To: Chase_walman@tempe.gov

College Avenue “Orange” alternative

As you know, College Avenue is a major north/south bicycling corridor, especially because of the presence of the Arizona State University campus, and a dedicated shared-use bike & pedestrian bridge over US60. The area between US60 and ASU campus was improved with traffic calming several years ago and remains a very safe road for all users.

It has come to our attention that the City of Tempe is considering various treatments along College Ave south of US60; an area that is primarily residential and currently has no bicycling-specific striping or pavement markings.

When selecting please refrain from placing designated bike lanes withing the door zone of parked vehicles; The two “Orange” Alternatives; Bike Lanes with a parking lane show such treatment with the right-hand edge of the bike lane only 8 feet from the curb which places most of the width of the bike lane within a hazard-zone. This places bicyclists in the uncomfortable position of need to ride away from door zones to remain safe and inevitably suffer harassment, or worse, from motorists.

You may wish to consult  NCHRP 766 Recommended Bicycle Lane Widths for Various Roadway Characteristics which documents that the open door width of  most private passenger vehicles extends about 11 feet from the curb (and of course, vehicles can be wider still; and drivers often park their vehicles further from the curb). Bicycle facilities should be designed to keep cyclists out of this hazard zone. More information about placing Bike Lanes adjacent to parking can be found here.

Regards,

Ed Beighe
President
Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists

The presentation made by city staff can be found in the 9/11/2018 meeting packet for the Tempe Transportation Commission, item 7 of the lengthy document (seach down for “College Ave”)

More information on the projects, see the City’s page College Avenue BikeIt Project. There is an online comment form that can be submitted there (see Click here to comment online from Oct. 27 to Nov. 12, 2018)