Originally Posted by
zeytoun
What this says to me is that a) bike lanes are not necessarily the only answer, and b) just forcing cyclist to "rise to occasion" of the existing road design is a recipe for failure. The key is sound engineering, which must include an effort to accommodate all users based on their inherent mannerisms.
+1
On point a) - I for one have never thought otherwise. On point b) absolutely true, expecially the idea car-centric designs can continue unabated and cyclists can make do just by trying to act like a car driver. They are both only ever going to be band-aid solutions, at best.
The biggest battle imo in getting sound engineering is from the city engineers themselves. Rarely will you find such a conservative, resistant to change, unimaginative bunch of so-called professionals, and alleged 'bike advocates' like Forester that support the status quo aren't helping. Sometimes I think the only hope is waiting for the old codgers to die or retire and a younger, more open-minded breed of engineer taking their place. Does anyone know what the current state of civil engineering education is? Are they at least offering a more rounded education these days?