I think the wide part is the lane, and the narrow part is the buffer. There are more photos here.
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Posted by: SJE | April 30, 2010 at 04:31 PM
I look over these plans extensively online and can't fathom how putting bicyclists in the center of two-way traffic is a good idea. Isn't the left lane also where people tend to drive faster??
The amount of required explanatory signage alone should be an indicator of how counter intuitive this design is.
Posted by: Andy B from Jersey | April 30, 2010 at 04:50 PM
It's really too bad they aren't painting these lanes green. NCPC (or whatever acronym soup staffed by unelected taste police) are a bunch of idiots.
Posted by: JTS | April 30, 2010 at 05:08 PM
I can't figure out why the lanes on this part of PA Avenue are considered necessary. I have never, ever had any problems whatsoever riding on the road here - it's broad, and the traffic isn't at all intimidating. Is it about symbolism?
Posted by: Chris | April 30, 2010 at 05:24 PM
What makes anyone think this will be any different than the failed bike/bus lanes on 7th street that cars drive in all the time? Also don't federal vehicles often use the median for illegal parking? I doubt that will change.
Posted by: ontarioroader | April 30, 2010 at 05:25 PM
@Andy, on a highway the left lane is the faster "passing" lane, but in an urban setting like this that is not the case. In fact I suspect the left lane goes slower because of left turning traffic waiting at intersections. This model has been used before with places that run a pedestrian mall down the middle, a busway (some that allow bikes) down the middle or even bike lanes. These bike lanes will be buffered and the use of separate lights will prevent left hook crashes.
Traffic laws aren't that intuitive to start with, the signage is indicative of how new it all is.
Posted by: washcycle | April 30, 2010 at 05:29 PM
Wow, lots of negative reactions here.
@Chris. You've never had problems, but that's like a tall person wondering why anyone would need a step-ladder. The reason these are necessary is that not everyone is as comfortable riding their bike on Penn as you are. DDOT doesn't just build these facilities for people who already ride, they also build them for those who will. It's also a way of enacting a road diet, and yes, there is symbolism which is not something to dismiss.
@ontarioroader, this is very different from the bus-bike lanes on 7th and 9th. In fact those lanes were put on the right hand side to make the point that lanes on the right hand side would not work. Those lanes allow drivers into them to make right hand turns. That will not be the case here. Plus the painted buffer will serve as a greater psychological barrier. Federal vehicles to illegally park there. I suspect they will stop because it will not longer be safe to do so.
Posted by: washcycle | April 30, 2010 at 05:36 PM
I wish these were painted green. It would look so much nicer... right now, it just looks like nothing...
Posted by: Scott F | May 01, 2010 at 02:10 AM
I'm happy to see the new lanes going in but the commission's unwillingness to approve painted lanes and/or bollards shows that the safety/needs of people on bikes is still considered optional or a perk. Traffic signals, street lights, different color sidewalks, zebra-painted crosswalks also alter (mar?) the original design/vista but given their importance for safety convenience, they are allowed.
If it isn't possible (=permitted) to have real cycletracks and/or green paint, maybe DDOT could make it really really clear that these are bike lanes by painting the bike logo at 5-ft intervals.
Posted by: jj | May 01, 2010 at 09:58 AM
Why can't they use those white reflective discs that I saw in the picture of the on-street bike rack in front of the WABA office? That would be low-profile. It would blend in with the current white traffic lines on the road, while providing more notice to drivers that they should stay out of the bike lanes.
I rode on the lanes yesterday after seeing this post. I have to say that it's pretty neat. When the story first came out, I wasn't that interested. But now I might take some detours to ride down the street more often.
Posted by: Michael H. | May 02, 2010 at 05:20 AM
I like Michael H's suggestion re: the discs. Seems to make sense to me. Of course the design that the "taste police" rejected made sense to me, too, so...
Posted by: CyclingFool | May 03, 2010 at 12:06 PM