Council: No to Downtown Bike Lanes
Adding them would be too dangerous, the Canton City Council said Thursday night.
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Canton won't be adding bike lanes downtown.
"My opinion," city engineer Joby West told the council Thursday night, "we should not try to squeeze any bike lanes around the downtown loop."
The discussion first surfaced at the April 5 work session and again at the April 19 city council meeting by Sarah Cool, a Canton-Sixes Patch Local Voices columnist who is fairly new to the area.
Last month, she said an officer "hollered at me" to ride on the street, not the sidewalk.
"I understand that if I do so in the future, that I could incur a $20 fine for doing so," she wrote in an email to council members on April 4. "I could also be fined for allowing my 9-year-old daughter to do the same. And that's where my initial concern comes from: I will not allow my inexperienced 9-year-old daughter to ride her bicycle in traffic."
She suggested the city create downtown bike lanes.
"All it will take is some paint and a few signs," she said in that April 4 email. "This is an inexpensive solution to a very important safety concern."
Thursday night, the city's engineer and council members said adding bike lanes would bring their own set of safety concerns.
West said he researched cities of comparable sizes and reviewed studies that showed the likelihood of injuries and fatalities when downtown bike lanes were added.
Council member John Beresford said he conducted "a couple of test runs" of his own, pulling in and out of downtown's parking spaces, which are at a 45-degree angle.
"A number of cars were swerving out of my lane because you can't see anything when you back out until you actually get out in the lane," Beresford said. "If you had somebody on a bicycle coming down, you're looking for a car as best you can and there is a tendency that you won't see a biker. And to me, it's very dangerous and I just see that that would be a major handicap for the pedestrians downtown, for the shoppers downtown, for anything else to be able to try to squeeze in bikers downtown. It's bad enough backing up without having bikers."
Council member Bob Rush agreed with Beresford.
"It's utterly dangerous," he said. "If you had no parking, perhaps you could have a bike lane. With parking on both sides of the street," he said, "it's difficult."
Mayor Gene Hobgood said he didn't see how the city could "retrofit" downtown to accommodate bike lanes and cyclists.
Sarah Cool
7:39 am on Friday, May 4, 2012
What I eventually proposed was this: Rather than actual bike lanes, beginning with the square/downtown Canton area, where it is currently illegal to bike on the sidewalks, let's paint what are called "sharrows" on the pavement of the right hand lanes going in both directions for 8 or 10 blocks around the square/downtown Canton area. A shared-lane marking or "sharrow" is a street marking painted on a travel lane to indicate that a bicyclist may use the lane.
"Sharrows" act as a reminder to motorists that they must share the road with bicyclists.
"Sharrows" remind bicyclists that they are encouraged to ride on the road, not on the sidewalk.
They also remind bicyclists in which direction to ride.
And doing this in Canton will convey a welcoming message to bicyclists from the City of Canton.
Win. Win. Win. Win. Right? Beyond the square/downtown area, we can select major thoroughfares to paint the "sharrows" on, such as Riverstone Parkway and others, to increase these efforts citywide.
Sarah Cool
7:56 am on Friday, May 4, 2012
I also stated that there will be numerous benefits to our community by making this small investment:
We will certainly be viewed as a progressive community by encouraging safe bicycling in our town.
We can use this feature to attract others to visit Canton.
We will combat the recent negative publicity that the GreenLaw report has created about Canton being the No. 2 pollution "hotspot" in a 14-county region.
We will encourage the benefits of healthy living and exercising for our community.
And most importantly, we will create an atmosphere of safety and concern for those who choose more and more to bicycle as a means of alternate transportation, especially as the price of gasoline continues to increase.
Sarah Cool
8:20 am on Friday, May 4, 2012
Prohibiting folks from riding their bikes on the sidewalks around the downtown/square area with six or eight signs posted indicating NO BICYCLES ALLOWED ON SIDEWALK; forcing them to ride in the street WITHOUT proper bike lanes or "sharrows"; with the threat of a ticket for riding on the sidewalks (even if it is only $20) ... is MORE dangerous than providing lanes or "sharrows". Don't you think?
Terry Tucker
5:21 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012
Downtown Canton is not the best place for bike lanes. I'm not sure I would ride there depending on time of day. The people backing out of parking spots scare me when I drive there.
For those that think roads were built for cars:
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/traffic/2011/04/roads_were_built_for_cars_not.html
Terry Tucker
3:52 pm on Saturday, May 5, 2012
James I don't live in the past either. But I am a fan of rule of law - not mob rule. The law says bikes have as much right to the road as cars.
You are using a slippery slope argument? We don't have lanes for roller blades, skateboards... because they can use the sidewalk. They aren't considered vehicles.
Why is it anytime bikes are discussed the first point is made about a fool on a bike breaking the law. You point out "a teenager texting and driving". Should all teens be banned from driving? Or should laws be enforced to make sure all obey?
I see motorists changing running lights, rolling stop signs,... Do I think all drivers do this? No, that would be silly.
It frightens me that ( a few) drivers feel their right to the road entitles them to vigilante behavior. Wonder how they will feel the day they injure or kill somebody because they couldn't be bothered with sharing the road?
Terry Tucker
12:17 pm on Sunday, May 6, 2012
When i first began riding I would not ride on the road. It wasn't until I became pretty skilled that I would. My responsibility is to hold my line and not block traffic.
I ride in Cherokee County a lot. I try to ride in areas that are bike friendly and not during rush hour. 99% of cars I encounter are friendly and pass me safely. A car and a bike can fit in most lanes while still giving the cyclist space. If a car needs to move into another lane it adds a few seconds to wait for the lane to clear.
I've had more close calls running through my subdivision (and walking my kid to school) because cars don't understand stop signs and crosswalks.
Anytime I am on the road I am aware of inattentive drivers.
The original story was about bike lanes in downtown Canton. That will not work. I would love to see bike lanes in other parts of the county.
Sarah Cool
2:30 pm on Sunday, May 6, 2012
And it appears what was lost on the council was my ultimate suggestion that "sharrows" be painted on the right hand lanes, as I too came to the conclusion that bike lanes are not possible in downtown Canton, not the way it is currently designed anyway. Lanes are certainly possible in other parts of town, such as Riverstone Parkway. However, it doesn't appear the Council is considering anything further. Bicyclists do have a right to ride in whatever lane we wish. I simply brought up the subject for safety sake primarily, and all of the residual good benefits to be reaped with a little paint and a few signs. Seeing the benefits takes being able to think outside the box.