BAD UX IN THE BIKE LANE
UX in the Wild - July 21, 2012: Seattle, WA on Dexter Ave
The bus islands on Dexter Avenue have led to too many cyclists being killed and wounded. The bus islands were intended to prevent the bus from stopping in the bike lane. But the design that was implemented created a problem much worse than the original problem. This is an example of good intentions (to accommodate cyclists), and a lot of money spent to make it so, but result was not just an example of a bad user experience, but in this case, a deadly one.
User Scenario: When the bus is stopped, car drivers going in the same direction will take a right in front of the bus. The drivers don’t have a mental model of the scenario because it’s not typical; the car driver isn’t expecting a bike lane to the right of the bus and they cannot see the oncoming bikers in the lane to the right of the bus. For the cyclists, there are no defensive measures against a car turning across their lane.
Conclusion: If there wasn’t a cyclist on the design team, they needed one to represent a comprehensive perspective, especially since the design was to make life better for the cyclists. Next time you vote, consider candidates that are either cyclists themselves or are pro-cyclists.
