Madison Bike Lane Proposal

[Betsy Voinovich]

Hi all,

This bike lane proposal is circulating around Lakewood. Sounds very interesting. I copied the text from the PDF at the bottom, I'll attempt to attach it. I think there is also a petition. If anyone else has more info, please add it.


Madison Bike Lane Proposal

I am writing today to request your support as Lakewood residents for the proposal that bike lanes, not the planned sharrow treatment, be included in the upcoming repair and resurface of Madison Avenue in Lakewood Ohio. This proposal was created with support from Bike Cleveland.

Currently within the City of Lakewood’s Bicycle Master Plan, and the proposed plan for resurfacing Madison Avenue, the recommended bicycle treatment is a series of sharrows. Studies show that sharrows do serve a purpose for creating awareness and have some minor impacts on safe riding practices, but because they don’t attract new riders and are used primarily by established cyclists, they effectively work the same as streets without infrastructure.

Bike lanes on Madison would help provide a safe cycling route to school for some Lakewood High School students. I could foresee education and outreach programs to teach safe and effective cycling from the City and / or Bike Lakewood to help improve safe riding practices (the Bike Lakewood board was recently re-formed, and education and outreach are on the agenda. I have been asked to join the board, but the organization has yet to officially set goals and priorities.)

Young riders should not be using the roads until they can do so safely, bike lanes or no, either by being old enough and knowing the rules of the road or being escorted by an adult. But bike lanes succeed in increasing the number of cyclists on the road, who will learn to use the bikeways safely either through their own means or with help from education and outreach. That means more parents and mentors that are experienced to set the example of cycling as transportation for when the young person is ready to make the transition to safe road riding. I see bike lanes as an investment in the future for our young riders.

Attached is a document that has some information about the proposal. If you have any questions or would like more information please let me know.

There is not much time remaining in the planning stages of the Madison resurfacing. If you support the proposal for adding bike lanes to the Madison resurfacing project I ask you as community members of influence, in addition to a petition that will be distributed soon, that you write to the Mayor, City Council, and Planning Department and ask them to take this bold step for Lakewood livability.


Sincerely,

-Ben VanLear, Lakewood resident, parent, and cyclist

-Jacob VanSickle, Bike Cleveland Executive Director


WHY DO WE NEED A BIKE LANE ON MADISON?

Lakewood has a Bicycle Master Plan that recognizes the community benefits of cycling and is committed to establishing bicycling as a main mode of transportation in Lakewood. This includes improving access for riders of all abilities and objectives. The city has the stated goal of being recognized by the League of American Cyclists as one of the most bicycle friendly communities in the country.

•A bike lane on Madison Ave is about increasing ridership. Bike lanes as opposed to sharrows (which Lakewood currently has planned for the Madison Ave resurfacing) increase ridership because they are a more accessible infrastructure – studies show people feel safer with bike lanes.

•There is room on Madison Ave for bike lanes without sacrificing parking.

•A bike lane on Madison would be a bold step for Lakewood and would make our city a region leader in bikeability. No one else has a bike lane on a major commercial route with the variety and quantity of destinations Madison Ave has. Cleveland is already installing bike lanes on Detroit (W25th to W75th) with more to come.

•Additional cycle traffic created by bike lanes would be primarily local traffic to local destinations, good for Madison avenue businesses – and would be complimentary to the City’s bike rack cost share program. The lower speed of cycling allows for more engagement with the neighborhood and enables spontaneous stops at local businesses.

•Great cycling destinations along Madison: Many, many restaurants and businesses; Connection to RTA Rapid; Madison Park; Library; Churches; Schools (Safe Route to School for Lakewood High School)
Current Plan: Sharrows
Proposed: Bike Lanes

Prepared by Ben Van Lear benvanlear@yahoo.com
Approved, Supported by Bike Cleveland http://www.bikecleveland.org

Madison Bike Lane Proposal.pdf

(1.43 MiB) Downloaded 157 times

[Jim O'Bryan]

•There is room on Madison Ave for bike lanes without sacrificing parking.

