BIKE: Do bike lanes really improve bike safety?
Michael Bluejay
bikes
Wed Jan 5 10:37:53 PST 2005
On Jan 5, 2005, at 12:20 PM, Stuart Werbner wrote:
> Yo MBJ,
>
> At the risk of hurting your feelings, after visiting your website, I
> can understand why more people dont visit it.
>
> I notice that you've got dated items still on there all the way back
> from 1999. Dude, like that's way too 20th century!
> I have visited your site a number of times and have found some useful
> info on it. But, I would venture a guess that if you kept your site
> more up to date, more people would take it more seriously.
This does indeed piss me off since it's not true. Here's a list of
updates made since 1999. This is available as the very second link on
every single page on BicycleAustin, under "Site Updates".
While I still do a fair amount of updating to the site, it's true that
I no longer do as much as I used to. There's a reason for that.
(Stuart's bitching is part of that reason.)
-MBJ-
Site Updates
Fall 2004
-------------------------------------
• Added information about a failed statewide helmet bill in 2003.
• Redesigned the site, nobody noticed.
• Added locks our readers recommend
• Linked to an article about the safety of bike lanes and bike paths
• Linked to an article about possible improvements to the Shoal
Creek trail below 5th St.
• Added a link to the City's page about finishing the Lamar Bike/Ped
Bridge
• Added yet another hit & run
Summer 2004
-------------------------------------
• Added the No Justice case of Kevin Snedden
• Added info on the possible extension to the Lamar Bike/Ped Bridge
• Added a route to Ben White and I-30
Winter/Spring 2004
-------------------------------------
• Added account of hit & run on Michael Passman
• Added info about bike rides requiring a street event permit
Fall 2003
-------------------------------------
• Added the case of Matthew Rodieck (sp?) to the cars-bikes
collisions section
• Costs of car ownership updated
• Fall newsletters posted
• Added a map to San Marcos and an alternative to Adventure
Cycling's spur into Austin on their cross-country route.
• Added another bicycle collision attorney to What to Do if You're
Hit or Harassed.
• Added an article on How to Rewire Christmas Lights to Run on
Batteries, on a related site.
• Added a Guide to Touring.
Summer 2003
-------------------------------------
• Linked to Mike Dahmus' study on bike lanes vs. wide outside curb
lanes
• Linked to the BicyclingLife cycling survey
• Added a new documentary, Red Light Go, to the movies section
• Added a route for getting down the big mountain on 2222
• Added fuel economy stats to the Almanac.
• Summer newsletters posted
• Added more of Roger Baker's editorials on roadway planning politics
May 2003
-------------------------------------
• Added a section about trying to resolve the idea about bike lanes
on Guadalupe & Lavaca.
• Added the May newsletter.
• Added a page explaining why natural gas buses may be no better
than diesel buses
• Added an online store that sells electric scooters.
• Put our section on bike lanes on its own page..
April 2003
-------------------------------------
• Added excerpt of the federal law requiring consideration of
bicyclists' needs when doing roadway projects, to the Planning page.
• Added a national used bike classifieds website to the used bikes
page.
• Added an update about planning of the Lance Armstrong Bikeway.
• Noted a possible origin for the song "Cycling is Fun".
• Added the agenda for the April UTC-Bike Subcommittee meeting.
• Added the April newsletter
January & February 2003
-------------------------------------
• Added the minutes of the January UTC-Bike Subcommittee meeting.
[I'll add minutes & agendas regularly as I get them, and won't
continue to note that in this Updates section.]
• Added a link to chopper bikes on our bikes page.
• More on how we failed to get car-free bike lanes on Shoal Creek
Blvd.
December 2002
-------------------------------------
• Consolidated and updated information about ideal bicycle
facilities.
• Posted the December 24 newsletter.
• A reader contributes an article about triggering traffic signals.
• Added some posts about why we can't get sidewalks or bike lanes.
• Added updates about the Town Lake Master Plan/Town Lake Park.
• Added updates about the failure to ban cars from bike lanes on
Shoal Creek Blvd.
• Posted the December 14 newsletter.
