Letter | confusion over Kirkland’s bicycle lane striping

By on August 10, 2010 in Archived, Featured Slideshow, Headlines, Opinion

Dear Editor:

Seems the City has been busy restriping bike lanes. On Market street bike symbol is in the middle of traffic lane instead of a lane on the side of the traffic lane. One especially confusing is on Juanita Dr in front of Michaels. Bike lane all of a sudden cuts across a lane of traffic. Bicyclists are not staying in the bike lane here and I am not sure they understand either. Explanation could be informative.

Thanks.

Karen

Editor’s note: The three photos below illustrate the author’s point about how the right bike lane on Juanita Drive becomes the center bike lane at the intersection. The three photos were taken in succession while driving east on Juanita Drive. Note that the center bike lane is intended for bicyclists to continue straight through the intersection. Those turning right should use the right turn only lane. Some confusion may be added to the mix by the road sign shown in the second photo which makes two directives: Diamond (carpool) Right Lane and Bicycles Only. – Admin

About Karen Lightfeldt

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  • Scott

    From what I understand, the Diamond symbol does not mean “Carpool”, but indicates a “Preferential Only Lane.” According to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) (http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Operations/Traffic/mutcd.htm), Section 2B-26 (http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/pdfs/2003r1/Ch2B.pdf), Preferential Only Lanes “are lanes designated for special traffic uses such as high-occupancy vehicles (HOVs), light rail, buses, taxis, or bicycles. Preferential only lane treatments might be as simple as restricting a turning lane to a certain class of vehicles during peak periods, or as sophisticated as providing a separate roadway system within a highway corridor for certain vehicles.” Further, “The symbol and word message that appears on a particular Preferential Only Lane sign will vary based on the specific type of allowed traffic and on other related operational constraints that have been established for a particular lane, such as an HOV lane, a bus lane, or a taxi lane.”

    Does all of these lend support to confusion argument? Perhaps. But from what I can tell it doesn’t appear to be correct to call this a carpool (or “HOV”) lane just because of the diamond symbol.

  • Tia

    Has Kirkland started using the “sharrows” adopted by Seattle in recent months? That is a bike symbol in the middle of the lane with two arrows above it pointing in the direction of traffic flow. It indicates the lane is to be shared by bikes and cars alike.

    I think a better interpretation of the situation in the photos is that a right turn lane materializes on the right, not that the bike lane moves to the center. Whatever one calls it, though, it requires additional caution on the part of the drivers and riders. The restricted lane sign does appear to be in an unfortunate location.

  • Jon P

    I talked with the City and they will be removing the posted sign shown in the photo. It should have been removed as part of the restriping project. The striping is consistent with the MUTCD as pointed out in another comment. It identifes the federal guidelines in regards to traffic control devices and has been recently updated. The City’s Active Transportation Plan identifies the use of sharrow lanes and restriping of some roadways to identify bike lanes or widened shoulders. The Plan can be found at:
    http://www.ci.kirkland.wa.us/depart/Public_Works/Transportation___Streets/Active_Transportation_Plan.htm

  • http://kirklandviews.com Rob Butcher

    Scott,
    Thank you for the definition of what a diamond lane symbol means. I had always thought diamond lanes meant “carpool” and I stand corrected.
    Thank you for your comments.

  • Shelley

    I ride a lot in this area and was very happy to see that the city has made these important safety updates. This clarification in the Juanita area will help a great deal. Now it will be clear to cars whether a cyclist is going to go straight (thus will stay in the bike lane) or make a right turn (get into the right-hand turn lane). It will cut down on the motorists in the right-hand turn lane who “right-hook” a cyclist going straight in the bike lane. I look forward to seeing more of this infrstructure to support multi-modal transportation.