3 ms·

In perception, maybe. A curb doesn't slow a car down enough to not end your life, and it's much easier to do even for a driver trying to stay in their lane.

by Kye 5y ago

civilized 5y ago
I disagree. Tactile barriers like curbs and even rumble strips provide real security because they are such effective signals to both sides. Pedestrians would be much more afraid if cars only had to stay in painted lines and people had to walk right beside them.
- locallost 5y ago
  At this point it's no longer particularly newsworthy to write a car lost control and leveled three people on a bus stop. It happens all the time, it even happened on the bus stop I frequently used 20 years ago. And bike lanes are already segregated with at least paint so that's already a signal. People just need to get used to it, which is hard initially when all you know is cars and walking.
  - greggman3 5y ago
    Drivers intentionally cross plainted lines they are not supposed to cross all the time. Drivers rarely cross curbs intensionally. SF for example is full of solid white lines. The law says solid white lines are supposed to be treated the same as concrete barriers. No crossing period. Yet people cross them all the time with impunity. If they were actually curbs people would only rarely cross them accidentally
lozenge 5y ago
It's easy to stay on the right side of a curb as a pedestrian, compared to looking for floor markings, traffic signs etc. As a cyclist, it's easy and essential to stay on the right side. Accidentally not noticing the curb will result in a crash or near one.
- Someone 5y ago
  Modern kerbs are sloped. Accidentally not noticing the kerb will not make you crash. (See the picture about ⅓ down on https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2016/02/23/goes-cycling-city-of-the-netherlands/ https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2016/02/23/goes-cycling-c...) Research shows sloped or even leveled kerbs don’t seem to lead to problems (https://journals.open.tudelft.nl/ejtir/article/view/3254 https://journals.open.tudelft.nl/ejtir/article/view/3254)

In perception, maybe. A curb doesn't slow a car down enough to not end your life, and it's much easier to do even for a driver trying to stay in their lane.

by Kye 5y ago

In perception, maybe. A curb doesn't slow a car down enough to not end your life, and it's much easier to do even for a driver trying to stay in their lane.

civilized 5y ago

I disagree. Tactile barriers like curbs and even rumble strips provide real security because they are such effective signals to both sides. Pedestrians would be much more afraid if cars only had to stay in painted lines and people had to walk right beside them.

locallost 5y ago
At this point it's no longer particularly newsworthy to write a car lost control and leveled three people on a bus stop. It happens all the time, it even happened on the bus stop I frequently used 20 years ago. And bike lanes are already segregated with at least paint so that's already a signal. People just need to get used to it, which is hard initially when all you know is cars and walking.
- greggman3 5y ago
  Drivers intentionally cross plainted lines they are not supposed to cross all the time. Drivers rarely cross curbs intensionally. SF for example is full of solid white lines. The law says solid white lines are supposed to be treated the same as concrete barriers. No crossing period. Yet people cross them all the time with impunity. If they were actually curbs people would only rarely cross them accidentally

lozenge 5y ago

It's easy to stay on the right side of a curb as a pedestrian, compared to looking for floor markings, traffic signs etc. As a cyclist, it's easy and essential to stay on the right side. Accidentally not noticing the curb will result in a crash or near one.

Someone 5y ago
Modern kerbs are sloped. Accidentally not noticing the kerb will not make you crash. (See the picture about ⅓ down on https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2016/02/23/goes-cycling-city-of-the-netherlands/ https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2016/02/23/goes-cycling-c...) Research shows sloped or even leveled kerbs don’t seem to lead to problems (https://journals.open.tudelft.nl/ejtir/article/view/3254 https://journals.open.tudelft.nl/ejtir/article/view/3254)