You may be asking yourself why you should care about bike lanes if you have a car. But remember how you used to ride your bike around as a kid, around the neighborhood, to your friend’s house, and to school. Maybe you still bike for enjoyment or to get to work.
Even if you don’t still bike yourself, you probably know someone who does. While driving, you may have gotten annoyed with bikers or bike lanes and that’s understandable. Bikers don’t love cars either.
Whether you or someone you know bikes, you have probably noticed that it can be dangerous to share the street with cars.
Biking is beneficial to both people’s physical and health as well as the environment, however, the current bike paths may be putting people at risk for injury. But it doesn't have to be so dangerous to bikers and stressful for drivers.
While cities have been trying to combat the dangers of increased car sizes by creating more and safer bike lanes, car companies have continued increasing the size of cars. While cars have grown larger, the preexisting bike lanes have not changed sizes leaving less and less room for bikes. Molly Hurford writes that in 2000, the average car left 18” on each side of a cyclist. With increases in car size, the space has shrunk 75 percent leaving just 4 inches on each side.
The issue is not only the size of cars but also the lack of attention paid by drivers to cyclists. The Patel Firm posted a very interesting article on why drivers tend to not notice bikers. One of the most interesting reasons mentioned is called "inattentionalblindness,” which occurs when someone looks at an object but doesn’t see it because it’s unexpected
Protected or separated bike lanes are one of the best ways to protect bikers and drivers. The article “Coexisting with Bicyclists” discusses how one of the biggest fears for cyclists is being doored. Drivers parking next to a bike lane may throw their doors open without checking what is around them. Bikers may not have time to stop, causing them to hit the door and be injured. Separated bike lanes would solve that issue.
Here’s an example of a bike lane that not only puts bikers at risk of cars but also of being doored:
I personally like separating bike lanes with parked cars; however, it is not the best option because it still puts them at risk of being doored. Here’s an example of a bike lane separated with parked cars.
What’s stopping us from creating bike lanes? One reason separated bike lanes are not being built is due to people’s aversion to any delay in their day. According to Robert’s article “How You Can Advocate for a Bike Lane in Your City” Campbell stated that “In one project, some drivers complained that traffic delays had increased significantly since the installation of new infrastructure. However, data received from city staff showed that the changes only added 30 seconds per driver to move along the section.” Here’s an interesting video on how it may even speed up traffic.
While you yourself can’t build a separated bike path or control how other drivers view bikers, you can change what you do when you see a biker. You can control how you view a biker. The article Coexisting with Bicyclists” suggests: “If you can pinpoint the moment when a bicyclist is starting to irritate you — because you can’t see where he is going or because he’s moving slowly and is making you late — picture him as a family member or friend. That might calm you down.” If you can make a change to how you perceive bikers, you could save a life.
Another fantastic way to help is to try and get safer bike lanes in your city. This comes from “How You Can Advocate for a Bike Lane in Your City” where the author Robert Annis says that talking to your neighbors is one of the best ways to get a bike lane built. Your community showing interest and contacting your local government will make it more likely to happen. You should make the benefits of separated or protected bike lanes over regular lanes clear so your community and government can see why it’s so beneficial
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Hurford, Molly. “As Cars Get Bigger, Bike Lanes Haven't Adjusted to Protect Cyclists.” Bicycling, Bicycling, 30 Nov. 2022, https://www.bicycling.com/culture/a42049802/bigger-cars-less-safe-bike-lanes/.
PLLC, The Patel Firm PLLC. “Reasons Drivers May Fail to See Motorcyclists and Cyclists.” The Patel Firm, 22 Aug. 2021, https://thepatelfirm.com/reasons-drivers-may-fail-to-see-motorcyclists-and-cyclists/.
edmunds. “Coexisting with Bicyclists: 10 Rules for Drivers.” Edmunds, 9 July 2015, https://www.edmunds.com/car-safety/coexisting-with-bicyclists-10-rules-for-drivers.html.
Annis, Robert. “Advocating for a Bike Lane in Your City Can Help Make Your Local Blocks Safer for Riding.” Bicycling, 19 Apr. 2022, https://www.bicycling.com/culture/a33521338/advocate-for-bike-lanes-in-your-city/.