Most Special bike lanes combined with safety features

[aldifan]

Most "Special" bike lanes combined with safety features in Australia.

My nomination is the on road cycling lanes that run from this nondescript corner
Somewhere halfway down Kitchener st

to close to the roundabout near the Hughes shops here
Kitchener st / Kent st intersection

all the way to this nondescript corner here
corner Kent st / Carruthers St

These lanes are combined with pedestrian safety islands in the middle of the road and bus stops where the bike lane thins to nothing around the traffic island. Around bus stops, the bus stop side becomes wider and the opposite side thins to nothing. This is especially confusing where they appear in close proximity.

If anyone can explain the purpose of this traffic island at the northern end I would be most appreciative.

I would also like to nominate the brand new Gungahlin drive extension on road cycling lanes for the category of "Bicycle lane or path containing the highest number of dead kangaroos (whole and/or partially decayed/eaten) per kilometre, on or within 50 cm of the lane or path."

I look forward to other nominations in these categories and creation of any new categories of specialness for bike paths near you that spring to the reader's mind.

[The 2nd Womble]

I can't remember the name of this road in the back waters of Ormeau on the Gold Coast. Many months to complete and the photo was taken from my windscreen while pulled over on the hard shoulder. The Tarseal at this end literally stops underneath where I was parked, and it's miles from anywhere with the side street basically stopping at an unused farm gate.
Thanks GC City Council. I'm sure the local Koala's and Possum's will breathe easier now you've given them this incredible feat of road engineering

[Mulger bill]

I like Mitchells Lane in my town. Bike lanes were installed in both directions, YAY! Then to allay media outrage at people driving at the old 60 km/h speed limit after the limit was dropped to 50, speed humps were installed. To prevent smokeboxers bypassing the speed humps, barricades were installed in the bike lanes. Of course, streetsweepers can do nothing around these areas so they are chock full of bogan droppings and all sized lumps of rock and gravel.
LINK

[il padrone]

We have some of those near my home.... in Morack Rd. A bike lane which is totally needless on a 1km section of relatively quiet, W I D E road. Seperator islands were installed between the bike lane and traffic lane.... to slow traffic. Then as this did not seem to work well (no surprise on a very wide road), they put in raised pavement mounds next to the divider islands. One new one, just after a downhill curve, leaves a gap of <1m for the bike lane.... with overhanging trees close beside it And it fills with cr#p .

I stay outside these road hazards.


Eastlink bikelanes. On every main road that crosses Eastlink, 300-400m either side of the freeway bridges. Zero bicycle provision elsewhere on these roads

[find_bruce]

My personal favourite is Gipps Street Concord, NSW.

No one I know is crazy enough to cycle down this rat run, but this was one of the former governments commitment to cycling

[toholio]

I've always been a bit confused at what the thinking behind this was: http://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=Glen+E ... 6,,0,23.52

Why is that island there?
Why is the bike lane squeezed down to the point of being useless?
Why does that one bit or kerb need stick out so far?

[KenGS]

My personal favourite is Gipps Street Concord, NSW.

No one I know is crazy enough to cycle down this rat run, but this was one of the former governments commitment to cycling

Not sure of the law in NSW but from what I can see it's not a valid bike lane in Vic terms
No "Bicycles Only" sign = no bike lane. Just a shoulder with bicycle shaped artwork

[GraemeL]

I have always thought the people that design these lanes are on crack or something. I have come across a lot of so called bike lanes that just disappear. Talk about a waste of money.
The worst and scariest one was when I was out riding one night and after seeing a so called bike lane, I decided to turn onto Tonkin highway, from Collier road and ride to Morley drive. The lane starts out wide enough but then shrinks to about 12 inches after a couple of hundred feet, it leaves a rider with nowhere to go with cars travelling at 90kph it is a scary ride.


Graeme

[toholio]

I have always thought the people that design these lanes are on crack or something.

They're designed by well intentioned people who have not been on a bicycle in decade. I just wish they'd look at how it's done well overseas instead of coming up with endless variations on terrible ideas locally.

