The new parking in the middle of Alder is strange, to say the least. From 18th to 13th avenues, the driving lane seems to work in perfect harmony with the bike lane that it now shares space with on the southbound one-way. But once the northbound cyclists reach 13th Avenue, things get a little tricky. Looking forward, it seems as if Alder suddenly switches to a two-lane road because cars are stacked right next to each other. And, as if to make things stranger, one of the lanes is missing — wait a second.
These cars are parked — in the middle of Alder.
Previously, Alder parking was against the curb on either side. No confusion, just cars parked parallel to the curb.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand what they are trying to do with the new parking. Drivers and bikers have never gotten along. As the old saying goes: “Drivers hate the bikers, bikers hate the drivers and everybody hates the pedestrians.” What the new layout on Alder tells me is that the city of Eugene wants to segregate bikers and drivers to completely avoid conflict. And what’s the best buffer between the two? Not a wall, not a space, not a picket fence, nor any other physical representation of a blockade.
Nope — the wall that the city decided to use knocks out two birds with one stone: a wall of cars. These parked beauties, although confusing to drivers and bikers alike, prove to make a nice six-foot metal, plastic and rubber barrier. Not only can cars have a whole lane for parking, but they can also donate their car to a good cause: saving an unsuspecting biker from an errant driver (or vice versa).
A good thought, but nonetheless a new one. After seeing Michael Ciaglo’s photo@@(featured image)@@ published on Oct. 4 in the Emerald, it’s clear that drivers are still confused about the lane. Perhaps it’s the arrow, or the fact that it has two lanes. Regardless, people aren’t going to know how to react to the new layout, at least for now, and people visiting our beautiful city will probably never get it.
This new addition should be treated as every new thing should. In class, when a new concept is introduced, it takes instruction for students to learn how to properly execute the desired task. The public needs to know how to treat the new lanes and developments around campus.
The first step, in my opinion, is to put up signs. These poor drivers are like lost sheep without any direction. They see a lane and assume it’s for them because they are cars and they do what they want. But put up a sign that says, “No Left Turn,” or “Do Not Enter,” and sure enough, they follow suit.
Tom Larsen, Eugene’s traffic engineer, thinks that the signs are enough to direct drivers.
“Although there have been several instances where cars drove in the bike lanes, our observation is that the incidence of cars in the bike lanes has fallen significantly as drivers have learned how to drive the reconfigured street,” he wrote to me in an email.
Larsen introduces a good point — the shocking green blocks, the screaming electric-yellow, and the bright white bicycle symbols located in the center of each lane accompanied by an arrow clearly show that these lanes are not for cars.
This doesn’t change the fact that people are going to unknowingly do it. Most of the time, when the car is halfway through a turn into a bike lane, it’s too late to go back. Tuesday night my buddy and I rode on the Alder cycleway on our way back home. It was dark and rainy — the perfect setting for an accident. Halfway down the road, we saw a car driving the wrong way on Alder in the cycleway for a block or two, until he or she realized the lane wasn’t for cars. They promptly turned off. My friend and I laughed at the confused driver so much we didn’t realize there was a car pulling out of a parking lot. We both slammed on our brakes and swerved to avoid a collision. The car didn’t even notice.
This wasn’t the first time a near-collision has happened to me since the cycleway was put in. Any sign on the Alder and 13th intersection would potentially catch the driver’s attention more than the stripes on the ground. Even the tourists would know what to do.
Although the “non-traditional” signs are obvious to people looking for them, those who aren’t are in for a surprise when they are ticketed for driving in a lane that isn’t for them. When it comes to bike and car safety, always go the extra mile: get signs.
Andersen: Display signs on Alder to help confused drivers
Daily Emerald
October 10, 2011
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