Where a shared path crosses a road ?

[giantguy]

Just wondering how everyone that uses shared paths on their commute deal with a road that the path crosses.

I have one particular road I need to cross on my commute on a psp into an industrial area which really annoys me . It has a high volume of traffic and is controlled by a just a give way sign. The design of the road and psp is poor in that cars waiting to turn right block off the psp and there can be a hundred metres of cars queuing to turn both left and right as well as cars turning into this road.

Some days I can get across without too much of a delay but others its a nightmare. Sometimes I have to cross the road when no traffic is turning into this road, hop the bike over the curbing and thin island in the middle of the road, go behind a couple of cars or trucks hoping that they don't move forward. Then I reach the safely island on the other side of the road. Now I have to cross the hundred metres of vehicles that want to turn left. Usually some courteous driver here will give me a wave to cross in front of them. Once past this I am back onto the psp and other intersections are controlled by traffic lights and its smooth cycling.

I have thought of other routes to travel, but I don't consider them safer than the one I am on now. There is a cycle lane on the shoulder of the highway but due to the speed limit, volume of traffic high number of trucks, tradies and seeing a cyclist hit at this very intersection while riding on the road, I'm not keen to take this approach.

This road is planned to be diverted to meet up with another road and be controlled by traffic lights but this won't be until next year some time at the earliest. Also being an industrial area, its pretty poor for footpaths or shared paths in other parts although the council is slowly putting in small sections here and there.

Just wondering how others cope in this scenario ?

[zero]

If you dismount and become a pedestrian, then once you navigate the stopped traffic in the road you want to cross, the drivers who turning into that road, have to give way to you.

Obviously don't just walk in front of a car because some drivers don't know the rule / or don't care to obey it, but with some I'm walking now body language it shouldn't take more than a couple of cars to get across.

[Xplora]

I need a diagram, I just can't get my head around it, but if a pedestrian acquires rights that you'll struggle to enforce on the bike, dismount and walk the bike through the cars.

If you're looking at passing between a huge line of cars, they are always smart enough to realise that they will gain no benefit by cutting you off. But I can't visualise it without a diagram.

[giantguy]

If you have a look on google street view at the intersection of Lenore rd / Ocean reef rd , Wangara it will give you an idea. The street view pic however must of been taken during a weekend or other quiet time as few cars are seen. At the times I ride the traffic is lined up down Lenore rd for a hundred metres or more and also a constant stream of cars turning right from Ocean reef rd into Lenore rd. I could ride on the shoulder of the road however I feel its a bit dangerous as vehicles turning right onto Ocean reef rd tend to pull out quick as there is little chance for them otherwise to turn right. I saw a cyclist hit by a suv a while ago here and he was badly hurt.

[ruscook]

A pedestrian would have right of way crossing Lenore Rd where vehicles are entering from Ocean Reef Rd. see here: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/sa/c ... /s353.html and here http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/Home/Saf ... trians.htm (Drivers giving way to pedestrians).

However as most drivers don't know this and think they own the road it is foolhardy for a ped to "take their right of way".

I don't know of any part of the road rules that describe a similar scenario for cyclists.

[Xplora]

Looked at the map, can't see the psp to understand where you are coming from. Looks like it's time to claim the lane bro.

Edit after looking at street view more: Let me guess, you are travelling east on Ocean Reef Dr? I can see some PHAT onroad cycling lanes heading east. Past the bus stop, enter the road from the PSP, claim that cycling lane, and indicate right as you come to the turning left bay into Lenore. This sends a "hey watch out what this bloke is doing!" message to the traffic. Then just sail through the whole thing with right of way over all traffic. You're right - no one was thinking that peds or cyclists would actually use the psp despite the bucketload of money spent on the concrete. They need some zebra crossing love to fix the issue. Cyclists dismount sign, problem solved.

[chuckchunder]

i see your point giantguy - travelling east in the marked shoulder is a recipe for being collected by vehicles turning right from Lenore into Ocean Reef Rd, with the drivers concentrating on the next gap and being ready plant their foot the moment it appears. With high traffic volumes and speed along there left turners would also be a danger from behind. The combination of islands, path route and give way line locations make for a real PIA crossing, clearly designed by someone who doesn't regularly walk or ride.

I wonder if it might be worth contacting Main Roads or the local council and raising the issue, with the suggestion that the give way lines be moved back behind the path crossing line. This would not change the sight lines significantly for the vehicles (left turning vehicles would still have their view blocked by right turning ones). It would put path users in their line of sight though, and the vehicles would not block path users from crossing. Would be relatively cheap to do too.

The BTA may be able to point you in the direction of who best to talk to.