Mitchell Nussbaum asked: could "Traffic Engineering add a short left-turn-only phase for University Avenue traffic"
Basically, not unless there was a separate left turn lane on University Ave. Otherwise, the first car at the signal could be going straight and the second wanting to turn and all the turn signal would do is add to frustrations. Jay Otto's original observation "Moving from the westbound bike lane into the far left lane prior to reaching the intersection is the rational/legal method" is the way I always make this turn. Back when I first moved to Madison I was working on Regent St and made the left from westbound University onto Mills every day. When you start moving over to the left lane depends upon the traffic. When traffic was light, I would wait until I crossed Brooks St then move to the left between Brooks and Mills. When traffic was heavy, I would start looking for a gap to move over, lane by lane, as soon as I got to Park St. In the two blocks between Mills and Park I would be able to move over the three lanes and then ride the middle of the left lane until I reached Mills and turned. I recommend the class that Bike Fed will be teaching in July to anyone who wants to improve their bicycling in traffic skills. In case you missed the post on that, I have included the info below. Of course, taking a different route, such as Dayton Street which others have recommended, is always a viable option. Safe Bicycling for Adults Class July 7, 14, 21 One Course = Three Wednesdays 6-9 pm $50 total for all three sessions Class location: 106 E. Doty #400, Madison Learn to Feel Comfortable Bicycling in Traffic! This basic 9 hour course is perfect as a primer for those cyclists who wish to gain a full understanding of how to safely operate a bicycle in a variety of situations. The class includes learning how to perform a bicycle safety check, fixing a flat, interactive discussion, on-bike skills practice and student manual. Students will gain confidence knowing that they are riding legally and safely. Crash avoidance techniques and crash types will be discussed. Contact the BFW office at 251-4456 or [EMAIL PROTECTED] for more info. BFW also just published a very good booklet on bicycling safely called Bike Sense that you can request from them if you haven't already picked this up at one of the Bike To Work Week events. Arthur Ross _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
