FLCC> Bike lane for uphill state st? a modest proposal.

[William Lodico]

Maybe something productive can come out of all this.

How does this sound :

Go ahead and stripe State Street just as planned for a bike lane,  
only don't call it a bike lane.  Call it a shoulder.*

Post the following signage:

1  "Motor vehicles may not travel in shoulder"  (there is a sign to  
that general effect at the base of the NY 13 south descent into  
Ithaca, and it does properly state the law.) This should keep  
motorists out of it, which is what everyone wants out of a bike lane  
in the first place.

2  Usual "Share the Road" with bicycle diamond.  This reminds  
motorists that, new striping notwithstanding, bikes may be in the  
roadway, and that they've an obligation to accommodate them.  This  
should negate the "bikes don't belong on the roadway" message that  
might be implied by something that looks like a bike lane.

Assuming that the city commits to cleaning the shoulder (necessary  
since motor traffic won't be performing the bike-friendly act of  
sweeping the pavement there), a five foot shoulder should provide all  
the bike positive advantages that might be afforded by a (clean, five  
foot) bike lane, without disallowing cyclists from the roadway  
proper.  It lets those who can make their way in motor traffic do so,  
and those more comfortable with riding on the other side of a paint  
stripe the chance to do that.

Maybe the city will be satisfied with some designation for the  
project that completely eliminates any hint of a bike lane.   
Something like "the State Street bicycle accessibility project."

How do others on the listserve feel about this idea?  Is there anyone  
well-placed on bike-ped committee or otherwise who might consider  
suggesting it as an alternative to the city?

Bill Lodico

(*Please note that I have some reservations about shoulders, although  
since they don't have the effect of implicitly prohibiting motorists  
from using the rest of the roadway, they aren't nearly as threatening  
as bike lanes.  They certainly aren't the panacea some think they  
are.  They collect debris, and are often given short shrift on the  
maintenance front, and quite often cyclists would be better served by  
a wider traffic lane and no shoulder.  .  .   but that's a whole  
different can of worms.)