Fair enough... but, as stated, green balls = arrows there since its a T intersection. There are definitely a few intersections that actually use arrows. Boston has the most archaic and poorly designed signals I've ever seen...hell, it was only a few years ago that we did away with the solid red with yellow blinker.
Biking in Boston
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Fair enough... but, as stated, green balls = arrows there since its a T intersection. There are definitely a few intersections that actually use arrows. Boston has the most archaic and poorly designed signals I've ever seen...hell, it was only a few years ago that we did away with the solid red with yellow blinker.
Maybe I shouldn't read too much into Toole Design's example slide on the Comm Ave Improvement Project, but it happens to be this intersection with walk signals and no right turn signal.
^ Sweet.
I assume the idea is that the island is mountable by fire trucks (and semis, as neccessary?)
And are there meant to be lights, or is that a 'pinched rotary'?
Also would love to see it whole-hog with protected lanes upstream on Cambridge & Hampshire (instead of door-zone as in this design).
I assume the idea is that the island is mountable by fire trucks (and semis, as neccessary?)
And are there meant to be lights, or is that a 'pinched rotary'?
Also would love to see it whole-hog with protected lanes upstream on Cambridge & Hampshire (instead of door-zone as in this design).
fattony
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I think this is brilliant, but the cycle track around the perimeter somehow seems flawed to me. It is so lengthy and indirect that I think compliance will be a problem. Bikes will just pop out into the auto lane anyway and then back into the cycle track on the other side.
Also, isn't there a major conflict at the hard left turns the bikes have to make while traversing an exit they aren't taking? For example, a bike entering on Cambridge and exiting on Cambridge has to make a left turn across auto traffic that is exiting on Hampshire. Are they supposed to stop and yield at the little triangles on the road? Fat chance.
I don't think cars and bike need to be segregated all the time for maximum safety. I think you could route bikes and autos into the roundabout single-file through stop-signs at the roundabout entrances. Use markings for "bicycle use full lane" with dashed green striped right down the middle instead of off to the right. The at the exits, cars and bike will re-segregate into separate lanes. Having cars and bikes in the same lane travelling 5-10 mph eliminates those conflicts at the exits.
Also, isn't there a major conflict at the hard left turns the bikes have to make while traversing an exit they aren't taking? For example, a bike entering on Cambridge and exiting on Cambridge has to make a left turn across auto traffic that is exiting on Hampshire. Are they supposed to stop and yield at the little triangles on the road? Fat chance.
I don't think cars and bike need to be segregated all the time for maximum safety. I think you could route bikes and autos into the roundabout single-file through stop-signs at the roundabout entrances. Use markings for "bicycle use full lane" with dashed green striped right down the middle instead of off to the right. The at the exits, cars and bike will re-segregate into separate lanes. Having cars and bikes in the same lane travelling 5-10 mph eliminates those conflicts at the exits.
In my eyes, the biggest issue with the peanut roundabout (as depicted) is that the Cambridge St approaches have ZERO deflection, meaning entering vehicles will not yield to circulating vehicles. This is a very big problem. If you look at the "cute video" that they linked, you'll see that in that proposal, all entering vehicles are required to turn when entering. Given the right of way constraints here, that may be difficult to accommodate. If they don't deflect, the design won't work. I do applaud them for thinking outside the box though and hope they can figure out how to make something work here.
JeffDowntown
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I really cannot see this flow working in Cambridge without traffic light controls.
The concept (and cute video) is from Boise, Idaho, where I believe drivers actually do things like obey traffic laws (like yielding at yield signs, yielding for pedestrians and bicycles).... That doesn't happen here.
whighlander
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JeffDowntown -- Fuggetaboutit -- this will never happen on a major street in Cambridge
North end cycle track
If this is supposed to be for bikes it is useless
20161125_123010 by James Sinclair, on Flickr
This one is slightly better, but not the 6 inch sidewalk
20161127_190428 by James Sinclair, on Flickr
20161127_190447 by James Sinclair, on Flickr
20161127_190520 by James Sinclair, on Flickr
20161127_190530 by James Sinclair, on Flickr
20161127_190547 by James Sinclair, on Flickr
20161127_190554 by James Sinclair, on Flickr
20161127_190611 by James Sinclair, on Flickr
20161127_190619 by James Sinclair, on Flickr
BONUS
20161127_191141 by James Sinclair, on Flickr
If this is supposed to be for bikes it is useless
20161125_123010 by James Sinclair, on FlickrThis one is slightly better, but not the 6 inch sidewalk
20161127_190428 by James Sinclair, on Flickr20161127_190447 by James Sinclair, on Flickr20161127_190520 by James Sinclair, on Flickr20161127_190530 by James Sinclair, on Flickr20161127_190547 by James Sinclair, on Flickr20161127_190554 by James Sinclair, on Flickr20161127_190611 by James Sinclair, on Flickr20161127_190619 by James Sinclair, on FlickrBONUS
20161127_191141 by James Sinclair, on Flickr
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Why the hell is it level with the sidewalk? Negates the whole purpose of a cycle track.
The level is fine, but it only works if the sidewalk is the same size or bigger
Alot of the bike lanes in Berlin are level with the sidewalk. However i'd rather see the city copy Amsterdam and Copenhagen when designing new bike lanes, not Berlin.
North end cycle track
If this is supposed to be for bikes it is useless
They delayed moving the light poles because of an issue with the tunnel roof. This part of the cycle track isn't connected to anything yet, so they didn't stripe it now. Once the striping is in place and the pedestrian path has its obstacles removed, I don't see what the issue is? The only downside for me is the loss of the Hubway stations here.
Where would you choose to walk, next to the park, or next to the traffic?
Installed and enjoying it so far.
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Well that's my point. The sidewalk is woefully inadequate, so you have to set the cycle track lower so it doesn't get filled in with pedestrians. Otherwise, this looks useless. Cyclists will be barreling through/into pedestrians sauntering along.
If only it were that easy. As soon as you set it lower you introduce a whole new set of drainage complications (bike lane needs its own drainage structures) and it becomes a nightmare to plow. It needs street cleaning. Every driveway and pedestrian crossing needs to either ramp the bikes up or the cross traffic down. Etc etc etc.
JeffDowntown
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Once these get signed and striped, a major step will be to educate pedestrians that these are cycle tracks. Part of that education involves first hand experience being brushed or crashed into by several bikes.
If you walk in a cycle track in Europe, you will get run into. You learn really quickly to stay out of them as a pedestrian.
If you walk in a cycle track in Europe, you will get run into. You learn really quickly to stay out of them as a pedestrian.
TOTALLY agree -
Pedestrians need serious education on walking in bike lanes... this is already an issue in other parallel sidewalk-cycle track spaces. If you try walking in a lane in Europe, if you're not hit, you'll be yelled at immediately. And, there are often signs saying NO PEDESTRIANS. They should also do this here.
Same problem on sections of the SW Corridor bike path -- people walk on it because it's shaded and pleasant compared to the nasty narrow sidewalk along the street with all the car traffic.
It's *very* strange here that they put the bike path on the inside and the pedestrians on the outside. Perhaps there's some logic to it that will be revealed when it's complete. Cheaping out on drainage structures is a poor excuse in a project this big where there are so many pedestrians and cars already.