Narrative:

While on a night visual approach to cle runway 23L, we were told by tower to change the landing runway to 23R. We accepted the change and landed normally on runway 23R. Before clearing the runway, we were told to hold short of runway 23L. We acknowledged, and commenced turning off of runway 23R at taxiway K. The taxiway K centerline was well illuminated with a green lighting system. We were a little beyond the taxiway K green turnoff lights, but since the taxiway was fairly wide, we made a left turn onto the taxiway and rejoined the green centerline lights. While slowly taxiing on K, I was looking for runway 23L so I could hold short. Taxiway K angled back from our landing runway 23R at about a 45 degree angle, which puts runway 23L at about a 135 degree angle to an aircraft taxiing on K. I saw the near side runway lights for runway 23L, but because of the angle and the relative width of the taxiway, I had difficulty judging how close my aircraft was to the runway. Because of that difficulty I made a more conscious effort to see the painted runway hold lines, a red runway identifier sign, or some other taxiway lighting that would tell me the runway was near. Nothing came into view. That was about the time that I decided I was close enough to 23L and stopped the aircraft. An aircraft taking off on runway 23L passed in front of us just after we stopped. That aircraft gave us our first good look at the location of the runway. I would estimate that we stopped within 15 ft of the active runway, far closer than I consider safe. We were then cleared across runway 23L and continued normally to the terminal. I have to assume that there were taxiway markings of some sort which advised of the proximity of runway 23L, but I certainly never saw any of them. Perhaps they were located so close to runway 23R that I failed to notice them when I made a wide turn off of the runway onto taxiway K. Whatever the case, it seems that the visual cues presently in place at the intersection of cle's taxiway K runway 23L are insufficient, at least at night, to adequately determine one's position. Supplemental information from acn 186634: as we were making the turn I was starting my after landing items as usual. My attention was momentarily diverted to inside the cockpit. The distance between the 2 parallel runways is much less than what we are accustomed to. Therefore we were nearly on top of 23L before we realized it. The captain still saw no hold short lines or runway markings. If there are any, they are very hard to pick out at night. The thing that made this whole thing so scary was the timing. Just as the captain was stopping I looked outside, only to see an aircraft roaring down the runway passing us in about 5 seconds after we stopped. If the captain had been just a little more confused about our position relative to the runway we would have had a major accident. We need a row of red/orange lights at every runway taxiway intersection! I'll probably never be in such a hurry to start into the after landing checklist.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR MLG RWY TRANSGRESSION AFTER LNDG AT CLE. FLC CLAIMS TAXIWAY HOLD LINES DIFFICULT TO SEE AT NIGHT.

Narrative: WHILE ON A NIGHT VISUAL APCH TO CLE RWY 23L, WE WERE TOLD BY TWR TO CHANGE THE LNDG RWY TO 23R. WE ACCEPTED THE CHANGE AND LANDED NORMALLY ON RWY 23R. BEFORE CLRING THE RWY, WE WERE TOLD TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 23L. WE ACKNOWLEDGED, AND COMMENCED TURNING OFF OF RWY 23R AT TAXIWAY K. THE TAXIWAY K CENTERLINE WAS WELL ILLUMINATED WITH A GREEN LIGHTING SYS. WE WERE A LITTLE BEYOND THE TAXIWAY K GREEN TURNOFF LIGHTS, BUT SINCE THE TAXIWAY WAS FAIRLY WIDE, WE MADE A L TURN ONTO THE TAXIWAY AND REJOINED THE GREEN CENTERLINE LIGHTS. WHILE SLOWLY TAXIING ON K, I WAS LOOKING FOR RWY 23L SO I COULD HOLD SHORT. TAXIWAY K ANGLED BACK FROM OUR LNDG RWY 23R AT ABOUT A 45 DEG ANGLE, WHICH PUTS RWY 23L AT ABOUT A 135 DEG ANGLE TO AN ACFT TAXIING ON K. I SAW THE NEAR SIDE RWY LIGHTS FOR RWY 23L, BUT BECAUSE OF THE ANGLE AND THE RELATIVE WIDTH OF THE TAXIWAY, I HAD DIFFICULTY JUDGING HOW CLOSE MY ACFT WAS TO THE RWY. BECAUSE OF THAT DIFFICULTY I MADE A MORE CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO SEE THE PAINTED RWY HOLD LINES, A RED RWY IDENTIFIER SIGN, OR SOME OTHER TAXIWAY LIGHTING THAT WOULD TELL ME THE RWY WAS NEAR. NOTHING CAME INTO VIEW. THAT WAS ABOUT THE TIME THAT I DECIDED I WAS CLOSE ENOUGH TO 23L AND STOPPED THE ACFT. AN ACFT TAKING OFF ON RWY 23L PASSED IN FRONT OF US JUST AFTER WE STOPPED. THAT ACFT GAVE US OUR FIRST GOOD LOOK AT THE LOCATION OF THE RWY. I WOULD ESTIMATE THAT WE STOPPED WITHIN 15 FT OF THE ACTIVE RWY, FAR CLOSER THAN I CONSIDER SAFE. WE WERE THEN CLRED ACROSS RWY 23L AND CONTINUED NORMALLY TO THE TERMINAL. I HAVE TO ASSUME THAT THERE WERE TAXIWAY MARKINGS OF SOME SORT WHICH ADVISED OF THE PROX OF RWY 23L, BUT I CERTAINLY NEVER SAW ANY OF THEM. PERHAPS THEY WERE LOCATED SO CLOSE TO RWY 23R THAT I FAILED TO NOTICE THEM WHEN I MADE A WIDE TURN OFF OF THE RWY ONTO TAXIWAY K. WHATEVER THE CASE, IT SEEMS THAT THE VISUAL CUES PRESENTLY IN PLACE AT THE INTXN OF CLE'S TAXIWAY K RWY 23L ARE INSUFFICIENT, AT LEAST AT NIGHT, TO ADEQUATELY DETERMINE ONE'S POS. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 186634: AS WE WERE MAKING THE TURN I WAS STARTING MY AFTER LNDG ITEMS AS USUAL. MY ATTN WAS MOMENTARILY DIVERTED TO INSIDE THE COCKPIT. THE DISTANCE BTWN THE 2 PARALLEL RWYS IS MUCH LESS THAN WHAT WE ARE ACCUSTOMED TO. THEREFORE WE WERE NEARLY ON TOP OF 23L BEFORE WE REALIZED IT. THE CAPT STILL SAW NO HOLD SHORT LINES OR RWY MARKINGS. IF THERE ARE ANY, THEY ARE VERY HARD TO PICK OUT AT NIGHT. THE THING THAT MADE THIS WHOLE THING SO SCARY WAS THE TIMING. JUST AS THE CAPT WAS STOPPING I LOOKED OUTSIDE, ONLY TO SEE AN ACFT ROARING DOWN THE RWY PASSING US IN ABOUT 5 SECONDS AFTER WE STOPPED. IF THE CAPT HAD BEEN JUST A LITTLE MORE CONFUSED ABOUT OUR POS RELATIVE TO THE RWY WE WOULD HAVE HAD A MAJOR ACCIDENT. WE NEED A ROW OF RED/ORANGE LIGHTS AT EVERY RWY TAXIWAY INTXN! I'LL PROBABLY NEVER BE IN SUCH A HURRY TO START INTO THE AFTER LNDG CHKLIST.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.