If Lakewood was as progressive as they claim to be, and as for bikes, and cool living, then
this is the chance to make not only bike lanes, but the sidewalks larger that would allow
for real sidewalk patios and outdoor living.

It would seem they have given up on this on Detroit Avenue as D. G. Siley has doubled
down on making building build right to the very narrow sidewalk, not allowinf for patios
as they are seen and used in the rest of the world.

But on Madison, during a repaving job, they could add 6-8' to each sidewalk, allowing for
patios and green areas, and a bike lane.

Now that would be worth cutting a ribbon over.

.

[Bill Call]

•There is room on Madison Ave for bike lanes without sacrificing parking.

But on Madison, during a repaving job, they could add 6-8' to each sidewalk, allowing for
patios and green areas, and a bike lane.

If all we get for the $2 million or so invested on Madison Avenue is a fresh coat of asphalt we have wasted $2 million.

Cities like Denver are making select streets one way to allow for bike lanes, expanding sidewalks to allow for more outdoor dining, expanding offstreet parking and encouraging the creative destruction of obsolete apartments. Should we settle for a fresh coat of ashpalt? I'd rather keep the potholes and the $2 million.

Everything our regional leaders is doing is encouraging people to leave Cuyahoga County. The only way to counter that trend is for cities like Lakewood to take charge of their own destiny. We are on our own.

[Betsy Voinovich]

•There is room on Madison Ave for bike lanes without sacrificing parking.

But on Madison, during a repaving job, they could add 6-8' to each sidewalk, allowing for
patios and green areas, and a bike lane.

If all we get for the $2 million or so invested on Madison Avenue is a fresh coat of asphalt we have wasted $2 million.

Cities like Denver are making select streets one way to allow for bike lanes, expanding sidewalks to allow for more outdoor dining, expanding offstreet parking and encouraging the creative destruction of obsolete apartments. Should we settle for a fresh coat of ashpalt? I'd rather keep the potholes and the $2 million.

Everything our regional leaders is doing is encouraging people to leave Cuyahoga County. The only way to counter that trend is for cities like Lakewood to take charge of their own destiny. We are on our own.

Bill and Jim,

These are great ideas. There is a bike lane petition to sign addressed to the City of Lakewood which I'm pasting here courtesy of the Great Lakes Courier, who shared the information from a website called change.org.

http://www.change.org/petitions/city-of ... -bike-lane

Betsy Voinovich

[michael gill]

Thanks, Betsy.

I have to observe that there's something remarkable going on here: Jim O'Bryan, Bill Call, and I all seem to believe the same thing. It may have to do with just one tiny slice of city life, but still, there it is:

We all think bike lanes on Madison Avenue are a good idea.

This subject comes up as an eleventh hour suggestion for the re-pavement plans for Madison Avenue. It came from Lakewood resident and bike commuter Ben VanLear, in a meeting ostensibly called to re-organize Bike Lakewood.

As far as re-organizing Bike Lakewood goes, the meeting was a little like cracking the whip before anyone had built the horse. But it did bring a whole new kind of energy to the conversation about bicycles and their place in the city. Present in the room were elected officials (councilmen Bullock and Anderson) city representative (Bryce Sylvester, from Planning and Development) Bike Lakewood founder Tim Liston, Lakewood Criterium director Brian Limkemann, bike commuter Ben VanLear, journalist Colin McEwen, Bike Lakewood ride organizer Michael Kapinski, Amanda Harland, and Bike Cleveland board president (and planner for the City of Cleveland, and previously Cuyahoga County) Christopher Alvarado. Bike Cleveland is supportive of the proposal to add a bike lane to Madison Avenue, and created a petition to help rally support.

This comes at the eleventh hour, but the idea isn't without a history. The Planning Department did a great job perhaps two years ago gathering information about how and where citizens ride, where they feel comfortable, and where they feel threatened by traffic. They plotted the most common destinations on a map. They made a plan that has succeeded in putting a whole lot more bike racks around town, and which will add “sharrows” to Madison Avenue when the street gets repaved.

