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I'm a keen cyclist and I prefer to ride on the road rather than on bike lanes. It tends to be a faster way to get around, especially since roads don't have the
by DC-3 6y ago
I'm a keen cyclist and I prefer to ride on the road rather than on bike lanes. It tends to be a faster way to get around, especially since roads don't have the same habit of ending abruptly that bike lanes do, and it is rarer that one has to slow down for slower traffic ahead. However, not everyone is capable of cycling fast enough to move safely in the flow of traffic on the road, and not everyone is confident enough to ride in and among cars. I expect, given the demographics of this website, that you (like me) are a reasonably fit and confident young man - perhaps the subset of the population most likely to be undaunted by road cycling. For people like us, it is likely that the road will always be the preferred way to travel. But a cycling culture must be all-inclusive.
- ronaldj 6y agoFitness and confidence is easily overtaken by stupidity and resentment by car drivers on the road, at least around here. The white spray painted bicycles you see along the road can attest to that.
- dvdkhlng 6y agoIn case people don't get the "white spray painted biycles" reference, see [1]. Berlin just got 15 more of those bikes this year already (which is more than usual, maybe due to corona). [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_bike https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_bike
- anonymou2 6y agoYet, the people who want bike specific infrastructure are perfectly happy with bike lanes that require that car drivers see you and react in 20ms when you suddenly cross their path. Instead of being in front of them with plenty of time, like you would if you were using the same road. For example, in Madrid there is such a white painted bike next to an intersection between the regular road and a bike path. The cyclist riding the bike path was killed when he crossed the road. Such a road design is just criminal: https://elpais.com/ccaa/2017/08/28/madrid/1503932795_982370.html https://elpais.com/ccaa/2017/08/28/madrid/1503932795_982370....
- CorrectHorseBat 6y agoAs if bikes aren't suddenly appearing out of nowhere when they use the same road as cars? When there's a cycling path you'll at least know where they will be coming from. The solution to that problem is not putting cyclist and cars on the same road, we've tried that and it's worse. The solution is separating bike and car infrastructure so that there are as less as possible crossings between roads and cycling paths.
- anonymou2 6y agoI think that most people can learn. Why do you think you are so special? I think that bicycle specific infrastructure actually sends the wrong message and prevents people from learning. It is a crutch, it creates a vicious circle from which people never get out, never become confident. They do not know what to do when the bike lane ends.
- CorrectHorseBat 6y agoI'm too and I think you're crazy, or maybe where you live bike paths are especially crappy and roads really wide. I don't like cars driving slowly behind me waiting to take over, busses nearly hitting me, and having to choose between being stuck in car traffic and slowly manœuvring between cars stuck in traffic and parked cars. Just give me a reasonable decent biking lane.
- andor 6y ago> especially since roads don't have the same habit of ending abruptly that bike lanes do Nobody wants bad bike lanes. Imagine your bike lane were straight, as wide as a regular road lane and had smooth tarmac. Would you still ride amongst the cars?