Noted for first time yesterday division of south side of GWB into pedestrian and cycling lanes--for real? a gaffe (like the head-on cycling logos on the west side path under the highway around 70th St?). Seems like it would imply 4 lanes of traffic (peds and cyclists each outgoing/incoming), and confusion/peril--maybe signage at the ends of the bridge clarifying 2 lanes and common courtesy/etiquette would be cheaper/better. Searched threads for last 60 days under GWB and George Washington Bridge and found nothing (in case I'm needlessly starting a new one).
Frank.
Bike/ped. lanes on GWB?
Sun, 05/23/2004 - 5:57am
Sun, 05/23/2004 - 9:41am
#1
"there's absolutely no way the bike/pedestrian ""lanes"" could possibly be enforced. seems like some bozo at dot (or whatever government department handles bridges) decided it would be a good idea. i wonder if any studies were done. i know one thing...not a SINGLE pedestrian or cyclist paid any attention to those guides. bike riders, for the most part, have enough comon sense to stick to the right and pass on the left...pedestrians don't give a s**t, and bladers should be knocked over the the side of the bridge to protect everyone else.
don (a cyclist, runner and blader)"
Sun, 05/23/2004 - 1:00pm
#2
This arrangement is extra silly since many of the pedestrians are hoping to stand/look/walk on the south side, where the view is.
Sun, 05/23/2004 - 1:32pm
#3
There are 12 or 14 small signs (6 or 7 facing each direction) indicating the same thing -- bikes on the south side/outside, pedestrians on the inside/northside of the south walkway. Those signs have been up for over 10 years, so this is no real change, although it is much more visible.
This is also in conformity with just about every other bridge in NYC (The GWB is administered by the Port Authority). The lower east river bridges all have signs to separate pedestrians and cyclists, though most are wider than the GWB walkway. When the 59th Street Bridge construction was finished they painted a line down the center of the walkway indicating bikes to one side, peds to the other. The 59th ST Bridge walkway is about the same width and probably gets similar usage. I haven't heard of any problems there. Common sense seems to work well.
Sun, 05/23/2004 - 9:24pm
#4
taxpayer money
"I wonder how much it cost to put down those directions that make no sense? If they needed to keep a crew busy, I can think of lots of repairs (curb cut, crumbling pavement) that would do the job.
I have been riding the bridge for about 4 years now, and it seems most people understand to ""drive/walk on the right, pass on the left if no one is coming the other way""."
Sun, 05/23/2004 - 7:08pm
#5
Seperated Lanes on the GW Bridge
I was so struck as to how ridiculous those lane markings are that I stopped and measured the distance across the walkway between the cables which are about every 25 feet. The net clearance between the cables is only about 66 inches or 33 inches per lane. It would be physically impossible for two cyclists to meet and stay on one side. What concerns me is that some people will try to observe them.
None were when I went back and forth across the bridge today.
Mon, 05/24/2004 - 5:10am
#6
Rules are Rules...
"7am Sunday morning. Nobody in sight except me and a runner. Through the fog, I see her, about 50 yards up, waving her arms and pointing towards the south side of the path.
""Wrong side!"", she yells, as I glide past.
I think these markings are gonna cause some drawer-bunching amongst the kind of people that always raised their hand to volunteer for hall monitor duty.
"