I was at those meetings, and wrote enthusiastically about the plan. After decades of cycling and getting no accommodation or acknowledgment from cities, the racks and sharrows proposed felt like a whole of progress.

The question -- in the context of a complete street re-pavement project like what's coming to Madison Avenue—is whether sharrows do enough to support a form of transportation particularly well-suited to Lakewood.

Sharrows are stenciled symbols with a bicycle and a chevron pointing in the direction of traffic. They let motorists know that cyclists belong in the road. That's already the law in Ohio. Sharrows are just a visual reminder of that.

Bike lanes would do more. Bike lanes mark off dedicated territory for cyclists, which—some studies show—seems to encourage more cycling. The thinking is to make for safer cycling and encourage people who don't feel confident enough to mix with traffic. And maybe make Lakewood more appealing to people who'd like to try that. A set of bike lanes on Madison would be a three-mile long billboard for the first-ring suburb's bikable, walkable lifestyle. It'd be cheap. It's just paint.

Of course not everyone thinks bike lanes are a good idea. And most of the people who think they aren't a good idea are very accomplished cyclists. They came of cycling age having to fend for themselves and mingle with the cars—having to assert themselves to get the right to the road, and having done so, developed the confidence to feel like they belong there.

Some people who have that confidence believe bike lanes do more harm than good. Bike lanes can take bicycles off the radar of motorists, so each time they cross an intersection, it's like they're back in the roadway. I've described this as a “now you see me, now you don't” effect. In a literal sense, bike lanes are “marginalizing.”

That side of the argument also commonly says bike lanes make motorists think that's the only place bikes belong. Which is not true, and never has been. Bikes are allowed to use the road, regardless of whether there are lanes or sharrows, or nothing. But lots of cyclists have felt the resentment of people in cars when they've chosen the road over the lane.

Tim Liston and I have talked about this at length. Both of us have ridden tens of thousands of miles on city streets, and both of us feel comfortable out there with the cars. We think a lot of the same things when it comes to what makes for good cycling.

And frankly, I'll feel like we won't be having the full “sharrows or lanes” experience if Tim doesn't weigh in. Tim?

But personally, I think bike lanes can encourage some people who feel a bit nervous about mixing in traffic, and can help them build the confidence to ride wherever they want. People who try bike lanes will eventually outgrow them. And in the mean time, if lanes can encourage more people to try biking in Lakewood—and perhaps even make Lakewood more appealing for people who might want to try that lifestyle—I think they're a good addition to the Madison Avenue plan.

Let's paint a three-mile billboard for the walkable, bikable city. And then let's use it.

You can sign the petition here:

http://www.change.org/petitions/city-of ... -bike-lane

[Gary Rice]

OK, I suppose I'll get into this discussion.

First, my background. I was the originator of the Lakewood Dad Bicycle Races in the 1960's. Bikes were practically my middle name until a medical issue came along. I am a fan of bikes.

I was also a part of some of those original BikeLakewood discussions, although I was not a member of BikeLakewood.

I'm certainly not an expert on cycling these days, but I do have some neighborly concerns, based on what I do understand.

As has been pointed out, a few years back, the State of Ohio indeed made it clear that bikes were legal roadway transportation, except for freeways and the like.

Bike lanes are popular in other states, and on the surface, they appear to be quite modern, visually attractive, and trendy, BUT there would appear to be questions with them that well might relate to Lakewood:

1) Is a trend to "bike lanes" here a johnny-come-lately step backwards for cyclists? Sharrows and road signs make it clear that bikes are expected on the street. Bike lanes, on the other hand, appear to limit where bikes can go.

2) Bike lanes can unfortunately compete with opening car doors, even if there is a space allowance for those doors, due to drivers who may be entering and exiting their vehicles.

3) Bike lanes can also become serious debris catchers from regular highway traffic.

4) Bike lanes here might run the risk of creating confusion and perhaps even animosity when bike riders would "dare" to take their "rightful place" off the bike lanes and into traffic. Bikes on Ohio's streets may well be legal now, but remember that drivers may not realize that fact, as there are few refresher courses out there on traffic laws for motorists.

