Spring is here and with the warmer weather comes a greater inclination to spend time outdoors.
Part of that time may be on a bicycle and as more cyclists begin riding around town — sharing the road with motor vehicles — it is important to be aware of what is happening on and off the road.
Peter Dane, a planner in transportation and engineering for the City of Redmond, said there are bike lanes all over Redmond providing a “pretty extensive network” for cyclists.
“Every neighborhood has bike lanes in it,” he said.
Currently, Dane said there are 33 miles of bicycle lanes within the city that share the road with motor vehicles, adding that they are focusing on connecting this network of bike lanes and the plan is to bring up the total to 100 miles.
“Bicyclists are allowed to ride on all roads in the city except freeways,” he said. “However, the city recognizes that the majority of people would prefer to ride in a dedicated bicycle facility, so the city is implementing a bicycle network with facilities such as bicycle lanes and paved trails.”
It is rare for bike lanes to be painted onto only one side of a road, but Dane said in some instances, it makes more sense from an engineering perspective for shared lanes. In these lanes, cars and bikes — just as the name states — share the road. Dane said these lanes are indicated by “sharrows,” double arrows paired with a symbol of a bicycle.
He said these shared lanes are usually located on a road going downhill as bikes would be more visible to cars pulling out of driveways than they would be if there was a separate bike lane.
SAFER ON THE ROADS
While bikes are allowed to use the road alongside bikes, some cyclists do ride on sidewalks. Carolyn Hope with the city’s parks department, said it’s because they think it’s safer.
“It’s that perception,” she said.
Hope and Dane said this is actually not true as riding on the sidewalk puts cyclists further out of a driver’s vision. As a result, when they reach an intersection, the driver expects the sidewalk user to be approaching at a slower pace, which could lead to an accident if they don’t stop to wait for the cyclist to cross.
“They’re covering a lot more ground than a normal pedestrian,” said Chris Shone, a traffic officer with the Redmond Police Department (RPD), about cyclists.
A few weeks ago, he said, there was such a collision. Shone said a car was turning right at an intersection without stopping at the red light. A bicyclist rode through the crosswalk — traveling perpendicular to the direction the car was turning — and was struck by the driver, who “just didn’t see the rider there,” he said.
Dane said citywide, the average number of collisions involving bicycles and motor vehicles for the past five years is 20.2. In 2013 — the most recent year with complete data — there were 17 collisions. Of those collisions, in about 65 percent, the motorist was at fault, about 15 percent categorized the bicyclist at fault and in about 20 there was no fault determined, Dane said.
He said one of the most common types of bike-car collision occurs when the motorist makes a right turn at an intersection without checking or paying attention for cyclists in the bike lane next to them.
BIKE TRAILS
Some cyclists prefer to not ride alongside cars.
Brent Schmaltz enjoys riding along the Sammamish River Trail because it does not cross paths with motor vehicles. And while this may be the case, the 24-year Redmond resident pointed out that the trail was developed in the early 1990s, when the area’s population was much smaller. With more people living in the area, Schmaltz said the trail has become more and more congested with pedestrians and cyclists alike. He added that this development seems to be happening without the city thinking how the current infrastructure will support the growth.
“(The trail) really hasn’t been widened or improved to handle the new capacity,” he said. “During a nice day, it’s just jammed.”
With so many people utilizing the trail, Schmaltz said it’s dangerous for everyone on the trail as cyclists will weave in and out between pedestrians — which sometimes includes families with small children.
“It’s only half as bad as it’s going to get,” he said, referring to the situation and growth planned for the area.
Schmaltz said he would like to see government funding to go toward improvements along the Redmond portion of the Sammamish River Trail.
“The money is there,” he said, pointing to the funds the city has used to make other improvements throughout the downtown such as the Redmond Central Connector (RCC) and Cleveland Streetscape.
The RCC is a new trail in town that allows cyclists to ride with limited interaction with cars and Dane said since the trail opened in the fall of 2013, they have not had any collisions.
He and Hope said that part of the RCC design includes sweeping curves as the trail approaches an intersection to get cyclists to slow down. In addition, they said leading up to traffic light signals, the surface of the RCC changes with rail ties and pavers, so cyclists can feel the difference and be aware that something along the trail is changing.
SAFETY TIPS
To help cyclists and drivers stay safe on the road, Dane and Shone offered some tips.
Dane said for cyclists, looking at a bike map to figure out the route you are most comfortable with can help. The city recently updated its online bike map at tinyurl.com/p9q5cna. Dane said cyclists should also take time to understand how bike lanes work and to always ride with the flow of traffic. He added that it is also important for cyclists to wear helmets, especially at night. Dane said cyclists should also stay consistent in where they ride, meaning they shouldn’t go back and forth between riding on the road and onto sidewalks or parking lots. When a cyclist pops on and off onto the road, drivers cannot predict when they might reappear, which could lead to an accident.
Shone added that cyclists should also follow the laws of the road so drivers can better predict what they are going to do.
For drivers, he advised to be cautious and to make sure you know what is going on around you. Particularly if you are going to be turning and there is a bike lane, Shone said to check for cyclists before turning.
Dane agreed, adding that divers need to pay attention as there are more cyclists and walkers out and about now.
UPCOMING EVENTS
On May 15, the City of Redmond will be holding its annual Bike Bash event. The event will be from 4-8 p.m. at the Signals art installation along the RCC. And with May being National Bike Month, Jill Smith, business liaison for the city, said there will be other special events such as a bike-to-work and bike-to-school days. Smith, who is also part of the Redmond Trip Resource and Incentive Program, said the program will also offer special biking incentives to encourage those who live, work and play in Redmond to find alternative modes of transportation to driving alone — and in this case, biking.
Hope added that the city’s parks department will be holding a few public meetings in the near future to get people’s feedback on what they would like to see addressed regarding Redmond’s parks and trails.
