09-03-2018, 06:14 PM
(09-03-2018, 03:35 PM)tomh009 Wrote:(09-02-2018, 11:43 PM)Pheidippides Wrote: The pedestrian island that is too small to accommodate the volume, and types, of users. (…)
Just this weekend I saw a cargo bike unable to fit on the current island, and I regularly see the crossing full with people trying to cross. Back when I was pulling my bike trailer I would avoid this crossing because it was too dangerous. Frequently a motorist would stop for me on one side and then get angry that I wouldn't venture across to the island because I would not fit.
A bicycle with a trailer can be close to 3m long. Including some safety margin, that would require an island that's probable 3.5-4m wide. NACTO recommends 8-10' (2.4-3m wide), still quite narrow for a trailer-equipped bike.
I expect that the islands are not designed for bikes with trailers but, rather, pedestrians and trailer-less bicycles. Whether they should be designed for trailers is a valid point of discussion, but the reality is that trailers are used by a very small minority of bicycle users. (Outside North America, trailers are quite rare, people generally use child seats instead.) And designing for 100% of potential users is always more expensive than designing for 95%.
The crossing at Weber St is too narrow for a bicycle to sit comfortably, and given how frequently the sign is driven over drivers seem to not see it either. Even as a pedestrian there isn't enough room to comfortably stand on the platform with another ped in front.
I think the Weber platform is supposed to be 2.4 meters but I'd have to get a measuring tape to believe it. If it is, the 2.4 minimum is too small.
Keep in mind there are other advantages to larger platforms than simply accommodating trailers, you allow multiple users at the same time which would allowed greater capacity and also say, a parent and child. The island could be longer as well.
Of course enabling people to bike with children whether along side or in a trailer is one of the explicit goals, so it's hardly a 1% issue. Infrastructure should be for everyone.