Description

A careless driver trying to park in one of the 15-mins parking spaces on Central almost ran over me and my 2 toddlers, on our way to preschool on my bike.

The driver pulled in in front of us, then backed up, turning to the right to straighten against the curb. In the process, she swung the front left of her car out wildly, the entire way thru the bike lane - which we were in. Directly next to her. She had NO IDEA we were directly next to her - she never looked for bikes in the "bike lane" that she swerved through.

This turned out safely because I dodged her, but if there had been a car in the travel lane, we would've been smashed.

The meager, unmarked "bike lane" on Central, as it passes Park, is a death trap.

Made even more so by the 15-min parking spaces along the way - those parking in 15-min spots are ALWAYS IN A HURRY and ARE NEVER CAUTIOUS.

2 solutions:
1. IMMEDIATE: where there is 15 min parking, (1) green stripe the bike lane + (2) add CLEAR signage warning drivers to watch for bicyclists

2. MEDIUM-TERM: this really should be a protected bike lane. Watch the intersection for even 5 mins and you'll see how frequently cars carelessly veer towards the bike lane. A little green paint and signage can help, but protecting families and children who are trying to not use their car to get around requires a protected bike lane here.