Cars in the Middle

Cars in the Middle, originally uploaded by M.V. Jantzen.

The stretch of 15th St NW east of Meridian Hill Park is very steep. This might be the only road in town with a bike lane on both sides, each going in the same direction. Washington, DC.

Comments

[ontarioroader]

11th Street SE next to the Navy Yard also has this odd setup.

[Tim]

looks like a door prize waiting to happen

[Jim Titus]

These bike lanes don't seem any more hazardous than the norm, so might as well look at the bright side:
This is an excellent opportunity to test Laurel' theorty (reported on the morning link summary) that a left side bike laner is safer. On the one hand, fewer people open the right door. On the other hand, passengers are less likely to have looked into the rear view mirror to observe approaching traffic, and the cyclist is in blind spot of car leaving space. A priori there is no way to know what is safer. It would be very useful to have a continuous video of this street to compare near collisions with bikes and write up the results to shed light on this matter

[Jason]

I think the point is that most bikers completely avoid this stretch of road and choose a less-steep way to get up to columbia heights. Hence the irony of having a double bike lane on a relatively unused stretch of road.

[jj]

isnt this block going to be part of the new 2-way cycle track extension on 15th?

[J]

When did they make the left lane a solid line?

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=20012&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=48.287373,105.732422&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Washington,+District+of+Columbia,+20012&ll=38.919714,-77.034754&spn=0.001459,0.003227&t=k&z=19&layer=c&cbll=38.919473,-77.034736&panoid=X3Cb_tYTfYQn5Ug93vN2yQ&cbp=12,5.75,,0,20.47

[Jim]

Yeah I always wondered why there were lanes on this stretch of 15th St, given that its incredibly steep. I usually either go over to 19th or 11th if I'm headed uphill. That being said, this would be a perfect spot for a counterflow lane,

[Mark]

Most likely the cycle lanes are there to narrow the motor-vehicle lane; a passive traffic calming measure, and one that also provides a shorter distance for peds to cross 15th while going to and from the park.

[washcycle]

These lanes are there, I was told, because they could be easily added. I have no problem with that. I ride up this all the time, btw, and it is so steep that there is no way I could hit a door or if I did, not very hard. It's all I can do to keep moving.

I'd rather see the left lane narrowed and some buffering added to the right one.

[Chris]

Problem with these lanes, it seems to me, is that when the road curves around a little, it's sort of an opportunity for the cyclist to be squeezed out by a car not keeping to its side of the line. I don't remember, but doesn't the left side lane mysteriously disappear up the hill too?

[Thrillhouse]

I used to live just up the hill a few years ago, but I don't think I ever rode a bike up it. I would always just go up 16th.

Another weird thing on this section of 15th is the speed camera. Who the hell would be speeding up this hill? I imagine this is not a particularly profitable camera location.