Assignment 1: Intersection Observations

On Wednesday, May 25^th, I observed traffic at the intersection of 13^th Avenue and Alder Street between 7am and 9am. My observation period served multiple purposes. Not only did it inform this assignment, but I was also able to collect data for the City of Eugene bicycle/pedestrian count and record video for my exit project.

The intersection of 13^th and Alder is northwest of the University of Oregon campus. Both 13^th and Alder are major corridors for university traffic. The primary land use in the area is commercial, including restaurants and retail. There is a medical center northwest of the intersection and a university parking lot to the southwest. Further south along Alder, the primary land use transitions to multi-family residential.

West of Alder, 13^th Ave has an eastbound automobile traffic lane, and eastbound and westbound bicycle lanes. The parking lane on the south side of 13^th Ave transitions into a right turn lane for automobiles at the intersection. East of Alder, 13^th Ave has an eastbound auto traffic lane, eastbound and westbound bicycle lanes, and parking lanes on both the north and south side of the street. The westbound bicycle lane is between the sidewalk and the automobile parking. North of 13^th, Alder has on-street parking on both sides of the street, a southbound bicycle lane on the west side of the street, and a southbound auto traffic lane on the east. South of 13^th, Alder has a southbound auto traffic lane and northbound and southbound bicycle lanes on either side. There are sidewalks on both sides of Alder and 13^th.

Although the weather was rainy and the temperature was in the mid-50s, I observed a total of 227 bicyclists passing through the intersection during the two-hour period. The most common movement for cyclists was straight, eastbound on 13^th towards the university. The second most common movement was a right turn from Alder onto 13^th to go east towards the university.            

I did not observe any conflicts, problematic or otherwise. Even though road users of every category violated traffic laws at times, everything seemed to work. I did, however, observe some behaviors that indicate that the design is not entirely functional for bicyclists. Although there is not a northbound bicycle facility north of 13^th Ave on Alder, three bicyclists continued north on Alder. They rode either in the southbound auto traffic lane or on the sidewalk, neither of which are safe places for bicyclists. I also noticed that the second most common turning movement was a left turn onto 13^th Ave from Alder to go east towards the university. Some of the cyclists seemed to have difficulty integrating with automobile traffic to complete this turn.

  

The Alder Street redesign should improve the functionality of both of these movements for cyclists. The redesign will extend the northbound bicycle lane on Alder to Franklin Boulevard. I predict that the number of bicyclists riding on the sidewalk and in the auto traffic lane will decrease after the northbound bicycle lane is extended. The redesign will consolidate the northbound and southbound bicycle lanes on the east side of the street. This will allow cyclists to turn left onto 13^th Ave from Alder without having to integrate with automobile traffic. I look forward to observing this intersection again in the fall after the redesign is completed.