Metric Blvd & Gracy Farms Ln

ret3 · 2015-11-10 11:12:37

I've been enjoying the dedicated bike lanes on Gracy Farms Ln since they opened up several months ago. Now that Metric Blvd has been repaved, I do believe I've spotted indications that it too will have a new, wider and somewhat buffered bike lane in a similar style (the spray painted markings include the abbreviation CT in some spots; perhaps for Cycle Track?), but I can't find anything on the city's site regarding the plans for restriping, or the potential for extending the bike lanes to fill in the gaps along its run. Does anyone have the scoop?

Darron · 2015-11-11 15:11:42

The short answer is yes, this is supposed to be transformed from a "Bike Lane" to a "Protected BL"

According to the 2014 Austin Bicycle Master plan (pg 226) Metric is designated to go from "Bike Lanes" and "Shared Lanes" to a "Protected BL" from 183 to Howard Lane.

https://austintexas.gov/sites/default/f … ndices.pdf

Darron

RedFalcon · 2015-11-11 15:51:11

Too bad the section between Cedar Bend and Bittern Hollow is listed as 'Shared lane'. This includes a nasty stretch heading south after you cross the Metric/Walnut Creek bridge. The hill is steep (or at least I am always loaded down when I climb it) and you get to 'share' the lane with motorists going 45 mph as they come around a curve.

Now they could have made this section, including the bridge, a bit wider. Yeah, it would be expensive to widen a bridge, but look at the trail-bridge they are building directly below the Metric/WC bridge.

Darron · 2015-11-11 21:06:23

"Shared lane" is a nice way of adding mileage to a city bike route network without actually doing anything to improve the infrastructure. One of the tricks to claim to be "bike friendly". The entire length of Great Hills Trail near the Arboretum is supposed to be shared lane and even shows up on the CAMPO and CoA bike maps map as a bike route but you wouldn't know it with the traffic, curves and hills, especially south of Jollyville. It a shame too since it could connect several actual cycling infrastructure in the area (Jollyville to 360 to Braker).

Darron

RedFalcon · 2015-11-16 21:02:51

Darron wrote:

"Shared lane" is a nice way of adding mileage to a city bike route network without actually doing anything to improve the infrastructure.

I get that some sections of roadway may not lend themselves to bike lanes or wide shoulders. But, it would be nice if "Shared Lane" meant that the road had sharrows painted on them and signs reminding drivers that 'Cyclists May Use Full Lane'. Many drivers to whom I have talked don't even know that cyclists are allowed on the roads at all. So, when I get to a 'Shared Lane' on a busy road like Metric I am in serious danger.

I was nearly hit three times today. First time while walking my dogs this morning. I was wearing a very bright trail runners headlight and walking against traffic on what should be a quiet residential street (that doesn't have side walks). Second time was riding through the Domain. Apparently, my two flashing headlights (one 750 Niterider mounted on bike and one 350 Niterider mounted on my hairnet), my fluorescent yellow DOT approved vest, my two bright yellow pannier bags, and my THREE tail lights (one Cygolite set on solid, one flashing Niterider Solas, and my Fly 6 video camera light) were not enough to make me visible. Oh, and yeah I was taking the lane and riding predictably, and stopping at stop signs, and blah, blah, blah. My last near death experience today was when I was trying to walk across Parmer Lane to meet my daughter and grandchildren at a bus stop. A BMW blew through a red light at the intersection when I had a green pedestrian crossing light to go. The thing was even beeping. Had I been blind I would have stepped off the curb and been hit.

I know how randomness works. If you flip a coin you can expect to get a run of heads or tails now and then. My near death experiences are like that too, but lately it seems more like a trend. Does anyone else sense this?

MichaelBluejay · 2015-11-20 10:23:03

I hear you Red. It makes me think how cycling advocates always talk about how much better it is to bike to work instead of drive, because you feel happy and refreshed on your bike vs. the frustration you'd feel from sitting in traffic in your car. Not me. When I bike my blood boils from all the times that drivers cavalierly nearly kill me (or yell at me, or flip me of, etc.).

A couple of months ago I was at the crosswalk crossing of LAB at 4th & I-35. Two cyclists were on the other side, also waiting to cross. And *none* of the drivers stopped, even though it's required by law (and signage there reminds them as much). So at some point I took the crosswalk, and some driver was forced to yield so as not to hit me, and both he and his wife/girlfriend flipped me off with both hands.

As always, two things come to mind when I think of situations like that:

(1) Austin is a bike-friendly city! (the bar must be really low)
(2) Bicyclists have to follow the law just like drivers if they want respect. (standard applies only to bicyclists)

Darron · 2015-11-20 11:03:22

Experiencing some type of driver aggression while riding in a city designated "shared lane" is what prompted me (and Im sure others) to make our voice heard in the 183north project. My goal was to point out the shared lanes in this corridor had zero infrastructure for cyclist and this needed to be addressed in the project.

But since I'm a patient optimist I am happy to see all the roads like Metric that designated for cycling upgrades even if it takes years. The first step to fixing a problem is admitting there is one ;).

