In our December 2024 issue of The Pedal Post (eNewsletter), Bike Fort Collins posed the question: “Have you experienced conflict or felt unsafe while traveling through the intersection of Heatheridge Road & West Prospect Road?”
Thank you to those who responded. Below is a recap of the results.
WHAT HAPPENED?
In addition, for those who reported conflict, we asked them to describe their experience. Here is a sampling of the responses we received:
- “Cars rarely wait for the pedestrian cross light. They may see the one cyclist but if another cyclist is pedaling fast to cross in the remaining seconds left that cyclist will most likely be hit. The signs state that the cars may proceed but they are not looking for additional cyclists or pedestrians.”
- “I previously sat at this intersection as a volunteer for the City’s Bike Counts efforts during a weekday morning (7-9am), and reported on my count sheet the near-misses that I witnessed. Bicyclists going east on Prospect are invisible to northbound cars in the right-turn lane when there is a left turning vehicle also stopped. I witnessed right-turning cars “inching out” to see around the left-turning vehicle and into the path of an eastbound (downhill) moving bicyclist. Also, I’m not a fan of the pedestrian lights which transition from solid Red to blinky red – I observe often that vehicles pause and don’t really look for additional crosswalk users after the initial users have cleared. It’s dangerous to be a late-comer to this type of intersection even if time allows for your crossing.”
- “Riding west on Prospect in the bike lane to get to Lynwood feels unsafe when cars go flying by.”
- “The sidewalk here is quite narrow, as is the bike lane going west on Prospect, so cars really speed by without much space for bicyclists. Also, cross Heatheridge road going NB is always somewhat dangerous since cars only see the bikes hanging out in the middle of the road at the last second.”
- “Southbound on Linwood, have to turn left onto north sidewalk on Prospect to access the crossing light. That means that you have to cross from the southbound lane on Lynwood across to that corner, where cars coming west on Prospect can’t see you before they turn.”
HOW CAN IT BE IMPROVED?
Finally, we asked respondents how they thought the intersection/facility could be improved. Here is a sampling of the responses we received:
- “MAKE IT A REAL STOP LIGHT AND NOT A PEDESTRIAN CROSS. TAKE DOWN THE SIGN THAT STATE IT’S OKAY TO PROCEED ON RED IF THE CROSSWALK IS CLEAR. MAKE THE CARS WAIT THE ENTIRE RED LIGHT. I really hate this intersection. It’s very dangerous. I bike commute daily and always proceed with great caution.”
- “Tough question. If the stopping line on northbound Heather Ridge is pushed back, the site-line to the west needs to be improved. Which is tough as it’s uphill. Even a regular traffic light doesn’t solve the issue of eager right-turning vehicles scooting out to see.”
- “Making a left turn from westbound Prospect to southbound Heatheridge looks difficult when the pedestrian crossing light is flashing.”
- “Narrow the roadway and expand protected access for pedestrians and cyclists.”
- “A much wider sidewalk would help with the crossing. Also, reducing the need to cross to the center of the road would be extremely helpful, like what has been done at the revamped City Park-Mulberry intersection.”
- “1. Improve visibility so bikes can see cars coming west on Prospect, 2. Expand crossing so that bikes can go from take-the-lane on Lynwood directly across Prospect (move the stop line for eastbound Prospect farther west).”
Again, thank you to all who responded—and for sharing their experiences. Stay tuned for additional surveys inquiring about other intersections and bicycle facilities.
If you have an intersection that you would like featured, please contact Timothy Wooten at tim.wooten@bikefortcollins.org