John E

There are cycling facilities that enhance safety and there are others that increase hazards at intersections and driveways. One of the biggest drawbacks of most bike lanes is that they discourage (or worst case, prevent) motorists from executing a proper (and in most states, legally required) near-side turn from the curb, rather than from the left side of a bike lane. Many motorists are completely unaware that the California Vehicle Code requires them to merge safely into the bike lane, while yielding to cyclists, before executing a right turn into a driveway or at an intersection. I have seen right-turn-only lanes to the right of through bike lanes (good), but on the other side of one of these intersections we have a through-or-right lane to the left of a through-only (freeway entrance, so cyclists can't go right, anyway) bike lane. One of the biggest "tricks" to staying alive out there is to be not just visible, but relevant, to motorists, which often involves merging away from the gutter. Too many cycling "advocates" reject the notion of destination-appropriate lateral lane positioning. In Encinitas we have also seen safety issues caused by posts and especially curbs placed between cycletraps (oops -- cycletracks) and main travel lanes, and we had to fight like hell to get sharrows and a reduced speed limit. I still miss the Class II bike lane we had previously, and which had served us efficiently and safely for decades.