Close the Gap in the Arkansas River Trail
UPDATE (3/26/2013): BACA has sent a letter to Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola proposing the placement of signage on the River Trail at Cross Street and North Street to warn cyclists that the trail is incomplete and to encourage them to ride with caution due to the dangerous nature of the Union Pacific Railroad bridge along Cantrell. View the letter below:
| mayor-stodola-signage-letter.pdf |
One of central Arkansas's greatest assets is the Arkansas River Trail system that has been under development since early 2000. Looping around the riverfronts of both Little Rock and North Little Rock, the trail offers a little less than 15 miles of recreational riding, and provides an important route for bicycle commuters to and from the downtown areas. Thousands of cyclists, walkers, runners, and others use this facility on a daily basis.
However, in downtown Little Rock, the trail has a major disconnect between the end of the formal trail system in Murray Park at the intersection or Rebsamen Road and Riverfront Drive, and the downtown business district, including the very popular destination of the River Market district. Here, the City of Little Rock has simply named a set of city streets to reach the downtown area, including long stretches of major arterial streets. While experienced, vehicular cyclists may not find this to be much of a problem, it's not uncommon to encounter lost visiting cyclists in this area, looking for the trail route, and traffic volume often creates a significant deterrent for new and recreational riders. In fact, the City's marking of the River Trail in this area is so cryptic, confusing, and sometimes scary, that a special street marking has been applied along much of the route to help interpret the City's signage and intentions:
However, in downtown Little Rock, the trail has a major disconnect between the end of the formal trail system in Murray Park at the intersection or Rebsamen Road and Riverfront Drive, and the downtown business district, including the very popular destination of the River Market district. Here, the City of Little Rock has simply named a set of city streets to reach the downtown area, including long stretches of major arterial streets. While experienced, vehicular cyclists may not find this to be much of a problem, it's not uncommon to encounter lost visiting cyclists in this area, looking for the trail route, and traffic volume often creates a significant deterrent for new and recreational riders. In fact, the City's marking of the River Trail in this area is so cryptic, confusing, and sometimes scary, that a special street marking has been applied along much of the route to help interpret the City's signage and intentions:
"Closing the Loop" in the River Trail system is BACA's priority project, in order to provide a route that cyclists of all skill and experience levels can safely and confidently use for transportation, commuting, and recreation.
The problems with the River Trail crossing Cantrell Road, and LaHarpe Boulevard in front of the Stephens Episcopal School and Dillard's are much more more than just an issue for “recreational” cyclists, because our trail and streets are used for much, much more than just recreation. A significant number of people depend on bicycles as their main transportation to get to work, or otherwise get around town. Ever look behind the various restaurants and hotels around the River Market area and see all the bikes parked there? They belong to the employees who work in those businesses. The River Trail and adjoining/connected streets are an important means for them to get to work, or wherever else they have to go.
A second issue is that the current gap at Dillard's and the Episcopal School effectively severs the River Trail, and blows a big honking hole into what has become a major attraction for the city and county. All the millions of dollars spent on the Big Dam Bridge? Think about it… with the poor connectivity east and west of Cantrell/LaHarpe, what are you going to do when you see this sign down there…
The problems with the River Trail crossing Cantrell Road, and LaHarpe Boulevard in front of the Stephens Episcopal School and Dillard's are much more more than just an issue for “recreational” cyclists, because our trail and streets are used for much, much more than just recreation. A significant number of people depend on bicycles as their main transportation to get to work, or otherwise get around town. Ever look behind the various restaurants and hotels around the River Market area and see all the bikes parked there? They belong to the employees who work in those businesses. The River Trail and adjoining/connected streets are an important means for them to get to work, or wherever else they have to go.
A second issue is that the current gap at Dillard's and the Episcopal School effectively severs the River Trail, and blows a big honking hole into what has become a major attraction for the city and county. All the millions of dollars spent on the Big Dam Bridge? Think about it… with the poor connectivity east and west of Cantrell/LaHarpe, what are you going to do when you see this sign down there…
... turn around and go home?
