Comments on: Bike Lanes http://bicycledriving.org Cycling skills, good roads, public awareness. Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:01:00 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: Jerry Foster http://bicycledriving.org/bikeways/bike-lanes/comment-page-1#comment-2685 Jerry Foster Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:29:55 +0000 http://bicycledriving.org/bikeways/bike-lanes#comment-2685 I believe bike lanes encourage use by less-experienced bicyclists, and therefore are to be encouraged generally. I don't believe we have sufficiently developed the design of bike lanes, however, to account for all the potential dangers, such as the ones discussed on this page. Positive innovations must be developed and tested, such as the colorization of bike lanes, dotted-line lanes through intersections, etc. to advance the safety and usefulness of bicycle transportation. I don't believe disappearing bike lanes at intersections is a such a positive innovation, however, as it appears to me to be a response to the legal liability faced by otherwise responsible municipal authorities. Let's keep improving bike lanes to encourage use by bicyclists of all ages and abilities. I believe bike lanes encourage use by less-experienced bicyclists, and therefore are to be encouraged generally. I don’t believe we have sufficiently developed the design of bike lanes, however, to account for all the potential dangers, such as the ones discussed on this page. Positive innovations must be developed and tested, such as the colorization of bike lanes, dotted-line lanes through intersections, etc. to advance the safety and usefulness of bicycle transportation.

I don’t believe disappearing bike lanes at intersections is a such a positive innovation, however, as it appears to me to be a response to the legal liability faced by otherwise responsible municipal authorities.

Let’s keep improving bike lanes to encourage use by bicyclists of all ages and abilities.

]]> By: John S. Allen http://bicycledriving.org/bikeways/bike-lanes/comment-page-1#comment-1609 John S. Allen Wed, 21 Jan 2009 03:05:08 +0000 http://bicycledriving.org/bikeways/bike-lanes#comment-1609 The bicyclist in the photo is not on Charles River Road, but on North Beacon Street eastbound, turning left onto Greenough Boulevard. This location is particularly dangerous for a left turn from the right side of the road because the arched bridge (in the background of the photo) restricts sight lines. As it takes more time to cross from the right side, there is not time to yield to a motor vehicle coming across the bridge when turning left, other than by turning left in the vehicular style from the center of the roadway. See other examples of unsafe crossings at the same location at http://john-s-allen.com/galleries/pdwnorth/slides/nbeaconbr.html and the following two pages in my photo album. The bicyclist in the photo is not on Charles River Road, but on North Beacon Street eastbound, turning left onto Greenough Boulevard. This location is particularly dangerous for a left turn from the right side of the road because the arched bridge (in the background of the photo) restricts sight lines. As it takes more time to cross from the right side, there is not time to yield to a motor vehicle coming across the bridge when turning left, other than by turning left in the vehicular style from the center of the roadway. See other examples of unsafe crossings at the same location at http://john-s-allen.com/galleries/pdwnorth/slides/nbeaconbr.html and the following two pages in my photo album.

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