Edwards Mill Road Public Opening

Steven Goodridge, NCCBD

The connection of Edwards Mill Road from Wade Avenue to Duraleigh Road opened to the public on the morning of December 21, 2002. As reported in the News and Observer by staff writer Vicki Hyman on December 21, the new section:

"...includes the first bike lanes built in Raleigh in more than 20 years.

"The DOT also built dual right-turn lanes from southbound Edwards Mill to westbound Wade. The heavy turning traffic there complicates the situation for southbound bicyclists, who must merge into traffic and get into the left lane to cross under Wade Avenue.

"There are long-term plans to give bicyclists safer crossing through the intersection. Until then, novice cyclists should probably avoid the intersection during rush hour."

It was encouraging to see that the article correctly identified the proper way to negotiate an intersection with right-turn-only lanes. However, the article made me curious about how the current installation of bike lane and dual right-turn lanes worked, and I wondered what alternative design might be proposed. I set out on my bike to be the first person to use the officially opened road section that morning. When I arrived, the road crews were still removing barrels that were blocking the roadway, but they allowed me to go ahead a few minutes early and take a look at the new road section.

Figure 1: End of bike lane approaching Wade Avenue interchange (existing conditions, 12/21/2002)

Figure 1 shows the westbound approach to the interchange with Wade Avenue. The bike lane ends by directing the cyclist into the right turn only lane, which leads to a fully controlled access highway that is prohibited to cyclists by law. To the left of the right-turn-only lane is a dual-destination right-turn and through lane. The legal and safest way for a bicycle driver to pass straight through such an intersection is to merge left into the through lane.

The existing striping configuration might confuse novice cyclists since it encourages them to move into the right-turn-only lane and cut across two lanes of turning traffic. A better design would direct the cyclists into the dual-destination right-turn-and-through lane. By widening the through lane at the interchange, the cyclist would not have to deal with any narrowing of the roadway space in the weave area as drivers sort themselves by destination. Drivers in the dual-destination lane would have the option of either merging behind the through-cyclist prior to turning right, or if they are far enough from the turn, passing the cyclist before moving to the right. The additional width would also give cyclists more room to maneuver during the weave. Figure 2 shows this modified configuration of the interchange:

Figure 2: Digitally modified picture showing a more appropriate start to the right-turn-only lane with a wider rightmost through lane at the interchange. The original bike lane stripe is included in the picture for clarity.

Note that the merging of automobile traffic toward the right side of the through lane must occur early enough to avoid cutting off cyclists at the last moment in the vicinity of the right-turn-only lane, and to discourage faster cyclists from passing to the right of slow-moving (e.g. in case of congestion) traffic that may be about to move into the right lane. Unfortunately, the bike lane stripe shown in Figures 1 and 2 may discourage timely merging. This problem may be mitigated by ending the bike lane stripe about 100 feet before the intersection as shown in Figure 3.  Alternatively, the bike lane stripe could be omitted altogether for simplicity and to discourage build-up of debris, leaving just wide outside through lanes.

Figure 3: Digitally modified picture showing improved intersection design with wide outside through lane.

Fortunately, there is adequate space for a wide outside through lane under the bridge following the on-ramp. Figure 4 shows the currently unusable striped area that exists to the right of the through lane.

Figure 4: This shoulder space under the bridge dead-ends at the intersection with the off-ramp ahead.  Cyclists should already be in the through lane to the left after avoiding the right-turn-only lane behind the camera. (Existing conditions, 12/21/2002)

Right-turning traffic entering Edwards Mill Road has a merge lane instead of a stop or right-angle intersection. Through-traveling cyclists should be in the through lane, which is currently not a very wide lane. Attempting to share the through lane side-by-side with other vehicles puts the cyclist on top of bumpy reflectors beside the lane line.

Figure 5: Merge lane after the interchange, westbound (existing conditions, 12/21/2002)

A better design for this merge area would include a wider through lane and no reflectors on the left side of the lane stripe, as shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6: Digitally modified picture showing improved intersection design with wide outside through lane.

The above images show that it would be relatively easy to modify the existing interchange to make travel more comfortable for cyclists acting safely and lawfully as drivers of vehicles, while also making it easier for drivers of motor vehicles to pass cyclists safely.

The bike lane stripes on Edwards Mill Road extend from Wade Avenue to Duraleigh Road. The stripes are marked all the way up to the intersections, as shown in Figure 7. This is undesirable, because it may discourage novice cyclists from merging effectively to the left-turn-only lane in advance preparation for a left turn, and may encourage drivers of motor vehicles to turn right without merging toward the right curb.

Figure 7. Bike lanes striped through an intersection on Edwards Mill.

East of Duraleigh Road, the bike lane stripe ends and the road transitions to wide outside through lanes as shown in Figure 8. The lanes appear to be approximately 13 feet wide and are reasonably comfortable for lane-sharing. These lanes continued all the way to Crabtree Valley Mall.

Figure 8. Wide outside lane on Edwards Mill Road between Duraleigh Road and Crabtree Valley Mall.

On one of the busiest shopping days of the year at Crabtree Valley Mall, bicycle parking should be easier than car parking. However, it took the author a long time to locate what appears to be the mall's only bicycle rack, located at the southern corner of the mall quite some distance away from any entrance.

Figure 9: Bike rack at Crabtree Valley Mall. Note that this type of rack is awkward to use with a U-lock since it is designed to hold a bicycle using only the front tire.

In summary, the Edwards Mill Road addition provides a pleasant and convenient link for cycling from the Trinity Road area of Raleigh all the way to the Crabtree Valley Mall area. With some minor improvements, the intersections could work better for experienced bicycle drivers and be less confusing to novices. However, education is essential for getting novice cyclists to adopt safe and effective bicycle driving habits so they can access popular destinations on popular roads at popular times.