BICYCLE LANES 🤦‍♂️

[Different]

Because the pedestrians walking on the sidewalk would risk getting hit by bicyclists, especially in crowded/busy cities. That's why they keep bike lanes separate from sidewalks.

I just don't see the vision. There are just too many unknown variables when it comes to bicyclists sharing the road with drivers. It's too risky because most of them don't even have proper barriers to divide the bicyclists from the drivers. All this does is tell me that they're not concerned with bicyclists' safety because anybody can just nudge a little bit to the right and knock those bicyclists off the road and kill them.

Exposed lanes equals a lawsuit and it's all a liability nightmare.

The overarching problem here is that personal vehicles have stolen the city streets away from the people-- from the pedestrians, cyclists, and the like. Take a look at old European cities like Amsterdam to see a model of a healthier, safer city plan.

Personal vehicles have the right to travel towards downtown areas. We shouldn't have to adhere to one's own personal preference by taking advantage of bicycling downtown all the time and catching the bus. Time is money, and most of us don't always have it at our disposals to squander on public transportation. Also, nobody is "stealing" anything from anybody. What exactly is your definition of a healthier, safer plan, anyways?

It sounds like to me that you don't want cars to drive downtown at all. Now when it comes to bicycle lanes... there are numerous accidents that happen on a daily basis (especially intersections) because idiot drivers exist. Now why the hell would anyone want to risk a bicyclist getting caught into the middle of that by enforcing preposterous laws that allows them to share the roadways with drivers?

Eventually someone will get fed up with this nonsense and start handing out lawsuits on a silver platter because the city has failed to regulate safety precautions for bicyclists.

I know I am getting baited by Poe's Law, but whatever.

You obviously do not know anything about cycling laws and safety. It is significantly more dangerous to cycle on a sidewalk than it is to cycle in the street. Also, cyclists have every right to be in the roadway as much as cars. Having your back to traffic (cycling with traffic) is way safer because it allows passing vehicles to see you better and have more time to react, as opposed to cycling against traffic. Going with Magniloquent, you must really like huffing the fumes of gasoline and diesel.

Imagine thinking a one ton (2,000 lb, 907 kg) vehicle is at fault when it hits a cyclist (*when both are following the laws of the road*). Keep in mind, I only gave the bare minimum of a one ton vehicle. Just imagine these suburbanites and their massive pickup trucks/SUVs with giant blind spots whose only use is to haul weekly groceries and compensate for small things.

Obviously there's a logical fallacy in your statement, so now I'm going to hand you a nasty receipt for making that mistake. Listen, I don't recall a time where accidents that involved a bicyclist were reduced when they took advantage of the bike lanes. All you're doing is encouraging cyclists to lose their lives because you know damn good and well that a lot of them (especially from your generation) disregard the bike lanes thinking they're invincible. With semi-trucks on the road, I don't see how the hell anybody could possibly ride their bike on the street, especially in downtown areas where accidents are the most fatal.

Stop and think about the message that you're trying to emphasize to me. You cannot possibly tell me that "It is significantly more dangerous to cycle on a sidewalk than it is to cycle in the street." Where's the logic in this?... Please tell me. A semi-truck driver could easily lose control over the wheel (from sleepless nights) by swerving into the bike lanes. You're living in a fantasyland where you think that everybody is automatically going to obey the driving laws and lookout for your well-being. 

Do you realize how dangerous it is to have your back turned from oncoming traffic? Do you realize the stupidity in having bike lanes in between car lanes? It's just not logical thinking on anybody's part. People are emotional drivers... they do incredibly stupid things that cost other people their lives on the road. When they're speeding, you don't have time to react quickly and move off the road. Plus these dumbass kids aren't even paying attention to oncoming traffic. They're listening to their AirPods the entire time looking in one direction only. So yeah you're right... you have the right to participate into perhaps one of the dumbest laws I've ever heard of. I would advise people to adopt a better solution rather than giving into misguided worldviews that allow them to ride into the street.

As far as "huffing gasoline" goes, that's a different topic for another time, so don't even go there because it's a dark rabbit hole that involves the use of eliminating gas cars with electric ones.

OMG, you had to slow down to a safer speed. How terrible!/s

You are correct, though. Cycling infrastructure in the United States is absolutely atrocious. However, your solution of doubling down on building infrastructure on cars is absolutely in the wrong direction. I would love to know your thoughts on passenger rail infrastructure.

Do you even drive?? How the hell are you not bothered by a dumbass cyclist refusing to use the bike lane or sidewalk, and riding in front of you? How is it in the wrong direction? Please explain. I don't have a problem with passenger rail infrastructure, just as long as it takes people from point A to point B. On the other hand, it's tragic to hear the numerous deaths caused by trains. Unfortunately, the train cannot be stopped in time, so the best thing to do is to make sure that you're aware of your surroundings and make sure that your car is in good shape. If you happen to get stuck on the tracks, get out of the car and dip.

I actually like bicycle lanes. It gives them their own lane to ride in so they don't have to share lanes with cars.
I think the main problem is that they are not separated from the road enough. If there was a physical divider between the bicycle lane and the road, it would be safer.

Or maybe the bicycle lane could be moved onto the sidewalk and there would be a separate pedestrian area and bicycle area.

Yes, you're right. They're not separated from the roadways, which lead me to think that they don't care about making safety a priority for pedestrians. They just automatically expect everyone to drive safely and avoid driving off the side of the road. On the other hand, yes cars and trucks have ran into sidewalks before, too, but at least there's some sort of barrier. Those bollards aren't always incredibly stable, so any car or truck can just run those over. If they were made out of steel then things would probably be different. But, most of them are plastic.

If the majority of the bicycle lanes were designed just like the picture above, then there would hardly be any controversy towards bicyclists. This is how it should be. However, that is not the case over here in America. The picture that I have in the above portion of this thread, is exactly why I have a problem with bike lanes. It's rare that we even see bike lanes like your picture, above.

That's somebody who actually cares about regulating safety laws for pedestrians and cyclists. If there must be a bicycle lane, then yes, you're right. It should be moved onto the sidewalk with a separate pedestrian area.

In terms of the idea of a bike lane, its great, however, in terms of North America, badly implemented. How I see it, in order for it to be successful, it should be separated from vehicle and pedestrian traffic. In my personal experience, a bike lane is just slapped into the road with no separation. Not only is this hazardous but deters usage. In Manhattan, in high traffic areas, it is used. However, a lot of bikers are reckless and disobey traffic laws.

In the city I work in, there are bike lanes but no one uses it. i rather these underused bike lanes are repurposed as bus lanes. It is a busy city in my county so if buses are able to move around faster, it would be better for riders like me.

I agree, it is badly implemented. It's doing more harm than good because they know that these ludicrous laws will encourage kids and adults to ride their bikes in the middle of car lanes. Pretty soon, none of them will use them. So much for reducing roadway accidents (mostly caused at the intersection). I wish people would wake up and see that all this is purposely designed to work against them and not for them. If they really wanted to, then most bike lanes would look like the picture below.

When it comes to downtown areas, they make the bike lanes too wide which ends up narrowing the car lanes. Solution: if they don't wanna have them ride on sidewalks, then at least narrow the bike lanes and use steel bollards to divide them instead of those, pathetic-looking plastic ones. Either way, I don't like bike lanes.