Barriers being installed on penn ave bike lanes (live)

Comments

[Zack Rules]

There is a god, a miracle this finally happened. Are they going the full length of the cycle track?

[Washcycle]

That's how it looked to me. They were on block number two when I went by.

[DaveS]

Full length except in front of the Wilson Building.

I'm going to think of that as a reverse pilot program on this question: if a bike lane is 80% protected, will drivers infer the prohibition for the unprotected 20%?

I have my own theory (based on observations of how drivers respond to the gaps in current protection), but I'll let the evidence prove or disprove it.

[JJJJ]

I wish they were on the white line closest to the cars, as to maximize bike lane space, as the plastic bollards are.

[Brett Young]

I drove by today....they did not do this for the full length

[Mike]

I wish they were a visible color. But gotta preserve that view of the cars, amiright?

[xmal]

Quick question---has anyone seen a city install rumble strips alongside unprotected bike lanes to discourage cars from drifting into the lane?

Seems like a simple intervention, if city DPWs have the necessary equipment.

[JJJJ]

xmal, in rural areas, the shoulder / bike lane will have rumble on the white fog line.

[Tom]

Why are these bike lanes so dangerous? Is it the design?

There a plenty of "unprotected" bike lanes that don't have near the problems that this lane has.

Has there been any evaluation of the efficacy of bike lanes in the middle of the road?

What happens if these barriers don't work?

[Ben]

@JJJJ

I think putting them on the line would help keep them straight too. The OCD in me is going crazy how crooked they look.

[washcycle]

Tom, I think the design plus the location does encourage illegal U-turns. I don't know of any-other center bike lanes, so I've got nothing to compare it to. The bike lanes are effective if you look at the increase in bike use on Penn Avenue and the decrease in sidewalk cycling based on DDOT counts, but I'm not sure if a measure of safety has been done.

If these barriers don't work then it will be time to release the Kraken.

[Anne]

Rode Pennsylvania Avenue Friday evening. Lots of sections still didn't have barriers up. Oh, and watched a cab just do a uturn through the pedestrian crosswalk/stopped bike area right in front of me. Zero enforcement.

[SJE]

For a moment I thought "great, another truck blocking the lane"

[TJ]

The Pennsylvania lanes are the worst of the compromise designs I've tried in DC. Much safer to just take the right lane on this lightly traveled multi-lane boulevard. The M St. cycle track is a close second. It requires compromised maneuvers at every intersection and is one lane along narrow sidewalks. Just give me a lane, thanks.

[washcycle]

I suspect many people feel that way, but when DDOT studied it, they found that in the 2 years after installation, bike use of PA Ave went up 250% during rush hour. In a survey as part of the same study, 90% of cyclists said they feel safer riding on PA Ave because of the cycletrack.

If that's the worst they've done, I can live with it.

[DE]

Probably depends on the type of cyclist. I prefer to ride quickly and really don't like using the PA Ave ones, but cyclists new to city riding or who feel vulnerable in the city probably prefer them.

[CapHillKeith]

DE

I've been biking up and down Pa for 30 years. And had no problem taking a lane. But I love the Pa cycle track. I love how relaxing my ride has become. Yes I guess it is a little slower. But in the end not by much. This will only make a good thing even better.

[DE]

Cool, glad to hear that. If it came off that way, I didn't mean to imply that experienced cyclists couldn't find them useful. I don't go through there that often, but when I do, it feels like you ride one block and wait forever in your box--that's not entirely the fault of the lanes. I would never want them taken away. I just prefer different routes.