Bikies,

I have used the Hammersley Rd bike lanes and thought they were great.  I
will have to take another look but if the problem is debris in the bike
lane, then a call to streets may be in order to get the debris removed.
Given the mature tree-lined streets in this area and the time of year, I
could see how this could be a problem now but may be a seasonal issue.

I have had issues with Hammersley Rd before bike lanes were added.  Because
Hammersley Rd is wide for a 2-lane road, people tended to drive it like a
4-lane road when it is not.  This results in cyclist really getting squeezed
and in motorists driving too fast.  I think bike lanes are appropriate for
Hammersley but bike lane widths may need to be adjusted.

Mark
-- 
Mark N. Shahan                               ------  __o
607 Piper Drive                          -------  _`\<,_
Madison, WI 53711-1338             ---- (*)/ (*)
(608) 274-9367
[email protected]

On Fri, Sep 30, 2011 at 2:00 PM, India Viola <[email protected]> wrote:

> I would assume that the lanes were added because intuitively (but
> apparently not always empirically) bike lanes would appear to be a
> beneficial addition for any busy street that doesn't already have them.  Now
> we see that that ain't necessarily so.  This is a really good example of
> getting extremely helpful feedback from the end-user (Eric White) and having
> a flexible protocol so that we don't throw the bike lanes out with the bath
> water.  Sounds like if bike lanes are to be functional on Hammersely they
> need to be buffered, or else there needs to be adequate signage and
> education that lets drivers know that bikes can and should take the non-bike
> traffic lane on any shared street when it's the safest thing to do.
>
> -India
>
>
> On Fri, Sep 30, 2011 at 1:47 PM, <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> That's a shame to hear. I used to bike a couple times a week on that
>> section and never had any issues with cars. I'd love to hear the reasoning
>> behind why the lanes were added. Is the city anticipating an increase in
>> auto traffic?
>>
>> Kathryn Kingsbury
>>
>> www.kathrynkingsbury.com <http://kathrynkingsbury.wordpress.com>
>> LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kathrynkingsbury
>> Skype: kathryn.kingsbury
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>> *From:* Eric White <[email protected]>
>> *To:* bikies <[email protected]>
>> *Sent:* Fri, September 30, 2011 12:33:59 PM
>> *Subject:* [Bikies] bike lanes on Hammersley Road
>>
>> Every day I ride into work I'm happy to be pedaling down the SW path
>> and I'm thrilled with the amount of riding I can do on paths both in
>> the city and surrounding area.  That said, one new bike lane where
>> previously there was none has actually made my commute worse, and, I
>> believe, more dangerous.
>>
>> Painted bike lanes were recently added to Hammersley Road south of the
>> beltline between the bike/ped overpass and Gilbert Road.  The
>> westbound lane isn't bad. It's a separate lane several feet out from
>> the curb.  The eastbound lane is a different story.  The bike lane,
>> such as it is, is really just the space between the stripe indicating
>> the right edge of the auto lane and the curb.
>>
>> The problem here is that even in the best conditions where the gutters
>> are completely free of debris, I'm not sure there's a full three feet
>> of clearance available between a car (much less a city bus) and my
>> left side.  In reality, where this part of the road is covered in
>> debris, as it has been for the last several weeks, I need to ride a
>> couple of feet out from the curb and this puts my near or in the new
>> "car lane."  Now that these stripes exist cars and buses seem to think
>> they need to stay in their lane and bikes need to stay in theirs.
>> I've had buses blow past me just inches to my left.  I've ridden this
>> stretch of road almost daily for several years and haven't been honked
>> at until these stripes were laid.  I'm assuming I'm getting honked at
>> because drivers no believe I'm out in "their" lane when I'm avoiding
>> debris in the "bike lane."
>>
>> Arthur, can you or anyone else comment on this design?  Has anyone
>> else had any trouble here?  I no longer ride east-bound here and
>> instead travel on other neighborhood streets down to Reetz and then go
>> north to Hammersley and the bridge to the SW path.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Eric White
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>>
>
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