I have come across a lot of so called bike lanes that just disappear.

One of my pet peeves is lanes that vanish for 20m either side of intersections. If there's one place sane paths are needed it's right where the road engineers are incapable of figuring out how to put them in.

[zero]

I have always thought the people that design these lanes are on crack or something.

They're designed by well intentioned people who have not been on a bicycle in decade. I just wish they'd look at how it's done well overseas instead of coming up with endless variations on terrible ideas locally.

I have come across a lot of so called bike lanes that just disappear.

One of my pet peeves is lanes that vanish for 20m either side of intersections. If there's one place sane paths are needed it's right where the road engineers are incapable of figuring out how to put them in.

I prefer that, its safer to claim a general lane through an intersection, and impending end of your cyclelane is a good reason to merge out in the last 25-10m of the lane when you can (ie there is no reason you *must* ride out the end of your cyclelane).

Claiming the lane mostly prevents left hooks, and imo reduces right crosses because you are in a traditional 'vehicle' location, on a clear through intersection course and therefore people more naturally recognise you as a vehicle and when they are required to give way.

Authorities choose to extend over the intersections because its statistically better when dealing with generally low skilled ridership.

[toholio]

I prefer that, its safer to claim a general lane through an intersection, and impending end of your cyclelane is a good reason to merge out in the last 25-10m of the lane when you can (ie there is no reason you *must* ride out the end of your cyclelane).

Claiming the lane mostly prevents left hooks, and imo reduces right crosses because you are in a traditional 'vehicle' location, on a clear through intersection course and therefore people more naturally recognise you as a vehicle and when they are required to give way.

Authorities choose to extend over the intersections because its statistically better when dealing with generally low skilled ridership.

All of that is true only with our generally horrid intersection designs. It wasn't until I'd lived in Europe for a while that I understood just how badly thought out most intersections are for cyclists.

I know a lot of the speed demons are upset at the idea of things like putting the bicycle lane to the outside of turning lanes though.

[sogood]

My personal favourite is Gipps Street Concord, NSW.
No one I know is crazy enough to cycle down this rat run, but this was one of the former governments commitment to cycling

Can't win them all. Without those islands, hoons would charge down the left parking lane and maul down any cyclists in their way.

[il padrone]

All of that is true only with our generally horrid intersection designs. It wasn't until I'd lived in Europe for a while that I understood just how badly thought out most intersections are for cyclists.

I know a lot of the speed demons are upset at the idea of things like putting the bicycle lane to the outside of turning lanes though.

How the Dutch have moved to change their intersection designs to make cycling easier AND safer.





And another look at the design details and other advantages.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlApbxLz6pA&NR=1[/youtube]

[Marto]

One that can catch out those that don't claim the lane through intersections is the intersection of Archerfield road and Progress Road at Inala. When heading south, as I do on my commute home, the Green bike zone (aka green death zone) does not have a matching Green zone on the other side of the intersection (heading top to bottom in this picture). Also it doesn't line up properly and is uphill (see Streetview), so if you are gutter-hugging, you have to veer out into the lane in the middle of the intersection while cars are wanting to rush past up the hill. You just have to claim the lane here.

[Marto]

It's not just bike lanes that have special features:

[stanevelyn]

We are at least 60 years behind worlds best practice in road building, when will the neanderthals in our government comprehend this fact and start to do positive things regarding road construction, modification, and safety?

[sogood]

We are at least 60 years behind worlds best practice in road building, when will the neanderthals in our government comprehend this fact and start to do positive things regarding road construction, modification, and safety?

When we have space problems in the city, money shortage, selfish special interest groups, illogical engineers etc... I am not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel yet but I think we are moving in the right direction though.

