CaptainSpalding

Without knowing the details of the San Francisco plan it's impossible to say whether Mr. Anderson is right or wrong. It is certainly possible to add a bike lane without sacrificing an automobile lane in many places. Some roads, though, can't afford the space for a bike lane and still provide for the same amount of car traffic.

That said, even if car traffic is impinged by bike lanes, it could spur even more drivers out of their cars and onto bikes, and hence the net effect could be a reduction in pollution.

A little editorial though: I just returned from Belgium, where every accommodation is made for cyclists. Because of those efforts, it is safe for everyone to cycle. But not all accommodations are the same. A 75 year old woman on a Dutch bike is perfectly safe riding on her own dedicated bike path in Liege. But that same woman on a narrow strip of pavement between whizzing cars and parked ones on Wilshire Boulevard in L.A. is in mortal danger. My point is that probably those who would be served by San Francisco's plan are only the most fit and aware, and that the pool of people from whom new cyclists could be drawn is shallower than one might think.