Bicycle Lanes and Intersections
Jan. 8th, 2012 10:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
livingdebHave you ever noticed that bike lines tend to disappear at intersections? I had always thought that this was ridiculous. I felt that it was a message to bicyclists that they can sometimes have a bike lane, but not when it interferes with car traffic, and drivers need right-turn lanes or else they might have to wait at red lights, so bicyclists can just, oh I don't know, dematerialize at intersections.
It turns out I'm wrong about that.
There's a column in the most recent Wheatsville Breeze by Amy Babich, a bicyclist and pedestrian who really hates cars who says bike lanes are supposed to disappear, and she explains why.
First of all, one of the major dangers a bicyclist faces in traffic is the "right hook." This is where a right-turning car hits a bicyclist on the right who is going straight through the intersection. So what you are supposed to as a cyclist who wants to go straight through an intersection is to merge with the traffic in the right lane. This should force cars to line up behind bicycles rather than pulling up along side them.
She actually says that bicycle lanes are not supposed to be painted all the way to the intersection, though they often are. I never would have guessed.
I'll end this entry with a quote from her:
"When I need to walk across a high-speed, high-traffic street, I wave my hands or my umbrella around to call attention to myself. People in cars often don't notice pedestrians unless we behave somewhat vividly. For the same reason, I ride a very conspicuous bicycle, covered with reflective material and safety flags in order to be visible day and night."
So, live vividly!
It turns out I'm wrong about that.
There's a column in the most recent Wheatsville Breeze by Amy Babich, a bicyclist and pedestrian who really hates cars who says bike lanes are supposed to disappear, and she explains why.
First of all, one of the major dangers a bicyclist faces in traffic is the "right hook." This is where a right-turning car hits a bicyclist on the right who is going straight through the intersection. So what you are supposed to as a cyclist who wants to go straight through an intersection is to merge with the traffic in the right lane. This should force cars to line up behind bicycles rather than pulling up along side them.
She actually says that bicycle lanes are not supposed to be painted all the way to the intersection, though they often are. I never would have guessed.
I'll end this entry with a quote from her:
"When I need to walk across a high-speed, high-traffic street, I wave my hands or my umbrella around to call attention to myself. People in cars often don't notice pedestrians unless we behave somewhat vividly. For the same reason, I ride a very conspicuous bicycle, covered with reflective material and safety flags in order to be visible day and night."
So, live vividly!