Lindsey Street

[FighttheGoodFight]

I was there when they were painting them. It did not look straight at all but I'm glad they came back and fixed it up. I was a bit worried.

[dankrutka]

Wow wow wow! Good job, Norman!

[Zuplar]

I get the point of painting the bike lanes, but dang that's a terrible color. You'd have thought they could have found something that would have been more complimentary. The ones I've seen Norman do further south also haven't seemed to hold up. Fading and chipping, but that could just be paint quality like OKC had.

[ChargerAg]

I get the point of painting the bike lanes, but dang that's a terrible color. You'd have thought they could have found something that would have been more complimentary. The ones I've seen Norman do further south also haven't seemed to hold up. Fading and chipping, but that could just be paint quality like OKC had.

that was my first impression of Lindsey as well. But then the more I drove it the more it really has the feel of a ultra modern street. Its really a great road that takes you into OU rather then the tired old Lindsey of the past. Hoping that such a nice road causes some renovation to the buildings along the street.

[HangryHippo]

that was my first impression of Lindsey as well. But then the more I drove it the more it really has the feel of a ultra modern street. Its really a great road that takes you into OU rather then the tired old Lindsey of the past. Hoping that such a nice road causes some renovation to the buildings along the street.

Agreed. And I love the green - it pops and hopefully reminds people that lane is not for their cars. If it can somehow prompt some renovations, that would be icing on the cake!

[traxx]

Isn't green the traditional bike lane color?

[Zuplar]

Isn't green the traditional bike lane color?

I googled this cause I got to thinking you might be right, and you are.

https://nacto.org/publication/urban-...ke-facilities/

[SOONER8693]

Drove west from campus to I-35 yesterday on Lindsey. All of the lanes are not yet open, but, basically look ready to open the entire street. Compared to the old Lindsey, this one is a huge WOW.

[ChargerAg]

Drove west from campus to I-35 yesterday on Lindsey. All of the lanes are not yet open, but, basically look ready to open the entire street. Compared to the old Lindsey, this one is a huge WOW.

I don't think they will open the outer lanes until they are done putting up the light posts and other cleanup.

[Scott5114]

I get the point of painting the bike lanes, but dang that's a terrible color. You'd have thought they could have found something that would have been more complimentary. The ones I've seen Norman do further south also haven't seemed to hold up. Fading and chipping, but that could just be paint quality like OKC had.

A lot of times colors for road-related things are not chosen for aesthetics, but rather because they are mandated by the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices at the Federal Highway Administration. They tend to operate on the results of experiments showing which colors and methods are most effective, rather than how they look. For example, neon yellow probably clashes with most things, but they've chosen that as the color for pedestrian signage because it's shown to be most effective.

For bike lanes in particular, this memorandum applies. The Lindsey Street bike lanes are part of what's called an "interim approval", meaning a substantial amount of experimentation has been done indicating that the treatment is a good idea, and now additional cities and states have a chance to try it out for themselves. If the green pavements are shown to consistently perform better than unpainted bike lanes, they may be added to the Manual of Uniform Control Devices as the national standard. (Occasionally, interim approvals fail, and are then revoked. This recently happened with a road sign font that was supposed to be more legible than the existing font, but when applied in the field was shown to have no meaningful improvement in most cases, so the experiment was dropped.)

[HangryHippo]

Does anyone know when this project is supposed to be completed?

[Zuplar]

A lot of times colors for road-related things are not chosen for aesthetics, but rather because they are mandated by the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices at the Federal Highway Administration. They tend to operate on the results of experiments showing which colors and methods are most effective, rather than how they look. For example, neon yellow probably clashes with most things, but they've chosen that as the color for pedestrian signage because it's shown to be most effective.

For bike lanes in particular, this memorandum applies. The Lindsey Street bike lanes are part of what's called an "interim approval", meaning a substantial amount of experimentation has been done indicating that the treatment is a good idea, and now additional cities and states have a chance to try it out for themselves. If the green pavements are shown to consistently perform better than unpainted bike lanes, they may be added to the Manual of Uniform Control Devices as the national standard. (Occasionally, interim approvals fail, and are then revoked. This recently happened with a road sign font that was supposed to be more legible than the existing font, but when applied in the field was shown to have no meaningful improvement in most cases, so the experiment was dropped.)

My follow-up addressed this.

[FighttheGoodFight]

Does anyone know when this project is supposed to be completed?

December 2017.

[HangryHippo]

December 2017.

Awesome. Thanks for the reply.

[BG918]

Are there plans to extend the green bike lanes to campus? What about sidewalks east of Pickard? And when are they planting the median trees in December?

[ChargerAg]

Are there plans to extend the green bike lanes to campus? What about sidewalks east of Pickard? And when are they planting the median trees in December?

The sidewalk has already been extended on the north side of lindsey between pickard and campus. Its a big improvement as before there would be sidewalk and then you would cut through somebodies yard.

I wondered if they might extend the green lanes but wondered if the fact that between pickard and campus is asphalt and not concrete like the rest. I am not sure if the paint would stick as well. Also would it show up as well as the white lines on black pavement?

