whoever thought that having a bicycle lane that might have people opening their car door into it at random was a good idea needs have their head checked to see if they are brain dead or not. Imagine having a car lane where random barriers pop up and the only way to avoid them if you do spot them is to steer into the monster truck lane.
The amount of times I've had to slow down or swerve because someone didn't think to check (because why would they?) is low, but enough to become frustrating, which is putting it lightly. I would honestly prefer to turn that parking lane into an additional cycle lane in the opposite direction and bollard(?) it off to separate the bikes from the cars.
I know. It's as if they hire people who have never ridden a bike to design these things. They put them in to say, "See, we're progressive." It would be better to lower the speed limit and do away with the "bike lanes" in the door zone. My local town has them in the door zone, and I won't use them. If a driver complains, I explain why. They usually get it after an explanation.
the door zone lanes are especially bad because while a parked driver will look out for cars (because they don't want their door ripped off), they think the bike lane is just a buffer zone for them and don't look for cyclists
Imagine telling drivers "please have someone get out of your car and walk alongside the car to make sure it's going slowly and safely enough through this area"
In Germany those signs are uneffective, fortunately. In my eyes "Cyclist dismount" signs should be forbidden. Because they are normally used in two situations; either somebody created a bike path and made it so bad, that they cannot be used while riding. Or somebody deliberately lead a bike route to end in a footpath and now needs to remind cyclists, that they aren't allowed to continue riding.
Maybe the people who are in air conditioned and heated enclosed vehicles protected from all weather conditions, should learn some patience and wait for the people who don't have all that protection.
I totally agree. Drivers should give way to cyclists as respect because cyclists free up traffic and have to exert a lot more effort to move around compared to cars. A lot of car drivers are really selfish and entitlement when they feel like they are inconvenienced if a cyclist is in front of them even though they can overtake a cyclist like its nothing.
Well it is a two way street bud , bike riders often flout the rules just like all other forms of transportation , riders do often ride dangerously I’m sad to say , , and some are even too stupid to even to ride to the conditions with a suitable roadworthy bike like having lights for example , still see tons of riders with no lights and dark clothing at night time . The truth is bikes or any sort of personal transportation, be it a scooter, a skateboard, a mono wheel are inherently dangerous ! If you choose to take the more dangerous form of transport , well that’s on you . When you take those forms of inherently dangerous forms of transport , you have to accept the responsibility for your own actions. I say this as a bike rider myself , a trike rider , a car driver, and a retired truck driver. Unfortunately no one has a magic wand that can make all shitty roads suit all people and all sorts of transportation, and no state or states have the funds for it, there are parts of Melbourne I wouldn’t want to take my car truck or bike because they are just crap and dangerous , so I avoid them . As for signage , unfortunately, sometimes they have to put signs in undesirable places because if they don’t, they will be knocked over in 5 minutes. There is give and take everywhere. Watching some of the drivers in this video certainly shows some drivers are assholes , but again, that imo is less common , and the same can be said about bike riders too . Having said all that , i agree with the general message in the video that the road system certainly has a lot of room for improvement, but in the end you have to ride smart , drive smart to stay safe , and that has always been the case and always will be.
@@mikldude9376 I hope we can agree to accurately give blame when something bad happens, you can't just blindly blame the bike rider every time for not being visible enough, when pedestrians and bikers still get hit, even if they are following every single rule, and are walking underneath those massive crosswalk signs with huge flashing lights, or when they are waving a high visibility flag during daytime.
Far out, the combo car park/bike lane is such a slap in the face, clearly designed by people that will never use them 🤦🏻 Instant sub from me mate, keep up the good work! Edit: good god, that council are a bunch of knuckle draggers…
I appreciate just how much time pulling this together has taken. Congratulations for making it & for avoiding the temptation to rant. Again thankyou for your time & effort 👍
A range rover barged into my lane cutting me off so that his wife could tell me I MUST be in the bicycle lane. After telling her that this is not the case and that Iwas in primary for hazards ahead, he told me I MUST be in the bicycle lane. The police are now prosecuting him for careless driving and refusing to say who was driving the vehicle.