• Added a lengthy article detailing the roots of the lack of justice
for cyclists in car-bike collisions
• Sadly, we report about Keith Vick's fatal collision.
November 2002
-------------------------------------
• Added details about TXDoT's 25-year transportation plan.
• Allan contributes a North Austin route from Avery Island to
Duval/Mopac.
• Added Eric Anderson's status report of roadway projects.
• Tommy Eden explains what part of federal funds MUST be spent on
bike & ped facilities
• Added another manufacturer of electric bikes
• Added an attorney who handles car-bike collision cases
• Bike lanes gone on Bull Creek.
• Linked to America Bikes on the elections page, so you can see how
your elected officials voted on bicycling-related issues
• Added more news about the Shoal Creek bike lane mess
• Started adding used bike inventory at Waterloo Cycles
• Added a manufacturer of trikes and one of row-bikes to the bikes
page
• Added some info about downtown transportation planning
October 2002
-------------------------------------
• Added more about the Shoal Creek bike lanes saga
• Added the minutes of the September meeting of the UTC Bike
Subcommittee.
• Added link to AmericaBikes, which surveys candidates for federal
office about whether they think the federal govt. should support
cycling.
May 2002
-------------------------------------
• Added a guide to How to Buy a Used Bike.
• Added a route to Bastrop.
• Updated the Monorail vs. Light Rail page.
• Added Roger Baker's latest expose about CAMPO's road-building
craze.
April 2002
-------------------------------------
• Added yet another hit-and-run fatality.
• Started posting agendas for the UTC Bike Subcommittee.
• Revised phone numbers for calling in traffic & roadway problems.
• Added the case about a Houston motorist who intentionally hit a
10-year-old cyclist.
• Added a tandem recumbent.
• Added info about the council's action to require bike & pedestrian
facilities in road reconstruction projects.
• Added stats to the Almanac page showing that most NYC residents
don't own cars.
March 2002
-------------------------------------
• Gave a major facelift to the whole damn site.
• Added the Spring calendar for Bike-In Theatre.
February 2002
-------------------------------------
• Added a downloadable flier about cyclists' rights to the road.
• Added a listing for the new documentary Bike Like U Mean It.
• Linked to some more unusual tall/high bike photos on the Bikes
page.
November 2001
-------------------------------------
• Added the new Courteous Mass ride.
• Added the November newsletter.
October 2001
-------------------------------------
• Added a page and video about the 9-28-01 Critical Mass controversy.
• Added the October newsletter, about the 9-28-01 Critical Mass
controversy.
• Added the Brykerwoods Neighborhood Associations' scathing
indictment of Mopac.
• Added a link to FunkyBikes.com.
• Added the Travis County Commissioners to the Government page.
• Added more stats to the Bike Safety Almanac.
• Added more voter resources to the Elections section.
September 2001
-------------------------------------
• Added the ebike electric bike and a miniature bike to the Bikes
page.
• Added Roger Baker's article: How CAMPO stacks the deck
• Added Houston's Moonlight Ramble ride.
• Added a new anti-car band, The Depavers, to the Music page.
• Added Austin Bike-In Theatre.
• Linked to some comfy cruiser-style handlebars.
• Overhauled the Contact Your Elected Officials page.
• Overhauled the Get Involved page.
• Added a review of Montague folding bikes.
• Added new products to the Recalls page.
• Added the new police non-emergency number: 311.
• Added the Annual Moonlight Cruise to the Rides page.
• Updated the bike laws page to include the new bike safety
provisions.
• Added tips for riding in cold weather.
• Added the September newsletters.
• Added the average speed of cars within the city (25mph) to the
Almanac page.
• Linked to an article about triggering traffic lights to change.
• Added an article, "Why adding [traffic] lanes makes traffic
worse".
• Noted that Waterloo Cycles offers a 5% discount on parts, labor,
and accessories to subscribers to the email discussion list.
• Added a new page on monorails.
• Linked to a new site, AustinBikeRoutes.com, from the Routes
section.
August 2001
-------------------------------------
• Added some stats about bicycle crashes to the bike safety almanac.
• Added an expert witness to the What to Do If You're Hit page.
