Originally Posted by
CommuterRun
^^Why not?
I see a speed limit sign that says 100 km/h (62 mph).
I ride a two narrow lane, opposing directions, 60 mph speed limit highway every day that I ride to work. With nothing like the paved shoulders that highway has. And another two narrow lane highway that has a 55 mph speed limit with no paved shoulders.
The highway in the above photo would be a piece of cake. There's not even any opposing direction traffic to watch for.
I agree that using the shoulder in this manner for bicycles seems very cost effective. Markers are in place along the fog line to alert a driver who might stray across them. The maximum speed for the vehicles is moderate. Freedom implies the willingness to assume some risk. However, painting a line to divide the shoulder for bicycles seems ridiculous and a waste of money. All roads should be constructed similarly, i.e. utilizing the shoulder (emergency lane) for low speed conveyances.
A safer and vastly more expensive alternative would consist of widening the shoulder further and then dividing it with a physical barrier with the low speed traffic on the outermost part of the barrier and isolated from the higher speed traffic.