Originally Posted by Brian Ratliff
A study in Florida and a study in Texas (I think) showed this to be the case. WOLs prompted cyclists to take a position either off the road (on the sidewalk) or hugging the gutter. Bike lanes tended to put the cyclists further to the left and off the sidewalk.
WOLs give vehicular cyclists more freedom to operate in traffic. That's its singular advantage over bike lanes. It makes non-vehicular cyclists ride more dangerously by forcing them closer to the curb or onto the sidewalk.
WOLs do tend to collect fewer pine needles than bike lanes.
The other advantages claimed for WOLs over bike lanes appear to be almost entirely creations of the VC propagandists who start with the biases of John Forester and play on fears and superstitions regarding the effect of white paint.