|
|
help me design a cycle facility
We all know how appalling most cycle facilities are.
I find myself trying to design a road junction, and the council is amenable to incorporate special measures to accommodate cycles, but it's actually proving a pain in the neck. Hence, I'm seeking inspiration. Consider a T-junction. For various reasons, traffic proceeding across the top right-to-left has now been stopped in one direction and must turn left down the stem. This is easy, if we force all traffic to do it, but actually, I could let bicycles go straight on. However, I can't see a way to do so. Motor traffic, which is going to be forced to turn left, will assume that all traffic will turn left, and will not notice that bikes may go straight on - resulting in too many clashes. Further, even if the cyclist avoids that, the stuff coming up the stem, which must turn right, needs to be brought forward to the middle of the road for visibility reasons, so there's a second clash with the cyclist crossing through a stationary queue. If you're having trouble visualising it, there's a sketch at http://www.astounding.org.uk/ian/temp/TMsketch.pdf What to do? I really want to let cycles go straight on, because otherwise it's a miles long detour. However, my highways department insists the stuff coming up the stem gets a stop line at what was the middle of the road, and I can't see any way to avoid conflicts. My best solution so far is to make the footway across the top a shared use cycle path, so cycles going along that (which is what I expect they will do) are at least decriminalised. However, I'll hate myself forever for causing a shared-use-pavement to be brought into being.... Thoughts? regards, Ian SMith -- |\ /| no .sig |o o| |/ \| |
help me design a cycle facility
First thought: you're on to a loser -- forcing a left turn creates
a situation without a clean solution for bikes. Second thought: well back from the junction create two on-road advisory cycle lanes, one on the left and one on the right (up against the centre line). Paint them red or whatever so they are conspicuous. The one on the left should start earlier, and have arrows indicating "left turn only", the one on the right should have "straight ahead only" arrows and should continue past the junction, a little clear of the stop line. The two cycle lanes may take up 50% of the lane, but that's okay if they're advisory. Brendan -- Brendan Halpin, Department of Sociology, University of Limerick, Ireland Tel: w +353-61-213147 f +353-61-202569 h +353-61-338562; Room F2-025 x 3147 http://www.ul.ie/sociology/brendan.halpin.html |
help me design a cycle facility
Ian Smith wrote:
We all know how appalling most cycle facilities are. I find myself trying to design a road junction, and the council is amenable to incorporate special measures to accommodate cycles, but it's actually proving a pain in the neck. Hence, I'm seeking inspiration. Consider a T-junction. For various reasons, traffic proceeding across the top right-to-left has now been stopped in one direction and must turn left down the stem. This is easy, if we force all traffic to do it, but actually, I could let bicycles go straight on. However, I can't see a way to do so. Motor traffic, which is going to be forced to turn left, will assume that all traffic will turn left, and will not notice that bikes may go straight on - resulting in too many clashes. Further, even if the cyclist avoids that, the stuff coming up the stem, which must turn right, needs to be brought forward to the middle of the road for visibility reasons, so there's a second clash with the cyclist crossing through a stationary queue. If you're having trouble visualising it, there's a sketch at http://www.astounding.org.uk/ian/temp/TMsketch.pdf What to do? I really want to let cycles go straight on, because otherwise it's a miles long detour. However, my highways department insists the stuff coming up the stem gets a stop line at what was the middle of the road, and I can't see any way to avoid conflicts. My best solution so far is to make the footway across the top a shared use cycle path, so cycles going along that (which is what I expect they will do) are at least decriminalised. However, I'll hate myself forever for causing a shared-use-pavement to be brought into being.... Thoughts? regards, Ian SMith Assuming major engineering (such as underpasses) isn't on, I wonder whether a mini roundabout (hateful though they are) would work. It would need careful and perhaps complicated signage to ensure motorists did not drive straight on when coming from the right but exited to the left and to ensure motorists coming up the stem were made aware of the possibility of cyclists coming from the right. I don't like these roundabouts but offhand I can't think of another solution to the problem. -- Brian G www.wetwo.co.uk |
help me design a cycle facility
On Fri, 26 Jan 2007, Brendan Halpin wrote:
