the left it’s tougher. I don’t really like riding with traffic in the left lane of Penn (it’s uphill and traffic is flying – making me a speed bump) and I don’t like salmoning left of the yellow line on the Bayou block like a lot of people do to get to the cycletrack. Staying right on Penn requires using a crosswalk at 25, and I’m not really a big fan of using crosswalks on a bike. Would be cool if they could somehow start the cycletrack at the Penn/M split but I just don’t think there’s the real estate.

[Greenbelt]

Fed Ex parking zone
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