May 4, 2008
Bike Lanes Aren't Exactly Respected by Drivers
The existence of dedicated bike lanes are a sought-after city feature by New York's cyclists; but even when they appear they're often blocked by delivery trucks and drivers who remain oblivious to their existence. While Mayor Bloomberg has attempted to discourage drivers--or cash in on them--in the city with congestion pricing, the mere existence of bike lanes apparently does little to prevent drivers from owning the roads. The Times looks into the conundrum of bike lane non-compliance today.
Although city regulations forbid cars from blocking bike lanes — a violation that carries a $115 fine — those rules are routinely ignored by drivers who use the lanes as parking spots, loading zones and places to pick up passengers. Such maneuvers have enraged cyclists who say they are unlawful, rude and dangerous.Streetsblog recently featured some video from online magazine Slate, which set out to identify the stupidest bike lanes in America. Slate's conclusion: don't rely on a thin stripe of paint to protect you from idiotic or disrespectful drivers. For those who imagine that Europe is a halcyon haven of bike friendly traffic design, the Slate video has multiple examples to the contrary.
Bike lane of Death, by ratherbebiking (donuts on flickr!) at flickr
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The police do not respect bike lanes any better than cars. I have repeatedly seen cops set up to pull over and ticket all bikes not riding in the bike lane (stupid of riders) while ignoring double parked cars parked in the bike lane directly across the street.
I have often felt it would help if the space between the lines of the bike lane were painted blue to add a little more emphasis.
A public campaign between Transportation Alternatives and the city about the importance of protecting bike lanes wouldn't hurt, either.
it's true, a taxi will run your ass over to get to a passenger. watch out when you see anyone hailing a cab. soon after, a yellow beast will emerge and, at road-blocking angle, slam on the brakes right in your path.
when the bike lane is partially blocked by parked cars, it's actually safer to ride in the street because then you're not swerving in and out of traffic every time there's an obstacle in your path.
i think drivers impinge on the bike lane a bit less when the it is painted a solid color (for example, henry street in cobble hill). of course, this particular bike lane abruptly ends into double-sided parking...such a beautiful design.
What about the dismissive quote from "Lynn Roman, a 42-year-old construction company employee" near the end of the Times article? I hope that the construction slowdown costs the bitch her job and she won't be able to afford to keep running her gas-guzzling SUV.
One big problem I see with this is that bike lanes are almost always between the car lanes and the curb, which means that, for example, you have to cross the bike lane to park. If you can't find a parking spot and need to double-park, say, to pick someone up or drop something off, you have to sit in the bike lane. I'm a cyclist myself, and I understand dealing with cars is a real pain (if not a danger) but the way bike lanes are set up leaves many drivers with no choice but to get in the way of the bike lane. I've been parallel parking before and have a cyclist come up the bike lane (which I'm in) and he starts yelling at me. How am I supposed to parallel park without crossing the lane?
Granted, if you park there, you should get a ticket. If you try to use it as a second lane, you should get a ticket. But there are some problems that won't get fixed with tickets or a paint job.
I wonder, do any places put their bike lanes in the center of the street? (and why do the bike lanes run in the direction of traffic in so many cities? This makes no sense to me. Bikes should be running against traffic. It would seriously cut down on door-prizes and bikers getting run over by people turning right.
why doesn't someone print out some super adhesive stickers with "ASSHOLE PARKED IN BIKE LANE" and distribute them to bike stores so bikers can put them on cars discreetly. Critical Mass is worthless if they don't do this. If you've got a huge campaign, I'm sure you'd see less cars in bike lanes in the coming weeks.
Not only don't motor vehicles respect bike lanes, but pedestrians, too, show them little respect, at least as bike lanes. They make a wonderful place to stand while waiting to cross the street. One gets to advance a few feet from the curb, even though this stops cyclists from using the lanes.
I always felt it was better to ride in the right hand lane. It's not too hard to keep up with traffic in the city.
Far more traffic laws are broken by cycylists than by cars.
Cars will get a fine, cyclists rarely do, so have no incentive to OBEY THE LAW!
E.g. If you are older than 14, get off the sidewalks.
STOP at red lights and STOP signs.
Cyclists whine about drivers and hypocritically break the same traffic rules.
The bike lanes are ignored by most drivers because they are ignored by most cyclists!
Move to Amsterdam and keep the grit in NY!
"Far more traffic laws are broken by cycylists than by cars."
You are a moron if you believe this.
"Far more traffic laws are broken by cycylists than by cars." - I didn't know living and breathing with all appendages intact was a crime.
Streetsblog is operated by a bunch of clueless idiots.
Very substantive comment!
(and why do the bike lanes run in the direction of traffic in so many cities? This makes no sense to me. Bikes should be running against traffic. It would seriously cut down on door-prizes and bikers getting run over by people turning right.
It's called "elementary physics." A bike traveling at 15mph hit by a car from behind at 25mph is only subject to a 10mph impact. A head-on crash at the same speeds creates a 40mph impact. Which do you think is more survivable? Also, it's easier for a driver to notice and react to something when it's moving slowly relative to him than when it's coming at him fast. Changing directions wouldn't cut down on anything you claimed. A driver that doesn't check for traffic coming up behind him before opening a door won't check for oncoming cyclists, and instead of being cut off by a passing car making an illegal right turn, you'd be cut off by an oncoming car making an illegal right turn.
Cycling with traffic is the way to go. The only thing cycling against traffic helps with is overtaking accidents, which constitute about 2% of car-bike collisions. Every other major kind of car-bike collision (right hook, left hook, etc.) is made worse by riding from a spot where drivers aren't looking for oncoming traffic.
Whoever complains about a car crossing the bike lane for legit reasons is clearly going too far, though. To access a legit parallel parking spot? Fine. Turinng to or from a side street? Fine? Sitting there - no!
What disappoints me in the Times article: they don't suggest that this is simply a symptom of irrationality in the pricing of onstreet parking. The clear the solution is to rationally price street parking so that a couple of spots are consistently available on every block, special delivery parking zones are set aside, etc. Anything else is a band-aid.
I suppose taxicabs are a special-case, though. You'd never know it, but New York City traffic code specifically prohibits taxis from stopping in bike lanes to pick up or drop off a fare. I'd be so excited if the DOT posted signs facing the sidewalk advising potential fares of this fact.
Of course, anyone who's cycled a few thousand miles in this city knows that the real squirrelly drivers aren't the taxi drivers - it's the black car drivers. (!)
Yeah, the article forgot to mention peds in the bike lanes! Prince Street on the weekend and 8th Avenue north of PABT during the evening rush have become their specialty. (Leaving the jogger I saw on 8th Avenue northbound in the bike lane aside completely.)
and why do the bike lanes run in the direction of traffic in so many cities? This makes no sense to me. Bikes should be running against traffic. It would seriously cut down on door-prizes and bikers getting run over by people turning right
Bikes are moving vehicles on the road, just like cars are and need to behave as such. Bikers just don't have the speed and protection of a car. There's never a point in riding in the city where you can stop searching for hazards ahead of you. As far as bikers breaking more laws than drivers, well, I kind of agree. I have friends who bike and scream at cars who cut them off, but they're also going the wrong way down a one way street. Earn the respect you want from vehicles and keep your eyes open.
Also, as spring has fully sprung, I'd love if the city could get on the pot hole situation. I've noticed that the bike lanes seem to have more and larger pot holes than the main road, causing a lot of swerving.
My open car door rarely reaches all the way out into the bike lane, so shut up about it already.
babyhitler: these stickers already exist:
http://www.iparkedinabikelane.org/
I load up on 'em as often as possible.