Fourth Avenue Underpass again
I think I’ve spent enough time riding through the thing to have an educated opinion about it now.
I have concluded that the tunnel itself is pretty nice, but the approach to it coming east on Broadway is literally life-threatening.
If you are downtown, say at the Superior Courthouse or La Placita, and you want to get to Fourth Avenue, you will ride east down Broadway and likely begin your merge across three lanes of traffic once you cross Sixth Avenue. At that point you have about a block to get across Broadway and into the far left turn lane to make your turn for the underpass.
The problem is that the already-dangerous merge is made considerably worse by, one, the trolley tracks that run parallel to your trajectory in the turn lane, and, two, the fact that traffic is (illegally) speeding up considerably there for its trip toward the Aviation Parkway.
If you haven’t tried this yet during a part of the day with traffic, do it. But wear reflective clothing. It’s terrifying.
I am an experienced cyclist, but this merge is pretty tough on me and I almost took a spill on the trolley tracks last week. You hit them going pretty much exactly the same direction as they are going and you are probably still moving fast after your merge, which makes it even harder still to negotiate crossing them at an appropriate angle. Also, by the time you get to them you are probably a lot more worried about getting nailed from behind by a Lincoln Navigator than you are about the tracks.
I can only see two solutions (other than to abolish all cars forever, which would be best). The city could stripe a bike lane on the left-hand side of Broadway so that bikes could legally merge at a safer place and proceed down the left side of the road. Two, the city could install gigantic “Speed Limit 25 MPH — Strictly Enforced” signs across Broadway to keep people from accelerating there.
Unlike some of my cycling colleagues, I think the underpass is pretty safe. But that approach from Broadway is deadly, and I very much fear that Tucson’s next hit-from-behind fatality will occur right there.
–Erik Ryberg
September 13th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
Is it illegal to ride in the left lane? Why not just get into the left lane and take it? You are turning left and it is not that far from Church considering the obstacles.
If you didn’t want to deal with that couldn’t you go down Pennington via Toole and then dismount and use the crosswalks at 4th ave?
I would most likely choose the second option.
September 14th, 2009 at 12:24 am
That little hook intersection onto
Congress was just to accommodate the
trolley, anyway. The left lane from
5th Ave. to there should be trolley/
bike only. So only cars from westbound
Broadway and East Toole could access
the 4th Ave. underpass. North and South
4th Ave. has been effectively severed.
Going from the underpass to south on
5th Ave. means crossing traffic and
tracks…best to stay between the
rails on that one to avoid getting too
close to on-coming traffic on 5th Ave.
It’s a mess, isn’t it?
I like the Toole option (BB’s), but
I’ve seen bikes make a left there into
on-coming traffic, then switch over before
going under. Whew!
September 14th, 2009 at 8:54 am
The subtext being that the trolley gets City of Tucson support (as in infrastructure) and the cyclists do not.
Sure looks that way…
What do you think?
September 14th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Heading west on Broadway into downtown isn’t much better. No one seems to know what to do at the three way Toole/Broadway/Congress intersection, lots of cars making last second lane changes.
With the addition of the trolley tracks that intersection is worse than it was before the construction.
September 14th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Oh yes, Red Star & josh, all that money
spent and cyclists have a lesser situation
than before.
If there has been a lot of people
affected by this change, they need to
try to show up on Monday, Sept.28 at
3:30 pm at the corner of 9th St. and
4th Ave. where the BAC Downtown Sub-
committee will be holding a riding
meeting. First topic will be potential
changes to 9th street to Euclid…to try
to keep them from screwing that up too
bad. Then, I think, a trip around the
underpass/Broadway area and the more user
suggestions that can be heard about that
the better.
Spread the word about this if you can.
September 14th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
I’m going to miss that ride 28th by a day darn it.
September 18th, 2009 at 1:00 am
Two different cyclists went down on the Tuesday night ride at the bottom of the new underpass when they got tangled in trolley tracks. Very dangerous for bikes all the way through that thing
September 18th, 2009 at 10:26 am
An alternative approach to the south end of the underpass is via 12th St eastbound to Euclid (the portion coming from 17th St market), which enters Toole just east of the underpass. Two quick right turns get you into the underpass without crossing the trolley tracks.
It requires riding one extra block east, but I find it much safer & more pleasant than crossing 3 lanes on Broadway. This route is also convenient when approaching from the south on 6th, 4th & 3rd Aves.
Admittedly, it’s no excuse for a more bike friendly design.
September 25th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
I ride a local rickshaw and always stay in the left hand lane. Its far to dangerous to cross all those lanes at scott just to cross them again come the turn around for the underpass. As of yet I’ve never been hassled by the cops for this. It’s usually at night when there’s almost no traffic though. Riding on the left still presents some problems because of the placement of the tracks. Same thing with the placement on the 4th ave side. Not enough room which forces you right up against the cars and the potential to be doored (by car) or floored (by tracks).
September 28th, 2009 at 2:54 am
I think if you have the feet 20 feet.
Why not create two thru. lanes and one left turn lane
Provided you just paint two buffers. Rather simple..
Maybe place a sharrow or two right down the middle of the tracks.
September 28th, 2009 at 2:54 am
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/6662/trollh.gif
I forgot my display
September 29th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
Just saw you present this very issue on KVOA Erik – but for some reason they framed you to cut off the top of your head.
September 29th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
I think bikes in tucson should just stop pretending to be cars and crossing any lane of traffic to get into turn lanes. Get off your bike and walk it through through the crosswalk, and thats the always the easiest way to be visible to cars and avoid accidents.
September 30th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
We really don’t like to do
that…get off and walk the
bike. But, it is often the
simplest way an individual
has to deal with a traffic
situation. It doesn’t fix
the condition you may want
addressed, but it can be
the safest response until a
fix can be found.
Bikes are traffic, however,
and it won’t kill a car driver
to treat a bike as just another
car on the road…providing, of
course, that bikes act accordingly.