[BG918]

The sidewalk has already been extended on the north side of lindsey between pickard and campus. Its a big improvement as before there would be sidewalk and then you would cut through somebodies yard.

I wondered if they might extend the green lanes but wondered if the fact that between pickard and campus is asphalt and not concrete like the rest. I am not sure if the paint would stick as well. Also would it show up as well as the white lines on black pavement?

Good point on the asphalt. Are there any plans to rebuild that stretch of Lindsey through campus or is Lindsey “done”?

I think it would be cool to see OU do red bike lanes on the south oval and down Brooks mall to distinguish from the green lanes on Lindsey.

[HangryHippo]

And when are they planting the median trees in December?

I'm curious about this as well - will the trees be planted next month?

[Scott5114]

I think it would be cool to see OU do red bike lanes on the south oval and down Brooks mall to distinguish from the green lanes on Lindsey.

They couldn't; it would be against the MUTCD. The green lanes are only possible under an interim approval from FHWA. (See the link above.)

I don't know if it's used in the United States, but elsewhere red lanes are used to mark bus-only lanes.

[FighttheGoodFight]

I'm curious about this as well - will the trees be planted next month?

I would guess they will get everything fully open then plant a while after that.

It looks like they are finishing the lights now at Wylie Road then putting up the new lights on each side of the road for night driving. Bus stations are almost all done now too.

[HangryHippo]

I would guess they will get everything fully open then plant a while after that.

It looks like they are finishing the lights now at Wylie Road then putting up the new lights on each side of the road for night driving. Bus stations are almost all done now too.

Neat. Thanks for the updates FtGF!

[Jersey Boss]

http://www.normantranscript.com/news...53684cdb3.html


In Norman, cyclists are allowed on both roads and sidewalks, except for Campus Corner sidewalks. Also, bike's aren't allowed anywhere marked by the appropriate signs.

In the case where a cyclist is riding on a sidewalk and approaches an intersection, city ordinance states they must stop, dismount the bike and walk it across, as if they were a pedestrian. Otherwise, it is a citable offense.

Bike lanes are available in Norman on parts of Brooks Street, Boyd, Oakhurst, Brandywine, Beaumont, Shiloh, Vicksburg and McGee, while some are planned for Lindsey Street once construction is finished. Cyclists are not required to be in bicycle lanes.

"In the state of Oklahoma, that’s an option; it’s not required," he said. "Mostly, it’s for those inexperienced riders that have an issue with riding in the roadway."

Those who ride in the roadway are asked by city ordinance to ride as close to the right as possible, and cyclists must go with the flow of traffic. Cyclists must not only be treated like they are driving another vehicle on the road, they also must assert themselves in such a manner.

"You let the public know you own it," he said. "We teach not being timid. An inexperienced rider rides as far to the right and hits debris, curbs or grates because they’re trying to let people pass them. That little bit of debris can pop a tire. It can be pretty chaotic in an accident."

[Plutonic Panda]

They couldn't; it would be against the MUTCD. The green lanes are only possible under an interim approval from FHWA. (See the link above.)

I don't know if it's used in the United States, but elsewhere red lanes are used to mark bus-only lanes.

San Francisco has red painted bus lanes somewhere if memory serves right.

[Plutonic Panda]

http://www.normantranscript.com/news...53684cdb3.html


In Norman, cyclists are allowed on both roads and sidewalks, except for Campus Corner sidewalks. Also, bike's aren't allowed anywhere marked by the appropriate signs.

In the case where a cyclist is riding on a sidewalk and approaches an intersection, city ordinance states they must stop, dismount the bike and walk it across, as if they were a pedestrian. Otherwise, it is a citable offense.

Bike lanes are available in Norman on parts of Brooks Street, Boyd, Oakhurst, Brandywine, Beaumont, Shiloh, Vicksburg and McGee, while some are planned for Lindsey Street once construction is finished. Cyclists are not required to be in bicycle lanes.

"In the state of Oklahoma, that’s an option; it’s not required," he said. "Mostly, it’s for those inexperienced riders that have an issue with riding in the roadway."

Those who ride in the roadway are asked by city ordinance to ride as close to the right as possible, and cyclists must go with the flow of traffic. Cyclists must not only be treated like they are driving another vehicle on the road, they also must assert themselves in such a manner.

"You let the public know you own it," he said. "We teach not being timid. An inexperienced rider rides as far to the right and hits debris, curbs or grates because they’re trying to let people pass them. That little bit of debris can pop a tire. It can be pretty chaotic in an accident."

That last paragraph is just dumb. That causes road rage and can get you get killed. Be smart and ride to the right. If you see debris, move around it.

[Scott5114]

That last paragraph is just dumb. That causes road rage and can get you get killed. Be smart and ride to the right. If you see debris, move around it.

The thinking behind riding down the center of the lane is that it causes other traffic to perceive you as another vehicle since you're acting like one, and thus treat you like one (i.e. not crowd you/try to share the lane with you, don't try to make turns in front of you, etc.)

I don't trust motorists to think, so on the rare occasions I ride a bike, I stick to the bike lanes and sidewalks. (Most of the time the sidewalks aren't being used by any pedestrians anyway.)