Where i live theres tons of bike lanes whoch are usually blocked by cars anyway but i always bike on the normal rpads anyway because on bike lanes you lose ALL rights of way
It really grinds my wheels when "lane closing in 1/2 mile" signs are put up in the narrow bike gutter of a 4 lane stroad. Often I moving them into the landscaping next to the footpath myself.
Spot on, just one thing to add about grates. Grates which are "bicycle-tire-friendly" are still a problem. Grates' purpose is to drain water from the road surface. To aid drainage, they are usually set lower than the surface of the road, (some lower than others, how low is difficult to judge as you approach) and the surrounding road is sloped downwards towards the grating. So cycling over a grating can cause a big jolt which can upset your steering (you are balancing on two wheels after all). It's bad enough in a car, try driving over one sometime.
On bike lanes near me they have removable bollards that are almost always removed that then leave a gaping 100mm x 100mm hole whose perimeter is a thin metal tube that protrudes up to 25mm above the remaining surface. What drugs are the designers on I wonder?
@@andrewallen9993 I expect most riders will ride to the conditions and avoid such obstacles, but they could be hit in an a simple avoidance action that then results in damage to the bike, the rider and perhaps others. A pedestrian could easily trip because of them too. Its just a stupid, inexcusable thing to put on shared pedestrian/bike lane.
@@MiniLuv-1984 I just ride in the lane, towards the side. Drains are usually in the shoulder, so I don't have to deal with them at all, no zigging around them. Around here, too often bicycle lanes are just painted shoulders.
if i had to choose between riding on a road with australian drivers or with a bear, i would choose the bear. i've been trying to get back into bicycling in Victoria (mostly for commuting, for some light exercise, and for longer rides to explore the country side) and i have two main problems. firstly, there is little infrastructure for cyclists (lanes, parking, etc..) and what does exist is poorly implemented and never maintained. and secondly, very few car drivers act safely around bicyclists. my experience has been that very few will give appropriate space & reasonable speed when passing, most will not see or react at all, and a handful are actively aggressive (almost murderous) in their behavior. i've had my elbow struck, been pushed off the road, had objects thrown, and abuse hurled.
You're not wrong about councils poorly maintaining bike lanes... My council (in NSW) put a bike lane in about 25 years ago in a part of town that had specific features they wanted to test how bike lines might Interact with roads. It's still marked and signposted, but the markings have never been repainted in 25 years, and the weeds were allowed to grow all over it. It's still signposted and the paint is still mostly visible, so I think technically that means legally you're supposed to use it.... Although I guess it's not practical to ride through bushes around a metre high.
I started my day today here in Hobart making a statement to police about the little angry man in the giant suv deliberately swerving at me and trying to run me down….
You would rather be on the road with bears? I have also heard people say they would rather be in the woods with bears than with men. The latter are being serious and clearly foolish. I hope you are just a bit upset/frustrated/worked up.
I spent a week in Perth. I am from Arizona. I did not have one problem. Well, except getting mixed up with riding on the left, my bad. But, I found the drivers there as extremely polite. I went to MArgaret River and spent a week riding there. Again, very polite and patient drivers.
As a runner there are extended waits at green traffic lights because i missed that narrow window to activate the pedestrian crossing. In my area it can add up to 10mins to a 60min run. Must be way more frustrating for cyclists.
Hi, we have similar problems in Scotland. In my local area the disused rail network was turned into mixed use paths for pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders, and that seems to work fairly well. However, in parts pavements have been marked as mixed use as well, and some of them then become unsafe for pedestrians as not all cyclists slow down or use bells. Then, as a cyclist, you are negotiating a path that was never intended for bike use and is full of obstacles - bus shelters, rubbish bins, trees, and most worryingly, pedestrians, especially those who are elderly, disabled, have young children or dogs with them, are getting on and off buses, or are using phones whilst walking. Pavements as cycle paths can work but only where the pavement is wide enough to accommodate both, and in or near town centres this usually isn't the case. There's is of course another option - lower the speed limit on dangerous roads. My particular favourite is ' we need to designate a cycling route. Going this way will add an extra two miles and several hills. Let's keep the cars on the nice, flat direct route and give the cyclists even more exercise! They love that stuff!'