The third and final issue is compliance with the state and city traffic codes. Arkansas law (A.C.A. Sec. 27-49-111) states that “Every person riding a bicycle or an animal, or driving any animal drawing a vehicle upon a highway, shall have all the rights and all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle, except those provisions of this act which by their nature can have no applicability. ” As a cyclist, when you ride on the public roads and streets, you're subject to the same traffic laws as the operator of any other vehicle. John Forester (Effective Cycling, 1976) has distilled this down to what is referred to as the "vehicular cycling principle," "Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles.”
Little Rock has a number of city ordinances which are more stringent for cyclists. First of all, Little Rock City Ordinance 32-487 reinforces the state law directing compliance with traffic signals and signs, to include things like stop signs, one-way streets and lanes, and “Do Not Enter” signs:
Quote:
Sec. 32-487. Obedience to traffic-control devices.
Any person operating a bicycle shall obey the instructions of official traffic-control signals, signs, and other control devices applicable to vehicles, unless otherwise directed by a police officer. Whenever authorized signs are erected indicating that no right or left or U-turn is permitted, no person operating a bicycle shall disobey the direction of any such sign, except where such person dismounts from the bicycle to make any such turn, in which event such person shall then obey the regulations applicable to pedestrians.City Ordinance 32-489 establishes a mandatory bike lane rule… e.g., if there’s a marked bike lane, cyclists are required to use that lane instead of the rest of the street. So, you have to follow the bike path, wherever it leads, in order to be "street legal":
Quote:Sec. 32-489. Riding on roadways and bicycle paths.
Every person operating a bicycle upon a roadway shall ride as near as to the right-hand side of the roadway as practicable, exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction. Persons riding bicycles upon a roadway shall not ride more than two (2) abreast except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles. Whenever a usable path for bicycles has been provided adjacent to a roadway bicycle riders shall use such path and shall not use the roadway.
(This MBL ordinance, by the way, along with the current problem with the Trail crossing Cantrell, is a factor works strongly against Little Rock’s efforts to be designated as a Bicycle-Friendly Community.)
And while State law is silent upon the issue of riding on sidewalks (meaning that where not specifically prohibited by a city ordinance, you can ride your bike or even drive your car on the sidewalks in Arkansas), Ordinance 32-494 specifically prohibits riding bikes on the sidewalk in the business district and downtown area, with the exception of the City Police Dept.’s bike patrols):
Quote:Sec. 32-494. Riding on sidewalks.
(a) No person shall ride a bicycle upon a sidewalk within a business district. Whenever any person is riding a bicycle upon a sidewalk outside of business districts, such person shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian and shall give audible signal before overtaking and passing such pedestrian.
The third and final issue is compliance with the state and city traffic codes. Arkansas law (A.C.A. Sec. 27-49-111) states that “Every person riding a bicycle or an animal, or driving any animal drawing a vehicle upon a highway, shall have all the rights and all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle, except those provisions of this act which by their nature can have no applicability. ” As a cyclist, when you ride on the public roads and streets, you're subject to the same traffic laws as the operator of any other vehicle. John Forester (Effective Cycling, 1976) has distilled this down to what is referred to as the "vehicular cycling principle," "Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles.”
Little Rock has a number of city ordinances which are more stringent for cyclists. First of all, Little Rock City Ordinance 32-487 reinforces the state law directing compliance with traffic signals and signs, to include things like stop signs, one-way streets and lanes, and “Do Not Enter” signs:
Quote:
Sec. 32-487. Obedience to traffic-control devices.