Darron

Jack · 2015-11-20 11:34:22

I hope that "when I bike" means that you are back on the bike sometimes, MBJ.

The "Bike Friendly Community" signs around Austin (and the city just got an upgrade, if I remember correctly) irritate me because the program is truly not cool. The bar really is low and the bar is in the wrong place. Getting the BFC certification really does involve "tricks," as Darron suggests, which involve lip service and spending money where it doesn't help--or even when it makes things worse. Do we need reminders about Shoal Creek Blvd? http://www.labreform.org/pretending.html (article first appeared in 2002 in "Southwest Cycling News")

Ohio has a better program more in tune with what makes a community truly friendly to cyclists. As summarized here http://labreform.org/BFC5.html --
BFC has become so irrelevant to the interests of cyclists that the Ohio Bicycle Federation developed its own award program, called Cyclist Friendly Communities. Note the name suggests concern for cyclists, rather than bicycles, which are only machines. Cyclist Friendly Communities has a strong emphasis on education and on treating cyclists fairly.

CFC provides an extensive Web-based "Toolkit" of information to help communities to improve conditions and avoid mistakes. The toolkit includes the following articles for community officials (available via free download):
•Improving the Cycling Environment
•Guide for Bicycle Traffic Ordinances
•Model Local Bicycling Code
•State Bicycle Traffic Law Digest
•List of Cycling Instructors
•Dilemmas of Bicycle Planning
•Bicycle Blunders
•Let's Stop Miseducating Society About Cycling
•Getting Vehicle Detectors to Detect Bicycles
•Re-Evaluating Signal Detector Loops
•Detection of Bicycles by Quadrapole Loops at Demand-Actuated Traffic Signals
•MassBike Bicycle Parking Reference

CFC also provides sources for educational materials the community can provide to its citizens. All articles in the list below, except the first, are available for free download from the Cyclist Friendly Communities Website.
•Ohio Bicycling Street Smarts (dist. by Ohio Dept. of Public Safety)
•Safety Cards
•'Drive Your Bike' parents' safety poster
•Bike Safety for Kids - A Parent's Guide
•Where to Ride
•Tips for Bicycle Operation
•Passing Thoughts -- Bikes and Cars Sharing the Road
•Teaching Cycling to Children
•'Cycling Shorts' -- Short Bicycling Education Messages
•Bike Quiz for Scouts or other youth groups
•Bicycle Driving Seminar slideshow
•Cycling Knowledge Test

The Ohio Bicycle Federation program sets out a clear roadmap leading to certification. There is no playing games with communities by telling them "try harder" (meaning spend more money) next year. OBF provides a sample application that shows how various measures would affect the applicant's score. The review committee will work with applicants to help them gain the points needed to pass. The most important factor is the CFC program will benefit cyclists, not just consultants and planners.

--We would do well to present these "friendly" ideas to those in Austin government as a step to improve things. The LAB's program rewards infrastructure without regard to whether it is poorly designed or unsafe and does not deduct for truly unfriendly actions.

Commute Orlando promotes a similar cyclist-friendly atmosphere, based on "critical thinking and holistic problem-solving" http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/advocacy/

MichaelBluejay · 2015-11-20 12:06:04

Jack wrote:

I hope that "when I bike" means that you are back on the bike sometimes, MBJ.

I never stopped biking, I just don't have as many opportunities to bike. My wife does the shopping, and I work from home. Only occasionally do I have a need to run an errand. That was true even before we got the car.

Jack · 2015-11-20 17:52:05

MichaelBluejay wrote:

Jack wrote:
I hope that "when I bike" means that you are back on the bike sometimes, MBJ.
I never stopped biking, I just don't have as many opportunities to bike. My wife does the shopping, and I work from home. Only occasionally do I have a need to run an errand. That was true even before we got the car.

Glad to hear it. I misremembered that thread from 2 yrs. ago.

rich00 · 2015-11-20 23:03:26

Progress is being made, so I would say that we Austin is more bike friendly than 10 years ago. The problem is that we still have so far to go before we have a truly comfortable, safe city to bike in.

I was on SCB the other day, at rush hour. What a disaster it is. Cars are taking it upon themselves to make their own rules, such as using the bike lane when approaching NB at 2222. Speeding like crazy. Not yielding to cyclists who are passing parked cars. The city should have clearly visible signage to remind drivers that they are to yield to cyclists when overtaking. I think the city is too complacent on educating drivers. I can't imagine how many would-be bike commuters do not ride because of the horrible design on SCB. The same goes for all the other crucial routes that are sub-par.

RedFalcon · 2016-01-12 21:50:13

Good news on Metric. The new bike lanes have been painted in and they also added bike sharrow markings to the nasty section where Metric crosses Walnut Creek. It would have been better if they had widened the bridge, but I realize that it would have cost a lot of money to do that. And the money was desperately needed to make Mopac even wider and faster.

