FORT WAYNE – An increase of bicycle use in Fort Wayne means drivers and cyclists alike must be more alert when on the streets.
Q. Can we remind people at the corner of East Wayne and Clinton streets the right hand lane is designated as a bike lane only? We have attempted to turn right from the correct lane and see a driver trying to turn right ahead of us using the bike lane. – Sandra Barleben, Fort Wayne
A. Hopefully, we can do a bit of teaching, Sandra, and the answer may surprise you and many other city drivers. It is actually OK to use the bike lane, if just for a short moment.
Shan Gunawardena, city traffic engineer, said with more bike lanes being installed in the city, it is important for both drivers and cyclists to know how to use them.
Drivers wanting to turn right from a road with bike lanes and no right-turn-only lane should line up behind each other and use signals to make their intentions known.
Gunawardena said a good way to alleviate the potential for conflict with cyclists and other drivers is to line up as close to the right curb as possible, even if that means crossing into the bike lane while waiting to turn. This may seem counterintuitive to drive on the bike lane, but he can explain his reasoning.
Marty Bender, deputy Fort Wayne police chief, agreed with Gunawardena that drivers should use the bike lane as a turn lane after first checking to ensure no cyclists are present. Bender, who said the bike lanes are more advisory than anything, said this is a much safer method than having drivers turning from the through lane with bikes or even other drivers trying to get by on the right.
“By all means yield to bicycles,” he said. “If they aren’t there, feel free to use that as a turn lane.”
Using the lane makes it clear the driver intends to turn and prevents other cars from trying to squeeze by on the right. It also makes the road safer for cyclists by eliminating the potential for a “right hook.” This happens when a driver turns right from the travel lane when the signal is green while a cyclists moves through the intersection.
While a cyclist has the right of way in this scenario, that fact won’t help him if the driver doesn’t see him.
This may add some delays to people on bikes downtown, as they should then wait behind the turning vehicle, but that is a worthy sacrifice to ensure everyone remains safe. Of course, drivers making such a maneuver should always check to make sure their path is clear of cyclists.
Road closures
•The state will restrict lanes on Interstate 69 under the County Road 1000 South Bridge in Huntington County so crews can paint the bridge. The painting will occur daily next week from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
•The state will close Interstate 469 between exits 29 and 31 for 15 minutes as a power line is pulled across the interstate. The stoppage is expected to begin at 11 a.m. Tuesday while state police provide traffic control.
•The state will close Indiana 5 in South Whitley between Indiana 14 and Fire Street for a car show from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
•The state will close Indiana 1 in Bluffton between Spring Street and West Wabash Street. The closure begins midnight Sunday and lasts through 4 p.m. Sept. 25.
•The state will close the intersection of Indiana 930 and Adams Center Road sporadically on Monday to allow the delivery of concrete beams for the extension of Maplecrest Road. The closures will occur from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and state police will help direct traffic to alleviate backups.
Radio Sage
This week’s bonus audio question comes from Dan Kaufman, regarding the entrance to Kreager Park on North River Road. The segment originally aired Friday afternoon on WOWO and can be heard online at www.journalgazette.net/roadsage.
