Roads designed to accommodate more than just motorized vehicles are becoming more common, but sometimes mixing different modes of transportation can create conflicts.
Q. Going east on Wayne Street and turning right onto Clinton, if I stay in the right lane until I turn, another car frequently pulls up on my right in the bike lane to make his own turn, resulting in a near collision.
What is proper protocol here? – Jerry M.
A. Well, Jerry, being safe is always the best protocol, but unfortunately we can’t control what other drivers do.
Marty Bender, deputy Fort Wayne police chief, said at this intersection there is a small area past the parking meters that serves as a kind of one-car turn lane. He said it is appropriate for vehicles to cross the bike lanes and enter this area to turn.
Bender said vehicles should not travel in bike lanes, but turning, obviously, requires driving through them. This is fine as long as no bicycle is present.
The good news is that Bender said the area is going to receive a fresh coat of paint soon.
Q. I read about cities that placed downtown bicycle lanes between the parking spaces and the curbs to buffer them from car traffic.
Was that ever considered in Fort Wayne for streets, such as Wayne and Berry? – Luther Strasen
A. This might work in other communities, Luther, but don’t expect to see it on Wayne and Berry.
Shan Gunawardena, city traffic engineer, said the alignment would be problematic on those downtown streets. Primarily, it would require the city to remove the sidewalk bumps at the intersections with Calhoun Street and others.
Those bumps provide greater pedestrian safety by reducing crossing distances, but they would make it impossible to ride a bike through them.
Construction updates
•Indiana 3 will be restricted between West Shoaff Road and Simon Road until the end of June to repair the bridge over the Willow Creek Ditch, a mile north of Huntertown. One lane will be open at all times.
•Interstate 469 will have lane reductions to allow for bridge work over Interstate 69 on the south end through June. One lane will be open in both directions throughout the project.
•Pontiac Street is closed to all traffic between Adams Street and Alexander Street for two months to allow the installation of a sewer pipe. Drivers will be detoured to Wayne Trace, Oxford Street and Anthony Boulevard.
Radio Sage
This week’s audio question comes from Candace Lauber of New Haven who asks about signs along Interstate 469. The segment originally aired Friday afternoon on WOWO and can be found online at www.journalgazette.net/roadsage.