• Cycling is 117% more efficient than walking. (calculation)
• Added an Austin to San Antonio route.
• Added Lance Armstrong's quote about how cycling in Austin has been
ruined by growth.
• Added a front-page story about how citizens killed a proposed
parking garage at MLK & West.
• Added two more harassment stories, including one about motorists
throwing things at cyclists.
• Added an editorial by Patrick Goetz about sprawl-induced road
rage.
• Added a quote by Patrick Goetz: "It seems that the best way to
avoid getting a ticket when running a red light in your car is to
kill a cyclist while you're doing it."
July 2001
-------------------------------------
• Linked to the site that has tickets to put on SUV's.
• Added a New York Times article showing that helmets have not
helped prevent head injuries, and that in fact head injuries are going
UP with increased helmet use.
• Added a new page about how bicycling wastes gas, if the cyclist
gets his/her calories from beef.
• Added Roger Baker's editorial about how road-building is
unsustainable.
• Added two bands to the Music page: Hate Traffic and Hit By A Car.
• Added a guide to Preventing and Fixing Flat Tires.
• Added Eric Anderson's latest opus about the Lance Armstrong
Bikeway and the state of local facilities improvements
• Linked to the advocacy video, Bike Routes: The Path to a Better
Tomorrow.
• Added info about Huffy and Schwinn.
• Overhauled the Bike & Equipment Recalls page.
• Added an article about how Driving With Cell Phone is just as
dangerous as DWI!
June 2001
-------------------------------------
• Linked to Mike Librik's excellent Bike Map of Austin.
• Updated the Planning section.
• Updated the Trailers section.
• Added a bunch of stats to the Almanac page.
• Added a link to Homeright's folding bike.
• Added a link to GasPriceWatch.com, and references to fuel economy
for specific model cars.
• Added links to Austin Neighborhood Associations.
• Added info on the Upper Boggy Creek Bikeway, and updated lots of
other stuff in the Roadway Improvements section.
• Updated the Lamar Bridge section.
• Added the case of Debra Prokop being killed and Judy Monarch
being hit & run'd to the No Justice section.
• Added discussion about the planning of the Lance Armstrong
Bikeway.
• Linked to the article 50 Reasons Cars Are Bad.
• Added reader opinions about blasting down 2222.
• Added a link to a calculator that tells you how much pollution is
caused by your specific household electricity use.
• Linked to a new mountain biking club, Church of the Knobby Tire.
May 2001
-------------------------------------
• Linked to Austin Metro Trails & Greenways
• Linked to Austin Bike Cabs.
• Updated the Repairs/Bike Shops section.
• Added links to sites which will help you fix your own bike.
March 2001
-------------------------------------
• Updated the links to other sites.
• Added a new bike movie.
• Added info on the email list for planning Bike to Work Day.
• Added River City Cycles, a shop with a focus on women's cycling.
February 2001
-------------------------------------
• Added a search engine. Whoo-hoo! (see the top of every page)
• Added another UTC Bike Subcommittee website.
• Added the case of the motorist who hit & run'd Ed Anderson.
• Overhauled the No Justice for Cyclists section (again).
• Added a more user-friendly list of Back Issues of the newsletter.
• Added some more quotes.
• Added some links to sites covering helmet laws.
• Added Roger Baker's outline of the Feb. 2001 CAMPO meeting.
January 2001
-------------------------------------
• Added the Texas Association for Public Transportation to the
Organizations page.
• Added more stats to the almanac.
December 2000
-------------------------------------
• Made lots of small miscellaneous updates all over the site.
• Added the fatality of cyclist Edward Day.
• Added a cartoon of a car flattening the planet.
• Overhauled the No Justice for Cyclists page. Also added details
about the police declining to charge the motorist who hit & run'd me.
• Moved all the statistics about bicycle safety/crashes to a new
page, and added a whole bunch more stats.
• Noted that the motorist who killed cyclist Conrad Anderson in
Tomball, TX pled guilty to intoxication manslaughter and intoxication
assault and got five years in prison.
November 2000
-------------------------------------
• Added some more cases of local injuries/fatalities. Dr. Gardiner's
death is covered elsewhere, here.
