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This treatment allows confident commuter cyclists to travel with minimum interruption safely along the edge of the road and is the preferred option by commuters as long as adequate width if provided. This treatment should be constructed wherever space is available.
It is likely that commuter cyclists will ride uphill sections up to 25km/hr and downhill sections at 50km/hr and the facility should be designed with these speeds in mind particularly when allowing for overtaking. This should be considered to be a two lane cycle facility.
To reduce potential conflict from motor vehicles the cycle lanes should be separated from the traffic flows by means of "Vibra-Lines" at a minimum and, in appropriate places at points of greater conflict, by narrow median strips or by blisters.
The width of the cycle lane must be sufficient to allow two cyclists to overtake. Given the terrain covered by this treatment the speed differential between cyclists is likely to be over 20 km/hr. Provision also needs to be made to allow for wider than normal bicycles to use the facility such as modern pedal powered recumbent tricycles which are about 0.9m wide. Thus both the speeds and vehicle width dictate this facility should be 2.0m. At some places the words "keep left" should be painted on the surface and an occasional centre line should be marked to facilitate overtaking.
At the start and end of each block and at regular intervals cycle logos should be painted on the surface. At a width of 2.0m with a solid line boundary cars or motor cycles should not mistake the lane for a normal traffic lane. It is preferable to make the lane unmistakably a "cycle-only" lane rather than to reduce the width of the lane to avoid use by cars.
Given the location to build Treatment 2 we believe that there is ample width to build a 2.0m wide cycle lane. If any place cannot accommodate a 2.0m wide lane then a narrower lane is acceptable if all traffic lanes bear the same reduction in width. Thus if all traffic lanes and the cycle lane were reduced by 0.2m at squeeze points then it would be acceptable to build a 1.8m wide cycle lane. Similarly if all traffic lanes and the cycle lane were reduced by 0.5m then it would be acceptable to build a 1.5m cycle lane. To reduce the width of the cycle lane while keeping the traffic lanes at full width would indicate that only cyclists were expected to compromise. This is not an acceptable scenario.
This treatment requires further work where the cycle lane crosses an intersection. More substantial lane dividing barriers, such as a narrow median strip or "blisters" should be used adjacent to intersections to ensure that vehicles do not cut the corner or turn into the cycle lane or use the cycle lane as a street.
Where the cycle lane crosses the side street the cycle lane should be painted a bright green colour, with dashed white lines either side and prominent cycle logos.
Where the route crosses side streets at traffic lights there should be detectors on the cycle facility that will pick up cyclists to trigger the light changes. Cyclists will trigger the car lights and then proceed on green.
There should be no parking allowed in the cycle lane and no obstructions, bollards or squeeze points.
It is expected that a dedicated footpath would be provided on the outside of the cycle lane to reduce the possibility of pedestrians illegally using the cycle lane.
The shared cycle path part of this treatment should be continuous along the southern side of the road and is provided for recreational cyclists and children who should not use the road facility. This path should follow Austroads 14 guidelines for cycle path scenario "D" in figure 6-19 with a width of 3.0m and a design speed of 20 km/hr. Kerb ramps should be lip-less, dished and 3.0m wide.
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