BIKE: Do bike lanes really improve bike safety?

[Fred Meredith]

I have to agree with Jeff's observations overall. In teaching cycling 
students how to treat bike lanes, I try to instill in them the 
principles for correctly and safely positioning themselves on streets 
without bike lanes and then to evaluate each bike lane they encounter 
in those terms. That way they can utilize bike lanes when they are 
correctly applied (or at least no more dangerous than the rest of the 
street) and avoid bike lanes when they are counter to best practices. 
That is pretty much what bicycle safety instruction boils down to in 
many cases.

Though I haven't taken any data on the subject, I too feel that bike 
lanes in some places encourage wrong way riding since they appear to 
offer a protected lane that the cars may not enter. Just an 
observation, of course.

I wonder why more applications of bike lanes do not also carry large 
arrows pointing out the legal direction of travel. Shared lane arrows 
do it, why not bike lanes. Put the bicycle symbol in the lane and a 
big solid white arrow showing the direction of travel. After all, if 
you are going to try and regulate or facilitate safe traffic flow 
with paint, use a bit more and be a bit clearer about it.

Before someone else jumps in, there are many places where large solid 
white arrows are used and also where signs are posted indicating the 
direction of travel for various users (they just don't seem to be in 
Austin). I have even run photos of such clearly marked bike lanes 
from time to time in Southwest Cycling News.

One sign in particular, used on touristy Long Beach Island in New 
Jersey has instructions for cars, bikes, pedestrians, skate boards, 
etc. all spelled out. Unfortunately it is so verbose that only the 
slower wheeled operators and the pedestrians have time to read the 
whole thing.

Yes, it tells cyclists to ride with traffic and pedestrians to walk 
against traffic. They paint wide bike lanes in some places and the 
pedestrians who pay attention to the signs even figure out that 
within the bike lane (there are no sidewalks usually), they must walk 
on the curb side of the bike lane to be in the safest position.

