Winter76

Wow, you acutally get painted lines and a bit of a shoulder. In Winnipeg the winter erases all of the lines and filles the gutter is sand/glass/other crap I don't want to ride on and I have to ride out in the lane. Luckily most drivers are understanding, and the wrost I have is them gunning their engines as they pass me.

Winter76

It's illegal for cyclists with wheels larger than 14" to ride on the sidewalk here so luckily that's not a problem.

maddyfish

Is THAT really a bike lane?

CTAC

No, it is not. It is a 'bike route', not 'bike lane'. See the green sign.

noisebeam

NO - it is not a bike lane. It goes to the point that drivers will yell 'get in the bike lane' even when there is not one.

Also compounding the problem is that many cyclist will ride in this very narrow shoulder - so drivers are expecting other (more safety aware) cyclists too as well.

Al

fuerein

Not that that matters much. It's illegal to ride on the sidewalk here as well, but too many drivers know nothing about bike laws and believe bikes belong on the sidewalk even when the law dictates otherwise.

maddyfish

What is a bike route?

I think that roads are bike routes and roads are bike lanes.

Helmet Head

A bike route is a road designated as part of a route that is supposedly favorable to bicyclists for arguably mysterious and arbitrary reasons.

A bike lane is a narrow swath of space on the road designated by painted stripe for usage primarily by bicyclists (but turning motorists are allowed to cross it, and are allowed and even required to merge into it before turning in some states).

Mr. Underbridge

It took me about 100 miles of bike path traveling before I almost learned that lesson the hard way. Here's the deal I'll be happy to propose to city planners: I'll ride in the bike lane when you build a curb to separate it from the general road and not-at-grade intersections for it with every side street. Until then, forget it.

Around here, that's why I actually do use the MUP for most of my commute - it gets underpasses or overpasses for most intersections (including the 5 worst ones).

maddyfish

I'll stay with this^^^^^

CTAC

It serves information purpose only. 'Bike route' signs are posted to help bicyclists to find an optimal route without constantly looking at maps. Serves the same purpose as 'truck route' for trucks. It makes certain that you are not end up in a dead-end street or on a freeway. Bicyclsts have no additional rights on such routes.

Helmet Head

That, or they underground all motor traffic, eh?

Back to the real world: beware of the false sense of security some cyclists feel when riding in bike lanes!

tehdely

Twice.

The first time was by a cyclist, on Folsom St. in San Francisco. If I do use the bike lane on that street, I tend to merge out of it far in advance of any upcoming right turns, which is what I had just done. I explained to the cyclist the concept of a right hook and he told me that I just need to "be aware". I am aware! I'm aware when there's a right turn coming up, and it's time to merge into traffic.

The second time was by a JAM on Oak St. in San Francisco, next to the panhandle. She honked at me from behind then buzzed me on the left yelling "GET IN THE BIKE LINE EYAGRFHRYGAHRGHRGH *unintelligible*". There is, in fact, no bike lane or even a painted shoulder on the street. She may possibly have been referring to the MUP in the park that parallels the street.

All in all, I pretty much never run into that sort of idiocy in this town. Bikes are so commonplace in the streets (and cyclist behavior so generally lawless) that people both expect me to be there and have very few expectations of how I'm going to ride. My general goal is to be safe, and pleasantly surprise drivers by being both predictable and (for the most part) law-abiding.

CaptainTandem

Were you riding a recumbent?

noisebeam

No. I am curious why you might think so.
Al

zeytoun

Tell us about the time(s) a driver has yelled at you to get in the bike lane, HH.

maddyfish

Maybe he means that it is unusual for people to beep at recumbants. A friend of mine rides a recumbant, NOBODY ever bothers him. I honestly believe that drivers think he has Down's syndrome or something. His bike does look sort of like a wheel chair.

Bekologist

yet another HEADPOLL, in response to a simple comment in another thread.


boy, as it stands now (before I ride to work in the rain) an OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of cyclists responding have NOT HEARD 'get in the bike lane'

what is this biased poll attempting to prove, head? trying to show me that cyclists get it sometimes?

usually, its' GET OUT OF THE ROAD!' when there's no bike lane, dude.

just stop with your pathetic relentless attacks on bike infrastructure. you ride in bike lanes when you occasionally ride your bike, Mr. Head.

maddyfish

I answered that I have not heard "get into the bike lane", but there aren't bike lanes here. At least anywhere near where I ride. So maybe I throw off the validity of the poll.

Bekologist

no, you haven't skewed it at all. this HeadPoll was in response to a comment I made in another thread that responded to head asserting riders hear 'get in the bike lane' when there aren't any bike lanes.

you prove MY assertion, that riders DON'T hear 'get in the bike lane' when there aren't any bike lanes, they most commonly hear "GET OUT OF THE ROAD"

you prove my point, and disprove heads, maddyfish.

query

Nope. Never.

CB HI

The road has 3 traffic lanes, 1 going downhill into the gulch, and 2 coming up out of the gulch; so the speeders do not have to follow behind people that drive the speed limit.

So the lane you speak of, is the slow uphill lane. Cool you noted that no one was driving in that lane.

Dchiefransom

Never been yelled at to get in the bike lane. Been yelled at to ride single file on group rides, though.

Heh, heh, on today's ride, we were on some roads with bike lanes that were about 10 feet wide(and clean). We followed a street sweeper up one hill.

ChezJfrey

Although merely anecdotal, your description exactly matches what I've experienced numerous times. I am riding a narrow road, with no fog line, no shoulder, no bike lane, thus no way to let someone pass and an obviously inconvenienced motorist passes me in the opposing lane yelling exactly that, "Get off the road!"

Funny thing is, where this has happened the most is a road that I'm usually travelling downhill at nearly the 30mph speed limit.

Helmet Head

Large group of cyclists on Hwy 101 southbound in Solana Beach. Some guy on the sidewalk in front of a bar yelling "get in the bike lane!" to us, which was funny because there is no bike lane there.