On an American road it makes sense. You want to claim more space for your own safety. Which should be fine, in most places in the us bicycles are legally no different from a truck when it comes to traffic rules.
Exactly. I’m a cyclist, and the bike lane is often unsafe because there are parked cars right next to it and it’s nigh impossible to tell if someone is going to open a door right in front of you. I don’t want to be in the main traffic lane, but I’ll do it if it’s safer for me, and plugging up a lane is much better than swerving into traffic to avoid colliding with a door.
I’ve recently been seeing news of some American neighborhoods actually getting bike lanes though. As in: a second “mini road” next to the main road.
Let’s hope further progress can be made!
We have a dedicated walking path right next to my house, and part of it runs right next to the road. It’s super nice, though the only physical barrier is either a bit of gravel, but it’s way better than what we used to have.
The gravel is plenty, it’s an intuitive border between where the cars are supposed and not supposed to go. Even sleepy drivers will stay off of the walking path that way.
There’s much better options, but it’s good to have something :::
And yet the traffic rules don’t stop cyclists from riding the wrong way down my one-way street a dozen times a day. I’ve nearly hit them with my car door or walked in front of them with my dog because I’m checking the other direction, where cars would be coming from. No cop is going to pull over a bicycle so they just ignore the rules.
Rules often allow cyclists to go either way on one way streets
In my state bicycles that are riding on the road must obey all traffic laws as if they were a motorcycle. I see cyclists break those laws every day and there will never be consequences.
Well, at least you know where to check now
I shouldn’t have to anticipate that someone might be breaking the law. It’s hard enough to cross the street or open my door when I’m only dealing with law-abiding traffic. Maybe those people should anticipate that they’re going to get knocked off their bike by a car door when they willingly and knowingly break traffic laws.
bike lane? did you mean painted gutter?
I get cyclists using the road. Here where i live there is no infrastructure for bycles. I have been there and it’s hideous to cooperate with cars on the road. the only problem i have with cyclists are the ones that think thar bikes don’t have to abide to circulation laws. For example, in a country that drives on the right. I had a cyclist behind me, i turn on the indicator to turn right and as i turn the cyclist overtakes me from the right and then acts pissed because i almost put them under. Let’s not speak about the ones that take one way roads from the wrong sides to take a shortcut.
You want to see them get really mad? Suggest that if they want to share the road they should also pay registration.
(Not something I believe, we just had an avid cyclist at work who was enormous fun to shit stir.
Paint is not infrastructure. Give us something that actually protects us, and we’ll use it.
Stop signs, traffic lights, yield signs…
What’s your point?
Sandwiches
In Germany, we have the wonderful Radwegebenutzungspflicht (obligation to use cycle paths). Unfortunately most drivers don’t realize this only applies to about 10% of Germany’s cycle paths, which are marked by a blue sign. They think the obligation applies to all cycle paths, and so they keep giving cyclists shit.
In germany, you have traffic lights that give cars green before bicycles finish passing the road.
And also, there’s no darn orange to warn cyclists to stop. You come in at speed and the light just instantly go from green to red.
And on top of that, some bicycle paths just end in a highway with no indication or warning.
German cycling infrastructure is bad