Fred (must be the third cup of coffee that's doing this to me) Meredith


At 10:35 AM -0600 1/4/05, Thorne wrote:
>RE benefits of bike lanes:
>--"encourage bicyclists to ride in the correct direction  of travel"
>That doesn't match my observations here in Austin.  Judging by the number of
>riders I see riding the bike lanes against traffic flow, I'd say they
>encourage that behavior instead.  I don't see much riding against traffic
>except in bike lanes.  I have to wonder about the "national study" concluding
>otherwise.
>
>--"signal motorists that cyclists have a right to the road"  That is, they
>signal that bikes belong in bike lanes, which some would take to mean ONLY in
>bike lanes, which is a false message for motorists and cyclists alike.
>
>--"remind motorists to look for cyclists when turning"  In my experience and
>in the conclusions of several studies, bike lanes may actually increase the
>incidence of motorists hitting cyclists while turning in front of them.  This
>seems to be because the motorist who normally would turn right from the right
>edge of the road, not cutting off the cyclist's path (the cyclist would be
>behind or in front of the turning car), is encouraged by the bike lane stripe
>to make the turn from a farther left position, cutting off the cyclist's
>path.
>
>I do support bike lanes as a tool for solving traffic problems where problems
>are occurring.  Usually, I see bike lanes being established where riding was
>safe and enjoyable already, and in those places they are at best a waste of
>paint and at worst creating dangers that weren't present before.
>
>------ Original Message ------
>Received: Tue, 04 Jan 2005 12:43:48 AM CST
>From: Michael Bluejay <bikes>
>To: Roger Baker <rcbaker>Cc: Austin Bikes
><forum>
>Subject: Re: BIKE: Do bike lanes really improve bike safety?
>
>Why are you doing this to me?
>
>Information about the safety of bicycle lanes is available on --
>surprise, surprise -- BicycleAustin.
>
>It's just comical that the website that's the mother of this email
>forum is utilized to answer questions on that forum 0% of the time.
>
>But after nearly ten years, no one thinks to look on BicycleAustin. 
>What the hell?
>
>BicycleAustin (and its companion, BicycleUniverse) definitely don't
>have all the answers -- but they have a lot of the types of things that
>are bandied about here.
>
>-MBJ-
>
>P.S.  On another note, I hope everyone noticed Austin's own Monique
>Stinson (not Stimson) in the credits of the Cambridge article.
>
>
>On Jan 3, 2005, at 5:15 PM, Roger Baker wrote:
>
>>  On Jan 3, 2005, at 11:22 AM, Thorne wrote:
>>
>>>  I'm in favor of motor-assisted bikes for those who want to use them. 
>>>  But the
>>>  idea of segregating bike or motorized bikes from the rest of traffic
>>>  for
>>>  safety reasons is a false hope.  Cyclists are safer mixed in with
>>>  traffic
>>>  following traffic laws than they are on the segregated facilities. 
>>>  Getting
>>>  bike-centric isn't a matter of facilities so much as a matter of
>>>  getting out
>>>  and riding.  Surely, the roadways should be designed with bicycle
>>>  traffic in
>>>  mind, but I'll remind you that every lane you see is a bike lane.
>>>
>>
>>  [From my point of view, this link and the documentation from the
>>  Cambridge Mass. website seems to document the safety advantages of
>>  bike lanes pretty conclusively. I expect there will always be
>>  non-believers. -- Roger]
>>
>>
>>  http://www.cambridgema.gov/~CDD/et/bike/bike_safety.html
>>
>>  Safety Benefits of Bike Lanes
>>
>>  Bike lanes help define road space, decrease the stress level of
>>  bicyclists riding in traffic, encourage bicyclists to ride in the
>>  correct direction  of travel, and signal motorists that cyclists have
>>  a right to the road. Bike lanes help to better organize the flow of
>>  traffic and reduce the chance  that motorists will stray into
>>  cyclists' path of travel.1, 2 Bicyclists  have stated their preference
>>  for marked on-street bicycle lanes in numerous surveys.3 In addition,
>>  several real-time studies (where cyclists of varying abilities and
>>  backgrounds ride and assess actual routes  and street conditions) have
>>  found that cyclists are more comfortable and assess a street as having
>>  a better level of service for them where there  are marked bike lanes
>>  present.4
>>
>>  In summary, bike lanes do the following:
>>	*	support and encourage bicycling as a means of transportation;
>>	*	help define road space;
>>	*	promote a more orderly flow of traffic;
>>	*	encourage bicyclists to ride in the correct direction, with the
>>  flow of traffic;
>>	*	give bicyclists a clear place to be so they are not tempted to
>>  ride on the sidewalk;
>>	*	remind motorists to look for cyclists when turning or 
>>opening car
>>  doors;
>>	*	signal motorists that cyclists have a right to the road;
>>	*	reduce the chance that motorists will stray into 
>>cyclists' path of
>>  travel;
>>	*	make it less likely that passing motorists swerve 
>>toward opposing
>>  traffic;
>>	*	decrease the stress level of bicyclists riding in traffic.
>>
>>  Well-designed facilities encourage proper behavior and decrease the
>>  likelihood of crashes. Numerous studies have shown that bicycle lanes