I ride according to a simple, yet controversial take: Bikes ruled the road first, and moved according to the laws of natural flow. Any traffic rules later brought about as a consequence of car dependency are mere suggestions to cyclists, and that includes travel lanes (I pedal wherever I want), stop signs and red lights. I only use bike lanes when cars are going much faster and I need a slightly more protected spot to roll on. Traffic engineers are cunts and don't have a problem with putting us cyclist in the ditch, so I say screw them
Germany is no better in most cities as well. In my community more than 80% of all bike lanes do not meet regulations and are therefore illegal to be mandatory, which by sign they are.
A tax proportional to damage done to the road surface would basically be a tax purely on trucks and freight vehicles. Trucks may only constitute a small percentage of traffic on most roads, but they do basically all of the pavement damage.
Good video, in real life cyclists are usually pretty good. It's just RU-vid videos where you see 2 cyclists riding next to each in the middle of the lane which gets annoying.
@@davieb8216 apparently a lot of them do it because they’ve been knocked of their bikes (or nearly were) by trying to give room to drivers. I find it annoying too but I get it. I’m not a cyclist BTW.
2:18 Road damage vs axle weight is thought to go up by the fourth power according to research in the 1950s in the US. There is a Wikipedia article “Fourth power law”. With everyone driving bigger, heavier cars and trucks it’s not surprising the roads are disintegrating, in the U.K. at least.
Here are some more: Bike lanes and shared paths have huge bumps and changes of grade that I have to slow down to walking pace for . I ride 17+ km to work, I don't want to have to slow down all the time! And... EVery time i ride on a shared path across a side road I have to watch for traffic from both sides likely to run me over because they can't or don't see me! Shared paths often have dogs and kids that are going sloooow and having me go past at 25-30 kph is not safe, so I ride on the road. Occasionally I occupy a whole lane by riding dead in the middle of it, usually because the lanes are super narrow and cars would be going past at maybe 50 kph faster than me, about 30 cm away. Some grumpy motorists get cranky and give me grief but I smile and wave, like they are my long-lost friend! :) Happy cycling!
Great, well thought out and researched video. I live in Adelaide and nearly always ride on the footpath.My husband and I often play a game when driving call 'Spot the pedestrian'. It seems to be a little known fact that apart from a shopping precinct, there is absolutely not one pedestrian on the footpaths. Most trips around adelaide average about 3 sightings. Footpaths are not ideal but it sure beats dicing with the traffic which is getting busier and cars are getting more mammoth every day. Keep up the good work.
another thing to note with all the obstruction type reasons. If there is an obstruction every say 100 metres, then if I used the bike lane I'd have to merge into and out of traffic 50 times in a 10 minute trip. This is significantly more dangerous than just riding in a straight line
If I see that the bike lane is crap I don't mind cyclists riding on "my" lane. I'd do this as well. If they behave like idiots, e.g. passing rolling traffic on the right, they are on their own.
Great video! Have you had a look at Swanston St? A nice way to get from the Barwon River to beach but diabolical to cross Eastern Beach Rd when traffic is heavy. Travelling south, cars turning left at Ryrie St ignore cyclists riding through. Crossing the rail line is horrible. At Barwon Terrace cyclist are directed towards a staircase which is invisible until the rider has crossed the road - no warning.
Nice video, horrible infrastructure. Me being a Dutchie, those roads break my heart. (It took me some time to work out that this is about Australia. A hint of that would have been handy)
Hope my accent gives it away. I wasn’t expecting to get so much international reach, will include more location details in the future. Thanks for the feedback.
Great video. Great breakdown, well researched, well presented, very informative, and i can tell, backed up by many kays of personal experience. All spot on. My biggest two from your list, road debris and giving myself space for the car door. Cheers from South East QLD 👍
In Qld you used to be able to access the Australian Standards through the Sate Library. Should be able to get you a copy or at least a snip if you need.
