Calverton Blvd Bike lane

Calverton Blvd Bike lane, originally uploaded by volcrano.

Saw this bike lane yesterday. It hops up on to the sidewalk to pass behind the bus stop. And this isn't the only place it does it either.

Comments

[Purple Eagle]

I wonder if this design is meant to address the sort of problems that resulted from the "traffic calming" on Arcola in the Wheaton area. I suspect that if I were cycling here, and there were people waiting for the bus, I would merge into the regular travel lane rather than the sidewalk.

[Richard Layman]

in best practices bikelane design in Europe, they put the bike lanes behind bus stops to reduce the likelihood of conflict with buses.

[J]

I like this design because it gives a choice. Cyclists who are not comfortable taking a lane may enter the sidewalk. Those who are comfortable can take the lane. Works for everyone.

Roundabouts in california have a similar treatment. You may take the lane, or there is a ramp provided to enter the sidewalk if you're more comfortable crossing as a pedestrian.

I doubt this bus stop is ever packed with waiting commuters, especially considering theres no sidewalk on that side of the road, so there would be no issues.

[Kevin]

I ride this bike lane frequently. The paved area where the bike lane goes is not part of the sidewalk but is adjacent to it, so there is little chance of hitting a pedestrian unless they are standing at the bus stop.

However, on the downhill direction, having to cut over is a hazard. I can get up to 35+mph with little effort when starting at the beginning of the bike lane (Gracefield rd) and I always end up having to slow down to cut over at each bump out. The area between the traffic lane and curb at the bump outs is not as wide as it seems. In addition, I don't believe Montgomery County does street sweeping in this area so that section is usually very dirty.

The bike lane used to be as all others are, right between the traffic lane and curb, until they put the traffic calming structures in. I haven’t seen any reduction in the speed of cars since they put in the bump outs and small center islands.

All in all, this lane is really not functional. It only goes from Gracefield Rd. to Galway Dr (about .4 miles). Between Galway Dr. and Beltsville Dr. cyclists can try to ride in the shoulder, but it is usually full of cars and traffic moves fast. The sidewalks are in disrepair with some sections being pushed up four to five inches by tree roots. Between Gracefield Rd and Cherry Hill Rd isn’t much better as that section is four lanes and traffic also moves fast. At least the sidewalk is in better shape.