Whether intentional by proactive design or inadvertent by miscommunication (what the city referred to as “striping mistake of our roadway contractor”), bike lanes were created on the eastern half of Honeycutt Road this summer. They subsequently became embroiled in the debate over the speed limit along that corridor, with city staff ultimately deciding to remove the bike lanes in lieu of decreasing the speed limit. The reaction from local cyclists was mixed.

•    “Maricopa needs to share the road. With growing communities and more children going to our schools we need the bike lanes.” – Jamie Cunningham-Knudsen

•    “I’d be interested to see the math behind the impact of changing the speed limit on that section – how many minutes (let’s be honest, seconds) more do folks take to get across that eastern stretch of Honeycutt if the speed limit is 35 instead of 45?

“I’m irritated and upset that people find those seconds more valuable than the safety of the cyclists using the new lanes. I feel like the three-foot law actually winds up causing more of a slow down than switching the speed limit does – most folks honor it (even on that stretch), so they slow down or stop to have the room to pass.”  – Janean Jump

•    “The math is pretty easy to do. At 35 mph it takes 1.72 minutes to travel one mile. At 45 mph it takes 1.33 minutes to travel one mile. The difference is about 23 seconds per mile traveled.

“One of the biggest reasons my wife and I bought a home in Maricopa is that it has a great quality of life for its residents. Safe streets for cyclists and pedestrians are integral to having a great quality of life in a community. Increasing speed limits on our streets and removing bike lanes from them are moves in the wrong direction.” – Kevin Craig

[quote_right]A road with a poorly designed bike lane is actually more dangerous than a road without one. [/quote_right]

•    “I think any road without a bike lane should have sign stating bikes may use full lane. I know we are not California, but it is the law here, too. You just don’t see any cities using these signs here to remind motorist.” –Richard Jackson

•    “A road with a poorly designed bike lane is actually more dangerous than a road without one. As a cyclist that lives in Tortosa and actually rides this stretch of road, I’m glad they are removing the bike lane. It was not even close to meeting the minimum national safety standards established by AASHTO and actually made the ride more dangerous.” – Brian Gould

Thanks to Maricopa writer Janet Buckwalter for gathering these opinions from the Maricopa Cycling Club.

This was published in the October edition of InMaricopa News.

 

1 COMMENT

  1. I use the bike lane all the way from Duncan Dr. to White & Parker Rd. and feel that they are just fine the way they are now (Oct 22 2015). Maybe I am just young and having lived in Chandler and biking up and down Dobson where it's 45mph and the bike lane isn't much wider if at all then it is on Honeycutt. I feel perfectly safe riding, especially in the area between Porter and White & Parker where there is an extra buffer lane which I feel is unnecessary. Sure it's not a full lane where I can ride side by side with my cronies as I lazily wind my way through Maricopa enjoying my retirement and there isn't a guard rail between me and some crazy lady in a Chevy Tahoe but that's what you get for riding on the road. If you don't like it walk on the sidewalk. I also do not promote riding in the main traffic lanes if unnecessary and for an extended period of time. It slows traffic, which can cause accidents, and makes people angry which can cause physical harm to you. Please be kind and remember to use bike lights and helmets.