New bike lane markings on Pershing from Washington to Arlington Blvd

[Brendan von Buckingham]

The 5 block stretch of Pershing from Washington Boulevard to Arlington Boulevard has been restriped for bike lanes at the curb and a buffer of parked cars. This is the sort of infrastructure that does not improve cycling conditions. This stretch of roadway was generously wide with ample room for a median, cars, bikes, a door-zone and parked cars. Now cyclists are encouraged to take a narrow lane full of gutter clutter that zig-zags and peek-a-boos with drivers at multiple curb cuts and driveways. And the worst part of this section of roadway (crossing Arlington Boulevard westbound from the bus shelter corner) is still unimproved.

[Guus]

I respectfully disagree. This is the sort of infrastructure that improves bicycling for me, tremendously. Love the bike lanes as they were created on Quincy and Veitch.

[DismalScientist]

You will also note that the paint on these PBLs suggests that a car making a right turn cross the PBL at 90 degrees rather than encouraging the car to merge with the bike lane and then turn right from a position near the curb. This is in direct contradiction to law concerning right turns and is a sure recipe for right hooks.

As I have said repeatedly, I really wish the county would not do this on bike routes that I use. I now face the choice of riding in a PBL with bad sight lines and no way to make evasive maneuvers or riding in the now-narrow main traffic lane where I cannot be safely passed.

Sorry, but I average about 15 mph when riding. PBLs seem to be designed for speeds closer to 8 mph. I don’t think I should be forced to make the above choice because some people are advocating PBLs for slower, less-confident riders who gain a (false) sense of security by riding in a PBL.

[lordofthemark]

@DismalScientist 182200 wrote:

You will also note that the paint on these PBLs suggests that a car making a right turn cross the PBL at 90 degrees rather than encouraging the car to merge with the bike lane and then turn right from a position near the curb. This is in direct contradiction to law concerning right turns and is a sure recipe for right hooks.

As I have said repeatedly, I really wish the county would not do this on bike routes that I use. I now face the choice of riding in a PBL with bad sight lines and no way to make evasive maneuvers or riding in the now-narrow main traffic lane where I cannot be safely passed.

Sorry, but I average about 15 mph when riding. PBLs seem to be designed for speeds closer to 8 mph. (checking I usually ride Eads at about 11MPH – that partly reflects that I stop at red lights) I don’t think I should be forced to make the above choice because some people are advocating PBLs for slower, less-confident riders who gain a (false) sense of security by riding in a PBL.

Will these have no daylighting at intersections? ISTR the Vietch ones do, and I know the Eads Street ones do have daylighting.

I also find myself riding, I am sure, faster than 8MPH in PBLs even with looking carefully for turning cars.

I also note that based on google street view, the conventional bike lanes appear to be in the door zone. And to lack merging areas – so the current configuration also encourages right hooks across the bike lanes

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.8806033,-77.0860255,3a,75y,127.17h,73.94t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sTAZkqEh8VFgQ_Qn3c9kH5w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[Dewey]

I had hoped the County would widen the ramp up onto the sidewalk at the corner at the Arlington Blvd end and cut down those bloody bushes but from the plan that does not look to be the case. Wondering now if the new ADA ramp and paved connector to the Arlington Blvd Trail is a viable alternative to playing frogger in the crosswalk with the cars in that right turn lane from Washington Blvd onto Pershing.

[huskerdont]

@DismalScientist 182200 wrote:

You will also note that the paint on these PBLs suggests that a car making a right turn cross the PBL at 90 degrees rather than encouraging the car to merge with the bike lane and then turn right from a position near the curb. This is in direct contradiction to law concerning right turns and is a sure recipe for right hooks.

As I have said repeatedly, I really wish the county would not do this on bike routes that I use. I now face the choice of riding in a PBL with bad sight lines and no way to make evasive maneuvers or riding in the now-narrow main traffic lane where I cannot be safely passed.

Sorry, but I average about 15 mph when riding. PBLs seem to be designed for speeds closer to 8 mph. I don’t think I should be forced to make the above choice because some people are advocating PBLs for slower, less-confident riders who gain a (false) sense of security by riding in a PBL.

I too would probably go about 15 mph and would probably just take the lane here, but it’s not just about me. Guus has a point as well.

[Dewey]

Drove along Pershing east-bound to work this morning I noticed a large pile of trash cans blocking the bike lane and pushed out into the street on Pershing between Danville and Cleveland Streets in a stretch the plan indicates won’t have flexposts, don’t know if the businesses/residents do this regularly on trash day.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

I was going to add trashcans to the obstacle course too, but Dewey beat me to it. The lane markings where Pershing terminates at Arlington reversed what had been a good design. Now the lane markings want me on the curb when I’m trying to make a left to get to the bike trail across the highway. The old lane markings that put cars in the curb lane was better. Or at least put in a bike box across the front of all those lanes. Or better yet give peds/cyclists a 3 second advanced green to get ahead of things and visible.

[dasgeh]

Trashcans are just something residents need to figure out. I have a friend who lives on the Veitch PBL and she said it took 2-3 trash days for folks to get used to the change.

[Steve O]

@DismalScientist 182200 wrote:

I really wish the county would not do this on bike routes that I use.

Didn’t you send them your list?

[huskerdont]

Rode this yesterday. They’re about what I expected. The trash cans are just going to be a problem despite whatever the residents do since the collection folks just dump them wherever. This was afternoon, post pickup, and there was a cluster of half a dozen at the entrance to an apartment complex or something. It’s just infra for slower, more careful riding, like on Quincy or Maine, where I often just still take the lane.

Speaking of Quincy, I did find this doozy there.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]18535[/ATTACH]

You could see where it had been moved from off to the side, where it had been protecting the lane, to right in the middle of the lane. Resistance to the resistance?

[Steve O]

@huskerdont 182257 wrote:

Speaking of Quincy, I did find this doozy there.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]18535[/ATTACH]

Did you lumberjack it back?

[bentbike33]

Somebody did. It was not in the bike lane this morning.

[Judd]

Here’s the background on the planter in the bike lane.

https://twitter.com/blacknell/status/1055578279896379393?s=21

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[huskerdont]

I did not. As you can tell from the pic, it was yuuge and I didn’t want to do my back in again. Check Strava to see where Judd went last night.

[Author]

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