Another reason to not ride in a bike lane is the discrepancy in speed between riders. Some will troddle along happily at 10-15kmh and elite cyclists will be zipping along at 40kmh. Another issue I have (in Bendigo) is that roads with dirt shoulders will often have major rough edges and it's not feasible to ride anywhere in the outside 500-600mm of the road. The bike lanes in Bendigo vary from 2m wide which is really as narrow as a comfortable lane should be if there is carparking beside it down to some lanes that get down to about 300mm wide :/
haha 'elite cyclists' maybe call them 'sports cyclists' versus 'commuter' or 'tourist cyclists', so you don't imply that people who ride faster are more important or better people.
@@Alan_Hans__ Competence doesn't actually equate to speed though. Most Dutch people (like me) usually cycle 15km/h, and we've basically grown up on bicycles. 40km/h in Amsterdam is not feasible haha. Sports cyclists (we call them 'wielrenners', as opposed to commuter cyclists who are 'fietsers') cycle in places that are suitable for those kinds of speeds. The same person can be a 'fietser' on their daily commute and a 'wielrenner' in their free time. Their current cycling speed isn't an indication of their skill level, just of context/purpose.
Well made video. I follow the same reasons when I don't use bike paths. It's unfortunate that most car users just don't understand the rules of the road as well as cyclists. Not saying that all cyclists are perfect either by a long shot. It's always the bad ones that you remember whether they are in a car/truck, on a bike or on sneakers.
It is common in Montreal for cyclist to avoid a bicycle path because of congestion on the cycle path. Another reason some of the older paths have a very bumpy and wavy surface making the ride difficult. There are the same problems in Montreal with cars parking in the cycling lane. The city placed concrete dividers to help with that and it seems to be working.
@@svr5423wider lanes encourage speeding tho. Smaller lanes make the drivers more conscious of their speed which in turn makes the roads safer. I get what you’re saying tho, more room to get past the cyclist. But if the roads were possible to be made wider then there would be room to fit a separated protected bicycle lane (which isn’t as poorly made as the painted bike lanes or cone separated ones) and make the actual road narrower to traffic calm the cars and make safer streets
@@sam9558 That's a myth propagated by people who don't know about traffic. Speeding is controlled by speed cameras. So usually the opposite is true, people obey the speed limits on wider, controlled roads and speed on the narrow and curvey ones. We have plenty of those here in the Swiss Alps. Statistics speak for themselves, usually the widerst roads/lanes (Motorway/Autobahn) have the least amount of both accidents and fatalities per person kilometer. Accidents increase on narrow segments (road construction) because the people have less margins for error. The problem of protected lanes is that you are then no longer protected against other cyclists and pedestrians. Both of them are who I usually have most accidents and near misses with, with people going the wrong way or not paying attention because they know if they get hit by a cyclist, the cyclist might also be injured (wheres if they get hit by a car, the car driver isn't bothered too much). Ideally, you would have entirely separated bike roads, where no other vehicles operate. And then also control the riders. Here in Europe, it's also a cultural thing. Dutch are very disciplined bike riders, wheres Germans and Swiss ride like maniacs.
@@svr5423it’s not a myth, it’s a fact. It’s literally a traffic calming method, by the sound of it the drivers over there are lunatics, or most likely rich tourists taking there fast super cars out there to act like tossers.
3:57 They are just saying the quiet part out loud at that point. A quote that has stayed with me is: "bike lanes are car infrastructure, not bike infrastructure." Edit: like those "bike lanes" fully containing drainage grates outside of the main travel lane.
it's called a Grandfather Clause... bikes were here before automobiles.. cyclist were the first to have roads paved.. We can thank cyclist for paved roads. And if the "bike lane" has an obstruction, or it is too narrow to ride safely, cyclist have the absolute right to use the main road.. Never share a lane with a vehicle.. You have the right to occupy the entire lane in many circumstances.. Cycle lans are dangerous at intersections.. cars do not see us in the bike lane while on their side (blind spot). A "right hook" is when a car doesn't look, and a cyclist is going thru the intersection, they take a right turn and run you over. Always knock on their vehicle or wave to them to make sure they know you are there.
