Roads with protected bike lanes make both cycling and driving safer: study • Hacker News Board

Re: Roads with protected bike lanes make both cycling and driving safer: study

#11

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Jun 03, 2019, 5:46 PM UTC

wefarrell wrote: post #5

jxcl wrote: post #2

As a commuting cyclist I usually prefer to ride in the street than in a bike lane. Protected cycle lanes are great only so long as nobody turns to the right directly in front of you. When there are cars parked in between the cycle lane and the car lane it's much easier for the driver to miss the cyclist, and few people check the cycle lane before turning right. I was definitely guilty of this until I started cycling.…

In NYC I think they're counterproductive to safety. Cars use them for temporary parking and pedestrians use them as a sidewalk. When I visit Europe and Japan they seem to be far more effective. I think it comes down to etiquette and that goes both ways - non cyclists need to respect bike lanes and cyclists need to obey traffic laws. Admittedly I don't obey traffic laws when cycling, but I would if they were enforced.

[deleted]

Re: Roads with protected bike lanes make both cycling and driving safer: study

#12

Post by deanclatworthy » Mon, Jun 03, 2019, 5:47 PM UTC

wefarrell wrote: post #5

jxcl wrote: post #2

As a commuting cyclist I usually prefer to ride in the street than in a bike lane. Protected cycle lanes are great only so long as nobody turns to the right directly in front of you. When there are cars parked in between the cycle lane and the car lane it's much easier for the driver to miss the cyclist, and few people check the cycle lane before turning right. I was definitely guilty of this until I started cycling.…

In NYC I think they're counterproductive to safety. Cars use them for temporary parking and pedestrians use them as a sidewalk. When I visit Europe and Japan they seem to be far more effective. I think it comes down to etiquette and that goes both ways - non cyclists need to respect bike lanes and cyclists need to obey traffic laws. Admittedly I don't obey traffic laws when cycling, but I would if they were enforced.

As a European I couldn't believe people cycled in the lanes I saw in NYC last year. I was there only a few days, but saw numerous close calls with drivers turning into the lanes. It's nuts. If you took away the parking inbetween the cycle lane and the road, you'd probably take away 50% of accidents also.

Re: Roads with protected bike lanes make both cycling and driving safer: study

#13

Post by jtms » Mon, Jun 03, 2019, 5:47 PM UTC

jxcl wrote: post #2

As a commuting cyclist I usually prefer to ride in the street than in a bike lane. Protected cycle lanes are great only so long as nobody turns to the right directly in front of you. When there are cars parked in between the cycle lane and the car lane it's much easier for the driver to miss the cyclist, and few people check the cycle lane before turning right. I was definitely guilty of this until I started cycling.…

I agree - I also find it safer in NYC to just ride with traffic. I have had several collisions with pedestrians who decided they would just step out right in front of me into my “lane” and nearly door’d on a couple of other occasions

Re: Roads with protected bike lanes make both cycling and driving safer: study

#14

Post by amalcon » Mon, Jun 03, 2019, 5:50 PM UTC

wefarrell wrote: post #5

jxcl wrote: post #2

As a commuting cyclist I usually prefer to ride in the street than in a bike lane. Protected cycle lanes are great only so long as nobody turns to the right directly in front of you. When there are cars parked in between the cycle lane and the car lane it's much easier for the driver to miss the cyclist, and few people check the cycle lane before turning right. I was definitely guilty of this until I started cycling.…

In NYC I think they're counterproductive to safety. Cars use them for temporary parking and pedestrians use them as a sidewalk. When I visit Europe and Japan they seem to be far more effective. I think it comes down to etiquette and that goes both ways - non cyclists need to respect bike lanes and cyclists need to obey traffic laws. Admittedly I don't obey traffic laws when cycling, but I would if they were enforced.

What factor do you believe explains the 78% drop in deaths and serious injuries per bicycle trip in NYC from 2000-2017?

https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/nyc-cycling-risk...

I'm legitimately curious. I'm not a New Yorker, so it's very plausible that there are factors involved that I'm not aware of. E.g. if the additional 130 million trips in 2017 are all in Central Park, that could explain it.