>>  improve safety and promote proper riding behavior.5
>>	*	In 1996, over 2000 League of American Bicyclist members were
>>  surveyed about the crashes (accidents) they were involved in over the 
>>  course of the previous year. From the information, a relative danger
>>  index was calculated which shows that streets with bike lanes  were
>>  the safest places to ride, having a significantly lower crash rate
>>  then either major or minor streets without any bicycle facilities; 
>>  moreover, they are safer than trails and sidewalks as well.6
>>	*	The addition of bicycle lanes in Davis, California 
>>reduced crashes
>>  by 31 percent.7
>>	*	Bicycle lanes on a major avenue in Eugene, Oregon 
>>resulted in an
>>  increase in bicycle use and a substantial reduction in the bicycle 
>  > crash rate. The crash rate per 100,000 bike miles fell by almost half
>>  and the motor vehicle crash rate also fell significantly.8
>>	*	When the city of Corvallis, OR installed 13 miles of 
>>bicycle lanes
>>  in one year, the number of bicycle crashes fell from 40 in the year 
>>  prior to the installation to just 16 in the year afterwards, and of
>>  the 5 crashes that occurred on streets with bike lanes, all involved 
>>  bicyclists riding at night with no lights.9
>>	*	In Chicago, Illinois, crash severity was reduced in 
>>one study of
>>  marking bike lanes in a narrow cross section where 5 foot bike lanes 
>>  were marked next to 7 foot parking lanes.10
>>	*	In Denmark, bicycle lanes reduced the number of 
>>bicycle crashes by
>>  35 percent.11 Some of the bike lanes  reached risk reductions of 70 to
>>  80 percent.12
>>	*	A comparison of crash rates of all types in major 
>>cities has shown
>>  that cities with higher bicycle use have lower traffic crash rates  of
>>  all types than cities with lower bicycle use.13
>>	*	In a national study comparing streets with bike lanes and those
>>  without, several important observations were made:14
>>	*	Wrong-way riding was significantly lower on the 
>>streets with bike
>>  lanes.
>>	*	In approaching intersections, 15% of cyclists on 
>>streets without
>>  bike lanes rode on the sidewalks, vs. 3% on the streets with bike 
>>  lanes.
>>	*	On streets with bike lanes, 81% of cyclists obeyed 
>>stop signs, vs.
>>  55% on streets without.
>>	*	In Cambridge, sidewalk bicycling was cut in half after the
>>  installation of bicycle lanes on Mass. Ave. in Central Square.15
>>	*	Corvallis and Eugene, Oregon, cities with good 
>>bikeway networks,
>>  have the highest number of riders and rider behavior is the best: 
>>  wrong-way riding is minimal, fewer ride on the sidewalk than in other
>>  Oregon cities.
>>	*	In looking at comparable streets with and without 
>>bicycle lanes in
>>  Davis and Santa Barbara, California, the number of cyclists riding  on
>>  the wrong side of the street was one third as much on streets with
>>  bicycle lanes.
>>
>>  Return to Top
>>
>>  Footnotes
>>	1. 	David L. Harkey and J. Richard Stewart, "Evaluation of
>>  Shared-Use Facilities for Bicycles and Motor Vehicles  in Florida,"
>>  Florida Department of Transportation, March 1996.
>>	2. 	Cyclists are still permitted to travel in the regular vehicle
>>  travel lanes even when a bike lane is present.  Cyclists should signal
>>  and make sure they have the attention of the people behind them before
>>  moving into the vehicle travel  lane from a bike lane. Motorists
>>  should be aware that cyclists may merge into their lanes in front of
>>  them, e.g., to avoid  an obstacle or to make a left turn.
>>	3. 	Monique Stimson, "Analysis of Commuter Bicyclist Route Choice
>>  Using Stated Preference Study," TRB,  2003.; FHWA, Development of the
>>  Bicycle Compatibility Index, December 1998.
>>	4. 	Bruce Landis et al., "Real-Time Human Perceptions: Toward a
>>  Bicycle Level of Service," Transportation  Research Record 1578; FHWA,
>>  Development of the Bicycle Compatibility Index, December 1998.
>>	5. 	Federal Highway Administration, Safety Effectiveness of Highway
>>  Design Features, Volume VI, Pedestrians  and Bicyclists,
>>  FHWA-RD-91-049, 1991.
>>	6. 	William E. Moritz, Ph.D., "Adult Bicyclists In The United
>>  States  Characteristics And Riding  Experience In 1996," TRB Preprint
>>  Paper, 1998.
>>	7. 	Federal Highway Administration, Bicycle Safety-Related Research
>>  Synthesis, 1995.
>>	8. 	Ibid.
>>	9. 	Ibid.
>>	10. 	Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center, Bike Lane Design
>>  Guide, 2002.
>>	11. 	Danish Road Directorate, Safety of Cyclists in Urban Areas,
>>  1994.
>>	12. 	Jan Grubb Laursen, Nordic Experience with the Safety of
>>  Bicycling, 1993.
>>	13. 	Peter Newman, Lecture presented at the Conservation Law
>>  Foundation, Boston, MA, January 9, 1997.
>>	14. 	Federal Highway Administration, Bicycle Lanes versus Wide Curb
>>  Lanes: Operational and Safety Findings,  May 1998.
>>	15. 	City of Cambridge data, unpublished.
>>
>>
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-- 
When in doubt ... ride your bike (or at least write about it).

Fred Meredith
P.O. Box 100 (12702 Lowden Ln for UPS/FedEx)
Manchaca, TX 78652
512/282-1987 (office/home)
512/282-7413 (fax)
512/636-7480 (wireless)
More than you want to know at: http://2merediths.com