Madison is a relatively narrow street with some exceptional traffic issues, including the Hilliard/Madison intersection, and the unusual lane adjustment at Madison and Warren. I am just not convinced as to whether the concept of a separate bike lane could be a safe thing to do on that street.

It probably would also be well to check what other communities around here are doing. Will bike lanes continue into other cities, or would they begin and end here? Perhaps this needs to be a more (here comes that word again) REGIONAL discussion?

Finally, I wonder whether there is a legal standard for bike lane width or other characteristics regarding them? Absent those specific legal guidelines, how much liability could a municipality incur by making up its own special bike traffic rules?

Just a few questions and thoughts here.

Back to the banjo...

[Jim O'Bryan]

Madison is a relatively narrow street with some exceptional traffic issues, including the Hilliard/Madison intersection, and the unusual lane adjustment at Madison and Warren. I am just not convinced as to whether the concept of a separate bike lane could be a safe thing to do on that street.

Gary

So much venom!

Just kidding!

However Madison is wider than Detroit. Actually much wider than Detroit.

FWIW


.

[michael gill]

What took you so long, Gary? I'll try to answer your questions, which are in blue.

1) Is a trend to "bike lanes" here a johnny-come-lately step backwards for cyclists? Sharrows and road signs make it clear that bikes are expected on the street. Bike lanes, on the other hand, appear to limit where bikes can go.

Bike lanes in no way limit where bikes can go. Sharrows and signs only visually represent already existing laws. Lanes give new cyclists a measure of security by dedicating space. There is no "trend" or "Johnny-come-lately" quality. Bike lanes are only slightly newer than the "banjo."

2) Bike lanes can unfortunately compete with opening car doors, even if there is a space allowance for those doors, due to drivers who may be entering and exiting their vehicles.

Car doors open into traffic whether bike lanes exist or not. Bikes taking the lane ride to the left of the parking lane, therefore in the door zone, whether there is a bike lane or not.

3) Bike lanes can also become serious debris catchers from regular highway traffic.

Even in the gutters, Lakewood roads are fairly clean. The bike lane we're talking about--left of the parking lane, right of the through lane--would be even cleaner than Lakewood's current gutters are, because it's not as far into the margin.

4) Bike lanes here might run the risk of creating confusion and perhaps even animosity when bike riders would "dare" to take their "rightful place" off the bike lanes and into traffic. Bikes on Ohio's streets may well be legal now, but remember that drivers may not realize that fact, as there are few refresher courses out there on traffic laws for motorists.

Cyclists already face that animosity.

Madison is a relatively narrow street with some exceptional traffic issues, including the Hilliard/Madison intersection, and the unusual lane adjustment at Madison and Warren. I am just not convinced as to whether the concept of a separate bike lane could be a safe thing to do on that street.

No, Madison is not a relatively narrow street. Madison is very wide. You know the history that made it that way. It's wider and with less traffic and less drive-thru traffic, and fewer curb cuts than Detroit. The intersections you describe are good reasons to give cyclists dedicated space. My favorite piece of bike infrastructure is the striped lane at both the east and west bound landing of the Detroit Superior bridge. Just like Warren/Madison and Hilliard/Madison (only much more so) those are wide, problematic intersections that now, with lanes, give the cyclist specific territory between the right-turning and the through traffic. That was about a dollar's worth of paint well spent.

It probably would also be well to check what other communities around here are doing. Will bike lanes continue into other cities, or would they begin and end here? Perhaps this needs to be a more (here comes that word again) REGIONAL discussion?

The presence of Bike Cleveland in the room brings exactly the scope of consideration you describe.

Finally, I wonder whether there is a legal standard for bike lane width or other characteristics regarding them? Absent those specific legal guidelines, how much liability could a municipality incur by making up its own special bike traffic rules?

Of course there is a legal standard. You are the only person thinking about Lakewood "making up its own special bike traffic rules."