Re: Roads with protected bike lanes make both cycling and driving safer: study

#15

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Jun 03, 2019, 5:50 PM UTC

SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #6

fhbdukfrh wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. The biggest cause of issues between cars and bikes has got to be speed differential, so if I'm on the appropriate bike i always ride in traffic. The bike lanes always get the worst sections of road (the curb) with cracks, drains and debris, Plus cars right hooking you, a car door biting you or a jaywalker on their cellphone are not infrequent risks. That said there is a big biking population who should not b…

> biggest cause of issues between cars and bikes has got to be speed differential, so if I'm on the appropriate bike i always ride in traffic >That said there is a big biking population who should not be riding in traffic so without separated bike lanes can't get to parts of my city I was going to say - I've yet to see a biker keep up with commuter traffic, which would make the speed differential a problem.

[deleted]

Re: Roads with protected bike lanes make both cycling and driving safer: study

#16

Post by chuckgreenman » Mon, Jun 03, 2019, 5:50 PM UTC

In Cincinnati, it's illegal to ride a bike on a sidewalk, which makes sense, it's not very pleasant for the cyclist or pedestrians. The result is that bicyclers ride in the street. You'll regularly get harassed for riding in the street, even when you're all the way to the right, or people will just open their door right into the lane when they street park. It's really difficult to travel with bicycles safely in a medium - large US city.

Re: Roads with protected bike lanes make both cycling and driving safer: study

#17

Post by knolax » Mon, Jun 03, 2019, 5:51 PM UTC

It's great that focus has finally been put on bike accessibility within a community, but the problem still stands that in the US it's nigh impossible to safely leave a community on bike. Many suburbs are laid out in way such that highways and roads with no shoulders are the only way out of the community.

Re: Roads with protected bike lanes make both cycling and driving safer: study

#18

Post by jtms » Mon, Jun 03, 2019, 5:52 PM UTC

amalcon wrote: post #7

jxcl wrote: post #2

As a commuting cyclist I usually prefer to ride in the street than in a bike lane. Protected cycle lanes are great only so long as nobody turns to the right directly in front of you. When there are cars parked in between the cycle lane and the car lane it's much easier for the driver to miss the cyclist, and few people check the cycle lane before turning right. I was definitely guilty of this until I started cycling.…

The stats are quite clear that protected bicycle lanes improve bicyclist safety. The article literally cites such a study.

Maybe overall this is true, but in NYC there are very few lanes I’d consider truly protected - the rest are minefields and generally less safe

Re: Roads with protected bike lanes make both cycling and driving safer: study

#19

Post by jtms » Mon, Jun 03, 2019, 5:53 PM UTC

fhbdukfrh wrote: post #10

amalcon wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The stats are quite clear that protected bicycle lanes improve bicyclist safety. The article literally cites such a study.

The study supports safety for cyclists but i missed any reference to the safety for drivers that the article purports it found

Is collision with a cyclist really a safety risk for an automobile driver? A minor ding for a car is a fatality for a cyclist

Re: Roads with protected bike lanes make both cycling and driving safer: study

#20

Post by gpm » Mon, Jun 03, 2019, 5:54 PM UTC

fhbdukfrh wrote: post #8

WhompingWindows wrote: post #3

I ride extensively around the Providence, RI area. Cars are simply a scourge to biking here, at a time when we need less global and local pollution and we need to improve health via air quality and exercise. We have VERY few protected lanes, mostly there are "sharrows" aka faded pictures of bikes on the road that do absolutely zilch. I am routinely honked at and ignorant/rude people yell things out of their car windo…

I agree with your general sentiment, but don't think people on electric bikes are going to improve the situation, rather make it much, much worse based on the electric bike share pilot in my city. Someone who owns their ebike might be better, but those on shared bikes are a danger to everyone and never wear a helmet.

Wearing a helmet increases your chance of death on a bike according to the statistics.

I personally don't, I feel less safe wearing one. I can't locate cars as accurately with audio with one on my head, the extra weight makesy head turn slower, and I think subconsciously left often. Drivers pass more aggressively and illegally (most drivers passing break the law here that requires a meter seperation when passing a cyclist, but they break it 'more' by coming closer when I wear a helmet).