11-24-2020, 03:46 PM
1) As far as I know, e-bikes are allowed where ever bikes are, unless explicitly prohibited. This excludes sidewalks, but does include MUTs, which are often disguised as sidewalks in our region.
2) Isn't the turning traffic normally at fault in any accident? Technically the cyclist has the right-of-way as the traffic that is continuing straight.
This gets at one of the things I don't like about our cycling infrastructure at all. We're designing a streetscape that is going to be more and more difficult for drivers to navigate as cycling becomes more common. It's bad enough having overtaking traffic on the right, but if drivers anticipate a cyclist might be in the bike lane and pedestrians on the sidewalk, they know where they need to look in advance of moving. With MUT/sidewalk combos, though, they not only have to pay attention to pedestrian traffic when turning, they also have to watch out for cyclists coming from up to three different directions as well as car traffic. With the mixture of bike lanes, MUT/sidewalks, separated bidirectional bike lanes on one side of the road, and configurations that switch between all of these randomly at any given intersection, the cognitive load for drivers is going to be raised, which isn't necessarily good when it comes to safety.
2) Isn't the turning traffic normally at fault in any accident? Technically the cyclist has the right-of-way as the traffic that is continuing straight.
This gets at one of the things I don't like about our cycling infrastructure at all. We're designing a streetscape that is going to be more and more difficult for drivers to navigate as cycling becomes more common. It's bad enough having overtaking traffic on the right, but if drivers anticipate a cyclist might be in the bike lane and pedestrians on the sidewalk, they know where they need to look in advance of moving. With MUT/sidewalk combos, though, they not only have to pay attention to pedestrian traffic when turning, they also have to watch out for cyclists coming from up to three different directions as well as car traffic. With the mixture of bike lanes, MUT/sidewalks, separated bidirectional bike lanes on one side of the road, and configurations that switch between all of these randomly at any given intersection, the cognitive load for drivers is going to be raised, which isn't necessarily good when it comes to safety.