[russell dunn]

The " MUTCD " Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices is a ready reference
to the established lawful methods that a municipality may choose from, among,
and between when choosing how to do the really cool thing proposed.

[Gary Rice]

Thanks Michael, Jim, and Russell, for your clarifications here.

I was actually not aware that Madison was wider than Detroit, although I'm not sure how that might be a particularly mitigating factor in this discussion, other than the advantages posted here by Michael. Madison is not a thru street ether as Clifton, Detroit, or Lake might be considered to be. It also dead-ends, so I guess I'm missing something here with the Madison equation. Hilliard runs thru as well, but that one's pretty narrow. I'm just pondering the traffic flow situation too.

The principal concern that I still have, even with your well considered answers, remains with what I would think to be a confusing mix of signals for motorists between the bike lane markings and the sharrow markings, provided that both types of information were supplied to the roadway.

I do like bike lanes, especially for the less experienced riders. I too will be very interested in what Tim Liston might have to offer here.

Bike lanes newer than the banjo? I suppose I'd have to think about that one...

Both prototypical bikes and banjos could be found in the 1790's. Modern banjos were fairly popular by the 1830's, but pedal-driven bikes with pneumatic tires came along a bit later. As far as a dedicated bike lane history however? I'd have to research that one.

'Course I suppose some might say that a wagon rut could be a bike lane, but I wouldn't want to ride in it...

Back to the banjo...

[michael gill]

Gary, When you say "back to the banjo," is that actually what you do?

If that is the case, you must be the banjo-ingest guy in Ohio, at least.

[Gary Rice]

Well Michael,

You've got your bike, I've got my banjo.

I'd better get back to it, I guess.

[Jim O'Bryan]

I was actually not aware that Madison was wider than Detroit, although I'm not sure how that might be a particularly mitigating factor in this discussion, other than the advantages posted here by Michael. Madison is not a thru street ether as Clifton, Detroit, or Lake might be considered to be. It also dead-ends, so I guess I'm missing something here with the Madison equation. Hilliard runs thru as well, but that one's pretty narrow. I'm just pondering the traffic flow situation too.

Gary

The width of the street matters greatly when talking about adding a bike lane. Adding the
lane would be reduced to the cost of paint. About $20,000 from my understanding. This
makes it extremely affordable, especially with the way this administration is spending money.

While Madison is not a through street, something I am wondering why it matters, it is one
of the fastest ways downtown during rush hour. Down Madison to 65th, to Lorain, and
downtown, the big one pretty damn quickly with the cars only doing 25 mph. I might be
wrong, but it might be down hill until the bridge too.

But there is one fact that remains. Bikes are vehicles, they have a right to the road. They
have the same right to use the road as a car unless noted like on freeways and the turnpike.
So I see most of this as just forcing the awareness issue on cars and trucks.

I see it as much more dangerous to have bikes on sidewalks, especially when the "bike
friendly city" demands that builders build right to the sidewalk to honor the "streetcar"
period of Lakewood's history that has long disappeared. I have seen many a person walk
out of store on Detroit Ave. to be hit or nearly hit by someone on a bike zooming down
the sidewalk. For kids, sure, but once you hit big bikes and real speeds it just makes no sense.

FWIW

.

[Gary Rice]

Jim,

I hear 'ya loud and clear about the sidewalks and bikes thing.

Last year, my back muscles gave me trouble for a month when I jumped to avoid some high school kid on his bike zipping down one of Lakewood's sidewalks.

The other day I passed a kid with his bike flying down a sidewalk with his ear phones in. Can't say for sure what he was listening to, but it probably wasn't his Driver's Ed. lecture.

Incredible.

I might have shouted at him...if he could have heard me.

He was gone in no time, however.

Not sure what our laws say about riding grown-up bikes on Lakewood sidewalks?

Anyone know?

Back to the banjo...

