The biggest problem with bike lanes is that they don't last long enough to take you anywhere. I don't know of a single bike lane in my city that can take you across town or even into downtown from other parts of the city.
The rail system which should provide the foundation for a city's bike paths, sadly fizzle with gaps and holes to fill the Grand Canyon. The Santa Monica paths are some of the best I've seen anywhere. Too bad they don't span long enough to be meaningful.
One moment it will be wide, smooth and isolated, The next it will just drop you into traffic leaving you wondering if it continues somewhere down the road or is this the point where they just ran out of money.
At another point the bike path is little more than a bad joke. Less than 6 inches wide of asphalt with the remainder being the 14" concrete drains. If that's not pathetic enough, there's less than a few inches between the cyclist and the passing motorist. Even economy cars would have navigate carefully to squeeze by. Consequently, most bike riders avoid it altogether and are forced instead into using the sidewalk.
Last edited by KraneXL; 06-12-19 at 07:55 AM.