Thomas Circle in more simple times
As those more familiar with me know, I have been ranting for some time now about the bike lanes that were included in the reconstructed Thomas Circle, which is on my commute to work from Petworth here DC to downtown Washington. I’ve even taken my rants to various blogs (such as here: http://www.dcist.com/archives/2006/10/24/go_home_already.php, and here: http://washcycle.typepad.com/home/2006/03/street_renaissa.html) .
I confess that I’m sort of agnostic when it comes to bike lanes in general. I see their utility, and can recognize that they may encourage some to ride their bikes when they otherwise wouldn’t. I also recognize that maybe, just maybe, they could lead to some semblance of recognition on the part of motorists that bikes are on the road. At the same time, I’m troubled that sometimes it could lead motorists to assume that the only place on the road bikes are allowed are in bike lanes, and that they could lead to a false sense of security on the part of the cyclist.
Martin Luther overlooks the circle -
it's severe, but one of my favorite statues
in the city.
Thomas Circle is a more extreme illustration of the some of the pitfalls of bike lanes, as I see them. The right lane of motorized traffic in the circle is for those moving forward around the circle and for turning vehicles, so the appropriate spot for a bike lane is to the right of that lane. However, we all know the behavior of motorized vehicles in circles – the right lane is treated entirely like it’s a turning lane. And, while you’re supposed to turn on your right turn signal if you’re driving off to one of the roads going out of the rotary, people rarely do. This is the case even for those who are normally attentive to such matters. Many of those driving around the circle – indeed, by my experience, most – are paying no attention to any cyclists to their right. You can see where that problem leads.
Under construction -- looks much better today!
I wrote off to the DC Department of Transportation’s guru on bicycle issues, Jim Sebastian, about my issues with the circle. And, in the interest of fairness, I thought I should share his response (I did obtain permission to reprint these comments). In fact, I think it’s a good response, and it sounds like the DC government, in this case, is doing all it can to make sure motorists comply with their legal obligations. I’m still going to do what I always do, however – take my rightful place in the middle of the right lane of motorized traffic while traveling through the circle. (By the way, it’s worth mentioning that, in a follow-up email, Mr. Sebastian tells me that they’ve been assured that the blue painting is, in fact skid-proof.)
Mr. Sebastian’s email follows:
As for Thomas Circle, you raise a valid concern, one we considered in the design of the pavement markings. In most rotaries or roundabouts one would not include bike lanes. However, these large, signalized, multi-lane circles are rather unique. If you stretch out the circle, you actually have a 4 lane street with a series of intersections, just like the rest of 14th street north of the Thomas Circle. While we would never put a bike lane to the right of an exclusive right turn lane, we do place them, almost always, to the right of a right/through lane. The difference here, and it's an important one, is the angle of the right turn. As you point out, most vehicles do not signal (or even slow down) when exiting the circle.
To address this, we are planning to paint the bike lanes a different color and install new signs (see attached). We're actually doing a before and after study. We've been taking videos of bike/car behavior since the circle was completed. We will do more after the pavement markings and signs are installed.
So far we haven't had any complaints (other than yours) or reported crashes.
In the end, we can always take the Thomas Circle lanes out if they do not prove safe and effective.
As for bike lanes in general, you're right to assume they are intended, in part, to encourage basic cyclists to ride, and also to send a message to motorists that bikes are on the street in DC, and to curve out some space for bicyclists in a congested city. They are not targeted primarily at advanced cyclists like you and me. But even when we implement the entire bicycle plan for the District, there will only be about 50 mile of bicycle lanes, less than 5 percent of the city's streets. So 'sharing the road' will continue to be the primary bicycling situation.
Thanks for your interest and please continue to give us your input and ideas.