Monday, October 19, 2015

Another Right Turn Lane to the Left of the Through Lane

Hennepin County marked a right-turn-only lane to the left of a through bike lane ... A potentially deadly conflict.  Here's a picture:


This is 27th Avenue S.E. heading east at East River Road and Franklin.  This is a county road;  It's not just the city that gets engineering wrong.

The AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities, 4th ed. says, on pg. 4-24 that, "The correct placement of a bike lane is on the left of an exclusive right-turn lane" and
 "Incorporating the bike lane to the left of the right-turn-only lane enables bicyclists and right-turning motorists to sort their paths by destination in advance of the intersection, avoiding last-moment conflicts and providing the following benefits:

  • Bicyclists are encouraged to follow the rules of the road: through vehicles (including bicyclists) proceed to the left of right-turning vehicles.
  • Merging movements occur away from the intersection, and are often easier to manage for bicyclists and other road users than a turning conflict."
But, you say, the AASHTO Guide is only a guide.  We need standards.  OK, here's your standard:  The Minnesota Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices 9C.4:
STANDARD:
A through bicycle lane shall not be positioned to the right of a right turn only lane or to the left of a left turn only lane.

SUPPORT:
A bicyclist continuing straight through an intersection
from the right of a right turn lane would be inconsistent with normal traffic behavior and would violate the expectations of right-turning motorists.
Even the NACTO Urban Bikeways Design Guide (2nd ed., pg 19) forbids bike lanes to the right of right-turn-only lanes.

That seems clear enough: putting through bike lanes to the right of right-turn-only lanes is likely to lead to crashes.  Can we get this fixed?

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