First thought: you're on to a loser -- forcing a left turn creates a situation without a clean solution for bikes. I know, but we have to divert the motor traffic. Second thought: well back from the junction create two on-road advisory cycle lanes, one on the left and one on the right (up against the centre line). Paint them red or whatever so they are conspicuous. The one on the left should start earlier, and have arrows indicating "left turn only", the one on the right should have "straight ahead only" arrows and should continue past the junction, a little clear of the stop line. The two cycle lanes may take up 50% of the lane, but that's okay if they're advisory. Thanks for the thoughts - I did consider a cycle lane for straight on cycles on the right of the lane. The carriageway width is insufficient for cycle lane + motor lane, and I think it's a bad idea to have a cycle lane (even an advisory one) that motor vehicles are physically incapable of staying out of. However, I'm scrabbling about at least-worst option stage now, so maybe.... regards, Ian SMith -- |\ /| no .sig |o o| |/ \| |
help me design a cycle facility
Ian Smith wrote:
Thoughts? Put a cycle lane down the centre of the road from the right, and move the stop line back 2m so that the cycle lane has free passage across the line of stopped traffic. Then sit back and let the nominations for cycle farcility of the month roll in! More seriously, make it a light controlled junction. The traffic coming up the leg does not then need to be in the middle of the road and the lights sequence can include a "cyclists only" straight on phase. pk |
help me design a cycle facility
On Jan 26, 10:10 am, Brendan Halpin wrote: First thought: you're on to a loser -- forcing a left turn creates a situation without a clean solution for bikes. Second thought: well back from the junction create two on-road advisory cycle lanes, one on the left and one on the right (up against the centre line). Paint them red or whatever so they are conspicuous. The one on the left should start earlier, and have arrows indicating "left turn only", the one on the right should have "straight ahead only" arrows and should continue past the junction, a little clear of the stop line. The two cycle lanes may take up 50% of the lane, but that's okay if they're advisory. Cyclists would still have to cross the traffic coming the other way and get into the centre cycle lane but it would make it easier to do a right turn. Maybe run the cycle lane around the corner a bit and put a toucan crossing, but I doubt that would improve traffic flow and some cyclists would prob still try and right turn anyway. A footbridge/flyover thing would solve the problem nicely but I think it would bump up the price of the scheme! Where will the new cycle lane go when it goes down the blocked off bit of road? Is this half of the carriageway planned for parking? (if a cycle lane is put along there it probably will end up being used as parking!) peter |
help me design a cycle facility
|
help me design a cycle facility
On Fri, 26 Jan 2007 10:20:28 -0000, p.k. wrote:
Ian Smith wrote: Thoughts? Put a cycle lane down the centre of the road from the right, and move the stop line back 2m so that the cycle lane has free passage across the line of stopped traffic. I can't move the stop line back due to visibility for traffic turning right out of the stem looking for stuff approaching from the left. Then sit back and let the nominations for cycle farcility of the month roll in! That's precisely what I'm trying to avoid. More seriously, make it a light controlled junction. Ah, should have mentioned - lights have a two year lead time apparently (I have no idea why). I suggested putting a roadworks-type system in, which I could hire from a number of sources this afternoon if needs be. You could mount them on poles set in concrete-filled oil-drums if you're worried about them going walkies, in which case the system could be in place by the end of next week. Apparently this is inconceivable. regards, Ian SMith -- |\ /| no .sig |o o| |/ \| |
help me design a cycle facility
On 26 Jan 2007, naked_draughtsman wrote:
Where will the new cycle lane go when it goes down the blocked off bit of road? Is this half of the carriageway planned for parking? (if a cycle lane is put along there it probably will end up being used as parking!) There's a big hole. However, it extends from the white line in the middle of the road about half-way to the kerb, so there's a perfectly serviceable width of carriageway about 1.5m wide from the kerb outwards. regards, Ian SMith -- |\ /| no .sig |o o| |/ \| |
help me design a cycle facility
On Fri, 26 Jan, Rob Morley wrote:
I'd have thought a couple of bollards to make it too narrow for cars, along with a couple of "no motor vehicles" or "cycles only" signs at the junction, and "left turn only"/"no left turn" on the approach, would be a pretty foolproof solution. Fools are no problem. Car-drivers are something else. regards, Ian SMith -- |\ /| no .sig |o o| |/ \| |
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 08:45 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
CycleBanter.com