From my experience bicycling to M-A three times a week to exercise by walking around the track at the football field, it’s rare that I traverse eastbound Ravenswood Avenue approaching Middlefield Road without a driver cutting in front of me by crossing the green bike-lane safety squares on the pavement so as to head south on Middlefield. I don’t recall there being any signs indicating what these squares mean, but my understanding is that vehicles are supposed to give cyclists the right of way if a cyclist is inside this zone. If so, it means a pause of a few seconds at most for the driver, but such patience of the part of the driver has happened to me exactly once in the many interactions I’ve had there. Who is the vulnerable party in this encounter if there’s a collision? More than once, a driver has come alongside me within the zone, slowed down then sped up, crossed over the green squares and cut me off. There are apparently some drivers out there who don’t know what these green squares mean, others who don’t care, some who don’t think of cyclists as worthy of respect, and others who think they’re acting safely. These drivers need reminders. Explanatory signs, for example ... perhaps signs with flashing lights ... perhaps Botts’ Dots let them know that they’re crossing a boundary. This is a school route, correct? Is there a sign indicating this and a 25 mph limit? I don’t recall seeing one. Thank you. Dave Boyce Menlo Park Sent from my tablet Received on Sun Jul 14 2019 - 15:06:08 PDT
