Congress Street on Munjoy Hill has been going under a repaving project the last few weeks. Today, they're painting the stripes — only it looks like they've taken the opportunity to reconfigure the lanes a bit:
Awesome, huh? Munjoy Hill now has a nice wide bike lane for uphill-bound cyclists! Downhill cyclists can travel at the speed of car traffic, so a separated lane isn't really necessary on that side, but it sure is nice while you're huffing uphill.
This was a complete surprise to this particular bike advocate, and a very pleasant one.
Thanks, Maine DOT and City Hall!
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3 comments:
It looks like this new lane is directly in the door zone. Is parallel parking still allowed on this stretch of Congress?
At least the low speed of uphill cyclists should minimize the chances of getting seriously doored.
It's only in the door zone to the same extent as the former shared travel lane was in the door zone.
This new bike lane is wide — as wide as the parking lane — and gives plenty of room to ride outside the door zone. And, as you note, it's much less of a risk going uphill anyhow; bicyclists will have plenty of time to spot someone about to exit their cars.
Good news. My wife and I still believe the city should follow what Montreal's done by creating dedicated bike lanes segregated from the vehicle lanes with curbs. They wouldn't need to be on all streets -- painted bike lanes are still a good thing, but on routes across town like on Forest, Brighton and Marginal they would be good. Thanks.
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