Never forget, a 13-year study of a dozen cities found that protected bike-lanes led to a drastic decline in fatalities for all road users.
ALL ROAD USERS.
And painted bike-lanes? No safety improvement at all. As for sharrows, it’s safer to NOT have them.
Via @Streetsblog, read article linked below.
#bikelanes #bikes #cities #sharrows #infrastructure #urbanism #cars
@BrentToderian Makes sense. IMHO, Amsterdam seemed to be the coolest city I have ever been to when it came to traffic:
Not only are their bike lanes insulated with curbs, they have parts of their town center were are just for foot traffic and cyclists where cars are prohibited entirely.
I don't think that is unique? Yet it was so nice I wish every urban environment were as chill.
Meanwhile, in San Jose: there are places where they don't even have sidewalks. ;( @Streetsblog
@BrentToderian @Streetsblog
Whazzat? (Huh, didn’t know they had a name)
“Primarily, it’s a positioning tool that tells you where to ride to avoid both flung-open car doors and vehicles passing too closely. In theory, if you ride where the sharrow is placed, you won’t find yourself squeezed in a lane too narrow for cars and bikes together.”
https://www.bicycling.com/news/a20044419/what-are-sharrows-used-for/
Honest question, with protected bike lanes how are we supposed to turn left? I've never worked it out so I avoid them, I get really anxious being stuck in a bike ghetto on the other side of parked cars from the actual traffic. In my area we don't have many protected bike lanes, so those streets are easily avoided.
@beaker @BrentToderian @Streetsblog the same way you can when you are a pedestrian on a foot path.
Protected bike lanes still observe traffic junctions, and many have their own signals too (or you cross the junction with the pedestrian traffic that is going in your direction), or at least, that’s how it works in the city I live in. I wasn’t sure about it at first, but after using them, I do prefer them & will go out of my way to use those roads.
@beaker @BrentToderian @Streetsblog who said anything about riding up onto the sidewalk in any situation? Of course you don’t do that, it endangers pedestrians. When you have a protected bike lane, you have your own opening to the crossing, and you just go when the pedestrians do. You don’t cross their path at any point.
Take a look at the REV on Rue Saint-Denis in Montreal - watch from 1:18, you’ll see how it works https://youtu.be/LEZYqfhGfGU
@beaker You may not have seen the left turn, because first you cross the street, and turn right then do a small U turn to wait for the next crossing signal. Then you cross again.
If you set off as the bike light turns green, you are across before the pedestrians are given the green light.
If there's no specific bike light, you can go during the pedestrian light if there's no pedestrians. If there are pedestrians, you can wait till the car traffic light comes on, and you can still cross safely, as the cars are travelling in the same direction.
It does take a little longer than a direct left turn, but it's much safer than attempting to cross direct traffic.
@beaker @BrentToderian @Streetsblog I forget the name of the technique, but one way is to line up in front of traffic moving in your new direction. Pittsburgh actually has special areas marked for that use in some places.
This involves some waiting but is a reliable option if you can't get to the left.
@beaker @BrentToderian @Streetsblog
This article provides some detail, calling the technique a box turn: https://www.bikearlington.com/three-ways-to-make-a-left-turn-while-biking/
However, ultimately cycling is pretty contextual so you will have to do what makes sense based on the situation or the rules of your municipality.
Still, you might find this technique more flexible than you expect. One T-intersection near me has a special cutout for this purpose coming from the side where there is no traffic.
A few years ago, UPS decided to have their drivers make right turns and go around the block in order to avoid waiting at traffic lights and for the traffic to clear to make a left turn. This decision has proven to be a good one. It saves time and is more efficient than waiting for a gap in the traffic to make a left turn. This simple idea can be used by bicyclists too. Making a right turn is pretty simple but making a left turn can be quite tricky. There are a few ways to navigate making a left turn to make the process easier. Carefully Switch Lanes If you are on a multi-lane street, scan over your left shoulder and look for cars. Signal to drivers that you would like to move into the left lane. Carefully switch lanes until you are in the left lane. Once the oncoming traffic is clear, make your left turn into the travel lane that will take you where you want to go. Try a Box Turn If you're nervous about traveling across several lanes of traffic, try a box turn. To do a box turn, get
@JGuz @BrentToderian @Streetsblog
After the last Bridge Pedal, we had to find a way to cross Powell on bikes near the Ross Island. It was harrowing.
Very relevant to my interests. Seen too many friends get bad cases of road rash trying to avoid the speeding vehicle seemingly hell bent on making said friends' days much much worse.
#cyclomainiacs #dallas #fortworth #safecycling #citycycling #infrastructure #sharetheroad
#BikeTooter friends, if you don't have it already bookmarked, this feels like a great resource to reference in #biking advocacy efforts
SRD
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