[Tim Liston]

As my friend Mike Gill hinted, I think putting dedicated bike lanes on Madison is a bad idea, and at a bare minimum needs to be very carefully considered. My reasons are as follows: (1) Madison in particular has some very unique aspects that already make it quite bikeable and that can be even better leveraged (but not with lanes), (2) bike lanes in parked car door zones are very unsafe, an absolute non-starter, and (3) Lakewood needs to carefully consider all its east-west arterials and implement a consistent approach to enhancing their citywide bikeability. There are other reasons but those are the main three. Elaboration below….

(BTW also present in the room Mike mentioned was Brian Rybak from Spin Bike Shop, a partner in the store, a great advocate who I have gladly allowed to freestyle “trick jump” over one of my daughters. Missing that night but there in spirit was Erika Durham, who I know and have seen on her tall bike right after sunrise at times a couple times this summer, and who also is a great cycling advocate.)

Now back on topic….

Cycling on Madison would be hampered by the addition of a bike lane. I don’t believe that increasing the odds of getting hit justifies “cool things.”

(1) Madison is actually quite bike-friendly just the way it is now. That’s because the right lane is quite narrow and situated very close to parked cars, and even motorists are wary of those parked cars and their doors. If you sit and watch (somewhere west of Lakewood Ave. where Madison is two traffic lanes in each direction) you’ll notice that about 30% of the motorists (and maybe even more) use the LEFT lane even when the right lane is empty. That makes Madison quite unusual actually. Also, therefore, when motorists do use the right lane, as they pass cyclists they are much more inclined to move WAY OVER to do so, and not just squeeze by. Finally, Madison is relatively low volume. All those factors make Madison a relatively nice urban street for bikes, right now. I would use sharrows (sparingly), then I bet even more motorists would use the left lane. I believe that is what is presently proposed by the Master Plan.

Consider this: I think it is conceivable that some sharrows, combined with well-thought-out signage, could turn Madison’s right line into something quite closely resembling a 10’ wide quasi bike lane, due to Madison’s unique attributes. We may want to take six inches or so from the right lane, make it as narrow as the law will allow, and give those inches over to the left lane. BTW Madison is about the same width throughout most of its three miles.

Now, when considering bike lanes, it’s important to understand what typically causes crashes between motorists and bicyclists. Cyclists are most fearful of being hit from behind, understandably. “Fear from the rear.” But overtaking crashes are WAY down the list of crash causes. The #1 cause of crashes (adult cyclists) is collisions at intersections, by a pretty wide margin. And Mike Gill acknowledges that the obscured sight lines along dedicated bike lanes become problematic at intersections. And in addition to the confluence of two streets (say, Madison and Mars), every curb cut and every driveway is an intersection, a place where a dedicated lane compromises bike safety. There are lots of those on Madison.

One commonly cited study (all over the Web)….

Motorist failed to yield at intersection 21.6%
Bicyclist failed to yield at intersection 16.8%
Motorist merged or turned into bicycle 12.1%
Bicyclist failed to yield mid-block 11.7%
Motorist overtaking bicyclist 8.6%
Bicyclist turned or merged into motorist 7.3%

(2) Madison simply is NOT wide enough to SAFELY accommodate 5’ bike lanes in each direction without sacrificing parking or a traffic lane. It’s just not. For me, putting dedicated bike lanes in the door zone of parked cars is a non-starter. “First, do no harm.” In fact, a cyclist was killed just last month in Chicago when he swerved to avoid a “dooring” and was then run over by a large truck.

Quote: “Until the day comes when we’re willing to give up parking spaces for safe bicycling routes, ‘share the road’ is the best we’ve got.”

Also understand as I said before that dedicated bike lanes, right next to parked cars, make it very difficult for crossing motorists stopped at intersections to see cyclists coming from their left. As a motorist you are stopped, you look left, and the parked cars obscure your view of a cyclist hugging the line of parked cars. You pull out, THEN you see the bike (too late) BANG! Again, collisions at intersections are the #1 cause of motorist/cyclist crashes even when bikes are not hidden in a lane. So imagine what happens when cyclists are unfortunately hidden by a line of parked cars.

Also, bike lanes (in door zones or not) obviously make left turns much more difficult (and less safe) for cyclists. Such lanes also make right turns more difficult for motorists, because you first have to merge into the bike lane, then make the right turn, if you want to do so safely (and legally but what motorist knows that?).

