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Friday, February 4, 2011
KATU/RYAN HAMMEL COMPLAIN ABOUT BUSES CROSSING LANES
Playing Devils advocate here, but State law does say you must signal for at least 100 feet before EACH lane change, if thats not possible from where this bus leaves that stop to where it needs to turn left, then TriMet needs to relocate that stop so drivers can make legal lane changes.
Angel's advocate here - in the video where it is described that busses "illegally" changed lanes - the signal was ON during the leaving of the zone and throughout the lane change. Nothing illegal about the move described in this "news" report.
It happens a lot still at 4th and Hall where the 12/44 buses make the left turn on Mill to get to 6th, a lot of the Operators are making the change from right shoulder to left lane right at Hall.
Not that I'm trying to get anyone in trouble, but maybe...MAYBE...a better solution is to install a bus lane at 4th and Hall with a queue jumper light that would allow buses to make a protected move all the way to the left without interference from other vehicles?
It can be done for rail (Streetcar just one block away makes a right turn out of the left lane; Streetcar travels the wrong direction on both 4th and on Montgomery, Streetcar turns left from right lane at 11th & Market, turns right from left lane at Market & 5th...) It can be done for bus as well. It's a simple solution that costs just a couple thousand dollars, but would improve safety and improve efficiency of the bus system.
Jeff, sliding across all the lanes like that in one sweep is an illegal lane change. Not only that, it is an unsafe move, and I think it might be partly where the zone is vs where that bus needs to make its left turn.
Oregon Law: 811.375¹ Unlawful or unsignaled change of lane • penalty (1) A person commits the offense of unlawful or unsignaled change of lanes if the person is operating a vehicle upon a highway and the person changes lanes by moving to the right or left upon the highway when: (a) The movement cannot be made with reasonable safety; or (b) The driver fails to give an appropriate signal continuously during not less than the last 100 feet traveled by the vehicle before changing lanes. (2) Appropriate signals for use while changing lanes are as designated under ORS 811.395 (Appropriate signals for stopping, turning, changing lanes and decelerating) and 811.400 (Failure to use appropriate signal for turn, lane change, stop or exit from roundabout). (3) The offense described in this section, unlawful or unsignaled change of lane, is a Class D traffic violation. [1983 c.338 §631; 1995 c.383 §64]
Washington State: RCW 46.61.305 When signals required — Improper use prohibited.
(1) No person shall turn a vehicle or move right or left upon a roadway unless and until such movement can be made with reasonable safety nor without giving an appropriate signal in the manner hereinafter provided.
(2) A signal of intention to turn or move right or left when required shall be given continuously during not less than the last one hundred feet traveled by the vehicle before turning.
(3) No person shall stop or suddenly decrease the speed of a vehicle without first giving an appropriate signal in the manner provided herein to the driver of any vehicle immediately to the rear when there is opportunity to give such signal.
(4) The signals provided for in RCW 46.61.310 subsection (2), shall not be flashed on one side only on a disabled vehicle, flashed as a courtesy or "do pass" signal to operators of other vehicles approaching from the rear, nor be flashed on one side only of a parked vehicle except as may be necessary for compliance with this section.
And "Reasonable Safety" is never sliding across all lanes at once, a video from a few years ago caught a TriMet bus doing this and he almost clipped the cop car that was filming it.
BTW: While this move is certainly unsafe and likely illegal, I disagree with the claim that this move is just like the one that killed the pedestrians in the crosswalk.
If you look at the video you'll see that the bus is clearly fully in the left-most lane by the time they get to the traffic signal.
Looks like that's the 71 & 10 that do that. I think the issue here is that there is enough room, but the bus drivers are going across all lanes at once rather using the full 750 feet (3 blocks) between the bus stop and the left turn.
6 comments:
Playing Devils advocate here, but State law does say you must signal for at least 100 feet before EACH lane change, if thats not possible from where this bus leaves that stop to where it needs to turn left, then TriMet needs to relocate that stop so drivers can make legal lane changes.
Angel's advocate here - in the video where it is described that busses "illegally" changed lanes - the signal was ON during the leaving of the zone and throughout the lane change. Nothing illegal about the move described in this "news" report.
It happens a lot still at 4th and Hall where the 12/44 buses make the left turn on Mill to get to 6th, a lot of the Operators are making the change from right shoulder to left lane right at Hall.
Not that I'm trying to get anyone in trouble, but maybe...MAYBE...a better solution is to install a bus lane at 4th and Hall with a queue jumper light that would allow buses to make a protected move all the way to the left without interference from other vehicles?
It can be done for rail (Streetcar just one block away makes a right turn out of the left lane; Streetcar travels the wrong direction on both 4th and on Montgomery, Streetcar turns left from right lane at 11th & Market, turns right from left lane at Market & 5th...) It can be done for bus as well. It's a simple solution that costs just a couple thousand dollars, but would improve safety and improve efficiency of the bus system.
Jeff, sliding across all the lanes like that in one sweep is an illegal lane change. Not only that, it is an unsafe move, and I think it might be partly where the zone is vs where that bus needs to make its left turn.
Oregon Law: 811.375¹
Unlawful or unsignaled change of lane
• penalty
(1) A person commits the offense of unlawful or unsignaled change of lanes if the person is operating a vehicle upon a highway and the person changes lanes by moving to the right or left upon the highway when:
(a) The movement cannot be made with reasonable safety; or
(b) The driver fails to give an appropriate signal continuously during not less than the last 100 feet traveled by the vehicle before changing lanes.
(2) Appropriate signals for use while changing lanes are as designated under ORS 811.395 (Appropriate signals for stopping, turning, changing lanes and decelerating) and 811.400 (Failure to use appropriate signal for turn, lane change, stop or exit from roundabout).
(3) The offense described in this section, unlawful or unsignaled change of lane, is a Class D traffic violation. [1983 c.338 §631; 1995 c.383 §64]
Washington State: RCW 46.61.305
When signals required — Improper use prohibited.
(1) No person shall turn a vehicle or move right or left upon a roadway unless and until such movement can be made with reasonable safety nor without giving an appropriate signal in the manner hereinafter provided.
(2) A signal of intention to turn or move right or left when required shall be given continuously during not less than the last one hundred feet traveled by the vehicle before turning.
(3) No person shall stop or suddenly decrease the speed of a vehicle without first giving an appropriate signal in the manner provided herein to the driver of any vehicle immediately to the rear when there is opportunity to give such signal.
(4) The signals provided for in RCW 46.61.310 subsection (2), shall not be flashed on one side only on a disabled vehicle, flashed as a courtesy or "do pass" signal to operators of other vehicles approaching from the rear, nor be flashed on one side only of a parked vehicle except as may be necessary for compliance with this section.
And "Reasonable Safety" is never sliding across all lanes at once, a video from a few years ago caught a TriMet bus doing this and he almost clipped the cop car that was filming it.
BTW: While this move is certainly unsafe and likely illegal, I disagree with the claim that this move is just like the one that killed the pedestrians in the crosswalk.
If you look at the video you'll see that the bus is clearly fully in the left-most lane by the time they get to the traffic signal.
Looks like that's the 71 & 10 that do that. I think the issue here is that there is enough room, but the bus drivers are going across all lanes at once rather using the full 750 feet (3 blocks) between the bus stop and the left turn.
I see a training class in their future.
Bus stop is #13236 (SE Foster & SE 94th), turn is the U-turn between SE 91st & SE 89th.
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