When Bike Lanes Hurt More Than Help

In NYC, there are some new bike lanes that some bikers would rather do without.  Excellent video and a must-see for anyone thinking about future changes to Chicago streets.


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Permalink Reply by Mark on October 13, 2010 at 2:42am
As soon as I saw this new design for a separated bike lane, I thought it was more dangerous than a regular bike lane next to traffic. There is no escape route if something unexpected happens in front of you. I'd rather ride next to traffic than be confined between a curb and a row of car doors. This design is dnangerous - whether it's on the left side or the right side. BTW - the bike lane in NYC is on the left because the bus lane is on the right. That's the same reason the bike lane on Dearborn is on the left side of the street.
Permalink Reply by Duppie on October 13, 2010 at 4:58am
I love the interwebs.
Overnight everybody became an experienced traffic engineer, qualified to discuss the design flaws of a bike lane....
Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on October 13, 2010 at 7:26am
That's exactly how I felt looking at that left-side bike lane. The NYC situation pictured there looked a lot like some of our more congested areas (like Wells St. in Old Town, North/Milwaukee/Damen, etc.), where delivery drivers and cabs are often encroaching on our lane. The idea of being trapped with no escape route if a delivery driver suddenly cut me off with a loaded hand truck is a scary one. Going several miles on such a route would be even worse.

Mark said:
As soon as I saw this new design for a separated bike lane, I thought it was more dangerous than a regular bike lane next to traffic. There is no escape route if something unexpected happens in front of you. I'd rather ride next to traffic than be confined between a curb and a row of car doors. This design is dnangerous - whether it's on the left side or the right side. BTW - the bike lane in NYC is on the left because the bus lane is on the right. That's the same reason the bike lane on Dearborn is on the left side of the street.
Permalink Reply by pjc jr on October 13, 2010 at 7:39am
My two cents is that this video was pretty well done...it includes lots of actual experience (video of riding in this particular lane) and several users opinions. Some techie (knows how to edit film on a computer) should put some informative pieces together similar to this regarding are cycling challenges in Chicago. This was done in a way that it was not overly critical of the system but showed major concern for new developments in the New York metro area to assist cyclists. Basically informative and a good attempt to bring to light opposition to current design. In my opinion, this is good news reporting that could help our community.

It is also my personal opinion that bike lanes don't always work and that it allows drivers an argument as to how cyclists should share the road. I am of the school that I pay taxes, I live here, I have the same right to road. So move over you gas loving piece of @#*^s.....go kill another American for greed!

Please do not respond to my extreme over the top behavior posting....unless your nuts like me!
Permalink Reply by David on October 13, 2010 at 7:48am
Oh, I was just wondering what it was in the video that convinced you that the bike lane was so obviously poorly designed. You seemed to have accepted the thesis of the filmmakers as truth, even to the degree of suggesting their position was so obvious that the lane designers must not have cared. I was wondering if there were specific points made in the film that convinced you that this particular group of cyclists was correct and others were wrong. I haven't done or seen any polls, but it's my impression from visiting and talking with friends there that the 1st Ave. bike lane is extremely popular in most biking circles in NYC (certainly not all, but *nothing* is popular in all biking circles).

It was mostly your thinly-veiled personal attacks on the designers that led to my question. I was wondering whether you found something in the film to be overwhelmingly convincing or if you had some inside knowledge or additional information about the designers.

No, I'm not David Gleason.



H3N3 said:
David,
there are a variety of perspectives offered in this video, by people of obviously diverse experience and knowledge-- and also a variety of specific problems outlined.
Of course I watch it critically and make a judgment as to the veracity of each claim just like you do-- no idea why you're trying to reduce this to one or two points of minutia, and/or present things as if I would just swallow what any random person who gets in front of a camera might say, uncritically.
There's a clear theme that comes across-- the bike lane does not work for the riding style of the majority of people interviewed, who are just interested in passing through the space quickly on their way from A to B.
Curious-- are you David Gleason?


David said:
I'm curious, what exactly do you think is poorly-designed about this particular lane? The separated bike lane, with bikes between the car and the sidewalk, is pretty common in Europe, so it's not a new idea. The claim is made by one person in the video that the lane should have been on the right because more cars turn left on 1st ave., but there's no solid numbers to back up that claim. And city officials have reported that there's been a 50% reduction in injuries to street users with the new bike lane, a pretty significant spike in safety.

The fact that somebody is complaining just isn't evidence that the planners are "half-awake bean counters." That's a pretty harsh charge against people who are working hard for cyclists.

H3N3 said:
Glad someone took the time to speak out about this.
I would not take it as a condemnation of all bike lanes but of one poorly-designed example.
Two problems jump out here:
1) Where bike lanes and bike paths are placed, driver intolerance of any cyclist not in that lane or on that path spikes to dangerous levels.
2) When bicyclists get planning or advocacy jobs, they frequently lose their enthusiasm for the cause of bicycling and morph into the type of half-awake bean counters that let this particular mistake happen.
Permalink Reply by Craig S. on October 13, 2010 at 8:11am
To be overly and stupidly professionally pedantic because the usage of the word in professional circles is to me like fingernails on a chalkboard, it ain't "film" PJ it's video or more precisely with what she probably took the images with, data.

I'm currently fairly underemployed, if someone or a group of folks wanted to shoot some video/data of these things you're talking about, they could play producer and I could throw it all together on my rig. I might charge a cold beer or eight for the use of my edit rig. Might make an interesting project.




pjc jr said:
My two cents is that this video was pretty well done...it includes lots of actual experience (video of riding in this particular lane) and several users opinions. Some techie (knows how to edit film on a computer) should put some informative pieces together similar to this regarding are cycling challenges in Chicago. This was done in a way that it was not overly critical of the system but showed major concern for new developments in the New York metro area to assist cyclists. Basically informative and a good attempt to bring to light opposition to current design. In my opinion, this is good news reporting that could help our community.

It is also my personal opinion that bike lanes don't always work and that it allows drivers an argument as to how cyclists should share the road. I am of the school that I pay taxes, I live here, I have the same right to road. So move over you gas loving piece of @#*^s.....go kill another American for greed!

Please do not respond to my extreme over the top behavior posting....unless your nuts like me!
Permalink Reply by Mark on October 13, 2010 at 8:15am
I may not be a traffic engineer, but I am an experienced commuter who has learned to expect the unexpected in order to stay safe. The video does a great job of showing how what might look good on paper doesn't always work out so well in the real world.
Permalink Reply by gadgetguy on October 13, 2010 at 8:40am
I think the key to solving all these problems will be reversible high speed bike lanes to cover the rush hour traffic.
Permalink Reply by pjc jr on October 13, 2010 at 8:48am
I love it! Express Lanes for cyclist....I want to live in your city!



gadgetguy said:
I think the key to solving all these problems will be reversible high speed bike lanes to cover the rush hour traffic.
Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on October 13, 2010 at 9:02am
I think that's a very relevant perspective on the video and the issue.

Mark said:
I may not be a traffic engineer, but I am an experienced commuter who has learned to expect the unexpected in order to stay safe. The video does a great job of showing how what might look good on paper doesn't always work out so well in the real world.
Permalink Reply by James Lovell on October 13, 2010 at 6:04pm
I'll say this, riding in Chicago through traffic was awesome, but I was seriously leery about being in the door zone.

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