multimodal commuter
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: NJ, NYC, LI
Posts: 19,808
Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...
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I ride about 5 miles of Manhattan traffic every work day.
Regarding NYC bike lanes, it's important to note that in many cases we can't live without them. The bike lane is often the only way a bicycle can get across a bridge. And getting across bridges is terribly important, since Manhattan is an island and all.
On the streets, if there's a bike lane, I'll use it, even if it's not perfect. And of course it never is perfect. Using the bike lane definitely involves certain risks, but riding in traffic also involves risks. They are mostly the same risks, but there are certain risks specific to each. Either way, you have to be on you guard for every potential danger, and there are many. In general I prefer the streets with bike lanes, but not enough to go out of my way for a bike path, not even one block.
The best thing about bike lanes, I think, is that they encourage people to ride. They don't do that for me; but if they do it for anyone, I'm all for 'em.
Last edited by rhm; 03-09-11 at 09:40 AM.