By Brad House
brad6183@yahoo.com

Class II Bikeways

 Highway Design Manual 1000-3 (3) Class II Bikeway (Bike Lane).

Bike lanes are established along streets in corridors where there is significant bicycle demand, and where there are distinct needs that can be served by them.  The purpose should be to improve conditions for bicyclists in the corridors.  Bike lanes are intended to delineate the right of way assigned to bicyclists and motorists and to provide for more predictable movements by each.  But a more important reason for constructing bike lanes is to better accommodate bicyclists through corridors where insufficient room exists for safe bicycling on existing streets.  This can be accomplished by reducing the number of lanes, or prohibiting parking on given streets in order to delineate bike lanes.  In addition, other things can be done on bike lane streets to improve the situation for bicyclists that might not be possible on all streets (e.g., improvements to the surface, augmented sweeping programs, special signal facilities, etc.).  Generally, stripes alone will not measurably enhance bicycling.

 The above is right out of our California Highway Design Manual.  Do you like bike lanes? Here may be some reasons to like them.

 1.    Bike lanes can better accommodate bicyclists through corridors.

 The Highway Design Manual states, "This can be accomplished by REDUCING the number of lanes, or prohibiting parking on given streets in order to delineate bike lanes."

 Hallelujah!  Somebody was thinking about bicycle friendly communities here!  Has your community done this?  Can you recall an example where this has been done?  In the City of Torrance there is a residential community called "Marble Estates," where there used to be a four-lane road (235^th St.) that was used as a shortcut for auto drivers.  This four-lane road passed through a residential neighborhood.  Narrow lanes and speeding cars made it difficult for bicyclists.  A solution was found about 10 years ago when the City removed one of the lanes in each direction, striped bike lanes on both sides of the remaining two lanes, and lowered the speed limit.  Since then, traffic has declined, and speeds have calmed.  This was a job well done.

 2.    Bike lanes delineate the right of way assigned to bicyclists and motorists.

 This may give less experienced bicyclists a more secure feeling when riding upon busy streets.  Do you like your "separate but equal" facility?  What message does this type of segregation send to the public? Are the bike lanes you use always safer?  This is a bit more controversial subject.  Are bike lanes necessary when no parking is allowed along the road and the right lane is, for example, 16, or more feet wide?  Should a 16 foot wide right lane even have a bike lane forcing bicyclists to ride so far to the right that they may not be seen?  Have you ever heard of the "debris zone?"  This is an area upon a highway or road that is just to the outside of motorist's right tire track where road debris collects.  As a result, many bike lanes tend to accumulate debris when not swept clean by motorist's tires!  The Highway Design Manual goes on to state, "If bicycle travel is to be controlled by delineation, special efforts should be made to assure that high levels of service are provided with these lanes."  Does your community do this?  Are there potholes, glass, debris, or other hazardous conditions in your bike lanes?  Do you call these hazards in and report them to City?  Have you ever requested that the City sweep your bike lanes?  You have that right and by doing so you provide the education needed to local municipalities and send a message that says, "we are out here and using the facilities you provide."

 Fortunately, CVC 21208, Bicycle Lanes, states that you need not ride in a bike lane "when reasonably necessary….  to avoid debris or other hazardous conditions."  Furthermore, CVC 21208 goes on to state that you may also leave a bike lane "when overtaking and passing another bicycle, vehicle, or pedestrian within the lane or about to enter the lane if the overtaking and passing cannot be done safely within the lane."

Did you know that the Streets & Highways Design Manual has a design limit on bike lanes? That limit is about 30 MPH. That means that if you exceed 30 MPH, you are exceeding the design speed of that bike lane. Solution? Move left out of the bike lane. Have you ever had a motorist merge into the bike lane to dangerously make his right turn in front of you?  Motorists are allowed to enter bike lanes just before an intersection to make right turns but must yield to bicyclists.  The bike lane line often becomes dashed where this is permitted.  Do all motorists extend this courtesy to you?  Most accidents between bicycles and motor vehicles occur at intersections.  If I am on my bicycle and planning to go straight at the next intersection, my technique and many years experience result in me leaving the bike lane as soon as the dashed lines appear!  I take control of my safety and merge into the center of the right "through" lane and get out of the "danger/dashed" zone!  This movement reduces the opportunity for right turning motorists to make mistakes in their judgment and makes me more visible.  Remember, you can ride your bike just about anywhere you can drive your car.  Although bike lanes give you your own separate right-of way, there are good bike lanes and there are bad bike lanes.  This means there are times to ride in bike lanes and times to leave them.  Thankfully, there are also laws allowing us to make the decision when to use a bike lane, and when not to.  Ride the good bike lanes when you can.  Avoid the hazardous or dirty ones, report them to your local municipality, and always remember to ride for visibility regardless.  That is how you keep safe.

 B

 This page was  last updated 02/17/07