Originally Posted by
DropDeadFred
I've been pushing our mayor to push for bike lanes* in our city, we currently have zero. She seems to think that we as a community believe we are safer without them.
Where did she get this idea? By listening to the "vehicular cyclists" or by thinking "if we put in bike lanes, we'll have to get rid of traffic lanes or parking?"
If there's a bike lane, and riding there won't put me in danger (door zone from parked cars, or, in the fall, that's where they don't remove debris like wet leaves) then I'll ride in it. Generally I try to take quieter residential streets, which usually don't have bike lanes, but don't need them, either. That isn't always possible. When I'm on a stretch of road and there's a good bike lane, that line of paint keeps most cars away, and the drivers tend to be less pissed at me.
The real benefit, though, is that a lot of people who might be on the fence about using their bikes seem to feel safer when there's a bike lane. I get that impression from coworkers who ride 5 to 10 miles a week.
We have some "buffered" bike lanes that look like this. Drivers tend to respect them, but not so much at turns (right hook!), even with the green paint on the road surface.
