Originally Posted by
hueyhoolihan
the sort of internecine disagreement, as evidenced here, has thwarted the aims of many a minority that would otherwise have benefited from ANY type of improvement.
Sure, some people have responded strongly, but really I'm just wondering if it's practical. Can I turn left w/o walking my bike like a pedestrian? I have been impressed by the ingenuity of some civil engineers, so I have no doubt those issues can be dealt with. I've just never seen a protected bike lane in person and have no idea how it works.
I do agree that any sort of improvement is better. Anything that gets more people on bikes is a good thing for EVERYONE.
EDITED: On further thought, I guess I have ridden on a protected bike lane. We have two trails that run parallel to major arteries, and I guess they would be the same thing. One of them just ends and will become a sidewalk (at the most congested part of the street :-( ). To turn left would require becoming a pedestrian.
The other allows for easy access to the roundabouts. It would entail entering the intersecting street as a pedestrian (which I never dismount for) and then entering the roundabout like other traffic. To keep running parallel I can bypass the roundabout all together.
These are not in the congested downtown areas, rather they are in a more suburban (style) setup on the outskirts of town. Lots of multi-lane roads going at high-speeds. I'm very happy the city put them in because they make the Westend way more bike-able, but the lanes are pretty much going to destination spots--exactly where I was headed anyway. In a city with a large number of possible destinations I could see these being used until the block before and then jumping on the main roadway and then negotiate your destination from there.