Summer in Wisconsin

Summer is finally here.  Last night the Capital Brewery Bike Club ride was hot and hilly.  The Club rides every Tues. and Thurs. night leaving the brewery at 5:45 p.m.  There are three different routes each night, fast, medium, easy.  Come out for a ride and meet some really friendly people, ride some great roads, and see some interesting sights. 

Below are pictures of three unique things recently spotted at the rides.  1. A car bike rack for a tandem; 2. a motorcycle bicycle rack 3. The Capital Brewery Rollout Self Propelled Bike Trailer.  This trailer is electric assist and can hold up to several hundred pounds.  Made in Green Bay, Wisconsin.  These are going to be popular.

 

 

Can a Car Cross the Centerline to Pass a Bicyclist in Wisconsin?

Many drivers get aggravated by bicycles on roadways.  Some of the time the anger is caused by bicyclists not riding properly and taking up too much of the road.  Other times it seems the drivers are just angry that people choose to ride on "their" roads.  For example, in this Kansas Editorial, titled, "You are not training for the Olympics," the executive editor comments on the death of a bicyclist caused by a hit and run driver.  The editor states that bicyclists should stay off county roads during harvest season and instead should stay in town, find some other safe form of exercise such as jogging, or just rest since Harvest is only once a year and doesn't last that long. 

Wisconsin has a "3 foot law" that requires drivers passing bicyclists from behind to give an absolute minimum of three feet space.  If the driver cannot get that far over to the left because of oncoming traffic or other conditions, the driver should not attempt to pass the bicyclists.  There is no law that says if a driver is frustrated behind the wheel he or she can disregard the 3 foot law.  There is no law that says if bicyclists are not following the law by riding single or double file that a driver can disregard the three foot law and pass them anyway. 

Some drivers realize that a few extra seconds or minutes on their drive is not a big deal and they wait patiently behind bicyclists for a safe and open area to pass.  Other drivers put themselves at risk along with bicyclists by doing things like passing without giving three feet, and passing a group of bicyclists in the left lane while traveling up a hill.

Some drivers have stated that the reason they pass bicyclists without giving three feet is because they refuse to cross the yellow line and go into the oncoming lane.  Some may chose not to cross the centerline for safety reasons, others may think they cannot legally cross the centerline. 

The law in Wisconsin allows crossing the centerline depending on speed.  "The operator of a vehicle may drive on the left side of the center of a roadway on any portion thereof which has been designated a no-passing zone, as described in par. (a), to overtake and pass, with care, any vehicle traveling at a speed less than half of the applicable speed limit at the place of passing."

Traffic Circles and Bicyclists

Recently a traffic circle is the city of Vancouver was removed after the city council learned it ranked in the top 10 intersections for car-bike crashes.  A local cyclist described difficulty in seeing cars around the corners. 

Here in Madison, the traffic engineering dept. has instructions for using traffic circles. According to the city:

How does a traffic circle work?

Traffic circles slow down traffic by forcing drivers to slow to a speed that allows them to comfortably maneuver around them. 

•  Is it legal to go left around a traffic circle?

Please see the guide for safe driving around a traffic circle.  

• What is the impact of traffic circles on vehicle speeds?

Traffic circles have been reported to reduce midblock speed by about 10%.

• What are the other benefits of traffic circles?

Reduction in intersection collisions on average by 70% and overall collisions by 28%.

Traffic circles are different from roundabouts. Although traffic circles and roundabouts use a circular design, they operate very differently. Traffic circles are very large and are designed for high-speed vehicle operation. Roundabouts are designed as small as possible, 16 to 180 feet wide, and operate at 15 mph to 25 mph.

The design of roundabouts forces drivers to slow as they approach them, then limits drivers' circulating and exit speed. It is difficult to pass through a well-designed roundabout above these design speeds.

 

In addition to slow vehicle speeds, modern roundabouts require drivers to slow and select gaps in the circulating traffic before entering the roundabout at low speed.

See the video below of a bicyclist hit while cycling through a roundabout.