Any person operating a bicycle shall obey the instructions of official traffic-control signals, signs, and other control devices applicable to vehicles, unless otherwise directed by a police officer. Whenever authorized signs are erected indicating that no right or left or U-turn is permitted, no person operating a bicycle shall disobey the direction of any such sign, except where such person dismounts from the bicycle to make any such turn, in which event such person shall then obey the regulations applicable to pedestrians.City Ordinance 32-489 establishes a mandatory bike lane rule… e.g., if there’s a marked bike lane, cyclists are required to use that lane instead of the rest of the street. So, you have to follow the bike path, wherever it leads, in order to be "street legal":
Quote:Sec. 32-489. Riding on roadways and bicycle paths.
Every person operating a bicycle upon a roadway shall ride as near as to the right-hand side of the roadway as practicable, exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction. Persons riding bicycles upon a roadway shall not ride more than two (2) abreast except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles. Whenever a usable path for bicycles has been provided adjacent to a roadway bicycle riders shall use such path and shall not use the roadway.
(This MBL ordinance, by the way, along with the current problem with the Trail crossing Cantrell, is a factor works strongly against Little Rock’s efforts to be designated as a Bicycle-Friendly Community.)
And while State law is silent upon the issue of riding on sidewalks (meaning that where not specifically prohibited by a city ordinance, you can ride your bike or even drive your car on the sidewalks in Arkansas), Ordinance 32-494 specifically prohibits riding bikes on the sidewalk in the business district and downtown area, with the exception of the City Police Dept.’s bike patrols):
Quote:Sec. 32-494. Riding on sidewalks.
(a) No person shall ride a bicycle upon a sidewalk within a business district. Whenever any person is riding a bicycle upon a sidewalk outside of business districts, such person shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian and shall give audible signal before overtaking and passing such pedestrian.
Here's a look at the "Trail" in real time, going westbound from Cross Street (From downtown) to the intersection at Gill Street. BACA's Candid Camera followed several members of the Arkansas Bicycle Club as they returned from the Sunday afternoon group ride...
North Street River Trail from ArkansasOutside on Vimeo.
Some high points along the way:
The way the City’s Traffic folks have arranged the junction of the River Trail and its crossing of Cantrell Road at the Episcopal School places cyclists in direct violation of each of these laws, and throws in a few extra foolish practices to further endanger the riders. Let’s take a look, from the cyclist’s point of view, at the specific hazards you face when following the River Trail west from the downtown area and negotiating the Cantrell/LaHarpe intersection.
The way the City’s Traffic folks have arranged the junction of the River Trail and its crossing of Cantrell Road at the Episcopal School places cyclists in direct violation of each of these laws, and throws in a few extra foolish practices to further endanger the riders. Let’s take a look, from the cyclist’s point of view, at the specific hazards you face when following the River Trail west from the downtown area and negotiating the Cantrell/LaHarpe intersection.
Here’s the approach, going north on Cross Street, to the intersection with LaHarpe, at the top of the hill east of Dillard's. A cyclist here will need to cross two lanes of oncoming traffic in order to enter onto the sidewalk so as to properly follow the bike path they’ve laid out. This leads to what is very much a blind corner, and riders crossing the oncoming lanes in order to get up on the sidewalk here are subject to a sharp surprise and a head-on collision with motor vehicles turning right from LaHarpe onto Cross Street. In this case, the cyclist is made to ride the wrong way directly into oncoming traffic, placing him or her at fault in the case of a car-bike collision.
Note that the pavement here is none too good either, (inviting a fall hazard) but that’s another issue for another day.
Note that the pavement here is none too good either, (inviting a fall hazard) but that’s another issue for another day.
Here’s a close-up of the actual turn you have to negotiate once you get on the sidewalk, with the traffic sign indicating the bike path follows the sidewalk. Once here, you’re now violating two traffic rules: 1) you’re riding on the sidewalk, and 2) you’re going the wrong way against oncoming traffic.
Be careful here, because deviation to the left or right in leaving or entering the sidewalk here will put you into an 8-inch drop into the storm drain at the lower left, another good way to ruin your ride.
Be careful here, because deviation to the left or right in leaving or entering the sidewalk here will put you into an 8-inch drop into the storm drain at the lower left, another good way to ruin your ride.
