Bicycle Board Members,

Please review the Mon Blvd Bike Lane recommendations that I provided to Bill Austin below and let me know if anything is wrong.

Frank
Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: WV DOH Response to Letter Concerning Closing of Rail Trail
Date: Sun, 23 Aug 2009 23:06:03 -0400
From: Frank Gmeindl <fgmeindl@verizon.net>
To: 'Bill Austin' <baustin@moncpc.org>
CC: Don Spencer <dspencer36@comcast.net>
References: <!&!AAAAAAAAAAAYAAAAAAAAAAuYcVxyjk9GhP69k7n4dyXCgAAAEAAAAPz1QKWjjAhOgGPhxq7u/noBAAAAAA==@moncpc.org> <8A27568BD739443A9C65CB9FB9D21F9C@donhome>


Bill,

It might help me to understand what we're trying to do if you shared with me the WVDOH letter to which you and Don are referring.  I was not aware of it until I received Don's message below.

Does the MPO have a plan drawing of the existing Monongahela Blvd. between Eighth Street and Patteson Drive?  If so, could I get a copy and mark it up to show the bike lane?

I would use the 1999 AASHTO Guide to the Development of Bicycle Facilities ( http://www.sccrtc.org/bikes/AASHTO_1999_BikeBook.pdf ) and the 2003 Manual of Uniform Guidelines for Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) Part 9 Traffic Controls for Bicycle Facilities ( http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/htm/2003/part9/part9-toc.htm ) for guidance for the markup.

Pages 22-32 of the AASHTO Guide deal with bike lanes.

Stripe width
Page 23 explains that a 6-inch solid stripe is common but some jurisdictions have used an 8-inch stripe "for added distinction".  I would recommend a 6-inch stripe to minimize resistance from the WVDOH.  All markings on the bike lane should be white.

Lane width
Page 23 and Figure 6 on page 24 indicate that we should designate a 5-foot wide bike lane since parking is prohibited and there is a gutter and curb. 

Marking Symbols
Clearly marking the bike lane as one-way is imperative.  Figure 13 on page 31 provides templates for typical one-way arrows and bike lane symbols.  The arrow symbol and the bicycle symbol should be sufficient to communicate to both motorists and cyclists that this is a bike lane and that bicycles are to travel up it.

Symbol locations
Figure 14 on page 32 shows recommended locations for the symbols with respect to intersections.  The text on page 31 also says, "additional stencils may be placed on long uninterrupted sections of roadway". 

I would recommend placing the bicycle symbol and arrow symbol as shown in Figure 14 beginning 6-feet from the north end of the driveway north of Advance Auto. Because of the traffic volume entering and exiting Advance Auto and the Exxon station, starting the bike lane further south would jeopardize cyclists' safety and may present liability to the state and those businesses. 

I would recommend repeating the bicycle symbol and arrow symbol every 250 feet after their initial location.  250 feet spacing is consistent with MUTCD guidelines for other markings and signs and will provide a frequent reminder to motorists that there's a bike lane to their right. 

Where to end the bike lane
Figure 10 on page 28 depicts typical bicycle and auto movements at major intersections.  This figure clearly makes the points I was trying to make to you and Don when we were discussing where the bike lane should end near Evansdale Drive.  Page 29 shows preferred treatments for the bike lane when it comes to a right turn lane as at the intersection of Mon Blvd. and Evansdale Drive.  I believe the treatment that is most likely to get WVDOH buy-in is represented in Figure 10-d.  This treatment requires no changes to the existing markings.  It is also least likely to discourage cyclists from selecting correct lane positioning when going straight through or making left turns. 

The AASHTO Guide provides limited guidance on where the bike lane should end.  Fortunately, the MUTCD provides some guidance. 

The MUTCD Section 9C.04 Markings For Bicycle Lanes states, "When the right through lane is dropped to become a right turn only lane, the bicycle lane markings should stop at least 100 feet before the beginning of the right turn lane."  While in our case, the right through lane is not "dropped" to become a right turn only lane, the intent of this guideline is to provide sufficient distance, 100 feet, for the bicyclist to merge into the right through lane before autos begin to turn right.  Therefore, I would recommend that bike lane end 100 feet before the beginning of the right turn lane from Mon Blvd. onto Evansdale Drive. 

