Bill,
Thanks for your phone call this morning setting a tentative February 1 date to meet with WVDOH and cruise the West Run corridor.
Since I sent you my last message on this subject, I've received more input. I've revised the message below accordingly and would prefer you forward it, rather than my last message to WVDOH in preparation for our meeting.
If we understand correctly, the proposed improvement involves upgrading West Run Road travel lanes to 11-feet and adding up to 2-foot wide paved shoulders. Also, the shoulders may be wider on climbing sections and inside curves and narrower on descending sections and on the outside of curves.
The proposed 11-foot lane width plus 2-foot paved shoulder provides no special accommodation for bicyclists but accommodates bicyclists only as ordinary drivers of vehicles.
At a minimum, West Run Road should have Share the Road signs (W11-1 sign and W16-1P placard) to alert motorists to bicyclists. Better would be shared lane markings (9C-9) and Bicycles May Use Full Lane signs (R4-11).
To accommodate novice bicyclists, the travel lanes should be 14-feet wide or the shoulders should be a minimum of 4-feet wide, preferably 5-feet. Otherwise, West Run Rd. can be expected to be limited to motor vehicles and only experienced vehicular cyclists.
It is crucial that West Run improvements not force bicyclists to ride to the right of right turn lanes. The improvements should encourage bicyclists to employ best vehicular practices, especially at intersections. Bicycles should be treated as vehicles, not pedestrians.
In most cases, 11-feet is not wide enough for a shared lane, i.e a lane in which a motor vehicle and bicycle can travel safely side-by-side. A 2-foot shoulder is simply not wide enough for bicycle operation.
Normally, bicyclists require more than 3-feet of roadway space for operation. Normally, 3-feet or more is minimum safe passing distance. Normally, 8-feet is minimum travel width for motor vehicles. Sum = 14-feet.
On 11-foot lanes with 2-foot paved shoulders, novice cyclists would probably try to ride on the shoulder, assuming that the shoulder would be maintained free of debris including glass, rocks, snow and ice and be free of surface defects. After a few experiences of getting passed too closely, novice cyclists would probably abandon West Run Road. Experienced cyclists will not use shoulders because shoulders usually have debris that can cause punctures and loss of control. Also, on the shoulder, cyclists are less visible than they are in the lane and especially at crossings, motorists merging onto the roadway may pull out in front of them, overtaking motorists may turn right into them or in front of them and on-coming motorists may turn left into them. Experienced cyclists, if they feel they are visible, will control the lane and prevent being passed. However, when they feel that overtaking vehicles are narrow enough, passing speeds are slow enough and they can see far enough ahead to ensure no on-coming traffic, they might move to the right and allow passing.
AASHTO says 11-feet is not wide enough to share. The 1999 AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities is somewhat ambivalent about shared lanes but indicates that 12-feet is a minimum. The 2009 DRAFT AASHTO Guide for the Planning, Design, and Operation of Bicycle Facilities is more definitive. It states: "Lane widths of 13 feet (4.0 m) or less require most motor vehicles to be driven at least part way into the next lane to pass a bicyclist with an adequate and comfortable clearance (usually 3 ft [0.9 m] or more depending on the speed of the passing vehicle). Lane widths of 14 feet (4.3 m) or greater enable motorists to pass bicycles without encroaching into the adjacent lane." The draft guide recognizes that a wider lane may be required on steep grades and says, "Roadways with shared lanes narrower than 14 feet (4.3 m) may still be designated for bicycles with bicycle guide signs and/or shared lane markings..."
AASHTO says a 2-foot shoulder is not wide enough for safe bicycle operation. The 1999 AASHTO guide states that bicycles require a minimum of 40 inches (1.0 m) of lateral operating space. It says that paved shoulders should be at least 4-feet wide to accommodate bicycles. It suggests that 5-feet is preferred and wider may be required adjacent to high speed and high volume motor traffic. It does recognize that any shoulder is better than none at all. The West Run shoulder would have to be 4-feet or more to be useful.
Most motorists will not run over a bicyclist if they can see the bicyclist and have sufficient time to react. The first priority for the DOH then, should be to ensure that bicyclists are visible in the West Run corridor. Signage will help alert motorists to bicyclist presence. DOH must ensure that sight lines are long enough and speeds are low enough to allow all motorists to see bicyclists or slow-moving vehicles or stopped vehicles, to have sufficient time to decide what to do and to take the correct action.
Most motorists will pass the bicyclist if and when they can. Almost no motorists obey the law that prohibits crossing the center line in such cases. Many motorists will cross the center line even when there is on-coming traffic or when they cannot see far enough ahead to ensure that there is no on-coming traffic such as when approaching a blind curve or blind hill crest. If the lane is too narrow to share, cyclists riding in the lane rather than far to the right discourage motorists from trying to squeeze past when there isn't room.
If the cyclist determines that moving to the right would provide sufficient space for the overtaking vehicle to pass him or her safely, the cyclist should move to the right. If the bicyclist judges that he or she cannot be passed safely, he or she must control the lane. How much space is sufficient depends on many factors. Some factors include lane width; whether the cyclist thinks the driver of an overtaking vehicle can see him or her; how fast the cyclist is going; how fast the overtaking vehicle is going; whether the cyclist is climbing, descending or riding on level road; how far ahead the cyclist can see; whether any traffic is coming; whether there's a paved shoulder; shoulder width; shoulder condition and what's adjacent to the roadway. If the cyclist determines that moving to the right will not provide sufficient space for the motorist to pass safely, the cyclist should take a position in the lane that prevents the motorist from passing.
Finally, as you know, the West Run Planning District recently enacted a zoning ordinance. Article 2600. Roads and Rights-of-Way of the ordinance says that collectors that serve 40 or more residential dwelling units or lots must have 12-foot lanes, 2-foot shoulders and 50-feet right of way.
Beyond improving West Run Rd., the Bicycle Board recommends that the MPO and WVDOH reconsider the West Run alternatives described in the current 2030 Transportation Plan. These include a separate bike path through the West Run valley, an extension of the Poultry Farm Road to West Run Rd. and other alternatives connecting to West Run.
I look forward to the opportunity to cruise West Run with you and WVDOH staff so we can visualize and discuss these ideas on site.
Frank D. Gmeindl Chairman, Morgantown Municipal Bicycle Board LCI #1703 491 WilsonAvenue Morgantown, WV 26501 304-376-0446 Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles