Originally Posted by Daily Commute
OK, ten years old. The point is, less experienced, less competent, and less confident cyclists can become more experienced, more competent, and more confident with practice. Bike lanes may exist elsewhere, but in the US, they are touted most for their benefit to less experienced, less competent, and less confident cyclists. Instant gratification instead of a little work.
I really don't see how BL help the less experienced. What I mean is that everyone needs to make left turns at some point, recreational or transportational. For me, merging left and turning on a specific road takes far more experience and confidence releative to riding on same specfic straight going road, BL or not. The less experience and perhaps less confident will ride to the far right, BL or not.
(Oh, just after typing the above I realize that left turns can be accomplished by getting on sidewalk and using x-walk. But still there is something strange to me about the idea of a BL helping build experience when for me going straight down a road is, and was when I was learning to bike, the least of my traffic integration concerns.)
Al