[babycake]

I've always wanted to bike, and the city finally said yes, let's make the city bike-friendly.

And then they go ahead and just paint a white bike lane right next to the car lane. Yea, even when politicians listen to their constituents, they just half ass the effort.

I'm not risking my life to ride in that bike lane, so I still use a car.

[29083011397778]

From what I recall growing up, Vancouver's bike lanes were not well-recieved (by what I imagine was a slight minority) when they started taking lanes from traffic. "They're always empty", "They're unsafe", "What about the cars and increased wait" were some of the complaints I remember. Over time, they've gotten dramatically better, and public opinion is shifting as they improve.

Bike lanes become more common, so they grant access to more areas instead of getting you 90% of the way there, so they can be used, and people can take advantage of them, and see (or know someone), that uses them. It all ends up being a positive feedback cycle for bicycles.

They may not be popular in your city, but if they can keep the political motivation up for a few election cycles, it can work :)

[randcraw]

Yeah, I live about 15 miles outside Philly and don't know anywhere nearby safe enough to ride. Local drivers think nothing of missing you by only a foot or two, often at a speed difference of over 20 MPH.

Even offroad spaces set aside for bike routes often cross busy highways without proper signage, putting riders and pedestrians in the crosshairs of fast turning vehicles that are surprised to find anyone on the road who's not motorized. With the rise of big big SUVs and even bigger trucks, those who are not likewise encased in a large metal cage are just too easy to miss. Or hit.