Originally Posted by
contango
I read it more as hiding the cars from the bikes.
People who cycle as a means of transport want to go to the same places that drivers are going, so they use the roads (with or without bike-specific facilities). People who cycle for leisure are likely to enjoy a trail around the lake far more than a trail along the side of the busy interstate. When I'm on my mountain bike wanting to have a relatively gentle ride and enjoy the view I do things like ride along the riverside towpath, accepting the pedestrians and dogs and children and endless imperfections in the surface, because it means I get to look at the pretty river rather than the less pretty road and series of overtaking cars. If I want to get where I'm going faster I take the road because it's shorter and the lack of pedestrians means I don't have to worry about people wandering all over the path.