05 September 2012

Getting There: Further Improvement To The World's Fair Marina Promenade



Yesterday I rode along the Worlds Fair Marina promenade on my way to work.  As I reported a couple of weeks ago, the path had been extended to the Northern Boulevard Bridge.  But there was a problem:  access to the Northern Boulevard Bridge.  

To get to the bridge's walkway, you have to cross an entrance ramp to the Grand Central Parkway. The worst part is that it is on a sharp curve, so motorists approaching the ramp are likely not to see cyclists or pedestrians crossing it.   At night, the visibility is even worse.

Well, since my previous post about this route, a crosswalk has been painted, and curbs have been cut at each end of it.  Best of all, there's a traffic signal there. 

Although it's an improvement, I still think there is a problem with the crossing. Because motorists approach it from a curve, they may not see the signal until they are within feet of it.  And, unless there's a traffic jam, they drive through the curve at highway speeds, or close to them. So I have to wonder whether some of those motorists could slow down and stop quickly enough when they approach that crossing.  

So, even though it's safer than it had been, anyone crossing from the bike lane to the bridge needs to be, really, just as cautious as he or she might have been before the improvements.


Getting there....

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