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(1/08/03)- Dan, Quela, and Julie attended the City council session and each presented several safety issues they encounter in Santa Fe. BCNM encourages bikers to show up for the public petition period of City Council meetings and prepare a 2 minute speech outlining any key safety issues you might personally face in your commute or recreational riding. While Councilors cannot respond during the meeting, it is helpful to demonstrate a large biking population that is concerned with safety... especially if you propose solutions that are realistic and cost effective!
Click for larger image
Specific concerns we presented were:
Right-turn lane markings
- Right-turn lanes can be confusing for both cyclists and motorists if unstriped
- Proper lane markings for cyclists eliminate confusion
- other "bike-friendly" cities have developed standards
- lane use markings should be added at St.Mikes/Old Pecos, St. Mikes/Hospital, St. Mikes/Hospital, St. Mikes/St.Francias. St.Mikes/Old Pecos northbound and St. Mikes/St.Francias westbound are particularly dangerous because they are high-speed offramps.
Shoulder repair
- consistent shoulders, at 3-5 feet wide, in good repair; are key for a safe bike route.
- First step to creating a complete hub and spoke system of bike routes is to consistently apply standards to the construction and maintenance of arterials.
- Two examples desperately needing shoulder repair are Old Pecos (from Sebastian to Cordova, or preferably all the way to Old SF) and Rodeo (from Old Pecos down to Sawmill).
- Of lower priority is the Old LasVegas Highway from Old Pecos to el Gancho and Old Santa Fe. Old Santa Fe starts out very nice at Old Pecos, but degrades to nothing south of Zia. These routes are key in working toward a bike-friendly perimeter, which is a good step in making an effective network of bike routes.
- I know that the section on Old Pecos is slated for major construction late next summer, but I would hope that a 3-4 foot shoulder repair could be done right away.
- I am unaware of any planned improvements on Rodeo, but would suggest that with the new development under construction, and the current 50 MPH speed limit, that some significant improvements should be made. And perhaps be a condition of development if they are not already.
Speeding motorists
- Speed is an important factor in safety when mixing bike and motorist traffic
- Numerous bike routes in Santa Fe have speed problems with motorists.
- We would suggest gathering priority routes from bikers, and increasing speedtraps.
- Bishops Lodge rd, Hyde Park, Rodeo, St. Mikes, Old Pecos, and Old Santa Fe as examples.
This is a very interesting forum for our group because sessions are televised on the public broadcasting station, and if you are sure to mention our organization (and website address BikeNM.org) we may pull in new members from people who may be watching...
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