Does Your Traffic Engineer Know You're There?

It's the law: "Every person driving a bicycle shall have all of the rights and all the duties applicable to the driver of any other vehicle by this Code..."

I assume vehicle drivers have a right to expect functioning traffic control devices.

I assume The City is breaking the law with their prevalent use of vehicle sensors at intersections that fail to detect bicycles.

I assume The City contributes to the behavior problem of red light running cyclists by systematically failing to acknowledge their presence at intersections.

I assume the behavior problem of red light running cyclists contributes to the behavior problem of red light running motorists.

...of which there have been more than 8 a day in 2009 at our famously camera monitored intersection.

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Dear Traffic Engineers:

Saturday I noted improved vehicle sensors at 18th & Southeastern Drive. Thank you.

Wednesday I attempted a legal left turn with my bicycle off 12th Street to the south bound sharrow on Main Ave. The vehicle sensor failed to detect my presence. I was unable to identify the sensor placement in the roadway.

In this situation the police department recommends a right turn and alternate route. I was in the left turn lane and a right turn would have me going the wrong way on a one-way street. I chose to break one law instead of two and performed a left turn against the red light.

Please consider placement indicators for vehicles that aren’t automobiles at this intersection.

Thank you.

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The following intersections have been improved for motorcycles and bicycles in 2009:

22nd & Lake
26th & Lake
41st & West
32nd & Sertoma
3rd & Cliff
8th & West
22nd & Western
37th & Western
37th & Kiwanis
26th & 4th
18th & Southeastern

The following have been requested and may be complete:

26th & Center
12th & Main Ave
18th & Summit
37th & Minnesota
26th & Grange

Improved intersections look something like this:



In addition to the paint (which is temporary) the sensitivity of the detection device has been increased (which is not necessarily permanent).