How to turn left into apartment complex - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

12-02-2004, 04:34 PM

Lately I've been riding from my older daughter's middle school to work, and
then back, every day. The school is inconveniently located on major
arterials. For the AM commute, it appears to be working for me to go down a
big hill for 15 blocks, then do a long, steady climb out of the bog for a
couple of miles.

This hasn't been working as well for the return PM commute. I think the
problem is that the reverse of the long steady climb means that my speed is
much faster than most motor vehicles think bicycles go. I seem to have
problems with people trying to muscle me out of the lane (see Bad Girl
thread) for no good reason, right hook me, turn left into me -- all sorts of
bad motorist behavior -- and sometimes multiple instances in a single ride.
The AM commute so far has been completely problem-free. As a result, I've
decided that, while it works in the morning, I don't want to go home that
way any more.

So, I've decided that, for the way home, I'm going to take a different
arterial. This just requires me, at the very end of the ride, to turn left
into an apartment complex, ride to the back of last set of buildings, take
my bike through the hole in the fence, and then ride along a dirt trail
through the woods that leads to the back the middle school.

I'm kind of fond of riding on compact dirt trails through the woods, so so
far, this has been a satisfying route. The only problem is the left turn
into the apartment building. (Probably only Dane J. knows where this is --
I'm turning into the Central Park West Apts on 156th Ave NE) It's a fairly
heavily-trafficked arterial at this point: four lanes plus a central
"suicide" turn lane. There are apartments on both sides of the street, and
further down at one end is a regional shopping center, and at the other end,
is the Microsoft Corporate Campus. So, some level of motor vehicle traffic,
right? In front of the apartments the suicide lane is cemented in, such that
motor vehicles can not turn left into the complex. There is a fancy lighted
crosswalk for pedestrians to cross the street right there.

Here are the options:

1. Be a motor vehicle. Go past the complex. Boldly cross over the two lanes
of traffic, enter the suicide lane, pull a U turn, and go back a few blocks,
and turn right into the complex.

2. Use the traffic signal before the complex...
a. by boldly crossing over two lanes of traffic before the light and
turning left; or,
b. by dismounting at the light and being a pedestrian, and walking the
bike across
....then putting the bike on to the sidewalk, and riding or walking it the
wrong way a half block and then taking it into the complex

3. Dismount at the fancy lighted crosswalk, walk the bike across the street,
and directly enter the complex.

Additional considerations:

1. Does it even make sense to consider a vehicular cycling philosophy in
choosing the above options, when one's goal is a dirt path that runs from
the hole in the fence?

2. The traffic is so fast and thick such that crossing over several lanes to
make a left would be unpleasant.

3. The closest I have ever come in recent memory to hitting a cyclist while
driving was at the fancy lighted crosswalk -- some guy zipped across and I
wasn't expecting him.

Your opinions?

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
Home of the meditative cyclist:
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
Personal page: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
See the books I've set free at: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]