Signage
The MUTCD Section 9B.04 Bicycle Lane Signs also provides valuable guidance on signage.  I would recommend placing the following signs at the following locations (the letters and numbers in parentheses after the sign text designate the specific sign number that can be found in the MUTCD):
1.  BIKE LANE (R3-17) AHEAD (R3-17aP) 6 feet after the intersection of Eighth Street and Mon Blvd.;
2.  BIKE LANE (R3-17)  at the beginning of the bike lane and every 1000 feet thereafter (the MUTCD requires BIKE LANE signs to accompany bike lane markings but "the signs need not be adjacent to every symbol to avoid overuse of the signs";
3.  BIKE LANE (R3-17)  ENDS (R3-17bP) at the end of the bike lane;
4.  BEGIN RIGHT TURN LANE, YIELD TO BIKES (R4-4) at the beginning of the right turn lane;
5.  SHARE THE ROAD signs (SHARE THE ROAD (W16-1) plaque in conjunction with the W11-1 (bicycle in diamond shaped sign) sign every 250 feet on both sides along Don Knotts Blvd., Beechurst Av., the west side of Mon Blvd. between Eighth St. and Evansdale Drive, both sides of Mon Blvd. between Evansdale Dr. and the Edith Barrill (Star City) Bridge.  (Please note that the Bicycle Board recommended and the Traffic Commission approved these share the road signs at the same time that the Bicycle Board recommended and the Traffic Commission approved the Mon Blvd. bike lane.)

I'm sure I overlooked some things.  I hope you've discovered and noted them as you read the above. 

I look forward to the next step.

Frank
Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles



On 8/23/2009 1:48 AM, Don Spencer wrote:

Bill – Sorry to be absent from my computer so much this week. I appreciate your meeting with us last Monday to work on the bike lane. I promise to stay out of your way on this issue - as far as the MPO structure is concerned.

 

If a local drawing is needed, I would rather have the Bicycle Board create the drawing first and then have it taken to the City Manager and Engineer for their review and action. The Bicycle Board has more experience in understanding cycling issues than do the Engineering personnel – even though they have resources which they can use to check out and confirm standards. The DOH will have their own opinion too, but it is important for us to say what we proposed…first.

 

Frank Gmeindl needs to be the point person – in my opinion.

 

Don

 

From: Bill Austin [mailto:baustin@moncpc.org]
Sent: Friday, August 21, 2009 2:24 PM
To: 'Bill Austin'; dspencer36@comcast.net
Subject: RE: WV DOH Response to Letter Concerning Closing of Rail Trail

 

Don,

 

I wasn’t sure you got this the last time I sent it. One key question I have is will the City be able to provide a drawing of the typical section we are proposing? Do you need to have the City Manager request it from the City Engineer? I will be happy to work with the appropriate person on the specifications. Please let me know who that is.

 

Thanks,

 

Bill

 

From: Bill Austin [mailto:baustin@moncpc.org]
Sent: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 9:52 AM
To: 'dspencer36@comcast.net'
Subject: FW: WV DOH Response to Letter Concerning Closing of Rail Trail

 

Don,

 

Thanks for meeting with me yesterday. I was rereading the attached response from DOH this morning and had several thoughts. Please take a look at the next to last paragraph and the last paragraph on the first page. We need to do several things, first we need to note the City Managers commitment to placing the striping. Secondly, we need a drawing of THE typical cross-section of the striping that needs to be installed. It should probably be based on an ASHTO standard facility that has been constructed in West Virginia. I am looking into that now. We will need a draft engineering level product to share with the new technical committee by mid-September.  

 

 

Please let me know your thoughts.

 

Thanks,

 

Bill

 

From: Bill Austin [mailto:baustin@moncpc.org]
Sent: Monday, July 27, 2009 4:18 PM
To: 'Bellcom21@aol.com'; 'David Bruffy'; 'dspencer36@comcast.net'; 'gvmayor@comcast.net'; 'jlgoodwi@access.k12.wv.us'; 'Joe Fisher'; 'dulaneyoil@comcast.net'; 'Keller, Perry J'; 'bill@byrnehedges.com'; 'scmayor@comcast.net'; 'Moncom@aol.com'; 'djhstarcity@hotmail.com'; 'dulaneyoil@comcast.net'; 'statler4board@hotmail.com'
Cc: Mike Paugh
Subject: WV DOH Response to Letter Concerning Closing of Rail Trail

 

Board Members,

 

Please find attached a letter from Robert Pennington of the West Virginia Department of Highways responding to the MPO’s recent correspondence concerning the closing of the Rail Trail. We will continue to work to coordinate with DOH on this issue.

 

Regards,

 

Bill Austin, AICP

Executive Director

Morgantown Monongalia MPO

180 Hart Field Road

Morgantown, WVA  26508

304-291-9571

304-692-7225 Mobile