Since the experience of other municipalities has been mentioned, I wonder if Berea has finally removed that silly door zone lane on Front Street. I believe they have but I’ll check, as I work close to there. I’ll let others cite specific door zone bike lane successes around here but I don’t think there are any or ever will be.

Believe me, I’m sympathetic to the notion that we need to increase ridership, get bikes off of sidewalks, help promote commerce, health and fitness and make Lakewood hip and all that. And there IS safety in numbers. All that is important. But my #1 goal is, should be and will always be that Lakewood cyclists can get from Point A to Point B without getting hit by a car. Getting hit sucks. Dedicated lanes make cycling LESS safe for all but the very most inexperienced street cyclists, especially on Madison. And even for inexperienced cyclists, say those who can’t make a left turn safely, well I can’t imagine putting them on a street in the first place, and especially in an inherently unsafe bike lane as a way of making them “comfortable.” The only thing that makes dedicated lanes safer for novices is that it gets them off the sidewalks and crosswalks. And that can be addressed without bike lanes….

(As a nice corollary I sort of think about teaching young children to learn to ride a bike. What we tend to do, wrongly, is use training wheels, when what we should do is skip the training wheels, remove the cranks and pedals from a very small bike, and let them learn how to push and balance sort of like the bike is a hobby horse. Training wheels IMPEDE learning to balance just as bike lanes impede learning to ride safely in ALL streets.)

(3) I don’t think dedicated bike lanes for Madison should be considered without also concurrently considering what to do about Lakewood’s other four east-west arterials (Lake, Clifton, Detroit and Franklin/Hilliard). The fact is, given rush hour parking restrictions, you can’t possibly put bike lanes OR sharrows on Lake or Clifton. You can on Franklin/Hilliard and probably more safely than on Madison because there are no parked cars on Franklin/Hilliard. My point is, Lakewood needs to take a consistent approach to street enhancements that improve bike safety, and not just jump at a chance to put dedicated lanes on Madison when they are pretty much impossible to use elsewhere in the city, not to mention unsafe.

Another aside: I think about Lake especially, a street that is dangerous for even experienced cyclists during rush (is it one lane or two?) with motorists in a big hurry, on cell phones or drinking coffee or putting on lipstick or whatever and passing each other willy-nilly. Lake could be made MUCH safer for cyclists IMO especially during rush. Lake Road should obviously be a good biking street 24/7 but today it is not. Like I said why is Lake treated as two lanes during rush when there are no markings designating it as such? It makes rush hour cycling dangerous.

As for the technicalities, of course I’m not a trained traffic engineer but I don’t think the MUTCD weighs in substantially on dedicated lane design particularly when placed next to parked cars. The MUTCD does weigh in on the markings but out of context. I do think that AASHTO has recommended at least 12’ combined parking width and bike lane width, which is the fundamental issue. But I also know that many traffic engineers won’t even consider such an arrangement (door zone bike lanes) under any circumstances as 12’ is far too narrow for parked cars and cyclists to co-exist.

Finally, and mostly as an aside, the letters and petitions floating around claim that a “bike lane” is planned by Cleveland on Detroit between W. 25th and W. 76th, and that dedicated lanes are preferable to sharrows. What these letters and petitions conveniently omit is the fact that around a third of their new proposed Cleveland/Detroit “bike lane” will actually consist of sharrows because dedicated lanes cannot be used there even under the most aggressive assumptions. Those documents also fail to mention that the Detroit lane in Cleveland hasn’t been even been installed yet, and certainly not vetted.

I don’t think Lakewood should prematurely validate the mistake that Cleveland will soon make on its section of Detroit. Let’s not just rush into things in the name of “bold steps.” Thermoplastic is much easier to put down than it is to remove. And if somebody gets badly hurt or killed avoiding a suddenly-opened door in Madison’s new lane, the city is gonna be in the thermoplastic removal business, at best. So let’s think this through first, please….

Thanks for listening….

Tim