Good points, Trevor. Also, if either the jogger or the motorist (or both) was paying less attention to what was on the other side of the bike lane stripe because they subconsciously assumed that the stripe would do what it normally does - keep separated lines of traffic separated - then they would be paying more attention if the bike lane stripe had not been there, and perhaps yet another bike lane tragedy (which easily could have involved a cyclist) could have been avoided.<br>
<br>I believe the concept of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_space" target="_blank">shared space</a> pioneered by Hans Monderman applies here:<br><br>(more below)<br><blockquote style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;" class="gmail_quote">
<p><b>Shared space</b> is a term used to describe an approach to the design, management and maintenance of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_space" title="Public space" target="_blank">public spaces</a> which reduces the adverse effects of conventional <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_engineering" title="Traffic engineering" target="_blank">traffic engineering</a>. The shared space approach is based on the observation that individuals' <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_behavior" title="Social behavior" target="_blank">behaviour</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic" title="Traffic" target="_blank">traffic</a> is more positively affected by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Built_environment" title="Built environment" target="_blank">built environment</a> of the public space than it is by conventional <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Convention_on_Road_Signs_and_Signals" title="Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals" target="_blank">traffic control devices</a> (signals, signs, road markings, etc.) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rules_of_the_road" title="Rules of the road" target="_blank">regulations</a>.<sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_space#_note-0" title="" target="_blank">[1]</a></sup> This approach is considered to have been pioneered by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Monderman" title="Hans Monderman" target="_blank">Hans Monderman</a>.<sup><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_space#_note-1" title="" target="_blank">[2]</a></sup></p>
</blockquote><div><blockquote style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;" class="gmail_quote"><h2><span>The philosophy</span></h2><p>Safety, congestion, economic vitality and community severance can be
effectively tackled in streets and other public spaces if they are
designed and managed to allow traffic to be fully integrated with other
human activity, not separated from it. A major characteristic of a
street designed to this philosophy is the absence of traditional road
markings, signs, traffic signals and the distinction between "road" and
"<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidewalk" title="Sidewalk" target="_blank">pavement</a>". User behaviour becomes influenced and controlled by natural human interactions rather than by artificial regulation.</p>
</blockquote>
</div>There is a tradeoff between traffic throughput and the slower speeds/lesser throughput implied by shared space, so I'm not a proponent of removing all stripes, signs and pavement (Wade, to answer your question from a few days ago: I think fog lines and shoulder stripes have their purpose too - but I'm wary of riding to the right of them just as I'm wary of riding to the right of a bike lane stripe), but in the case of bike lane stripes I think bicyclists (and joggers) are much better off if the outside lane is one big attention-enhancing "shared space" (a.k.a. Wide Outside Lane, or WOL) rather than the attention-inhibiting "stripe separated space" (a.k.a. bike lane). The relatively minor reduction in throughput (caused by motorists perhaps having to slow a bit because they're being more careful due to the lack of separating stripe) is a valuable tradeoff, for the increased attention, lower speed differentials and better safety.<br>
<br>These tragedies are practically unheard of in shared space WOLs, and are all too common in bike lanes. I believe this is because everyone (motorists, bicyclists, peds and joggers) pays more attention in shared space WOLs, and less attention around bike lanes, and every time yet another person dies in a bike lane from yet another "inadvertent drift" into an <b>unnoticed</b> occupant of the bike lane, I am only more convinced that bike lanes cause create more harm than good for cyclists.<br>
<br>Serge<br><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Mar 6, 2008 at 10:01 AM, <<a href="mailto:trevorspoke@cox.net" target="_blank">trevorspoke@cox.net</a>> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"><div>> <a href="http://www.ocregister.com/news/bake-parkway-1991108" target="_blank">http://www.ocregister.com/news/bake-parkway-1991108</a><br>
<br>
</div>In California, at least, the law is that peds must use any suitable adjacent pedestrian facility. Most joggers would reasonably be expected to agree with each other that the concrete sidewalk is not suitable for jogging.<br>
<br>
The jogger was proceeding in the proper direction, facing vehicular traffic. In California, peds in the bike lane must yield to all vehicular traffic (for example, cyclists). Being in a bike lane, where the motorist is not allowed to drive, the ped is forgiven for not yielding to the motorist by getting out of the roadway.<br>
<br>
I hate the use of the word "veer" in news articles, because mostly it is used as a synonym for "drifted" when in fact it is a much more abrupt change of position. However, a ped facing motor traffic should be able to hop onto the curb before being run over, I'd think, unless the driver actually did perform an extreme and sudden swerve.<br>
<br>
-- Trevor<br>
<div><div></div><div><br>
<br>
_______________________________________________<br>
<br>
You are subscribed to the SDCBC mailing list as <a href="mailto:serge@issakov.org" target="_blank">serge@issakov.org</a><br>
To unsubscribe or change mailing options, go to <a href="http://www.bikesandiego.org/mailman/listinfo/sdcbc" target="_blank">http://www.bikesandiego.org/mailman/listinfo/sdcbc</a><br>
List privacy information is located at <a href="http://www.stickman-computing.org/aup" target="_blank">http://www.stickman-computing.org/aup</a><br>
For help or to talk with someone other than the mail robot, send e-mail to <a href="mailto:postmaster@stickman-computing.org" target="_blank">postmaster@stickman-computing.org</a><br>
</div></div></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>NOTE: Any opinions expressed above are mine and not necessarily shared by any organization in which I am involved.