Biking: How to improve the bike/car relationship

When it comes out in conversation that I am a bike commuter, there are two common responses. One is "even in the Winter?" The other is "I saw a biker this morning run a red light [or insert other moving violation]." They usually go on to complain about "crazy" bikers in Uptown. Yea? So? (A) When you say something about your commute in (via car), I don't start complaining about the cars that cut me off, that see me coming and gun it through the intersection, that decide it's better to stop IN the intersection than at the stop sign.

The general disregard for traffic laws is the result of a traffic system that greatly favors the car over the bike and offers little towards bikers when not on a trail or decent bike lane.

Bikers in Minneapolis are put into a crappy situation when not on those trails or bike lanes. If we bike on major streets like Lake Street, Hennepin Avenue, Lyndale Avenue, Penn Avenue, etc., then we piss off drivers because they can't easily get around us...or at least they perceive it that way. If we bike on the neighborhood streets, then we're stuck hitting stop signs every other block. That's the result of the "Basket Weave" approach to traffic engineering. The Basket Weave makes side streets unattractive for drivers looking to cut through a neighborhood in a timely fashion. This pushes them to the arterials instead. But the arterials have parking, buses, high volumes of cars who dislike bikers, and higher speeds. The lanes may or may not be narrower since they are cramming as many users into a fixed space.

The result is that you have bikers who bike everyone and anywhere. You have bikers on the main drags biking a safe distance away from the parked cars, which means they may be pissing off drivers. Some will stop at the red lights, some won't. Those in the neighborhoods are generally yielding at stop signs, but some surely are cutting off drivers. It's not a pretty situation.

What could be done to improve the situation?

• Create bike-focused streets that use clearly marked bike lanes. These streets should have infrequent stop signs and traffic lights. To reduce the chances that cars will use the street as a quick way to get from A to B (which isn't good for bikers or residents), these streets should have a speed limit of no greater than 25 mph. At the corners, curb extensions (bump outs) should go out as far as the bike lane. There should be lots of paint on the street to mark the bike lanes and to mark crosswalks. Speed humps (larger than bumps) should be put just before the crosswalks.
  
• Consideration should be given, where there's enough room and roads are being rebuilt, that a bike lane be placed between the sidewalk and the parking lane on major streets. This would require a curb between the bike lane and the parking lane, as to prevent drivers from parking their cars in the bike lane. There are a number of benefits of this, such as decreasing the risk to the biker to traffic and cars pulling out. The problems are that car doors could be an issue and that parking would need to be removed near intersections to prevent drivers who are turning from not seeing a biker who's covered up by a parked car.
  
• Retime lights along some streets to better reflect biking times than driving times. It's possible in some instances to have it timed both for bikers and cars. I recall several years ago that if you went 32 mph on Lyndale Avenue S from the Minnehaha Creek until at least 33rd Street, that you would hit all the lights perfectly. Someone else told me you could also do that at 39 mph. I somehow doubt it.
  
• Change the laws. I'd support making stop signs yields for bikers, with the right of way going to the driver if already at the stop sign. I'm not fully sure about the proposal that's being floated around that stop lights become yields to bikers IF there's no one approaching and that the biker makes a full stop at the light. It seems like it could be a disaster waiting to happen...but I need to do more research first.

There are a lot more things that could be done, but I think the first bullet is my main priority on bike policy improvements in the City of Minneapolis. Give us a better bike option and we'll use it. I don't know a single biker who wouldn't embrace the idea of having a street that's designed so that biking is convenient, fast, and less stressful.

Ideas?

Biking: Blinded by the Light

It's dusk and the path between Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet is dimly lit. My bike light illuminates the path as I make my way up the hill. A biker is approaching me, but before he comes flying by, he disappears. Where did he go? A pair of bright car lights hits me straight on, making the biker invisible to me. The good news is that I was fully illuminated by the car and the trouble was avoided.