• Added several stats to our Almanac.
• Added our election endorsements.
October 2000
-------------------------------------
• Added a link to a site about a guy who puts bumper stickers on
SUV's that say "I'm changing the climate!". (In our Bad Cars
section.)
• Added a new book, Ecologically Based Municipal Land Use Planning.
• Added route help to get to Manchaca & 1626
• Added a spam advertisement that puports to allow bad motorists to
drive again by obtaining an International Drivers License.
• Added a link to the TNRCC website where you can report smoky
vehicles by typing in their license plate numbers.
• Added an article about stores that won't let cylists bring their
backpacks inside
• Added a listing and link for Austin Choices for Transportation, a
new advocacy group
September 2000
-------------------------------------
• Added "Why you should vote for light rail"
• Added a link to a site that lets you check whether you're
registered to vote
• Added What to do if you're hit or harassed.
• Added an item about UT banning bikes on Speedway.
• Added the bicycle winners from the Chronicle's "Best of Austin"
edition, in the 9-30-00 newsletter.
• Added a recall notices for Trek handlebar stems and Minoura wind
trainers
• Added a link to BikeLane.com.
• Updated the link to the Alliance for a Paving Moratorium.
• Added a link to a site with a map of hike & bike trails.
• Added taxicab rates.
• Added another story about harassment by motorists.
August 2000
-------------------------------------
• Added links about Driver Distraction (e.g., cell phone use) and
Driving While Drowsy.
July 2000
-------------------------------------
• Updated the No Justice for Cyclists section.
• Linked to PBS' website on New Urbanism.
• Added stats for the fuel efficiency of large airplanes. (It's
about 50 mpg per passenger.)
• Added an article about cars running red lights.
• Added a section on electric-assist bikes.
• Moved the entire site to BicycleAustin.info.
• Added an update about the Shoal Creek bike lane parking ban.
• Added a critique about the Statesman's handling of the Shoal Creek
bike lane parknig ban.
• Overhauled the links page.
June 2000
-------------------------------------
• Added Divorce Your Car! to the Books page.
• Added a search engine for back issues of the newsletter.
• Added the proposed trail to connect the Town Lake Bridge with the
Ullrich Bridge
• Added notable actions by individual city councilmembers
• Added a page about pro-car and anti-bike groups.
• Added an update to the Justice section on the case against the
driver who killed Conrad Anderson.
• Linked to Bill Canfield's Shoal Creek parking ban site from the
Roadways page.
• Added a link to the Mean Streets 2000 report on pedestrian issues.
• Started an Almanac section for various statistics
• Added a section for fan mail about the newsletter
• Added a bunch of articles to our Light Rail section.
• Mayor Watson proposes a new funding plan for transportation
projects
• Added a link to the EPA's fuel economy website (for cars)
• Added a page about bicycle movies
• Updated our contact info for the City Council to reflect the new
members
• Added a report about the proposed State Highway 130.
• Added a page on bicycle posters.
• Added a page on light rail.
• Added an article about air pollution causing sudden death.
• Added No Justice cases outside of Austin to the No Justice
section.
• Added the rules for the discussion list to the front page and to
the News sections.
• Added routes from Dripping Springs to Austin
• Added today's newsletter, with an interview with the candidates in
the City Council Place 2 runoff.
• Added a modification to a North->South route which allows cyclists
to avoid the intersection at Anderson & Shoal Creek.
May 2000
-------------------------------------
• Added a lengthy report about current and planned roadway
improvements which the City of Austin's Bicycle Program is working on
• Added Trans Texas Alliance to the Organizations page
• Updated our links to other sites
• Added an airport route tip and a Table of Contents to the Routes
page
• Created a new page on Pollution & Global Warming
• Added a page with criticism about cars
• Added two new books to the Books page
• Added suggested improvement to the Far West/Mopac bridge and to
sidewalks, on the Roadways page, and to the Sidewalks page
• Added info on proposed legislation in California which would
require planners to consider bicycle access in the planning process
(New Legislation page)
• Added the band "bicycle" to the Music page
• Linked to the City's Smart Growth section on the Planning page
• Created a new, massive page about the Austin City Council
• Updated the Elections page
• Added problems with reckless-driving cops to the police page
• Added the Bike to Work Day events to the Rides page
• Added a report about cyclists assaulted in Grand Prairie
April 2000
-------------------------------------
• Added the Austin Coalition of Cyclists to the Organizations page
• Added a page about lead in gasoline
• Added a page about Bicycle Theft (prevention & recovery)
March 2000
-------------------------------------
• Added the Why Cycle? page, comparing cycling to driving
• Added a paper about pollution and energy use caused by cars
• Added a page about transportation activist Roger Baker
• Started a page devoted to books about transportation planning.
