Originally Posted by hubcyclist

Well, cyclists, like any group, are not homogeneous, and different riders have different goals. While I appreciate infrastructure like bike paths and use it for family rides, as someone who likes to train and ride competitively, our kind is not welcome on bike paths, for obvious reasons. So when infrastructure is created, it kind of creates the expectation of segregation among motorists. One time I was riding on one my usual loops that goes through Lexington, MA, where the popular Minuteman path is. However I was on the main road, and going in a different direction from that path, and I heard someone yell to get on the bike path and I looked over and the driver was flipping me off. But if I were to get on the bike path on a busy summer weekend, I couldn't ride at my own pace. I also tend to believe that segregated barrier lanes just gives motorists a reason to not have to pay attention to cyclists, when really the solution to all of our troubles is having folks pay attention and be patient and observe speed limits.