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One thing I like about the newer NYC bike lanes is they put them inside of parked cars. It means you’re generally protected from traffic by a row of parked cars

One thing I like about the newer NYC bike lanes is they put them inside of parked cars. It means you’re generally protected from traffic by a row of parked cars. And there’s a large enough buffer that you don’t have to worry about getting hit by an open door.

viburnum 7y ago
I know, right?! It’s sooo much nicer that way. That’s a good demonstration of how bikes are really just slightly faster pedestrians and not slow cars.
- u801e 7y ago
  Cyclists typically move between 10 to 30 mph. Pedestrians move between 2 to 6 mph. That's not slightly faster.
  - randyrand 7y ago
    A fast jogger will go from 8-12mph.
    - u801e 7y ago
      Yes, but they can quickly stop/turn if needed to avoid getting hit. It takes a bit longer to slow down or turn on a bicycle even from the same speed.
  - viburnum 7y ago
    You watch Dutch bike videos, people are maybe going 12 mph, usually less. For example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9yqG6hAS4s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9yqG6hAS4s
    - u801e 7y ago
      My own bike commute where I pick up the kids from school and drop them off at after school activities involves about 15 miles of riding. I average about 11 mph while moving and it takes me about 1 hour and 30 minutes (including the time it takes me to pick them up, load them in the trailer, unload them and drop them off. My lowest speed up hills is around 5 mph and my top speed is around 27 mph when going downhill. If I were to only go 12 mph or less, then my average speed would be significantly lower and I would not be able to complete this commute in a reasonable period of time, nor would I be able to get my kids to their after school programs on time. Infrastructure like what the Dutch have is not suitable or safe for the speeds I ride, but taking the lane on the actual road works out just fine.
8ytecoder 7y ago
In Oakland, California and some parts of SF, these lanes are being used as pickup drop and cruising lanes
- Rebelgecko 7y ago
  We had the same trouble in Los Angeles. When they swapped the bike lane and parking, there was no physical barrier so everyone parked in the bike lane [1]. Even when they added bollards and painted better, lots of people still don't understand[2][3] [1]: https://imgur.com/82LdPTF.jpg https://imgur.com/82LdPTF.jpg [2]: https://imgur.com/lihBjtM.jpg https://imgur.com/lihBjtM.jpg [3]: https://twitter.com/LABikeLaneBlock https://twitter.com/LABikeLaneBlock
  - SilasX 7y ago
    In fairness, a striped region like in [2] signals "don't park within this".
de_Selby 7y ago
How does that work if the cyclist is going straight and cars are turning across them (e.g. Making a right turn). Does it not make it harder for the traffic to see the cyclist?
- CydeWeys 7y ago
  Some (but not nearly enough) intersections have split-phase rights, with a green bike light and a red vehicle turn arrow at the start of the light cycle, which then changes to a red bike light and green vehicle turn arrow towards the end of the light cycle.
- btrettel 7y ago
  This is a huge problem in Austin. There are certain protected bike lanes that I won't use because drivers have no visibility and won't yield to cyclists anywhere near as often as they should even when the visibility is good.
- dublinben 7y ago
  Protected intersections for bicycles are possible, and compatible with this kind of protected bike lane. http://www.protectedintersection.com/ http://www.protectedintersection.com/
  - u801e 7y ago
    According to https://nacto.org/publication/urban-bikeway-design-guide/dont-give-up-at-the-intersection/ https://nacto.org/publication/urban-bikeway-design-guide/don..., they claim that a driver making a right turn around a curb can react to a cyclist moving at 16 feet per second approaching from behind while only being able to see about 8.2 feet to their right. Half a second is well under the average reaction time for a driver who may not be aware that the bike lane is present on the other side of parked vehicles. For example: https://imgur.com/a/JcS4RK5 https://imgur.com/a/JcS4RK5

viburnum 7y ago

I know, right?! It’s sooo much nicer that way. That’s a good demonstration of how bikes are really just slightly faster pedestrians and not slow cars.

u801e 7y ago
Cyclists typically move between 10 to 30 mph. Pedestrians move between 2 to 6 mph. That's not slightly faster.
- randyrand 7y ago
  A fast jogger will go from 8-12mph.
  - u801e 7y ago
    Yes, but they can quickly stop/turn if needed to avoid getting hit. It takes a bit longer to slow down or turn on a bicycle even from the same speed.
- viburnum 7y ago
  You watch Dutch bike videos, people are maybe going 12 mph, usually less. For example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9yqG6hAS4s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9yqG6hAS4s
  - u801e 7y ago
    My own bike commute where I pick up the kids from school and drop them off at after school activities involves about 15 miles of riding. I average about 11 mph while moving and it takes me about 1 hour and 30 minutes (including the time it takes me to pick them up, load them in the trailer, unload them and drop them off. My lowest speed up hills is around 5 mph and my top speed is around 27 mph when going downhill. If I were to only go 12 mph or less, then my average speed would be significantly lower and I would not be able to complete this commute in a reasonable period of time, nor would I be able to get my kids to their after school programs on time. Infrastructure like what the Dutch have is not suitable or safe for the speeds I ride, but taking the lane on the actual road works out just fine.

8ytecoder 7y ago

In Oakland, California and some parts of SF, these lanes are being used as pickup drop and cruising lanes

Rebelgecko 7y ago
We had the same trouble in Los Angeles. When they swapped the bike lane and parking, there was no physical barrier so everyone parked in the bike lane [1]. Even when they added bollards and painted better, lots of people still don't understand[2][3] [1]: https://imgur.com/82LdPTF.jpg https://imgur.com/82LdPTF.jpg [2]: https://imgur.com/lihBjtM.jpg https://imgur.com/lihBjtM.jpg [3]: https://twitter.com/LABikeLaneBlock https://twitter.com/LABikeLaneBlock
- SilasX 7y ago
  In fairness, a striped region like in [2] signals "don't park within this".

de_Selby 7y ago

How does that work if the cyclist is going straight and cars are turning across them (e.g. Making a right turn). Does it not make it harder for the traffic to see the cyclist?

CydeWeys 7y ago
Some (but not nearly enough) intersections have split-phase rights, with a green bike light and a red vehicle turn arrow at the start of the light cycle, which then changes to a red bike light and green vehicle turn arrow towards the end of the light cycle.
btrettel 7y ago
This is a huge problem in Austin. There are certain protected bike lanes that I won't use because drivers have no visibility and won't yield to cyclists anywhere near as often as they should even when the visibility is good.
dublinben 7y ago
Protected intersections for bicycles are possible, and compatible with this kind of protected bike lane. http://www.protectedintersection.com/ http://www.protectedintersection.com/
- u801e 7y ago
  According to https://nacto.org/publication/urban-bikeway-design-guide/dont-give-up-at-the-intersection/ https://nacto.org/publication/urban-bikeway-design-guide/don..., they claim that a driver making a right turn around a curb can react to a cyclist moving at 16 feet per second approaching from behind while only being able to see about 8.2 feet to their right. Half a second is well under the average reaction time for a driver who may not be aware that the bike lane is present on the other side of parked vehicles. For example: https://imgur.com/a/JcS4RK5 https://imgur.com/a/JcS4RK5