Bicycle use questions return to the column again this week as conflicts arise when people don’t follow the rules.
Q. Aren’t bicycle riders supposed to go with traffic flow, not against it? It seems to me this could be hazardous for both bike rider and car driver. – Lois Marquart
A. You are right on all accounts, Lois.
When riding on the road, people on bicycles should act as if they are driving a car. This means stopping for red lights, signaling when turning and, of course, going the right direction on one-way streets. It also means people shouldn’t be riding their bicycles on sidewalks – it is illegal to do so in business districts.
People on bikes are always supposed to yield the right of way to vehicles and pedestrians – mostly because any accident is likely to hurt the bike rider more than anyone else.
The question is whether we want police worrying about ticketing people on bikes – as education and enforcement are truly the only ways to change behavior. I know that many people on bikes aren’t going to follow all the rules, all of the time. But biking against traffic is dangerous and should be avoided.
Q. Could you please give me an estimate as to when Indiana 114 will reopen between Indiana 9 and U.S. 24? Thank you. R. L. Hollenberg
A. I definitely can, R.L. According to the Indiana Department of Transportation, work on Indiana 114 is to be completed in mid-August. The road between North 200 East and South 200 East is closed for numerous structure replacements in both Huntington and Whitley counties. The detour follows Indiana 9 to U.S. 24 and adds about 15 miles for through traffic.
Angola shines
A multiyear effort to improve U.S. 20 in downtown Angola is finally complete, and the city is ready to show itself off.
Angola will conduct a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. Friday in front of City Hall.
The city used two grants totaling more than $1 million to improve the corridor through the city by rebuilding sidewalks, improving accessibility and creating a buffer for pedestrians. The work just being finished includes installing curb ramps, new street striping and planted medians along the highway.
The intent of the work was to slow traffic and encourage some of the 1,600 tractor-trailer rigs that drive through downtown daily to take a different route. U.S. 20 through Angola is a fairly popular shortcut from Interstate 69 to Interstate 80/90 that allows motorists to skip a toll and not lose much time.
Radio Sage
This week’s audio sage question comes from Delores Zelt, who asks about Lake Avenue between Anthony and Coliseum boulevards. The segment originally aired Friday afternoon on WOWO and can be found online at www.journalgazette.net/roadsage
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