Originally Posted by Shiznaz
hehehe are you thinking of that crazy dog's leg metal tunnel under the train tracks on the don trail?
It was constructed to keep the cyclist population in check.
And regarding how little I matter; while I may be a young guy without a care in the world, willing to throw myself at traffic multiple times a day at high speeds, this would not be something that I would like for my family if I had one. I would like to know that my children can safely bike to school without having to take the lane and do all sorts of other nervewracking maneuvers that children don't have a chance of understanding.
I agree. As I said previously, I have nothing against good cycling facilities. I don't even have anything against segregated cycling facilities, as long the cyclist's right to ride on the road, should he choose to, is preserved. Also, I have nothing against allowing children to ride on sidewalks and in fact give them the ROW over cars in driveways. After all, a lot of those Danish traffic facilities are glorified sidewalks anyway, and if you argue they can be made safe from the dangers of driveways/intersections, so can be, well, the sidewalks.
I also want it to get to the point where taking the lane etc. is not a nerve-wracking maneuver. And if you think that's not possible, think again. People can be educated. I am in general not afraid to take the lane in Toronto, even if it is stressful. There are parts of the world where I would very seriously fear for my life if I did this - or even if I took to the road at all, despite the fact that it's legal. So if motorists can learn to mostly tolerate cyclists on the road, as North American ones did, surely they can be taught to understand and respect cyclists. In fact, if such understanding was in place, taking the lane would not even be necessary: drivers will not pass you unsafely even if you're not physically preventing them from doing it. This will make things easier for everyone, since it is generally easier to pass something if you only need to shift your wheels into the next lane, not make a full-blown lane change.
I feel that any bike lane should also be accompanied by reduction of car traffic
You mean, the lane itself should cause car traffic reduction by narrowing the street, or some other measures should be taken to promote cycling and "demote" driving?
I'm against painting white lines next to the curb, but I definitely feel like the Danes have done more than just installing bike lanes, but we don't have that bigger picture to look at at the moment.
Well, there is a cycling culture there, that's for sure, and greater awareness of cyclists etc. But this culture, surprisingly (or not), still is based on the supremacy of the car in some ways.