As mentioned near the beginning, damage to the road goes up A LOT with increased weight of vehicle. This ought to be the basis for a km-travelled tax for vehicles.
live in the city of casey victoria, with a population larger then gelong, and you can barely find one bike sign. it is defiantly car focused on the east of melbourne.
reason ; i’m following the gps voice in my ear and im someplace i’ve never been and don’t know about the bike path to even imagine using it. sort of similar that getting onto and or off of the bike path is inconsistent with the journeys source and destination
Another important thing: whenever there's a series of disconnected bike lanes it's safer (and more predictable for car drivers) to just stay on the road. Especially because the bike lanes are usually obstructed by parking cars, signs, e-scooters and other stuff. Once I even saw a political campaign ad sign (that talked about safety) placed right in the middle of a bike lane, which summed up the political stance on this quite well. I would love to be as far as possible from cars, but the cycling infrastructure is usually so bad it's actually safer on the road.
When you ride a bicycle, you are the medium between vehicles and pedestrians. If is up to your discipline when to go on the sidewalk or into the road as you see reasonably needed. The bike lanes increase the dangers for bikes on the road where there was none to begin with. Pay attention, and laws won't need to be made to help you feel safe when you aren't.
Its shouldn't be about cars verses bikes, the authorities and their badly considered or badly created bike lanes often force this situation. You gave many examples (thanks) but I want to include tree branches overhanging bike lanes to the list. Sometimes the tree partially blocks the path, other times the overhanging limbs are so low that they pose a serious risk of injury. My favourite is when a bike lane abruptly ends forcing the rider on to traffic lanes. Better still is where there is no footpath alternative to illegally ride on.
Bike lanes of the "segregated" variety are just shit in general and I never use them. They should be abolished as there is no way to engineer around their problems. If a cycling facility is to be separate from the road, let it be completely separate, with its own, dedicated right-of-way.
In traffic circles, i always take the outer lane (if there's more than one), just ride down the middle, so there's no chance of turning in front of you... I ride as fast as possible, and in the end I'm there for only a few seconds, so it's not inconveniencing anyone... nonetheless i wait until the circle is more or less clear, and check that there's no one approaching at high speed... There's a certain class of idiot who likes to throw his car through circles like he's in a race...
The Phoenix valley is great for just dumping you into traffic after a good long stretch of bike lane... there is one spot in Tempe where the bike lane ends near a sign touting how bicycle friendly the city is.
All these reasons are why I ride mostly on a cross-bike than my road bike. The cross-bike allows a lot more flexibility around obstacles, traffic islands and incomplete paths. Cycling infrastructure is pretty awful on older roads and suburbs.
I live on Sydney's Northern suburbs and there are very few connecting bike lanes. When I'm on a busy road I always ride slowly on footpaths, taking care to avoid cars coming out of driveways. While it is illegal for me to be on the footpath, I really can't imagine any police officer fining me for taking the safer option. Australian motorists (in general) just don't seem to care about cyclists
I feel like riding in a non-protected bike lane opens you up to way more dangerous encounters then just riding on the road. Bike lanes here always got signs or cars or something else obstructing the path.
I live ( unfortunately ) in So-So California. After forty years of cycling, I've stopped riding on streets. Too many cars, driven by totally distracted drivers. I am terrible at mountain biking, so I'm stuck with what few, short bike paths are available. We have some of the best cycling weather on the planet, and the worst traffic conditions. Roads with cars are downright dangerous, and have gotten far worse with the advent of mobile phones and dashboards in cars that look like computer monitors.
Great video. It's interesting that New Zealand doesn't allow cyclists on footpaths (and requires helmets) but when my wife and I visited in May 2024 we saw hundreds of cyclists (and eScooter riders) using the footpaths. Also, the use of helmets there was pretty lax. It seems to me that the main use of footpaths is where traffic engineers put stuff that they don't want cars bumping into. I didn't see many pedestrians in your video. We live in South Australia and I would like to see footpaths modified so that cyclists can escape to them when necessary. Thanks again for your video.
NSW footpath rule essentially means under 16's can ride on the footpath. Aged 17-18 is always illegal. Over 18 is legal if you are with a 16 year old or younger. The Law is dumb sometimes.
