There was a time when the world was painted in hues of black and white. Right and Wrong were separated by lines painted in such a thick, heavy paint that even to wander close was to already alter your very nature. The Elders taught us on which side we were to dwell and what evils would descend upon us if we were to transcend into the void. Little was known of what dwelt on the other side; the mind imagines the most horrific beasts in the unknown.
As Cyclists, we dwell in the space between black and white; everything we know is confined within the shades of gray that exist between two absolutes. Nowhere is this more true than when we subject ourselves to the roads to ply our craft at the mercy of motor vehicles, pedestrians, and the department of transportation’s ability to place potholes and manhole covers in the most inopportune locations. A moment’s inattention and our fortunes could shift dramatically.
The bike lane is shrouded in an air of false security. The white line painted a few meters from the edge of the road offers little by way of providing a barrier or any other kind of physical protection. Nevertheless, we wrap ourselves in a blanket of wishful thinking and pedal merrily along our way. The biggest problem with the bike lane is the total disregard that people, traffic, and road crews have for how few options we have outside of our narrow strip of tarmac in the event that the way is blocked, often unaware of the dangers their behaviors impose upon us. These are normally not intended as threats; it is simply a lack of exposure and appreciation of the risks we as Cyclists endure. In the spirit of Rule #3, I will outline some of the greatest risks.
Too many Cyclists are being killed doing what they love. We all understand what we risk and accept those rather than not ride our bikes, but I think I speak for all of us when I say I’d rather live to ride again tomorrow. We all have to come together with our fellow motorists to understand how best to work together. But most of all: be careful and diligent, my fellow Cyclists.
Vive la Vie Velominatus.
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The internet is loaded with great examples....................
@Teocalli the internet is full of crap like this also
+1 to both Portemat and Puffy.
London isn't so bad but I'm with Puffy on the "first world problems" point of view.
In the lovely UAE they build fantastic bike paths. There's 85km of perfectly-surfaced traffic-free biking out in the desert with the occasional view of a herd of oryx, which is great if you want to ride 85km in the desert with oryx but crap if you want to ride to work or down to the supermarket.
I was once riding to the off-road cycle path near where I live when I was stopped by a police car and told I wasn't allowed to ride on the road to get to the cycle track, I should drive there with my bike.
Happily mostly the police ignore us and the drivers don't go out of their way to endanger us - that comes through inattention and not expecting to see people on bikes.
But in general this is a place where cycling is for training or on dedicated circuits. The idea of taking the bike just to go somewhere, let alone doing it in a bike lane of good, bad or indifferent quality, is simply not feasible.
@RedRanger You mean everything on the internet is not true, I'm shocked. On the other hand this could go a long way to improving cycling safety.......
@Teocalli Cycling Weekly linked to this a while ago -
http://www.warringtoncyclecampaign.co.uk/
Well worth a look as lots of examples of bad cycle planning, and how campaigning can make a difference.
@Fausto Crapiz
Hey, someone's gotta risk life and limb for the sake of making a point. And don't worry, I was economizing my activities by also taking a few selfies while I was at it.
Okay Frank, you've done it - I've finally seen a s**fie that doesn't piss me off. And, that one actually makes me smile. Strong work! Thank you!!
There is a church down the block from me. Not only do perpetually late parents use my block as a cut through zone for drag racing at 7:56 weekday mornings, en route to drop off their little fuckers BUT every Sunday they use the bike lanes on the main street for parking. No joke. A mile in either direction and across a bridge, they fill up the entire bike lane, pushing cyclists into traffic. It's insane. The police station is also across the road, but I think they let this slide.
Do unto others, eh...goddamn Catholics. (relax, I was raised and confirmed Catholic, I've just come to my senses.)
Bike lanes, what a luxury! To quote Sinead, "I do not want what I have not got", or something like that.
This article makes me really admire those who live in urban areas, it really takes a different commitment to ride when so populus dense. Chapeau for you all
Conversely, living in a rural town of 12k, there are no bike lanes. I have had to educate/enlighten the mayor and council on what bike lanes even are, and still we have none these years later, as they see it a waste of time...I mean who even rides a bike when you can drive a car...right??? So much for city admin and planning
But, I'll take it, the trade off from population density, to just a few drunks in ford pickemups, once in a blue moon. The roads are shit, but there is no traffic either, so all in all, a fair trade
I think in Utopia/Merckx in the sky, there is the marriage of both no traffic and all bike lanes, er...open roads
@frank
Is this the start of a "who can make their helmet look the biggest in a selfie" competition?