Re: contraflow lanes on University - These comments are mine alone, so I'm not saying others have to agree.
I hate the contraflow lanes on University, and will use Dayton unless I am actually going to a destination on University Ave. Why? 1. In good weather, there are too many people - often very inexperienced bicyclists - using this lane. Because of the curb, I can't pull out to pass them, and they can't pass me. The lane is far too narrow for the volume of traffic it handles, and because we can't pass easily, people pass waaay too close and unsafely. I have come very close to either running into someone or having someone run into me. Add in that some people stop at the red lights (me), while others don't, and you have the potential for some very nasty conflicts. 2. I don't trust the motorists to yield when turning left, and I don't trust the pedestrians to not step out into the lane. This is especially bad in the fall, when there are lots of new people in town that haven't figured out how things work. (Madison's crash statistics for bicyclists peak in late August and early September every year. Wonder why?) 3. In winter, the lanes aren't well plowed and/or freeze over with rutted ice and snow. This is partly die to the fact that they are on the south side of the street and don't get much sun. There are other issues with snow and ice removal, but I won't go into those. Again, if the lane is blocked by debris, sand piles, snow, etc, I can't move to the left to go around that debris. Accumulated sand is dangerous as well as snow, and is bad until we get a couple of torrential rains in the spring. 4. Looking at the oncoming traffic makes me dizzy. And I have to look at the traffic because I don't want to get hit by a left turning motorist. Now, please note that the only "curbed bike lane" we have in the entire city is on University Ave. This is because it does indeed the only lane that runs against incoming traffic. This lane used to be a BUS lane, until too many students were hit by buses when they didn't look for traffic running against the prevailing traffic flow. Hmmmm.... a lesson there. All other on-street bicycle accommodations - that is those between the curbs of the street right of way - are lanes without curbs. This allows bicyclists to move left when needed. You need to move left to pass - including passing right turning cars, avoid debris, and also to make a left turn. New York has installed curbed bike lanes that run parallel to the traffic, and they are placed on the left of driving lanes to avoid bicyclists getting cutr off by right turning motorists. Also to avoid getting doored where there is parking. I was skepical about these, but after seeing a presentation, I'm OK with them. HOWEVER, the bike lanes have their own light cycle, and no left turns are allowed by motorized traffic except on a left arrow. This eliminates the turning problems. Also, the lanes are waaaay wider than those on Unviersity Ave, allowing easy and safe passing by bicyclists. If I were to redesign the area between Basset and Breese, I'd put bike lanes on Johnson similar to the ones on University. Everyone ride the same direction, plenty of room to pass, and you can move left when making a turn. But since that's not going to happen, I'll just take Dayton St. Robbie
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