The logic in NSW is that at 16, you're legally able to get your car Ls, and before that you have no reason to be learning the exact road rules (just basics like not wandering into traffic). It's an improvement over the previous 13, where between 13 and 18 it was illegal, even if mum or dad needed to supervise little 9 year old Billy while 14 year old Kimmy was on her own on the road.
It's even dumber that the elderly can be fined for riding their bike on the footpath, although I confess that all examples I've heard about, they elected to go to court, and the fine got cancelled. Conveniently...
I'm kinda surprised that in australia you are _required_ to use the bike lane unless there is some problem preventing you from using it. Here in the US it is totally legal to just not use it in most places. I ride an e-bike that is just a bit too fast and I often veer in and out of the bike lane based on whether or not I can come within range of the speed limit
I just bought my first bike for commuting and it comes with an electronic horn. I will be using it OFTEN! Of course I'm American so I will be dealing with right turns instead of left but yes I will be beeping constantly.
The city I worked in before had some decent cycleways, even dedicated ones, with great tarmac and of decent width, but there were some issues that made them unsafe: women with baby strollers (who refuse to use the grade-separate footpaths next to the bike paths) and people on roller blades who outright ignore common sense and swing across both directions' lanes.
I wish there were better bike lanes too. I don’t live where you do but it’s not the best here either. Some places have some new and crisp bike lanes with a lot of separation from cars
Why I may not be in the bike lane? Because in California a bicycle is a vehicle and I can ride anywhere I like including the lanes intended for car use. But you are not required to.
I'm lucky to live in an area where there are bike lanes to most major hubs I go to. So most of the time I don't need to do this. There are still some points I have: It is still ultra frustrating that for schools are required to build bike lanes on their fronts yet not even 500 feet and still looking at the school the bike lane abruptly ends and the hill starts where I have gotten honked at numerous times, don't blame me for that please! I can see the bike path at the end of the road, please for the love of god just extend to it! Benefit to the drivers as well as they don't have to deal with a slow biker because of the hill. For the bike paths, the bike path isn't that bad where I live. The frustrating part is the lack of at-level crossings. I'll take a commuter bike on there at times but I will absolutely not take my road bike on it that requires constant unclipping for this reason. A travel lane is still a travel lane. If I need to turn left (right?) I will go into the lane. If the paint line is eroded from people cutting it then I have reason to believe that people will still follow that line even if I'm there. Having a Garmin Varia and a massive road with a turning lane and protected lane I will still ride the road for that freedom and shift into the bike lane once the occasional car comes up behind me. I haven't had to use this one yet but I think it is an important distinction for Urban Freeways. **Gestures Wildly** What do you mean I can't ride my bike here? I live here! You don't know if my house is that one, that one over there, that one after the next corner etc.
One reason I don't use my town's lovely new shared cycle paths is the number of morons who park their cars on it. The council chose to build it on the side of the highway thats full of industrial or premises and fuel stations, so there's constantly vehicles moving in and out, or just parking on the path. Opposite side, it's almost exclusively residential so near zero traffic would have used this side 🤦
It's annoying. Car drivers are so ignorant its so crazy. Get mad that you ride on the road and doesn't call out other car drivers out for parking in the road.
In Monterey we'd get rude tourists walking taking up the walking side and bike side. It was a nice trail to get around when selfish tourists were gone. I'd even get cars honking at me and people pointing to the overly packed trail.
Unfortunately, these are not unique problems. I live in the UK and we have ‘exactly’ the same issues. If I took your script, I could just insert the appropriate local street name here and it would apply. We also have cycling provision that makes virtually zero sense. There is a mile long stretch near me with a reasonable, separated, shared path. However, it is signposted telling cyclists to get off the bike and walk across the ten joining roads at junctions. So, roughly every 150 metres you’re expected to dismount, walk and then remount, purely to avoid any tiny inconvenience to motorists. The priority should be exactly opposite if you’re actually trying to encourage cycling. At the heart of the problem here and where you are, is tokenism. Yes, local councils can feel good and boast about the cycling infrastructure they’ve provided, but it’s often in the wrong place, not maintained, blocked, ignored by motorists. Generally it’s quicker and often safer to just use the road.
