Bike lanes are car infrastructure. Streets without cars don’t need bike lanes.
Empty streets will cause cars to be made much more effective though, so a bike lane to bypass the traffic calming/filter is necessary to keep cars unattractive and prefer bikes. Or something like that
https://youtu.be/ztpcWUqVpIg?si=sfUA8z1WodT9oKXG
Its not always that black and white. Urban design that promotes cycling and walking applied on smaller scales can still drastically reduce car dependancy and prioiritity on a shared street.
I don’t want to ride in the street. I want separate bike lanes. “Vehicular Cycling” was the biggest infrastructure mistake in history IMO.
First you redesign stroads with fewer car lanes and safe, unimpeded, separated bike lanes, and then you replace any unneeded roads with bike/pedestrian zones. This would improve any even slightly urbanized area.
Good protected bike lanes are magical. Ibwas plesently suprised howbsafe and enjoyable riding around in them is the first time I did it
What anime is this?
Correct!
This is more like a throwaway joke, the anime is not actually focused on city planning discussions or car-centric design.
I think I saved the op from !anime_irl (don’t remember instance) a while ago, pretty sure the anime was mentioned there. Will try and find it…
Edit: Couldn’t find it, sorry 😭
Nw, think I found it through reverse image search
I live less then 5 miles from work, but both cycling and public transportation are not optional due to the shitty design of the roads and shitty drivers.
To cycle, if have to cross a light where the highway just becomes a city street, so people are doing 65+ in a 40 and often run the light. I’m honestly hesitant even in my car.
To take public transportation, I’d have to cross that same intersection, then cross a bridge over the river, with no sidewalk, and the same bat outta hell drivers. I’ve seen a single car wreck on this bridge where the car was on its roof. Then it would be an hour long bus ride filled with transfers to get ten minutes by vehicle away.
All this to say, I feel this message. I’d love to drive less, because I really don’t enjoy it. Unfortunately, the reality of my area doesn’t really make this possible.
I prefer riding on the street with the cars. I feel more visible that way. When I’m on a separate bicycle path separated from the street by parked cars, there’s a risk they won’t see me when turning right. Also, when cycling on the street it’s easier to switch to the lane for turning left with the cars, which is usually much quicker than waiting at two traffic lights consecutively for turning left. Of course, this depends on the density of car traffic and local laws. I’m talking Berlin, Germany.
Sounds to me like the problem isn’t separated bicycle paths, but rather that the engineers in your jurisdiction don’t design the intersections properly.
Berlin, Germany
Ah, well there’s your problem. Ever since the CDU started supplying the transportation commissioner, Berlin city hall has been chugging gasoline and car company copium and is setting back cycling in Germany’s capital for several years.
My suggestion: I’ve heard there are protests going on. Get in on them. Pull a Cave Johnson if you must. “When life gives you lemons, don’t make lemonade! Make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don’t want your damn lemons! What am I supposed to do with these? Demand to see life’s manager! Make life rue the day it thought it could give @konkonjoja lemons! Do you know who I am? I’m the man whose gonna burn your house down - with the lemons!”
Same with the bike gutters here in Waterloo, Ontario. They’ve even found a way to make them worse. They put a short curb between the gutter and the car lane that does nothing to stop a car but prevents cyclists from taking the lane when it is safer to do so, like near lanes and intersections.
We have a “special infrastructure” around here… we call it “guess from which way will they run you over”:
I especially liked the part around 0:30 where the bike lane that was colored red for better visibility stopped being colored at the conflict point, which is the most important place for the color to be.
It’s… kind of justified: the red lane means “forbidden for cars to enter”, while the yellow slashed means “may enter, but forbidden to obstruct”. The fun part is how bikers have to go straight into the incoming traffic.
There are other funny infrastructures elsewhere, where the “bike lane” is painted in white right in the middle of the road, as in “let’s bikes and cars and buses share the same lane”… and then they put speed bumps on it. What could go wrong, right?
It’s… kind of justified: the red lane means “forbidden for cars to enter”, while the yellow slashed means “may enter, but forbidden to obstruct”.
Yeah, I realized that after posting. Still, IMO it ought to be the other way around, like the top example here.
That’s a decent reference. I think, since in this case they’re painting the whole “bikes only” lanes, the conflict areas should use the dashed option.
Looking now through Google Earth, I’ve noticed some other bad places, like where the bike lane crosses some tram rails, with no sign of any kind at all.
On the bight side… it used to be even worse. 🤷
Remember, if there is no bike lane, then bikes get a spot in the car lane. Yes, cars are supposed to be respectful when they pass, and only do so when a passing lane is free.
They don’t and even motorcycles are pressured to move. (And curiosly, small cars are ignored by bigger cars).
(Not my meme; I just cross-posted it.)
Wasn’t sure if an anime-meme fit in here, thanks for cross-posting it instead :)
