Originally Posted by
hhnngg1
If it's a rural or rural-suburban area, no bike lanes is probably fine.
Agreed
Originally Posted by
hhnngg1
In urban area though, those bike lanes are VERY helpful. I've ridden a fair amount in urban areas for commuting, and those bike lanes are really, really helpful. I've read the critiques of them, but in my experience, that's all hogwash. A clearly demarcated bike lane in an urban area clearly notes to motorists you have a right to part of the road and drastically decreases driver aggression.
This depends on the specific streets in question. I generally don't like to have a separate area because it causes motorists to not notice you and drive as if you're not there at all. More importantly, it tells them you don't belong on the road in first place. I am traffic and have found that people will treat me as such if I simply act like it.
Until very recently, I did practically all my riding in an area where there were no bike lanes at all. Now, I live in a Portland where we have bike paths, lanes, and you name it everywhere. I find that I strongly prefer to take streets without such designated areas because I can move much better and I feel more like a part of the flow.