Safety and Education Committee Report
Rumble Strips on the Shoulder
The “Rumble Strips” starting to appear on the shoulders of New Hampshire’s roadways make the roads less safe for bicyclists and non-compliant with Federal guidelines for inter-modal compatibility. It is unfair and unnecessary to endanger bicyclists in order to protect the public from the stupidity of some motorists. New Hampshire has no set policy so each road is different depending on the whims of those in charge. Consistent design and placement of these rumble strips is needed in order to be safe. There are too many projects to individually monitor so we need a universal statewide standard.
“When the problem is properly defined the solution is obvious.”
The problem is: “Inattentive, drunk, and/or incompetent drivers are not staying in their lane”. The right edge of travel lane ends at the white fog line and this is where the “rumble strip” should be. Placing it there will make standardization possible regardless of shoulder width. Placing this strip further onto the shoulder widens the lane and rewards poor driving. If a driver cannot keep his vehicle inside a 12’ lane I don’t think an extra couple of feet will matter much. The sooner a driver realizes his problem the more time he has to correct it before he leaves the pavement. Bicyclists on the shoulder will also be protected.
Two parallel divots 13” on center every 6-10’ will alert most wayward drivers, allow bicycles to cross the line unaffected, and cost much less than current designs. California has “Botts Dots” incorporated into the road striping and has spaced them further apart. Arizona limits the width to 12” for shoulder “rumble strips”.
Painted surfaces are treacherous for two-wheeled vehicles and adding some divots to a fog line will only make a known hazard a little bigger. Motorists staying in their lane will be unaffected by a “noisy” fog line. People having problems with this fog line modification obviously cannot properly control their vehicles and that problem should be addressed on an individual basis.
“Problems grow until they are resolved.”
Modifying the fog line will help protect bicyclists from “Ditch Drivers” and it may be worth the aggravation of having a “rumble strip” we can’t prevent. If you want the shoulders to remain safe for bicycles I urge you to speak up and if you like my ideas I’d appreciate your support. The Bike-Walk Alliance of NH, http://www.bwanh.org has more information regarding this issue and many of the appropriate contacts are listed. I’m writing to Governor Lynch @
http://www.egov.nh.gov/governor/goveforms/comments.asp
Bill Fisk- Safety and Education
Safety and Education Coordinator
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