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Bike lanes have sped up car traffic in New York City

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Re: Bike lanes have sped up car traffic in New York City

#11

Post by jorgis »

kazinator wrote: post #4

The "before and after" picture at the bottom of the page shows that both "before" and "after" have bike lanes. The bike lane has grown from 5' to 6" and is separated by a buffer, but it was there before. What has sped up traffic is the creation of left turn pockets in the parking lane. But these could have been created in the "before" situation, by carving them out of the 8" curb-side parking lane. So, the claim that…

The only claim pertaining to bikes that still stands is that the changes have improved bike safety markedly.

Re: Bike lanes have sped up car traffic in New York City

#13

Post by bane »

I'm one of those drivers who hates sharing roadways with bikers. It's not that I have to share, but between slowing traffic down, pure safety concerns for the biker (who I as the automobile driver am responsible for in the case of an accident) and the generally shitty entitled attitude lots of bike riders seem to have (probably earned from dealing with irritated drivers like me) I get my hackles raised every time I see one on the roads. Bikes aren't automobiles no matter how much we debate about it. They shouldn't be sharing the road with cars.

But you know what? I'm absolutely in favor of this kind of road engineering. Regardless of making traffic faster or not, it's just smart design. Between roads, sidewalks and bike lanes, this provides a designated travel area for everybody regardless of the mode they choose to travel with. Bikes shouldn't be sharing the road with cars, they should have their own designated travel areas.

It eliminates all three of my issues in one swoop and provides equitable space for sharing the travel conduits in a city. In fact, it would probably get me out on a bike more often.

Re: Bike lanes have sped up car traffic in New York City

#14

Post by dleibovic »

kazinator wrote: post #4

The "before and after" picture at the bottom of the page shows that both "before" and "after" have bike lanes. The bike lane has grown from 5' to 6" and is separated by a buffer, but it was there before. What has sped up traffic is the creation of left turn pockets in the parking lane. But these could have been created in the "before" situation, by carving them out of the 8" curb-side parking lane. So, the claim that…

I agree with you that the traffic speed improvements being due to the bike lanes is poorly supported.

But still, this shows that there is room for intersection/street design improvements that do not slow down cars while making it safer for bikes.

Re: Bike lanes have sped up car traffic in New York City

#15

Post by fumar »

dominotw wrote: post #3

Having 2 of my coworkers killed this year on their bike( both by drunk drivers), I wont venture out on a bike until all my path is a completely protected from cars.

Sorry to hear! As a fellow Chicago cyclist, I recommend using bike lanes as much as possible. I will go out of my way to stay on designated bike lanes. Also, the Lake path is useful during the work week. But, throughout the years, I have noticed drunk driving does rise on the weekend nights. I do my best to stay off the streets then.

Re: Bike lanes have sped up car traffic in New York City

#16

Post by lotsofmangos »

bane wrote: post #13

I'm one of those drivers who hates sharing roadways with bikers. It's not that I have to share, but between slowing traffic down, pure safety concerns for the biker (who I as the automobile driver am responsible for in the case of an accident) and the generally shitty entitled attitude lots of bike riders seem to have (probably earned from dealing with irritated drivers like me) I get my hackles raised every time I s…

"I get my hackles raised every time I see one on the roads. Bikes aren't automobiles no matter how much we debate about it. They shouldn't be sharing the road with cars."

Horses must really piss you off then.

Re: Bike lanes have sped up car traffic in New York City

#17

Post by SippinLean »

misiti3780 wrote: post #2

They need to put up the concrete barriers on every lane. Biking on an ave A + ave B is still not safe.

An unfortunate side-effect of the protected-lane type bike lanes is that pedestrians feel much safer there too. They are right next to the sidewalks, and as sidewalks become overcrowded and overflow (very common in NYC) the bike lane turns into a sidewalk extension. The result is a very dangerous mix of walkers, joggers, luggage carriers, hotdog cart pushers, strollers, and everything else crowding the bike lane, and creating a very dangerous situation.

Re: Bike lanes have sped up car traffic in New York City

#18

Post by shiftpgdn »

bane wrote: post #13

I'm one of those drivers who hates sharing roadways with bikers. It's not that I have to share, but between slowing traffic down, pure safety concerns for the biker (who I as the automobile driver am responsible for in the case of an accident) and the generally shitty entitled attitude lots of bike riders seem to have (probably earned from dealing with irritated drivers like me) I get my hackles raised every time I s…

A cyclist is just a brief inconvenience. It's the same as a school bus or slow driver in a lane requiring you to go around.

Every bike on the road is one less car causing traffic. It's crazy to want infrastructure for JUST cyclists when the road is a perfectly good way to travel.

Re: Bike lanes have sped up car traffic in New York City

#19

Post by osconfused »

bane wrote: post #13

I'm one of those drivers who hates sharing roadways with bikers. It's not that I have to share, but between slowing traffic down, pure safety concerns for the biker (who I as the automobile driver am responsible for in the case of an accident) and the generally shitty entitled attitude lots of bike riders seem to have (probably earned from dealing with irritated drivers like me) I get my hackles raised every time I s…

Sharing is caring. Learn to love, not hate.

Re: Bike lanes have sped up car traffic in New York City

#20

Post by HCIdivision17 »

lotsofmangos wrote: post #16
bane wrote: post #13

I'm one of those drivers who hates sharing roadways with bikers. It's not that I have to share, but between slowing traffic down, pure safety concerns for the biker (who I as the automobile driver am responsible for in the case of an accident) and the generally shitty entitled attitude lots of bike riders seem to have (probably earned from dealing with irritated drivers like me) I get my hackles raised every time I s…

"I get my hackles raised every time I see one on the roads. Bikes aren't automobiles no matter how much we debate about it. They shouldn't be sharing the road with cars." Horses must really piss you off then.

I don't know if you're joking, but horses aren't much fun to share a road with either. They're slower than the traffic and literally defecate anywhere. It's positively impressive how much urine can be left behind at a stop light.
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