Originally Posted by
Mazaev
I tend to use them if they're there, unless they're separated by something. I like to ride fast, so bike lanes that I can't merge into traffic out of scare the sh-t out of me due to all the pedestrians and other cyclists.
I really like sharrows and bike lanes with a painted buffer; they provide the best of both worlds. The sharrows add a little extra justification for me being in the road for ignorant motorists, and the buffered bike lanes provide a separated area with an easily accessible escape route.
It's kinda ironic, but given the choice, I'd rather ride with cars. They're much more predictable.
Sums it up for me since I like to ride briskly as well and bike lanes aren't that good for that. I've stated before that for me riding in between the lanes is the safest place for me on NYC avenues since motorists tend to be more predictable. If there's a bike lane that's available and there aren't double parked cars on it then I'll use it but that's not that common in my experience.