This is a big problem with the parkways and bike paths in the City of Minneapolis. They're too dark! The lack of light for pedestrians and bikers creates a safety issue when bright single-source light is aimed directly at your eyes.

The dangers are real.

• Blinded biker can't see path or road and either goes off the edge, hits a stick, or falls into a pothole.
• Blinded biker is illuminated and jogger assumes that means that the biker won't hit him.
• Blinded biker can't see the dog leash or dog of walker on bike path.

How can this be corrected?

• Cheapest: Two-way trails at night. This allows bikers to go with traffic (if alongside one way road).
• Install new lighting around parkways, especially those with more bikers or where the trails and roads are the shortest way to get from A to B. This lighting can be shielded so that it doesn't spill into the park lands or lakes. The lights should not blind users, like the current lights do. The current light is a clear box with a white light in the center. The box shouldn't be clear. More frequent lighting would also reduce shadows and the ability of car lights from blinding people who are in between light poles.

Biking: Seeing and being seen

I rarely rode when it was dark until last year. When I did ride, I threw on my cheap headlight and tail light and figured that would keep me safe.

Soon it was winter and the sun was coming down early. I would bike home and it was mostly dark. The path I rode around Lake Harriet was not well lit, and as a result, the on-coming traffic would blind me with their headlights. Throw in a few stupid dog walkers who weren't paying attention to my flashing front light and a couple of joggers who like to play chicken, and I realized that I was going to have to figure out a better lighting situation.

I began biking in the street the other way around the lake so that I was with traffic (one-way). That way I got the benefit of their headlights. Eventually in winter, the trail became two-way and I went the way with the car traffic.

To fend off joggers and dog walkers, I kept my flashing front light aimed at their line of sight. I have an older (several years old) Cateye OptiCube, which I use for the flashing front light. It has three white LEDs in the front. To help me see the ground, I picked up the five white LED Beamer 5 from Planet Bike. (More on these lights in a moment.)

My rear light is perhaps the best light I own. It's a three LED light, the TL-1000, from Serfas. It is a very focused light, but has a housing that's transparent so that it can be seen 180 degrees. Every year a large group (200) bikers do a midnight to dawn bike ride in the Twin Cities. Obviously, being seen is important when biking in the middle of the night. One of the bikers who was half a block back from me sprinted up to me to ask what light I had. He said he and his friends have been blinded by it for quite a while as they approached from behind. I've had other bikers make similar comments. [Photo at right.]

The Beamer 5 from Planet Bike is a very bright front light as far as low price bike lights go ($25 at REI). With five LEDs, it makes a decent riding conditions at night. I typically have mine aimed down towards the ground. It eats batteries when it's really cold out. I think I replaced batteries after every 40 miles or so when it was below 20 degrees (f). I got about 5 hours out of it during a recent overnight ride...but I replaced them before it was totally out. If you do a lot of night riding and want a bright light, this is probably not the best option out there because of its battery life. But for the occasional night time ride, it's a great inexpensive option. [Photo at right]

As a side note, Planet Bike donates a portion of its profits to bike advocacy groups. That's pretty cool.

Other things:

• I use a reflective leg band from Jogalite ($6 at REI) on my left leg to help being seen by cars approaching from behind. I use a different reflective band on my right leg to keep my pants from rubbing against the chain.


• I have a Cateye SL-LD100 (also called Compact Safety Light) in red ($15 at REI) that can attach to bags, clothes, etc. I haven't found it the easiest thing to strap down and not move. The light only flashes from one side, so positioning is key. I've most recently used it on the back of my helmet. I'll probably stick with that for now. [Photo at right]
  
• I've used the Nathan 3M Reflective Tape on the handle bars and around the post of my bike to help be seen. It is pretty reflective when light hits it. The tape hasn't come off yet and I've used it for one season in snow, slush, and rain. The only downside I've come across so far is that it can be difficult to put on if you're curving it. It's not that cheap either ($6 at REI) for 27 inches of it, but for making my winter bike more noticeable, I'll gladly pay it.

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The two headlights in action.