Old 09-25-22, 06:05 AM
  #116  
63rickert
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
Absurd assertions abound. Bike lanes have sections where there are riders ahead of you and when there are not. I'm perfectly capable of slowing from 21 to a speed at which I can safely pass or evade others in the lane, then resume speed. And as I said, I was doing this on Mass. Ave., not some low traffic section of the cities I was riding in, you're the one assuming things are either splendid isolation or completely blind circumstances. Seriously, do you ever ride on urban bike lanes? If you did, you'd probably realize that some of them are actually pretty good, and useful for much faster safe travel than trying to ride in the lane.
Really absurd assertions such as when a bike lane is immediately adjacent to curb and sidewalk a cyclist must pay attention to what is on the sidewalk. Absurd assertions such as when trapped in a narrow slot between curb and a parked truck there is zero visibility of the adjacent road. A commenter above actually asserts he in fact can see traffic from bike lane. What? Yes I can think of a lane where 21mph would be briefly possible, the lane on Sheridan past Northwestern University. But not in any hours when there are pedestrians. Not when anyone else is using the lane. And before there were lanes it was possible to ride the road at 25 or 30 or whatever you could do.

There is a big contingent here that is going to assert lanes are good regardless of how bad and ill conceived the vast majority are. The best on-street lanes still turn cyclists into rats in a maze. The freedom of cycling is gone. You think some marginal illusory safety is enough justification to give up freedom. I think the safety is completely illusory. The lanes are flat dangerous. I never see old people riding the lanes. They were on same streets before. Every street that gets a lane sees a big drop in cycling traffic. The traffic moves to the next side street and you absolutely see the diverted bikes on the side streets. How many destinations could anyone have if only willing to ride where there is a lane?

I have 64 years of riding in traffic. Two accidents with injury caused by motor vehicles. One of those was with a Post Office truck traveling the wrong direction on a oneway bike lane. The other was a blind drunk driver exiting an enter only alley at speed. Both accidents connected to extreme police negligence. The drunk was wife of local police lieutenant, they knew she drove drunk habitually. Two stitches in my chin, forty stitches in my leg. That's total extent of traffic injuries in a lifetime. It is simply not possible to ride a bike when paralyzed by fear. Bike lanes do not cure fear. It just means I have to suffer someone elses fear.
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