![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I previously talked about different bidirectional two-lane streets in Berkeley/Albany. Gilman, which was narrow, and annoying and crossable; Marin, which was wide (parking, bike, wide travel, plus turn lanes), and a high-speed stream of death. Tonight I'll talk about Christian, also two-lanes, and even narrower than Gilman since there is parking on only one side[1]. It is objectively much more crossable than Marin, but has felt more annoying than Gilman, such that on my casual walks with no destination, I will often avoid crossing it. Why should this be the case? I don't know, but some ideas. ( Read more... )
a tale of two streets
2023-02-17 17:17I've talked about Marin Avenue before. But today I'll compare it to Gilman.
Gilman: 4 "lanes" wide, 2 traffic and 2 parking.
Marin: maybe 6 wide: 2 traffic, 2 parking, 2 bike lanes and a turn lane. Widths are such that I can't rule out it being 7/4 of Gilman rather than 6/4.
Notably, both are ostensibly just two lanes of traffic, one in each direction. But Gilman, even when it has a lot of actual cars, feels like a sleepy slow street that can support a lot of (sometimes judicious) 'jaywalking'. While Marin feels like a fast dangerous street where I had better use the right intersection -- ones with at least a beg button if not a stop light.
Why the difference? Probably Marin's traffic really is faster. I'm pretty sure it has fewer stop signs and such. And, ignoring any possible difference in lane width, the travel lanes have different contexts. On Marin you're between a little-used bike lane and an even less-used (and very wide) turn lane. On Gilman you're between parked cars and unbuffered oncoming traffic. Presumably the latter induces slower driving.
There's also that there's simply less distance for the hapless pedestrian to cross. 50-100% more, depending on whether one measures from the curb or from the edge of the parking lane.
Nothing too surprising here, really, but I find it interesting to work it out, especially in this case where the streets have the same number of traffic lanes (vs. the more usual case of 4 traffic lanes on the wider stroad.)
Gilman: 4 "lanes" wide, 2 traffic and 2 parking.
Marin: maybe 6 wide: 2 traffic, 2 parking, 2 bike lanes and a turn lane. Widths are such that I can't rule out it being 7/4 of Gilman rather than 6/4.
Notably, both are ostensibly just two lanes of traffic, one in each direction. But Gilman, even when it has a lot of actual cars, feels like a sleepy slow street that can support a lot of (sometimes judicious) 'jaywalking'. While Marin feels like a fast dangerous street where I had better use the right intersection -- ones with at least a beg button if not a stop light.
Why the difference? Probably Marin's traffic really is faster. I'm pretty sure it has fewer stop signs and such. And, ignoring any possible difference in lane width, the travel lanes have different contexts. On Marin you're between a little-used bike lane and an even less-used (and very wide) turn lane. On Gilman you're between parked cars and unbuffered oncoming traffic. Presumably the latter induces slower driving.
There's also that there's simply less distance for the hapless pedestrian to cross. 50-100% more, depending on whether one measures from the curb or from the edge of the parking lane.
Nothing too surprising here, really, but I find it interesting to work it out, especially in this case where the streets have the same number of traffic lanes (vs. the more usual case of 4 traffic lanes on the wider stroad.)
4-3 street conversions
2022-10-30 15:56There's a thing I've read about. You take a 4-lane street -- 2 travel lanes in each direction -- and cut it down. 1 travel lane in each direction, plus an alternating central turn lane. Supposedly it's safer, and has about the same throughput -- driver's side turns mean that the inner travel lane tends to get blocked by waiting cars anyway. And of course the conversion gives you space to play with.
I'm pretty sure this has happened to Marin Avenue, north of me, at some point. I had noticed that crossing it was unpleasant even at corners, let alone jaywalking -- it's wide and busy. But when I paid attention, I discovered it only has 1 travel lane each way! But it _is_ wide: each side has parking, a bike lane, and the travel lane, and then there's a rather wide turn lane. So, curb to curb, it's like a 6 lane street.
I'm glad they were able to carve some bike lanes out of the old street, but I wish they had found room for pedestrian bulbs or a median-refuge as well. Or both: bulbs at the corners, say, and a refuge island in the middle of blocks.
I'm pretty sure this has happened to Marin Avenue, north of me, at some point. I had noticed that crossing it was unpleasant even at corners, let alone jaywalking -- it's wide and busy. But when I paid attention, I discovered it only has 1 travel lane each way! But it _is_ wide: each side has parking, a bike lane, and the travel lane, and then there's a rather wide turn lane. So, curb to curb, it's like a 6 lane street.
I'm glad they were able to carve some bike lanes out of the old street, but I wish they had found room for pedestrian bulbs or a median-refuge as well. Or both: bulbs at the corners, say, and a refuge island in the middle of blocks.