I really think that bike sharrow symbols are a good thing. They don't introduce the problems that come with some bike lanes, and they remind drivers that cyclists can actually legally ride on the road. Not all drivers will notice the sharrows, of course. Many will be too busy texting. What is missing are signs that remind drivers that we can use the full lane. For my next project I will get onto 311 and request them.

Darron · 2016-01-15 17:21:04

Speaking of sharrows, here is an interesting blog article I came across last month regarding them:
https://urbancommuter.wordpress.com/201 … /sharrows/

The basic argument is sharrows should never be implemented without other changes to calm vehicular traffic (he calls it traffic diet). In the case of Metric, one could argue that they are implemented correctly as they are going along with the lane narrowing where the new bike lanes have been painted. Narrowing lanes typically make cars drive slower (or less likely to speed which is probably the case with Metric).

Darron

rich00 · 2016-01-16 19:20:31

If you are going SB on Metric, it is easy to detour to the sidewalk for the hillclimb at the driveway there. You can re-enter the road at the top of the hill where the bike lane appears again. Of course, it's not ideal but better than sharing the lane with traffic on the hill.
The new bike lanes north of there are nice.

ret3 · 2016-01-26 15:58:34

I've had the chance to use the Metric Blvd sharrow'd lanes going both ways a couple times now, and that southbound hill is really a bear. At least the drivers have been polite as I huff my way to where the bike lane resumes. I have a new beef, though, and that is drivers using the bike lane as a right-turn lane, when the stripes clearly disallow that use. Is there any standard signage that can be requested to indicate that cars aren't allowed there?

Jack · 2016-01-27 13:07:18

The bike lane as a right turn lane is a common conundrum for drivers and cyclists.
We'd like to go forward unimpeded by people waiting to turn.
If people are turning from the left of the bike lane, the bike lane is made very unsafe for those willing to pass on the right drivers who might be turning.
The safest thing--and usually considered proper--is for a driver to merge to the curb before turning right. That very well communicates the driver's intention, tends to prevent a cyclist from overtaking on the right, which is far more dangerous than waiting behind the driver or overtaking the driver on the left. The bike lane stripes make it ambiguous as to whether that is proper when there is a bike lane (they don't make it clearly disallowed--we have competing rules of thumb (merge right before turning/don't cross a white stripe)).
We could have signage and tickets and enforcement, but all in all I'd prefer drivers do what you describe, as far as I understand what you are describing. I'd prefer to wait or pass on the left than have people turning right across my path. It's hard for a driver to see an overtaking cyclist on the right and still pay enough attention to what is going on ahead and to the sides. What's more, I think drivers and bicyclists alike would be better served by striping and signage designed to show that merging right before turning is the better approach.
Better illustrated than described, and with further explanation: https://www.sfbike.org/news/bike-lanes-and-right-turns/ and also http://blog.esurance.com/bike-lanes-wha … qkIUWcUWUk and also http://www.mercurynews.com/columns/ci_13669464

A few years ago, Oregon was dealing with conflicting laws – one that required motorists to make right turns from the edge of the roadway, and yet another required them to stay out of bike lanes. The police proposed a California-style law which would require motorists to merge into the bike lane before turning. That did not gain traction, and so the net result in Oregon is that motorists are required to turn across bike lanes when turning right. http://bikeportland.org/2006/11/29/poli … aw-change/ Sometimes the law is an idiot.

See also this post: http://www.cabobike.org/2009/11/08/prob … ersection/

Last edited by Jack (2016-01-27 13:22:12)

Bicycle Austin forum

#1 2015-11-10 11:12:37

Metric Blvd & Gracy Farms Ln

#2 2015-11-11 15:11:42

Re: Metric Blvd & Gracy Farms Ln

#3 2015-11-11 15:51:11

Re: Metric Blvd & Gracy Farms Ln

#4 2015-11-11 21:06:23

Re: Metric Blvd & Gracy Farms Ln

#5 2015-11-16 21:02:51

Re: Metric Blvd & Gracy Farms Ln

#6 2015-11-20 10:23:03

Re: Metric Blvd & Gracy Farms Ln

#7 2015-11-20 11:03:22

Re: Metric Blvd & Gracy Farms Ln

#8 2015-11-20 11:34:22

Re: Metric Blvd & Gracy Farms Ln

#9 2015-11-20 12:06:04

Re: Metric Blvd & Gracy Farms Ln

#10 2015-11-20 17:52:05

Re: Metric Blvd & Gracy Farms Ln

#11 2015-11-20 23:03:26

Re: Metric Blvd & Gracy Farms Ln

#12 2016-01-12 21:50:13

Re: Metric Blvd & Gracy Farms Ln

#13 2016-01-15 17:21:04

Re: Metric Blvd & Gracy Farms Ln

#14 2016-01-16 19:20:31

Re: Metric Blvd & Gracy Farms Ln

#15 2016-01-26 15:58:34

Re: Metric Blvd & Gracy Farms Ln

#16 2016-01-27 13:07:18

Re: Metric Blvd & Gracy Farms Ln

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