The Bicycle Club of Irvine

[BCI]

Have you ever noticed a bike lane that needs better striping?
Seen a bike lane that suddenly turns into a striped shoulder into a freeway on-ramp ?
A right turn pocket that looks right, with the bike lane through and the turn lane on it's right, and example where they saved the paint & skipped the bike lane stripe?

Please add your questions, comments or observations here on on-street bike ways that work well, or have issues...

[Bill Sellin]

A Bike Lane has a wider (6") white stripe and a symbol painted that says BIKE ONLY to show some direction of travel and let drivers know it is a bike lane. At corners it often breaks into a dashed line to let drivers know it may be used as a right turn lane, or breaks before a corner to allow turning cars to use the lane as a right turn lane. Motorists are not supposed to drive in the bike lane unless they are turning Right from it, and there is not already a bike in that space... Cyclists are supposed to stay in the bike lane unless there is an obstical, hazard or they are passing another vehicle (like slower bikes or a stopped or slower moving car)

A stripped shoulder is marked with a narrow (4") striped road edge line, and at corners it often curves back into the gutter / curb. The edge of road line is like a "virtual" curb. If there is a real curb, there is usually no line painted. Drivers know that they should not drive cars there; bike drivers often do drive on the shoulder as there is no bike lane typically if there is a striped shoulder. The pavement on a shoulder is not as smooth or thick as a bike traffic lane.

Northbound Culver on street lane is well marked as it crosses the freeway. It is clear that the bike lane continues the way it is painted at the 'gore point' at the on ramp to the 405 South. It is properly striped and labeled as the bike lane.
Over the bridge the lane gets pretty narrow, but is still better than the narrow sidewalk.
At the North side however, the bike lane stripe turns onto the Northbound on-ramp; so the bike lane has changed into a striped shoulder. Across the on-ramp, the gore point is painted with a striped shoulder, not a continued bike lane.

Past the Northbound off ramp from the 405 to Culver Northbound, the bike lane resumes as a broken line, suggesting that motorists should use the bike lane as a right turn aceleration lane to merge onto Culver. The 405 Freeway Path pops out onto Culver right there and could put a cyclist into a bike lane right where a car is accelerating, looking in their mirror for merging traffic coming North over the bridge.

Suggestions:
Repaint the gore point and continue the bike lane on the North side of the bridge.

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South bound:

Culver lane phases out as riders approach the 405. There is a narrow gap in the asphalt curb to get to the San Diego Freeway frontage Bike Trail West bound - and then you are in the on-ramp lane for the 405 North. The gore point is not a bike lane, but a closed striped shoulder. It would help if it had a Bike Lane striping and open lane continuation there.

Correct me if I am wrong... and I am sure the problems here are City striping crews having a different manual or standard than the CalTrans striping crews... and CalTrans does the Freeway bridges... but I still think it should be standardized & consistent.

Bill
_________________

Most of the world is either downhill or flat...

[expired]

I'm not yet in Irvine, so I'm trying to figure out possible bike routes with the bikeways map http://www.cityofirvine.org/depts/pw/projdev/bikeways_map.asp and Google Maps' satellite view. I would like to be able to go to Santa Ana. From the bikeways map, it looks like there's a bike lane on Edinger, but Google makes it look like there's fast traffic and no sidewalk. Are Barranca or the Warner overpass any better?

Thanks!

[Bill Sellin]

I am about to ride home now; I take Michelson West to the San Diego Creek North & get off at Alton; I jog West to Redhill North - then Jog West on Warner over the 55 Freeway to Grand North - all the way to Katella in Orange.

Edinger is under heavy construction between Redhill and the 55 Freeway; Barranca is ugly pavement & tight under the 55. Warner is much nicer!

Where do you start & want to get?

Bill
_________________

Most of the world is either downhill or flat...

[expired]

Thanks for your reply! I'm actually still looking for a place to live this summer, but I'm hoping to work in Santa Ana. At least it sounds like I can make do without a car.