Originally Posted by zeytoun
This is a beef for me too. I think streets with minor intersections shouldn't have 45mph speed limits, they should be slower, and no bike lane should exist. And streets with 45mph speed limits shouldn't have frequent minor intersections.
Of course, this is the real world, and such things exist. So how do I deal with it? From a safety point of view, I exhibit more care, and will exit the bike lane depending on specific scenarios. From an advocacy point of view, I don't know how to handle it. I don't see how erasing the line will help a newbie, if he doesn't receive more information in exchange. But I don't have a real answer for this. What do you think? Do you think bike lanes on arterials with frequent intersections should be abolished altogether, or is there another improvement you suggest?
In my opinion, if roads are going to be signed for 45+mph speed limits with frequent intersections, I'd prefer those roads to have multiple narrow, unshareable lanes. In my experience, this works much better than the same road with a shoulder/bike lane stripe to the right of the outside through lane. I get a whole lane that motorists are used to using for making right turns so there is much less ambiguity about how to treat me near intersections. I'll admit that I have little experience with wide curb lanes on these types of roads. I do regularly ride 45mph roads with multiple narrow lanes ans frequent intersections though. In regards to using a full lane near intersections, the treatment I receive from motorists is leaps and bounds above the treatment I receive when doing the same thing on roads with a shoulder/bike lane. Perhaps with more experience with wide curb lane roads my opinion might begin to favor that setup. I certainly prefer that setup when intersections are less frequent, regardless of speed limit (speed limits generally mean nothing to most motorists at rush hour when I'm normally cycling).
For those roads with high speeds, narrow lanes, and frequent intersections, signage saying that cyclists have the right to use the full lane would be a mild benefit (like I said, I get the best treatment there already) as would sharrows. Both would hopefully encourage proper lane positioning (not curb hugging) by cyclists using these roads. Having the cyclist in the center of the narrow lane that motorists are accustomed to using for right turns and expecting to have through traffic, has in my experience reduced right hook and failure to yield situations to nil.
Originally Posted by zeytoun
I am happy to leave the side of the road as necessary. I wouldn't know how to even begin measuring and extrapolating from my anecdotal experience. I know only rarely do drivers treat me discourteously (1 every few days), and it doesn't seem to have much relevence to whether I am in the bike lane or not. It seems to depend more on the driver. And I'm not sure if there is any correlation between that and collisions or deaths.
My question was somewhat rhetorical in the sense that the only way to guarantee that you reach the motorists you need to reach when you need to use the full lane is to actually be there negotiating and using the full lane. Otherwise, it's a crap shoot as to whether or not they've seen the PSAs or read the driver's manual, etc.
Originally Posted by zeytoun
The points you make about PSAs are valid. But I think we need to be able to somehow distribute a message that is a bit more universal to this forum, and carries a bit of wait. My opinion is that drivers see cyclists as being very individual, and each prone to individual behavior. Just because I ride one way or say one thing, doesn't mean anyone respects my opinion. I'm just an eccentric on a bicycle.
I agree that cyclists operating in their own individual style is a huge issue for motorists who have come to expect some sort of conformity of use from all other users of the road. If motorists are used to seeing cyclists hugging the edge of the road, they are going to expect that from any cyclist they see, like the lady yesterday telling me (not in a complimentary way) that she's never seen another cyclist with my mentality. I had merged left early before the road narrowed which also happens to be the location of a frequently used intersection. I guess most cyclists she sees would have stayed right until the last second then cut into the lane.