Various sources report success with this approach with a couple important caveats:
- How much bus traffic will there be?
Harvard emphasizes increased shuttle bus service in its transportation plan for its new campus. The Urban Ring's proposal for Rapid Bus Transit includes high-frequency buses in a system designed to maximize the speed of the buses.
- How much space does a bus/bike lane need?
According to bicyclinginfo.org, Madison, WI uses 16 foot lanes to allow a clear three feet of separation between the bicyclist and a passing bus. Putting one of these in each direction on a two-way road would require 32 feet of width.
Considering that Western Ave and North Harvard Street are approximately 45 feet wide, there obviously is no space for a travel lane in each direction (~10' each), on-street parking lanes (~8' each), and these bus-bike lanes. Even without on-street parking, a two-way road would need 52 feet for travel lanes and bus/bike lanes. Maybe our roads should be wider, maybe some of them should be one-way, but neither of those solutions seem obvious or simple.
The Harvard shuttle bus / bicycle accident that occurred on Sunday morning is an important reminder that the safe design of our roads deserves significantly more attention.