This is a view of the bridge/overpass crossing the Union Pacific rail line, with a bike shown for size comparison to show how narrow the space is. There’s room only for one-way traffic, whether a bike or a pedestrian, since the sidewalk is only a little wider than your handlebars. (The width of the sidewalk is 47 inches, but narrows to 40 inches where the guard rail for the bridge infringes on the sidewalk). The adjacent (and oncoming) traffic lane is narrow, too, so you’re going to be pretty (and uncomfortably) close to the cars coming the other way, and there’s little room for error… and an 8-inch drop from the sidewalk to the street, if for any reason you might have to leave the sidewalk.
Immediately after crossing the bridge, you make a sharp, 90-degree left turn down a roughly paved, steeply inclined path (often gravel-strewn). At the bottom of this hill, you need to thread the needle between these signs, placed to mark the end/beginning of North Street, in front of the Episcopal School. (This is the little stretch that they want to close to build the new elementary school in this space.) Again, a road bike is shown to show the comparative narrowness of this hazard. Making it more interesting, this chokepoint is usually strewn with loose gravel, both from the adjacent railroad bed and the debris that piles up at the end of this otherwise dead-end street. The gravel makes it easy to lose traction and skid, or if you hit a big enough rock, you can flat a tire or suffer a diverting fall should you lose control of your front wheel.
Immediately after crossing the bridge, you make a sharp, 90-degree left turn down a roughly paved, steeply inclined path (often gravel-strewn). At the bottom of this hill, you need to thread the needle between these signs, placed to mark the end/beginning of North Street, in front of the Episcopal School. (This is the little stretch that they want to close to build the new elementary school in this space.) Again, a road bike is shown to show the comparative narrowness of this hazard. Making it more interesting, this chokepoint is usually strewn with loose gravel, both from the adjacent railroad bed and the debris that piles up at the end of this otherwise dead-end street. The gravel makes it easy to lose traction and skid, or if you hit a big enough rock, you can flat a tire or suffer a diverting fall should you lose control of your front wheel.
Exiting North Street and coming back onto Cantrell/LaHarpe, the bike path signs direct you back onto the sidewalk running in front of the Episcopal School campus. The only curb cut made so that you can get onto the sidewalk here without bunny-hopping over the curb and grass is just at the edge of the street, where the red arrow is pointing. Note again the green bike path sign, “USE SIDEWALK.”
This view looks down the sidewalk/”bike path,” showing how narrow it is (47 inches wide, edge-to-edge)… again, this is suitable for one-way traffic only, and unsafe for simultaneous bike/pedestrian use. Fortunately, a good deal of the east-bound cyclists use their judgment as to the “usability” of the bike path, and ride the right-hand lane of Cantrell on up the hill past Dillards and the overpass, and simply turn right off LaHarpe onto Cross Street to pick back up on the bike route.
The speed limit on this stretch of road is 40 mph. While this is technically a school zone because of the presence of the entrance to the Episcopal School, the school takes advantage of a loophole in Arkansas's school zone law; the presence of the perimeter fence negates the requirement for a 25 mph speed limit here. Why is the speed limit an issue? Because, if a cyclist or pedestrian is hit by a car going 40 mph, then he or she has less than a 15% chance of surviving that collision. Simply lowering the speed limit to 25 mph improves the chance of survival to 75% or better.
(The CATA bus in this image is stopped at a marked bus stop. Note the absence of a curb-out, crosswalk, or any other facility for pedestrians exiting the bus.)
The City of Little Rock and Central Arkansas Metroplan are seeking to apply for a $15 million federal grant under the TIGER program to construct a recreational trail which will run along the Arkansas River bank behind Dillards to serve as a sort of "wormhole" passage between North Gill Street and the western end of the Medical Mile. A previous application was turned down in October 2011. With several national experts on livable communities and complete streets having examined this corridor, their conclusions have been that Cantrell Road doesn't really need a $15 million by-pass... what it needs is a road diet, lowered speed limit, traffic calming, and traffic enforcement to reduce and mitigate these hazards.
