Day: 2012-01-11

Understanding Bicycle Markings in Minneapolis: A guide for motorists and bicyclists

| David Levinson

Understanding Bicycle Markings in Minneapolis: A guide for motorists and bicyclists

Anyone besides me think this is far too complicated?
[Complications will cause more violations (and less safety) compared with a simpler system.]
Hypothesis: to increase safety, anything that is optional or advisory ought to be eliminated.
Bikes are either allowed (in which case they should be respected) or prohibited (like freeways, in which case they should be ticketed).
Cars are either allowed (in which case they should be respected) or prohibited (like exclusive bike lanes, in which case they should be ticketed). Transitions from prohibited to allowed and allowed to prohibited should be clearly marked.
4 types of lanes:

Cars allowed Cars prohibited
Bikes allowed Shared lane
[standard]		 Exclusive bike lane
[marked or signed as such]
Bikes prohibited Exclusive motorized lane Not a road

From what I can tell there are at least 5 shared lane markings: Green bike lanes, Advisory bike lanes, Sharrows, Bike Blvd, and Green shared lanes. There are at least 3 exclusive lane markings: Bike lanes, Cycle track, buffered bike lanes. This should be reduced to one exclusive marking (a bicycle symbol [maybe on a green pavement] with solid white lines). Buffers (no car) areas are standard markings that have no special meaning here. Some transitionary marking indicating the beginning and end of an exclusive bike lane can be used.

Linklist: January 11, 2012

| David Levinson

Via JM: App for drivers detects and reports potholes automatically : ” Developed in partnership with a local professor, the Android app uses the accelerometers and GPS technology in users’ phones to register when and where the user’s car has experienced a pothole.”

Via TS: Will Handsfield @- Greater Greater Washington on How will self-driving cars change transportation? :

  • They’ll be more often in use, less often parked
  • They’ll reduce labor costs
  • They’ll expand access to transportation
  • They’ll be safer
  • They’ll reduce congestion
  • They’ll make current transit economics obsolete
  • They won’t last as long
  • They can be electric
  • They’ll change culture

David Metz @ The Limits To Travel” HS2 [the UK’s second HSR line after the Chunnel connection to London] is given government go-ahead.