On the way back from an event today I clocked the actual
mileage involved in what Mary's talking about. It is 1/2 mile from
Badger to the Military Ridge bridge and 1/2 mile back. Given human
behavior, no one is going to add an extra mile if they are only
interested in the shortest distance on Badger. They will try to cross
PD at Badger. The idea they are going to go all the way out to Verona
Road and back is, as Mary aptly put it, a "pipe dream."
My friend Steve Arnold has well articulated safety
procedures that should be employed during a dangerous traffic
crossing, but these are things done by experienced cyclists. Not all
Badger Trail users are experienced. In fact, most are probably not.
We have novice cyclists and young people using Badger and they are
not going to be conditioned about things like making eye contact with
motorists. We have other users. Are we going to suggest roller
bladers and moms and dads pushing or towing babies in carriers as
they run or bike do an extra mile in the PD bike lanes between Badger
and Military Ridge to avoid a direct crossing? I think not.
Any way you look at it, a bridge or tunnel is the obvious
best solution for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists to all get
through the crossing safely and without conflict. It would be sad if
it took an error in someone's judgment, trail user or motorist,
resulting in injury or death, to make it happen.
At 03:38 PM 7/11/2014, Mary Mullen wrote:
Good to hear. I think it is a pipe dream that bicyclists using the
Badger State Trail would go out of their way by a quarter or half a
mile or more to cross PD on the soon-to-open new bridge by General
Beverage and the landscape company. A previous respondent suggested
that a separated grade crossing would not be necessary once that
bridge is open. I definitely would not do that unless my goal were
unltimately to be on the Military Ridge Trail even though it might
seem faster to do so when I'm waiting for rush hour traffic.
On 7/11/14 10:15 AM, "Schaefer, William" <[email protected]> wrote:
> The City of Fitchburg applied for federal Transportation
Alternatives Program
> funding for a grade-separated crossing at this intersection. The
city is also
> planning to reconstruct this section of McKee Road (in
conjunction with WisDOT
> work on the section further west as part of new Verona Rd
interchange) and has
> applied for federal funds through the MPO for this project. The
> grade-separated crossing (probably a tunnel) would be done as part of the
> street project. It is scheduled for 2019.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bikies
[<mailto:[email protected]]>mailto:[email protected]]
On Behalf Of William
> Hauda
> Sent: Friday, July 11, 2014 10:02 AM
> To: [email protected]; [email protected]
> Subject: Re: [Bikies] ambiguous intersections considered dangerous
>
>
> I totally agree with you, Darin. This is a crossing crying for a
> safer solution. Your experience illustrates why.
> Greatest danger with flashing lights on a major four-lane road is
> when a car yields in the lane closest to the cyclist while a car in the
> adjacent lane (and out-of-sight of the cyclist) keeps going.
> The problem is especially severe during rush hour. McKee
gets a huge
> volume of motor vehicle traffic at precisely the same time cyclists are
> commuting to and from work or getting out for recreation or a
workout. I've
> repeatedly expressed my concerns to the powers that be that we
need a bridge
> or tunnel instead, despite serious buried and aerial infrastructure issues
> that would need to be addressed. It would cost much more than
simply putting
> up flashing lights, but the payback would, along with making
everything more
> pleasant for both drivers and cyclists, include probably saving lives.
> Perhaps it's time to discuss this in detail and
determine a course of
> action. McKee is slated for reconstruction and this would appear to be an
> appropriate time to include a safer crossing in the road plan. It
will be on
> the August agenda for the board of directors of Friends of Badger
Trail. My
> board's copied in. As are some of those powers that be.
> Bill Hauda, Fitchburg, president FOBT
>
> At 09:23 AM 7/11/2014, [email protected] wrote:
>
>> Heading South on the Badger Trail, I approached the intersection with
>> CTH PD (Mckee Road) with my usual caution. I don't use the meaningless
>> and ambiguous 'warning signal', because it is meaningless and
>> ambiguous.
>>
>> One car on PD came to a stop, either because of the mistaken notion
>> that they are required to yield, or of the equally mistaken notion that
>> they are being 'nice'. Usually I just wave them on, because it is an
>> ambiguous situation, and that makes me nervous. At a minimum I check to
>> see if there is traffic behind the stopped car.
>>
>> My caution was warranted this time. Some dude-bro comes speeding along,
>> seemingly unaware of the car stopped in from of him. At the last
>> moment, he brakes hard, tires squealing, narrowly avoids rear-ending
>> that car, and passes in the right lane; then takes off.
>> Leaving the lovely smell of burnt rubber hanging in the air.
>>
>> I suppose its possible that if I had activated the ambiguous warning
>> signal, it would have alerted the speeding dude-bro, but I kind of
>> doubt it.
>>
>> My message to car drivers is pay attention, follow the rules of the
>> road, and don't try to be 'nice'.
>> --
>> darin burleigh
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Bikies mailing list
>> [email protected]
>>
<http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org>http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
>
> _______________________________________________
> Bikies mailing list
> [email protected]
>
<http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org>http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
> _______________________________________________
> Bikies mailing list
> [email protected]
>
<http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org>http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
_______________________________________________
Bikies mailing list
[email protected]
http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
_______________________________________________
Bikies mailing list
[email protected]
http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
