[rthomas6]

If they are more than just a line on the road and are actually safe to use, they are probably not as empty as they seem. Because bikes take up much less space and don't tend to bunch up as much like cars, it can seem like there must be a lot less bikes than there actually are. 30 cars over the course of 5 minutes are very noticeable and seem like high traffic. 10 bikes over 5 minutes seem like almost nobody, but the bike lane would then be moving a third as much people as all the car lanes combined.

[hot_gril]

It's so empty anywhere I go that it's an easy comparison. I can drive 15 minutes and see 0 bikes, 200 cars. I used to bike too. If there were anywhere near as many bikes as cars, I'd have sat next to them at traffic lights. Cars might bunch up more, but in any place with mid to heavy traffic, they're everywhere anyway.