What the heck does this sign mean? I noticed it before the intersection of Camino del Rio and Ninth Street, kitty-corner from City Market. Aren’t signs supposed to prevent confusion? Would you find out what we’re supposed to do when the encounter this advisory? – Dumbfounded
All that Action Line can say is “Wow.” This has to be one of the most bizarre official signs erected in our fair city, and we’ve had some doozies.
Even Mrs. Action Line had furrowed brows during an inspection of the mystifying marker Saturday morning.
“I have no idea what that means,” she said, staring at the sign with arms akimbo. “They need to put a sign up to explain what the first sign says. Or a footnote.”
Drivers stopped at the light agreed, including Les Sommerville, a Fort Lewis College chemistry professor who was turning right at the light.
Brief pleasantries were exchanged, much to the consternation of impatient drivers also wanting to turn.
No bikes were detected. Les will confirm that fact.
Anyway, the sign inspires some intriguing possibilities.
How are bikes being detected? Did the City Council authorize a secret drone surveillance program to sense those who would pedal?
Perhaps the “Bike Detection Thru Lane At Stopbar” sign is an advertisement for “bike detection” services from a guy named “Lane” who hangs out at a tavern called the “Stopbar.”
For edification, we turn to our friend and an Action Line frequently flyer, Nancy Shanks, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Yup. It’s a CDOT sign, said straight-shooting Nancy, who admitted, “that’s not a very great sign, is it?”
So here’s what “Bike Detection Thru Lane At Stopbar” means:
At the intersection, there is a new traffic-control device designed to “see” bicyclists and trigger a light change for them, Nancy said. As it stands now, old-style sensors can detect only cars based on their metallic mass.
Bikes weren’t bulky enough. So riders waiting at an intersection had three options, none of them good:
They could wait until another car came along to trip the light. Or riders could dismount, walk to the corner and push the pedestrian crosswalk button. Or they could risk getting creamed and blow through the red light.
The bike-detection system solves these problems. But bikes have to be in a certain place to be detected, and that’s at the front of the intersection, just behind the thick white line, which is called a “stopbar.”
For bicyclists to reach that stopbar, traffic laws now allow bikes to skip ahead and go the front of the line. That’s the “thru lane” part of the sign.
This explanation took 159 words, which wouldn’t fit on a sign to explain the original “Bike Detection Thru Lane At Stopbar” sign.
So spread the word. If you see a “Bike Detection” sign, and you’re riding a bike, it’s OK to go to the front of intersection. Likewise, if you are a driver, please don’t pitch a hissy fit – just let the riders go first.
This will be even more important when “bike boxes” will be created at several intersections.
A bike box is a green-painted space on the road. It’s a safety device designed to prevent bike-car collisions by designating a zone between vehicles and the crosswalk allowing bicyclists to position themselves ahead of traffic.
Action Line giddily awaits the bike box. Not for personal use, mind you. But because bike riders will enjoy government-sanction “butt in line” privileges.
If the reaction to flashing yellow arrows and HAWK crosswalks is any predictor, the new bike box will offer many weeks of multi-modal material for this column.
Email questions to actionline@durangoherald.com or mail them to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301. You can request anonymity if you believe the sign ‘Slow Children Playing’ refers to the mental abilities of nearby kids.
