08-13-2016, 06:25 PM
(08-13-2016, 03:27 PM)jamincan Wrote: I was wondering if the rubber boot would make a difference for cyclists. I haven't had a chance to take a close look at how it is installed.
On the outer side of the rail, there is a bit of rubber pretty well at the same level as the rail and concrete. On the inner side, it sits lower to give space for the wheel flange. I believe this space is temporarily filled with a filler strip when they pour the concrete although I'm not sure. Overall, my impression is that the embedded track is about as close to being flat pavement as possible given the need for a flangeway. As long as a bicycle crosses at no less than maybe a 60 degree angle, it should be a barely noticeable bump. It’s a bit hard to tell now because in few or no places is the surrounding road completely done, so there is usually a bump at the edge of the concrete or even an irregular surface near the concrete. But based on what I’ve observed so far, I think crossing over embedded tracks will be about as low impact as possible.