[BikeLongmont] more thoughts on traffic mitigation

[Richard Masoner]

At the Street Design Forum I had a conversation during lunch with one
of Lauren's neighbors on 3rd Ave. John claimed that 3rd Avenue is too
narrow to ride safely on, especially if you're pulling a trailer. His
concern was about the bulbouts that were installed for the pedestrian
crosswalks near Francis.

I ride down 3rd frequently, and I pull my 5-year-old daughter
sometimes in a 36 inch wide trailer. The key to safety at the bulbouts
is to pull ALL THE WAY INTO THE LANE AND MAKE IT VERY CLEAR TO
TRAILING TRAFFIC THAT THERE IS NO ROOM TO PASS. Not only that, if
EVERYBODY WHO LIVES ON 3RD DID THIS then they would automatically
ACHIEVE THEIR GOAL of traffic calming on 3rd Avenue. It's about
reclaiming the places that belong to them rather than giving them up
to traffic.

I'm not talking about a critical mass or anything illegal. Edging by
in the gutter is not safe for the bicyclist. YOU WILL NOT GET HIT when
you take the lane. You have to signal your intentions very clearly and
you don't want to just cut right in front of a speeding car. A mirror
is very helpful too. I'll pull over when I can for courtesy, but when
there's not a space to pull over I've done this in front of full-size
RTD buses on Ken Pratt Blvd and in front of large trucks going uphill
on Sunset.

Speaking of Sunset, John also claimed that Sunset is unsafe for
children to ride down. I SEE CHILDREN PLAYING ON THE HILL ON SUNSET
ALL THE TIME. Take the streets back!

RFM