At 09:43 AM 11/16/2005, you wrote:
Actually crashes I've seen at this intersection have to do with both the angle and the slipperyness of the newly installed RR ties. [snip] One key to crossing that intersection safely is to get into the traffic lane at Williamson instead of proceeding from Wislon (the little street behind the Gateway Mall) and then merging with traffic. It seems like a small point, but that's all it takes to get the proper crossing angle.
You're right Steve. Another thing that makes doing that difficult (besides the hesitancy of some cyclists to take enough of the lane) is that the pedestrian call button is situated in a place that's very awkward for cyclists (regardless of whether they're coming down Williamson or from the bike path behind Gateway mall). In order to activate it, you either have to get your bike and yourself up there to push the button, and then drag your bike and yourself back to the street. If the button could be activated from the westbound lane of Williamson (as it is on the eastbound lane of E Wilson on the other side of the intersection), that would make it much easier to do what you suggest, which I agree is the safest way to cross the intersection if you're westbound from north of Willy St. What about it Arthur? what are the chances of safely accommodating bicyclists with a call button they can actually reach on both sides of that intersection?
If you're coming from the neighborhoods south of Willy St (or you're willing to ride through them instead of crossing Willy St at the Yahara River on the bike path), then a better alternative, IMHO, is to cross John Nolen from Machinery Row to the southwest corner of the intersection ( in the crosswalk, with the ped walk light, yielding to peds, of course), then wait for the ped light to cross E Wilson, and cross in that cross walk, turning into the tracks more or less perpendicularly where they meet the crosswalk before the ped refuge island next to the Ruby Marie.
chuck _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