The City of Little Rock and Central Arkansas Metroplan are seeking to apply for a $15 million federal grant under the TIGER program to construct a recreational trail which will run along the Arkansas River bank behind Dillards to serve as a sort of "wormhole" passage between North Gill Street and the western end of the Medical Mile. A previous application was turned down in October 2011. With several national experts on livable communities and complete streets having examined this corridor, their conclusions have been that Cantrell Road doesn't really need a $15 million by-pass... what it needs is a road diet, lowered speed limit, traffic calming, and traffic enforcement to reduce and mitigate these hazards.
While you’re riding westbound here, you’re once again in violation of traffic and safety rules, by 1) riding on the sidewalk, and 2) riding the wrong way against the flow of traffic.
A little more than halfway down the sidewalk, you have to negotiate the driveway leading into the Episcopal School campus, which is designed only for vehicle or pedestrian traffic, not bicycles. Again the only curb cut involves a very sharp, very short right turn into the exit lane (Arrow #1), then you have to get past the decorative island in the center (Arrow #2). The only way to do this is to go around the island to the right in the oncoming traffic lane, or do a U-Turn back toward the gatehouse to go find the single curb cut letting you back on the sidewalk on the opposite side of the drive. Both options take the rider the wrong way into potentially oncoming traffic – violation of both traffic law, and safe practices. Some riders will attempt to avoid this by riding along the left edge of the street to reach the alley next to the bridge overpass, but they are violating the law by riding against the flow of traffic, and risking a head-on collision with a car. The speed limit here is 45 mph for motor vehicles, by the way.
Positive proof of the dangers here was a recent crash between a cyclist attempting to ride through the crosswalk here, and a motorist exiting the school grounds but not paying attention to either the sidewalk, crosswalk, or anyone therein...
Positive proof of the dangers here was a recent crash between a cyclist attempting to ride through the crosswalk here, and a motorist exiting the school grounds but not paying attention to either the sidewalk, crosswalk, or anyone therein...
One should always be careful in this area, especially during the drop-off and pick-up hours at the School. Time and time again proves that the most dangerous areas of any school ground are the parking lots and nearby driveways; and the primary hazards are created by parents or guardians attempting to drop off, or pick up their children! This was no "invisible cyclist" ... note the bright-colored jersey and helmet.
The curb cut on the west side of the Epsicopal Scholl driveway is easily missed... so unless you can bunny-hop the curb and grass strip, this could put you to riding down the left side of the traffic lane, also the wrong way against traffic, in order to get to the next obstacle.
The curb cut on the west side of the Epsicopal Scholl driveway is easily missed... so unless you can bunny-hop the curb and grass strip, this could put you to riding down the left side of the traffic lane, also the wrong way against traffic, in order to get to the next obstacle.
At the end of the Episcopal School property, the sidewalk abruptly ends, and puts the rider onto the shoulder of Cantrell Road, again on the wrong side riding into oncoming traffic (Arrow #1). To continue on the path, riders are directed down an alley way to the left of the Cantrell overpass and under the bridge, eventually emerging onto the road running in front of the warehouses on the north side of Cantrell near Junior Deputy Park. Please note that you’re being directed to ignore the “Do Not Enter” sign on this alley way, riding the wrong way on a one-way street (Arrow #2); and that there’s a good chance of running into oncoming traffic exiting the alley (Arrow #3) with no place to go…
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Approaching the Episcopal School entrance from the west (heading toward downtown) is no less daunting, as the above two images illustrate the obstacles you must run in order to follow the designated trail/sidewalk. This is often complicated by turning traffic coming from behind you to enter the school campus.
Most savvy riders these days will stop here at the exit from the Gill Street alleyway, yield to traffic on Cantrell, and ride the right-hand traffic lane here on Cantrell up over the hill in the distance, and turn right on Cross, Chester, or State street to return to Markham and pick up the marked River Trail route from there.
