Danger in the bike lane
Matt Corwin was pedaling home from work on his usual route when he approached the University Bridge. A line of cars waited at the red light, as Corwin cruised past in the bike lane.
As he reached the intersection, the light turned green. An SUV turned right -- into Corwin's path. Corwin squeezed his hand brakes. He stopped 2 feet from the SUV. The driver never saw him.
"I would have run into the side of his car, Corwin recalled. "It's not like he would have run over me. I probably would have bounced off. But still, it was pretty disconcerting."At this same corner, 19-year-old cyclist Bryce Lewis was killed by a dump truck Sept. 7, as it turned from Eastlake Avenue East onto Fuhrman Avenue East.
"Right-hook" collisions, as riders call them, are among the most common risks of urban cycling. A bike enters an intersection going straight and gets hit by a right-turning car.
It's a problem that cities such as Seattle must solve as they encourage thousands of people to switch from cars to bicycles. Mayor Greg Nickels has set a goal of tripling bicycle use within a decade.
Currently, the city estimates that 4,000 to 8,000 people cycle to work or school each weekday, depending on the weather, and 36 percent of residents ride for fun, errands or a commute at least occasionally.
The city's new Bicycle Master Plan calls for expanding the bike-lane network, now 31 miles, to 143 miles by 2016, and extending the trail system from 39 miles to 58 miles. To address right-hook crashes, Seattle this spring will attempt to make bike lanes at a few busy intersections more noticeable by painting them green, a strategy already tried by other cities.
Veteran cyclists warn that unless riders stay alert, a bike lane can lure them into danger.
"Avoid the Suicide Slot," warns an essay by Kent Peterson, commute director for the Bicycle Alliance of Washington. He generally uses bike lanes but will often move left into the car lane to make himself more visible as he approaches intersections.
David Smith, of Seattle, a part-time cycling instructor with the Bicycle Driver Training Institute, argues that bike lanes create a false sense of security, and he avoids them. "It is an enormous task to help bicyclists overcome that eye candy in the streets." He advocates mixing with traffic, or "bicycle driving."
Continue reading this article from the Seattle Times:
Danger in the bike lane
