I replied to Mark directly about this intersection, but since the danger of RTOR has become the topic -- with or without a RTOR prohibition -- I'll say that this is one reason that bicycling on the sidewalk or any path that runs directly next to a road -- AKA a sidepath -- can be very problematic. I can name multiple locations that this is a daily problem, and I have observed numerous crashes or close calls personally. I've experienced them myself as well. And a friend had her leg broken in multiple places under these circumstances.
Not only is it a problem where a path crosses a roadway at an intersection, but there are several locations where a lot of people bike on the sidewalk -- because they don't feel safe on the street -- and then have to cross intersections where there are a large number of right-turning vehicles. One is quite close to my house, and I cringe every time I see someone riding on the sidewalk there -- and there are a lot of people riding on the sidewalk. The intersection is a very high crash location for all types of road users: University Ave/Campus Dr, University Bay Dr, and Farley. Bicyclists ride on the south side sidewalk on University Ave, probably because they are coming from or going to a location to the west of Farley. There are retail and residential locations along the road, so it is somewhat logical. There are also a lot of people that are headed north on Farley and then turning right on University Ave/Campus Dr. Those people are looking west (left) and waiting for a gap in traffic. They NEVER look right to see the bicyclists coming from that direction. Even before they start the right turn, they are unlikely to stop at the stop line -- BEFORE entering the crosswalk -- to yield to anyone attempting to use or actually in the crosswalk. This is a huge problem for pedestrians as well, which is why I end up crossing mid-block or at the previous intersection when walking to the bus stop. I simply don't trust the drivers to look for pedestrians as well as bicyclists. The answer, IMHO, is not enforcement, but engineering. - Make the crosswalk/path crossing very prominent. - Signs and regulations to prohibit RTOR where this is a problem. Possibly a pedestrian-activated NO RTOR in some location would help. - If sidewalk riding is a problem, give bicyclists a safe way to NOT ride on the sidewalk, yet still access their destinations. - Tighten up corners that have wide turning radii, so making that right on red is harder to do at a roll I am quite sure that city Traffic Engineering and City Engineering can find other solutions. The question is always whether there is the political will to inconvenience drivers to make the intersection safer for non-motorized users. sorry this went on longer than I intended, but I got on a roll and decided to use this post for multiple purposes. It is being forwarded to a few key people and may appear as a blog post in the future at MadisonBikes.org Robbie Webber Transportation Policy Analyst 608-263-9984 (o) 608-225-0002 (c) [email protected] All opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer or any other group with which I am affiliated. On Mon, May 30, 2016 at 9:51 PM, Mark Clear via Bikies < [email protected]> wrote: > Hello Bikies, > > I got a tweet last week complaining that motorists don't obey the "no turn > on red" on westbound Rimrock at John Nolen, putting cyclists on the trail > at risk. Anyone else with this experience? Thanks. > > Mark Clear > _______________________________________________ > Bikies mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org >
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