From: jciccare@adobe.com (John Ciccarelli)
Subject: Bike Boulevards (was: Signal Synchronization)
Summary: What makes a bike boulevard?
Keywords: bike boulevard
Reply-To: jciccare@adobe.com (John Ciccarelli)
Organization: Adobe Systems, Mountain View, CA
Distribution: ba
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 23:35:11 GMT

In article <1993Jan27.180037.29333@netcom.com> 
pascal@netcom.com (richard childers) writes:

>traffic synchronization could be applied to making bicycle commutes 
>much less painful. Regenerating the inertia that was lost every time 
>one has to come to a partial or full stop is a _major_ waste of
>energy, and doing this every block or two is a real hassle. 

Absolutely.

Minimizing bike stops while not creating a motor vehicle thruway 
is the idea behind "bicycle boulevards" such as Palo Alto's Bryant 
Street.  Though for Bryant no signal synchronization was done in the 
travel direction, I thought I'd describe it anyway just so people 
know what is meant by "bike boulevard".

Here are the basic principles as I understand them:

1) A low-traffic 2-lane street with wide lanes (adequate to laneshare
with cars) and thru connectivity is chosen.  Sometimes the addition 
of a bike bridge over an obstacle such as a creek creates this 
connectivity.  

The chosen street is separate from, but preferably near, parallel 
auto+bus arterials (so it serves the same destinations along the way).
In the Palo Alto / Bryant case the nearby auto arterials are Alma 
(3 blocks away) and Middlefield (5), and Waverley downtown (1)

2) Natural barriers (such as bike/ped bridges) or artificial barriers 
(auto turn restrictions or barriers) are added where needed to dissuade 
thru motor traffic.  Bryant has a short bike bridge over Matadero Creek, 
3 motor vehicle barriers, and one traffic signal (Embarcadero) with 
mandatory right turns for motor vehicles.

3) Stop signs are "reversed" along the route -- minimized or eliminated 
in the travel direction, and installed on all cross streets.  Palo Alto 
has also added yellow "Cross Traffic Does Not Stop" warning signs where 
busier cross streets meet Bryant.

4) The boulevard does not have bike lanes (since the resulting motor 
traffic volume does not warrant them).  Along much of Bryant's length,
cyclists "take the lane" when no cars are around.


The result is that cyclists can cruise for a mile or more at 20+ mph
between stops along much of Bryant's 5 mile length between south Palo 
Alto and the Menlo Park border.  Downtown is the major exception, but 
there the signals are timed in the cross direction and have priority 
over Bryant.

There is talk of creating such a boulevard in San Jose, coming into
downtown from the southwest and exploiting a creek barrier. 


>( Not that I bicycle to work but I'd like to. )

The Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition would be glad to offer route
planning or advice to help you get started... :-)

/John

-- 
John Ciccarelli           Adobe Systems,  1585 Charleston |    _~C      __C
jciccare@mv.us.adobe.com  Mountain View CA USA 94039-7900 |  ='\<,    ='\<,
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