Issue 3: A new cycling layer classification for Part-time Dedicated lanes should be added to Google Maps
Summary: Most cities around the world temporarily prevent parking on some arterial roads to aid motor traffic during weekday morning and evening commuter peak hours. In Melbourne, these "clearways" typically operate (in the peak direction) for 2-2.5hrs between 7am and 9:30am and 4pm and 7pm from Monday to Friday. During clearway times, some of these roads have Dedicated bike lanes at the far left. Outside of clearway times, cars are allowed to park at the far left, and thus over the Dedicated lane. On some of these roads, outside of clearway times, there is a channel between the parked cars and traffic lane that only fits cyclists and acts as a de facto bike lane. But on other clearway roads, outside of peak hours, there is insufficient dedicated cycling space.Along some key commuter cycling routes (e.g. Exhibition St), the local government for the city centre has also started marking up the kerbside parking lane for bicycles only during peak hours. There is no change to the number of traffic lanes. Cyclists must share a traffic lane with motor vehicles outside of peak hour.
Consequently, Google Maps Cycling layer should enable Dedicated bike lanes to be marked as available only during specific days and hours. The safety, comfort and convenience of a cycling route can vary massively depending on whether it's peak hour, whether travelling in the peak direction, and whether sufficient de facto cycling space exists outside of peak hour.
Details:
1. A typical example of a Clearway road: cycling in the peak hour direction compared to cycling outside of peak hour
Sydney Rd in Brunswick is an excellent Melbourne example of the major differences in road space allocation, traffic conditions, bike riding position and cycling safety and comfort between peak hour and outside of peak hour.
Below you can see when heading south toward the city centre in the morning peak, the road does not allow parking on this side between 7am and 9am. There are two traffic lanes and a Dedicated bike lane.
However, when cycling outside of these 2 hour windows, or in the non-peak direction, cars are allowed to park kerbside and there is no Dedicated bike lane (despite what Google Maps may imply).
Below you can see me headed north at 2:03pm. Cars are legally parked over the Dedicated bike lane. There is insufficient space for two lanes of motor vehicles to travel in the same direction. So motor traffic occupies the right-most lane while cyclists predominantly use the space between parked cars and the motor traffic (legally scooters and motorbikes can use it too).
Google Maps Cycling layer for Sydney Rd between Bell St and Brunswick Rd is a mess precisely because of this issue with Part-time Dedicated lanes. The southern section is marked as having Dedicated lanes though these exist only for 2hrs on weekdays and only in the peak hour direction. There is a short section marked as a Bicycle-friendly road. And then the northern section apparently has no cycling facilities!
Until Google Maps does support Part-time Dedicated lanes, my suggested solution is to mark the route as a Dedicated lane if it is a key commuter route AND if outside of the clearway times there is still sufficient safe cycling space that is primarily dedicated to cyclists. If these conditions don't obtain, then marking it as a Bicycle-friendly road if appropriate is the next best solution.
2. A typical example of a road where the kerbside parking is dedicated to cyclists during peak hours
Exhibition St in Melbourne's city centre is the best example of what is essentially a part-time dedicated cycling lane that appropriates the kerbside parking area during peak hour.
Further Info:
The Age
> Inner-city anger at clearway purge (Clearway road list)
VicRoads
> Keeping your roads moving
>
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