[KenGS]

Hmmm "Neanderthals" is almost an anagram for "Netherlands". Someone in the Department for Happy Motoring must have made a mistake when asked to get in a road engineering consultant from The Netherlands

[il padrone]

Just got a letter from the local council nutjobs. They want to put even more of these things on Morack Rd locally. The associated bike lane will have restriction points forcing cyclists closer to the traffic lane as well. There is a real rash of these things being put in locally, and I hate 'em . Just a pain in the butt - figuratively and actually. They do little to curb speed, nothing to curb hoon behaviour at 1.00am and make life uncomfortable for locals who are the major road users, with more wear and tear on vehicle suspension, while pushing cyclists and speeding cars closer together as many drivers lay their left wheels into the bike lane to avoid some of the bumping.

This will make about 18 speed control devices in one 3km stretch of road. A bit over the top IMHO.

Grrrrr!!

This is another 'solution looking for a problem' that has been developed locally (incuding on Morack Rd) and I find these no better - especially when the bike lane cut-through is only 1m wide and fills with sticks, leaves and pine cones from trees nearby, and no streetsweeper can be used to clean it out

[aldifan]

Gunghalin drive extension's on road cycle lane record for dead roos was about to be extended by inclusion of dead possum in the tally but some spoilsport decided to take the law into their own hands and threw it over the guard rail. Some people!

[myforwik]

One that can catch out those that don't claim the lane through intersections is the intersection of Archerfield road and Progress Road at Inala. When heading south, as I do on my commute home, the Green bike zone (aka green death zone) does not have a matching Green zone on the other side of the intersection (heading top to bottom in this picture). Also it doesn't line up properly and is uphill (see Streetview), so if you are gutter-hugging, you have to veer out into the lane in the middle of the intersection while cars are wanting to rush past up the hill. You just have to claim the lane here.

Death trap design, as usual.

Here is one:
http://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=kingst ... src=6&z=21

If you are going from the north to the south, the green line does not continue after the pedestrian crossing. The cars cut across this bit because their lane is so small. Because all the car drivers complined they paid a dotted line *between the car lines* that actually forces the cars to drive over the left edge line (i.e. in to the bike lane). You can see the new line on nearmap.com. So they deliberatly don't paint the green on the 1m section after the pedestrian crossing because they know that cars have to cut across it!

Combine that with the cars having to merge right after the intersection (so they are not bothering to watch if they are keeping to far left into the bikeline), plus cars coming for the east turning south while looking north (and not stopping before the green bike lane), and I almost got hit *every* single time I went through this intersection.

And this is the cities main bikeway and main set of traffic lights right out side of the main council building..... If you follow the bikeway to the north you will see parts around the train station where there is no distinction between bikelane, shoulder, and BAZ. Just a mixture of lines and yellow/white bikesymbols all over the place. At one part there are white bike symbols about 30cm big (mandatory bike lane?) on a shoulder that is literally only about 20cm.

[stanevelyn]

The Netherlands governments approach to road building and design regarding cyclists and pedestrians leaves our authorities and engineers looking so unprofessional and incompetent.

[footloose]

There certainly are a number of problems shown and comments made here in this post.
But I wonder how many have contacted their local council or road authority to point out these problems and express their concerns?

[aldifan]

There certainly are a number of problems shown and comments made here in this post.
But I wonder how many have contacted their local council or road authority to point out these problems and express their concerns?

Strangely there are a number of online forums that have been good in the past at getting the attention of concerned officials anxious to keep the names of their organisation out of the limelight. Frinstance http://the-riotact.com/ is particularly good at getting the attention of Canberra local govt TAMS.

Incidentally, the Gungahlin drive extension on road cycle lane is now relatively free of stinky dead things.

Are you out there TAMSMediaRoom?

I apologise if I sound like I am disagreeing, because I am not - writing to the council or main roads or whomever else is involved in a clear and articulate manner and making official complaint is a good way to get action. However a wider media campaign (eg on forums like this one) is also a useful thing to do.

Working through organisations like pedal power and the greens can also help. eg http://the-riotact.com/cycling-dollars-flow/58593 may not have happened without Pedalpower ACT agitating on our behalf, or the ACT Greens holding the balance of power in the ACT legislative assembly.