• Added the death of Michael Z. Smith to the No Justice for Cyclists
section.
• Added a wish-list for how we'd like the media to report on
car/bike collisions, to the Media Criticism page.
• Reflected that Michael Zakes has left the UTC and that Mike Dahmus
has joined it, on these pages: City Government, Organizations, and
Who's Who.
• Added Eric Anderson to the Who's Who page.
February 2000
-------------------------------------
• Added a route to the Westgate Cinema/Central Market to the Routes
page.
• Added information on the 2/22 University Area Partners meeting.
• Added a link to the website for the annual Bike Summer event.
• Added an update about Jay Williams' hit-and-run case.
• Updated the Bike Month page to reflect that the City of Austin
will no longer be organizing the event.
January 2000
-------------------------------------
• Added the 1-30 newsletter, as well as old 3-3-99 I had lost but
just found.
• Added a new page on Problems with the Police.
• Added the naughty bike ad.
• Added the Netherlands bike commuting tube/tunnel to the World News
section
• Put a link on the Helmet Laws page to the article about the
9-year-old Florida boy who was handcuffed for not wearing a helmet.
• Added information about Austin's ranking as a Top 10 Bicycle City
in Bicycling magazine.
• Added a page about Fuel Cells. (Later removed, but you can check
out our page on Bicycle Quotes.
• Added a list of links appearing in the bicycle newsletter.
• Added two new ways to How to Not Get Hit By Cars.
• Added new section on Roadway Improvements.
• Started a new section for links to governmental bike programs in
other cities & states.
• Indicated that funding has been approved for the Crosstown
Bicycle Highway.
• Updated the Calendar and Rides/Events pages. (Update: We no longer
maintain a calendar.)
• Added an update to Jay Williams' hit-and-run case.
• Removed an old ad for a used bike and added a new ad.
• Added some of Dave Sullivan's accomplishments to the Who's Who
page.
• Corrected the date for the Ruta Maya rides.
• Added the 1-23 newsletter.
• Added more content to the Media Mess page.
• Linked the clothing-optional rides on the Calendar and Rides
pages to the Nudity & the Law page.
• Linked to problems with rumble strips, and referenced it from the
Ideas for Making Cycling Safer and Contact Your Elected Officials
pages.
• Added Getting Around the Arboretum to the Routes page.
• Added the UTC Bicycle Subcommittee to the Current Projects page
(later removed).
• Added a note about the Statesman's coverage of S.H. 130 to the
Media Mess page.
• Changed email links to the webmaster in several places to provide
compatability for AOL users.
• Fixed a bunch of little things all over the site (anchors, links,
spelling).
• Created this Site Updates page.
• Overhauled the Alphabetical Index.
• Added Jay Williams to the No Justice and No Justice/Details pages.
• Added Ruta Maya rides to the Calendar and Rides pages.
• Added the Valentine's Bike Parade to the Calendar and Rides pages.
• Updated meeting schedule for the Bicycle Advisory Council.
• Reflected that the location of the City Council chambers is
moving, on the City Government and Calendar pages.
• Created new page covering Elections.
• Added the 1-16 newsletter to the newsletter archives.
• Set up the newsletter archives to list in reverse-chronological
order.
• Overhauled the Political/Technical Info page.
• Added Car Busters to the Links to Other Sites page.
• Removed Cycle Messengers for World Domination from the Links page.
(They moved or died with no forwarding address.)
