[sustran] Minimum and maximum lane widths for arterials in urban areas

ob110ob at IDT.NET ob110ob at IDT.NET
Thu Nov 27 00:06:42 JST 1997


Dr.Rajeev Saraf wrote:
> 
> For Delhi, while redesigning the road cross section to accomodate bicycle
> tracks, we had proposed 3.0m wide lanes. But there was a strong
> resistance for few people, who said that we could not have lanes in
> urban  areas of width less than 3.5m.
> I would like to if lanes of 3.0m have been implemented anywhere and what
> impact does it have on safety, speed and capacity? How have the codes in
> various countries dealt with lane widths? Any repsonse is welcome.
> thanks.
> 
> ___________________________________________________________________________
> Dr Rajeev Saraf                 |

  As an urban biker myself, I don't find that it really matters.  Here
in NYC, bike lanes seem to be an open invitation for motorist and
delivery people to park/double park there.  They also use the bike lanes
as an additional lane when traffic gets heavy.  

  If I'm riding during the rush hours or during the heavy delievery
periods I'll stay away from bike lanes altogether and even use streets
that don't have them where possible.  Not because, as one might think,
of many drivers interferring with lanes safe operation.  But because the
interferances are intermittent and errant and the interferers are most
often the very erratic.  The driver in a hurry, who doesn't care, or
perhaps thinks that it's fun or that bikers don't matter in the face of
his powerful machine.

  Particularly vexing are those cars that will creep into the lane and
continue to by pass traffic while moving very slowly, they can continue
doing this for a block or more and you can't safely get by them because
they may at anytime swerve back into traffic (like if they see a police
car somewhere).  

  Then there's the people who cut you off, long distances from the
corner where they finally make their turn.  During periods of low or
calm traffic situations the bike lane can be pleasant, but because of
the errant erratic driver you still can not let your guard down.  Bike
lanes, I'd thought, were designed to give bikers some peace of mind by
allocating as peice of the roadway for them.  It doesn't work because
drivers won't respect it and there's little or nothing a biker can do to
force a car out of his way.

  Sure, you can block the path of a car in the bike lane and slow down,
but you run the risk of getting hurt very badly if the driver suddenly
pitches a fit. So it's not recommended that you address drivers about
the problems they're causing until you're in a position of safety.  

  Long distance bike lanes ( like the one in New York that runs almost
from Battery Park at the south end of the island, up the west side along
the river to 14th street) often seems an appealing place to ride.  But
being along the river, it's not very tempting if the temp is low or it's
windy.  Additionally, it may be a long ride away if your in the center
of the city.  These drawbacks would be overcome if the bikeway had a
certain grading and ran a much longer distance.

  Because the riverfront bikeway is segregated from traffic it good and
safe and fast, but it's only about 5 to 10 min. in length (when it's
empty of pedestrian traffic).  Bikers using share-the-road bikelanes
must still know that they ride at risk. So there's little benefit from
these lanes in terms of bikers perceptions of safety.  One car parked on
the lane introduces a hazard that interrupts your ride for anywhere from
a 10th to a 1/4 mile.  Or for 10 seconds to as much as 1/2 minute
(depending on traffic conditions) before you can resume your crusing
speed, if you're careful.

  I like the new bike lanes appearing on the streets, since it's an
acknowledgement/encouragement to bikers.  But, sadly, they are little
more than decorative ornaments. Until bikers can be sure that they will
be given right-of-way while in the lanes the level of alert that must be
maintained is the same as what's needed for riding in traffic.  Only
problem is that long stretches of clear bike lane can lull one into a
false feeling of safety.

  So the actual width of the bike lane isn't a real issue, as yet, if
cars will not be kept out.  Using such exposed lanes for either two-way
or abreast riding in one direction is not something to be encouraged no
matter how wide the lane is. On or in such lanes, bikers should maintain
a distance from each other so they can't both be 'wiped out' by the
errant car that comes in. 
 
Hope this is some help.  
 Obwon




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