Description

TLDR: the no left turn prohibition from Ashby onto MLK is likely increasing traffic volumes on the Russell St. Bike Boulevard at peak times, putting kids biking to school run at increased risk.

The 2000 guidelines for bike boulevards stipulate the following as purposes of a bike boulevard:
* discouragement of non-local motor vehicle traffic;
* free-flow travel for bikes by assigning the right-of-way to the bicycle boulevard at intersections
wherever possible.
These purposes are not being fulfilled at the junction of MLK and Russell.
At peak times, there is a considerable volume of traffic heading East on Russell to turn left onto MLK. On-street parking means there is limited space for cyclists to filter, and many drivers fail to signal their intention, meaning it is often not safe to filter, particularly for younger riders who have less presence on the street.
The bulk of this traffic appears to come from King St, Ellis St, and Harper St, and the timing of high volumes coincides with the left-turn prohibition on Ashby. It is likely that this prohibition is driving traffic onto the bike boulevard precisely at the time that kids are biking to school.
The bike boulevard needs its own left-turn prohibition, or filters to prevent traffic joining it to avoid the Ashby-MLK junction.