Actually, someone else had snipped Mitch's message before his whole message was posted on digest, unless I missed the first one somehow. Regardless, my apologies to Mitch for saying he didn't comment on what I had proposed.
As the proposal I was making, the Odana Rd. intersection with the SW Commuter Path is one of the more obvious examples, but the problem I'm raising (again) exists at virtually every street intersection with bike paths within the city. The problem is that the advisories posted to the motorists of what lies ahead - a bike path - are INSUFFICIENT. The motorist should be REQUIRED to slow down and look both ways before crossing the bike path. But it seems like the only way to get Madison drivers to slow down (speed limit signs don't even work in school zones) is to install stop signs.
I believe it is safe to say that bicyclist use of the paths in Madison is growing at a higher rate now than ever, and environmental concerns are part of the reason for that. I see it going much higher. The time to start giving bicyclists the right of way in this city over motorists is long overdue. Four-way stops at all the bike path/street crossing in the city would be a good step in that direction. After the motorists become more sensitized to that, then take away the stop signs for the bicyclist and put the full responsibility on the motorists - where it rightly belongs.
As for an island big enough to stop in being necessary, I would agree it should be. But we are talking about priorities here, and about an crash that occurred that could easily have taken someones life. The size of the island in this case wasn't the problem. The problem is that a driver did not stop for the bicycle that was crossing, even though the car in front did. A stop sign would have discouraged the driver from attempting to pass the other car.
Mike Neuman
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Granted, a bigger island would cost more than a couple of Stop signs, but
they're both infrastructure; either one will cost "more of our money".
And Stop signs will do nothing for the fact that the island is just too small.
Do you think that, with a four-way stop, an island big enough to stop in won't
be necessary? I KNOW you're not that trusting of deathmobile drivers.
(BTW, this is Email; it's entirely possible Mitch replied before receiving the
"previous person's recommendations" message. Or maybe he just didn't
see them as worth commenting on. JAT.)
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Paul T. O'Leary
Desktop Insurgent
Madison, WI USA
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