Some new lanes and some old pains

Out on the streets, that’s where we meet

By Captain Comannokers
NoC Transportation Czar

Welcome back students! Now sit down, pay attention, and nobody will get hurt (hopefully).

With the autumnal re-population swell in Lexington, the bike traffic in and around campus/downtown becomes much heavier. That is a wonderful thing – the more people use bikes to get around Lexington the more the demand for infrastructure will need to be met. BUT, it also means that cyclists need to get on the same page, which is often a tough proposition in a college town where many people ride their bikes with little regard for safety, let alone common sense. Things have actually gotten better over the last few years, so that’s a positive sign, but let’s not get too excited – on any given day, I still see someone riding the wrong way, head-on, into traffic, talking on a cell phone, and flipping off a driver because, well, I’m not sure exactly why, to be honest.

There have been some recent and significant changes right around campus that everyone should make note of. Maxwell has finally received a good chunk of bike lane – starting at S. Limestone and heading east toward Woodland Park. Street parking has shifted to the north side of the street.

Quick aside here: I should probably stop using actual direction signifiers like “north” or “east” because I feel like less and less people are able to understand directional navigation. GPS systems are wonderful – hooray, everyone sing their praises – but they have diminished directional awareness to the point of negating it.

“So, what side of town do you live on?”

“Umm, I don’t know – the side near the big mall thing?”
(Aside within the aside: Yes, I get the irony of this paper being named North of Center, but really, if it were called East of Eden I don’t think many people would notice or care. To most, it’s just a title – it doesn’t have to have meaning. And it sure as hell shouldn’t trick us into learning directions!)

New bike lanes on Maxwell near Rose. Photo by Captain Commanokers.

All this is to say that if you are driving down Maxwell and need to park, do so on the LEFT hand side of the street (pictured included for your convenience).

Moving on – Rose Street now has a short stretch of bike lane as you approach Maxwell. Before the bike lane starts, there are sharrows painted on the street (in both directions on Rose) to remind everyone that this is a shared lane that is heavy with both vehicle and bicycle traffic. This was a joint venture by LFUCG and UK to increase the awareness and viability of cycling as an alternative for commuting.

You may be asking yourself “What’s a sharrow?” Well, it is not to be confused with rad Lexington cyclist and cymbalist Lauren Sherrow; rather, it is a street marking to indicate that a cyclist may use the full lane. (Again, a photo for your viewing pleasure).

Sharrow on Rose near Euclid. Photo by Captain Commanokers.

These sharrows are painted on Rose Street near campus for a couple of reasons: the lanes are fairly narrow, which in the past always made it a bit more difficult to safely pass a cyclist when driving. So now, a cyclist has a zone to feel safe in and not worry about a vehicle coming dangerously close to them in an attempt to pass. Vehicles shouldn’t be flying up and down this section of Rose Street anyway, as there are pedestrians and cyclists everywhere at this main intersection of UK’s campus.

The sharrows show up a few hundred feet in either direction from Euclid Ave, allowing cyclists to use the full lane of traffic until they can get to the painted bike lanes. This may take some getting used to, and my guess is that most cyclists will still ride as close to the curb as possible (or even on the sidewalk – please, don’t do the sidewalk option!), and that cars will still try to pass bikes in those areas. I’m going to keep a close eye on this to see how it plays out this fall semester.

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There was some good feedback online from the “Hold the Line” installment of Out on the streets, that’s where we meet. An anonymous reader posted about hauling ass downhill on S. Limestone approaching Vine. “If I’ve hit green (light), I’m at 25 mph anyway and having to slow for cars. I give a friendly wave. Sadly, only 50% of motorists right turn signal on Vine (it’s one way, so why signal?) meaning you must take the lane and assume that they don’t see you.”

Captain’s response: In regards to zipping down S. Limestone as you approach Vine – that is a dangerous spot for sure – it is true a lot of motorists do not use their turn signals when turning onto Vine and the bike lane comes to an end as well. I proceed with definite caution, making sure I know if the vehicle(s) in front of me are turning or not regardless of turn signal.

Best way to do that, in my opinion, is to become a part of the line of traffic (even if from the bike lane). If I am riding down the hill and there are, say, two cars waiting at the light, I’ll probably NOT try to rip right pass them, but just stay third in the line of traffic. Granted, if there are 15 cars in line, I will move up to the front if the light at Vine remains red.

If I am coming down the hill and the light turns green during a heavy traffic period, I’ll ease up a bit and find a comfortable spot where I am in the bike lane and also between two vehicles. I try to clearly stay behind one vehicle that I WILL NOT pass, so if it decides to take the turn onto Vine I’ve provided myself with enough space so I will not get right hooked by the vehicle. That also puts me in front of another vehicle that, hopefully, recognizes I am traveling north and will not try and overtake me. It is always a tricky spot, though, and I gauge it by how much traffic there is and where I fit in at that moment.

That’s the thing that I try to emphasize in this column: there are definite rules to the road that are black and white and should be adhered to, but there are also many undefined circumstances because traffic in a metropolitan area is an ever-evolving, fluid beast. What might be the best decision one day may not be the wisest choice the following week because construction may have altered things, or there’s an accident ahead, or emergency vehicles need to pass. You need to be alert and be able to adapt in order to make the safest and smartest choices.

Another reader, Seth, posted about a trouble spot he has tangled with: “Euclid crossing South Ashland on the way toward High Street is another tricky one. The bike lane ends, on-street parking begins, the left lane goes straight and the right lane is turn-only. All in one intersection!”

Captain’s response: I hear ya on this, Seth! This is a VERY tough spot. I lived off Fontaine for six years and rode that route every day. Coming off the light at Ashland, I try to make my move to the left and get into the through traffic lane – easier said than done on many occasions, but in general as long as I was signaling clearly and confidently I could get over.

But, doing so, I also committed to falling into the line of traffic that would either go straight onto Fontaine or left onto High. Meaning, I might find myself behind 10 cars at the light. Other cyclists often choose to ride up along the right hand side of that traffic – and granted, I might have even done that a time or two when traffic was super, super heavy, but for the most part I fell in line and became a part of the regular traffic flow.

I didn’t begrudge other cyclists (well, not overly begrudge), who rode up the right-hand side of the cars, but they are riding between two lanes at that point – in an area where a lot of visitors to Lexington often drive and are criss-crossing into the proper lane, so I found it best to leave well enough alone.

If you have a trouble spot in town that drives you mad whether you are a cyclist, pedestrian or driver – join the conversation on noclexington.com – this is your captain, over and out.