[pandaman]

I don't know if you noticed that, but when they make bike lanes they don't cut them off the sidewalk, they cut them into the car lanes, either taking a lane out or making the existing lane very narrow. Unlike a cyclist, which you see once in a blue moon, the reduced lanes are there forever, you drive through them all the time. Does this explain the paradox to you?

I, for one, cycle and still oppose bike lanes - they don't make cycling much safer (a car can easily jump a curb and most of these don't even have a curb, just some paint and plastic bollards in the best case) but impede traffic for everyone. If you want to increase cycling adoption you will piss off much fewer people and be 1000% more efficient by reigning in bike theft instead of building these lanes.

[stasomatic]

Absolutely. In my part of Miami proper, what's left for the SUVs after the bike lane was cut in, is not enough for them to pass me. When I am on that same street in a car instead of the bike, it's very unnerving to be that close to a cyclist. I mean, technically, it's enough, but it's scary for the driver. Many streets are painted with solid double no-pass markings.

When I cycle, I take the full lane even if there is a "bike lane". If I am holding up traffic, I'll slow down and retire to the bike lane until that wave of car passes, no need to agitate anyone.

This has been a solved problem in Europe, but in the states, cars got wider, but the streets didn't.

I do dislike Tour de France militant wanna be tribes, they act really obnoxious in traffic in my part of the world. When it's a single rider, mostly all is cool, but when there is a pack of a dozen or more, they transform into something else.

[Moomoomoo309]

You don't see cyclists because they don't have to wait in traffic as much, and because there's essentially no safe road for them to travel on. Bike theft is not why people don't cycle, from my experience, it's because they're right next to cars going 35+ miles per hour that would maim them if they got hit, even plastic bollards are enough to get drivers to stop riding so close to the bike lane, which makes cyclists feel safer.

[pandaman]

> You don't see cyclists ....

Glad we agree on this, the reasons you imagined could be true or false, the main point is that drivers are going to be affected by the bike lanes significantly more than by cyclists.

> Bike theft is not why people don't cycle

It is in my experience. E.g. I don't bike to work because the office building requires bikes to be stored in the shared storage room and I don't want it to be stolen. There is a bike trail between my home and office so no 35 mph cars you are so afraid of.