Maze gates and right-of-way rules worry cyclists

Opposition to the recent Chico City Council decision for South Park Drive near One Mile Recreation Area has been immediate and fierce, mostly focused on the plan to extend the car-free portion to the entrance gate.

On June 17 the Council approved the following proposal for that portion of South Park Drive:

1. Repave it, maintaining its current width
2. Extend the motor vehicle-free portion westward to the Bidwell Park entrance gate at Cypress Street 
3. Repave the driveway to the Sycamore Pool parking lot and build two new driveways to the Sycamore Field and Caper Acres parking lots
4. Pave the parking lots with permeable pavement
5. Abandon and re-vegetate the parking areas along the north side of South Park Drive and the egress driveway located just east of Caper Acres.

But the Chico Safe Streets Coalition, an active transportation advocacy group, opposes the plan, too. Why? Although, on the face of it, the closure of South Park Drive seems to facilitate bicycle and pedestrian transportation, the current implementation plan does the opposite – the devil is in the details. 

During the June 17 meeting, Brendan Ottoboni, director of Public Works – Engineering, revealed that he planned to install “bike path gates” (a.k.a. “maze gates”) on either side of each of the three driveways that would cross South Park Drive; he also implied that cyclists and pedestrians on South Park Drive would lose the right of way they have enjoyed for decades and would instead have to stop and yield to motorists at every crossing driveway. 

Suddenly, the proposal to close South Park Drive didn’t look so good to the Chico Safe Streets Coalition. Here are the problems with the proposed right-of-way change and the installation of maze gates along South Park Drive:

Right-of-Way Change: Cyclists and pedestrians far outnumber cars on South Park Drive. Cyclists and pedestrians shouldn’t have to stop and yield to car traffic three times over a stretch of just 0.3 miles while motorists freely buzz across South Park Drive without even looking. This is not just unfair; it is dangerous.

The distance between South Park Drive and Woodland Avenue is only about 2 car lengths; a driveway could be clear when a pedestrian starts across it but, before they get to the other side, a car on Woodland Avenue could turn into that driveway and hit them. This is no way to facilitate bicycle and pedestrian use of South Park Drive! 

Maze Gates: A maze gate consists of two fences that each block at least half of a bicycle path, one on each side, staggered several feet apart (See photograph). To get through a maze gate, you must follow an intricate zigzag path.  

Why install maze gates? They serve two purposes:

1. To discourage motorists from driving onto the bicycle path.
2. They slow cyclists down, so they don’t shoot out into the intersection. 

Purpose #1 can be accomplished in many other ways. The National Association of City Traffic Officials (NACTO) suggests using bike-friendly strategies, such as high-visibility bollards, planted islands in the path, and appropriate markings, and advises against maze gates.

Purpose #2 gets things backwards: Cyclists already have a strong incentive not to shoot out into an intersection – getting hit involves serious injury or death. All they need is a prominent sign warning them that they are approaching an intersection. They certainly don’t need something as cumbersome and dangerous as a maze gate to get them to slow down. Also, crossing a street is tricky and gaps in traffic are often brief; so, a cyclist needs to cross as quickly as possible. If there’s a maze gate on the other side, they are forced to slam on the brakes very suddenly, after clearing the street – a very dangerous situation.

It’s the motorists approaching the intersection with a bike path that need an incentive to slow down, snap out of automatic pilot, and pay attention. “Bicycle crossing” signs are helpful but they are not enough. Here are some effective ways to slow down cars:

• Install rumble strips or speed bumps ahead of the intersection.
• Narrow the car lanes at the intersection by bulbing out the curb or installing a refuge island.
• Raise the intersection.

Maze gates can be impossible to navigate on a cycle that is longer or wider than a standard bicycle (e.g. tandem, adaptive hand cycle, cargo bike, recumbent cycle, tricycle, bakfiets, or a bicycle towing a trailer with two children in it). Maze gates are certainly no way to facilitate active transportation! 

The July 8 City Council Meeting: Faced with opposition from motorists and safe streets advocates alike, the City Council decided, on July 8, to reconsider its decision to close South Park Drive. That discussion will probably happen at the next meeting, scheduled for Aug. 19. Anything can happen. Let’s put our heads together and come up with a plan that works for everyone.

The Chico Safe Streets Coalition position:

1. Our first preference: Extend the motor vehicle-free portion of South Park Drive westward to Cypress Street. 
2. Our second preference: Allow motor vehicles on South Park Drive between the One Mile driveway and Caper Acres so they can access the parking lots. But do not allow motor vehicles between Cypress Street and the One Mile driveway—there are no parking spots there anyway.
3. We can live with continued motor vehicle access between Cypress and Caper Acres only if traffic-calming measures are installed that make drivers extremely uncomfortable at speeds above 10 mph.
4. Whichever design is chosen, it is crucial for bicycle and pedestrian comfort and safety to:
   • Maintain the right-of-way currently enjoyed by South Park Drive over any driveways that cross it.
   • Keep South Park Drive free of maze gates. We suggest using bike-friendly strategies such as those recommended by NACTO.
   • Where cars are allowed, make South Park Drive a “slow street,” similar to those in San Francisco, with a speed limit of 10 miles per hour (for bicycles as well as cars). Require cyclists to yield to pedestrians and require cars to yield to both pedestrians and cyclists. Calm traffic with methods such as paving the road with clay pavers instead of asphalt or texturing the pavement to look and feel like pavers.
   • Allow 2-way bicycle traffic but only 1-way car traffic, where cars are allowed.

What you can do: If you want to influence this decision, go to https://chico.ca.us/Your-Government/Template-COUNCIL/ and click on the “Email All Councilmembers” button or come to the next City Council meeting and speak.

Ann Bykerk-Kauffman is a leader and founding member of the Chico Safe Streets Coalition. She is a geology professor at CSU Chico and a lifetime bicycle commuter. She is a former City of Chico Climate Action Commissioner and a current planning commissioner. To stay up to date with the Chico Safe Streets Coalition, get on their email listserv by emailing chicosafestreets@gmail.com.