[Carfreeliving] Residential Driveways restrictions

[Shannon Dodge]

I agree with Mike, you don't want to hide bikes behind a lane of parking.  I lived in Montreal for 5 years, where the few bike lanes were often bidirectional lanes between parked cars and the sidewalk, e.g. on Rue Rachel in the Plateau neighborhood.  
 
Problem is, you have to slow down a lot at each intersection because cars just can't see you.  It's really annoying as well as dangerous. It was said that two cyclists were killed the first year that the Rachel lane opened in the late 80's.
 

Carfreeliving-request at livablecity.org wrote:

Message: 6
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 16:14:09 -0700
From: Mike Sallaberry 
Subject: Re: [Carfreeliving] Residential Driveways restrictions
To: Carfreeliving at livablecity.org
Message-ID:

Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Dave, even if there are 0 driveways (not sure how we'd achieve that in a 
city that is nearly 100% built out) putting a bike lane/path between 
parked cars and the sidewalk is a questionable idea at best. Every 
intersection, you have cyclists popping out from behind a row of parked 
cars, reducing their visibility and creating even greater conflicts with 
turning vehicles and vehicles crossing perpendicularly at the 
intersections. Also, trash accumulates more easily in that space and is 
more difficult to clear, especially since you'd have to put up a barrier 
along the left of the lane to keep parked cars out. If a passenger opens 
their door, where does the cyclist veer to avoid that if there is a raised 
sidewalk or street furniture/trees to their right? Pedestrians will spill 
into the space, along the midblock sections as they stroll along and at 
the intersections while they stand in the street/on the path waiting to 
cross. Making left turns legally and predictably is more difficult. 
Cyclists who use the street to avoid these conflicts will be pressured to 
"use the path!"

The problems this design creates outnumbers the problems it solves.
Mike




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