Prior to 1-00
-------------------------------------
• This website started in 1995, but we didn't keep track of updates
before then.
> FYI,
>
> __o
> _`\<,_
> (*)/ (*)
> ~~~~~~~~~
> Stuart Werbner
> Annuit Coeptis
>
> "Any time of year it's a time of sorrow and sadness when we lose a
> loss of life" -- the president
>
>
>
>> From: Michael Bluejay <bikes>
>> To: Fred Meredith <bikin-fred>
>> CC: Austin Bikes <forum>
>> Subject: Re: BIKE: Do bike lanes really improve bike safety?
>> Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2005 02:00:39 -0600
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>>
>> I know that most of the time people find answers on the site we don't
>> hear about it, that's very true. What makes me pull my hair out is
>> when someone signs up for the list on BicycleAustin, then posts a
>> question here whose answer is on the site where they signed up at, or
>> when people search the far corners of the web for info that's been on
>> BicycleAustin for years, and post that far-flung url as the place to
>> start. I just doubt whether I've done a good enough job of getting
>> the idea out there that BicycleAustin is a good resource. It doesn't
>> have all the answers, but it has lots of them. Google says it has
>> 333 pages, plus another 100 on BicycleUniverse.
>>
>> These days most of the traffic to the site is people looking for
>> porn, thanks to that page I had up about the World Naked Bike Ride
>> last year. Here are internal search queries on BicycleAustin for
>> last week:
>>
>> - 6 for "naked"
>> - 2 for "naked bike"
>> - 2 for "world naked bike ride"
>> - 1 for "51 cm sequoia elite road bike"
>> - 1 for "beef"
>> - 1 for "bicycle helmet safety"
>> - 1 for "bicycle images"
>> - 1 for "clothing"
>> - 1 for "gas"
>>
>> And here were the Google, Yahoo, etc. ways people found the site in
>> December, after removing queries relating to used bikes:
>>
>> #reqs: search term
>> -----: -----------
>> 78: naked people
>> 65: naked bike
>> 59: car cartoons
>> 53: austin bike shops
>> 50: naked bike ride
>> 47: world naked bike ride
>> 43: naked biking
>> 34: bicycle posters
>> 28: naked bicycling
>> 27: naked world
>> 27: austin bike shop
>> 21: all naked
>>
>> Honestly, one reason I'm on edge these days about this is that I
>> spend years building an information-rich site and a huge chunk of the
>> traffic is just people looking for porn. It's kind of disheartening.
>>
>> On the other hand, the other message from the stats is that there's a
>> market opportunity for people looking for used bikes:
>>
>> 260: used bikes
>> 226: used bicycles
>> 61: used road bikes
>> 57: used mountain bikes
>> 52: used bikes for sale
>> 30: used bicycles for sale
>> 26: used road bikes for sale
>> 21: used mountain bikes for sale
>>
>> I should sell advertising to a big used bike dealer.
>>
>> -MBJ-
>>
>>
>> On Jan 4, 2005, at 6:40 AM, Fred Meredith wrote:
>>
>>> Not true, Michael.
>>>
>>> Think about it a minute. If someone goes to the website and finds
>>> the answer, are we likely to hear about it on the listserv? Probably
>>> not. All you hear on the forum is the questions that did not get
>>> answered by a trip to the site.
>>>
>>> So, don't despair. The big silent spots are where the website is
>>> working and being used (maybe). At least that would be the
>>> "half-full glass" answer.
>>>
>>> Fred
>>>
>>> On Jan 4, 2005, at 12:43 AM, Michael Bluejay wrote:
>>>
>>>> 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.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Get on or off this list here: http://BicycleAustin.info/list
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Get on or off this list here: http://BicycleAustin.info/list
>>>>
>>>>
>>> When in doubt, ride your bike
> or at least write about it!
>>>
>>> Fred Meredith
>>> P.O. Box 100
>>> Manchaca, TX 78652
>>> 512/282-1987 (voice)
>>> 512/282-7413 (fax)
>>> 512/636-7480 (wireless)
>>> visit <http://2merediths.com> for writings and photos
>>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Get on or off this list here: http://BicycleAustin.info/list
>
>
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