Originally Posted by
wristwister
After reading this article yesterday, I paid close attention to the conditions of the designated bike lanes on my commute home. I was amazed. Potholes, drainage gratings, manhole covers, big cracks in the pavement, rocks, you name it! In the past I've never really thought about these hazards as I've always assumed it's my responsibility to be on the lookout and avoid hazards whether I'm in a bike lane or not. But yesterday I was viewing each of those hazards as a potential law suit, similar to that described in the article. What's the solution? Spend millions to upgrade and maintain all bike lanes to be 100% safe? Eliminate all bike lanes? Do nothing and keep your fingers crossed? Glad I'm not a member of city council having to make such decisions!
It shouldn't be a difficult decision at all. If you're going to provide bike lanes, maintain them at least to the same standards as car lanes as far as removing debris and repairing potholes. And before even opening the bike lane, patrol it to make sure that there aren't any permanent hazards like survey monuments.
Cities have no problem deciding to take the federal money that funds the creation of most bike lanes. They should commit to building them properly and maintaining them.