Once more we see Elly singing the praises of segregation-style builds. Let's have a look at the Big Apple which Elly cites. When Janette Sadik-Khan was appointed to head up the New York Department of Transportation in 2007, New York City was decidedly pedestrian in terms of its cycling; the percentage of commuters using bikes was at the national average of 0.6%. Two years later, in 2009, it was still mired at 0.6%. (So much for the powerful bike lobby that made such amusing press when Citibikes started.)
Between 2009 and 2012, the percentage has inched up to 1.0%. That's hardly a boom; four times as many people work from home as ride bikes to work in NYC.
She also mentions her adopted hometown of Portland, OR as an example of the cutting edge. Hmm, I sure hope not. PDX has not seen any increase in modal share over the past four years in spite of massive construction of the sort that Elly advocates.
It's time for the inexperienced, overzealous oversellers like Elly to step aside and allow more experienced cyclists have a say in how our roadways should accommodate cyclists, in my opinion.