Great video but i gotta say cars are the biggest issue with cycling. The fact that pretty much every country gives anyone with a pulse a license to drive amazes me. Not only that but there are no consequences for drivers....
Cars using the bike lane for a better view pulling out of T junctions (bonnet right across the lane) Car drivers thinking bikes should slow down and yield when THEY want to turn left across the bike lane (although you sort of say that?) Great video👍
Looks very similar to UK cycle path issues. Do have any 10 metre cycle lanes used as traffic control with no point for cycles. Our shared use cycle paths restrict you to pedestrian pace. We don't have parking shared use lanes (fortunately, that I am aware of !)
where I live our bike lane is down at the river and avoids all traffic. goes from the the forest to Walmart 15 miles, and the other side of the river had a 40 mile river bike path from forest to casino 4 towns over.
For about 10 years SA also banned adults riding on footpaths and they eventually rescinded that stupid law. In WA you can ride any footpath, it makes much more sense.
Thanks for this video... damn damn damn... ❤ Why do they not paint those "bikelanes" a bright red? Thank GOD I live in Holland (In the EU)... Here in Holland we have coloured bikelanes. And 2 sighns. One is round with a bike on it.. obligated bike' only path. And a rectangle blue sighn with bikepath written on it... this is a non obligated bikepath and for pedestrians.
12:45 I personally think that any sort of laws, regulation, or rules from the government or a governing body, should *never* be behind a pay-wall. As it just makes it more difficult to hold bad actors accountable.
In USA I gladly use non-motorized routes and safety paths when available. But they are not widely available. Bike lanes and safety paths are often not visible to cars coming from side roads, parking lots, or driveways. Vegetation, poles, and signage hides cyclists. Incoming or crossing drivers look at the nearest traffic lane and proceed when they see that lane clear. Unfortunately they don't see me in the bike lane or on the safety path and it becomes an emergency maneuver for me to not impact the side of the car. In four years there have been AT LEAST 4 cyclists killed IN BIKE LANE of main road near me in FL. Putting together a long route for a bike trip is a problem in the USA. There is no one map source that shows all of the non-motorized routes. Rail Trails are on their own database. MTB trails are on special aps. Many park trails show up only on the park web sites. GoogleMaps is not at all complete or reliable. On GoogleMaps the Bike Layer shows many green lines where there is no shoulder, not even rideable gravel, and posted speed limit is 55 or 65 with most vehicles moving at 70+ mph. But also, I know of many routes that have terrific safety paths that do not show up on GoogleMaps bike layer. If there was a map source that showed all non-motorized surfaces together it would be possible to figure out safe, efficient riding routes beyond one's own community. A color code for paved, gravel, and dirt would be ideal but my wife and I ride MTB or expedition bikes so any surface is doable.
I drive to work daily. I rarely if ever have issues with cyclists. Almost every intersection is a hazard because of bad drivers though. Drivers often don't know how to drive safe speeds, indicate or check their mirrors and it results in a lot of luck based situations. I also tend to take a special grievance with those driving massive trucks as they're often some of the most selfish and useless drivers on the roads, but also don't particularly like SUVs. Both vehicle types are much heavier, worse for the environment, less safe for other road users, create much more wear and tear and often aren't even used for their supposed purpose. I wish cars had a habit of just becoming smaller, safer and more environmentally friendly instead of transitioning into death machines. Drivers often treat cyclists far worse however. The amount of dangerous overtaking you see around cyclists is utter mayhem and it's honestly no wonder I barely ever see cyclists on the streets. Our streets and cities are designed almost exclusively for cars.
Commenting from Ireland and I have to say that it's pretty much the same. Granted there is gradual ongoing developments and "plans" but right now it's more miss than hit in my local towns. Not actual cities. The Benelux and Scandinavian countries get it most right. That's the standard to aim for universally.
I wonder how often these people complaining about bike lane usage actually spend outside. I mean there aren't that many cyclists out there, what are they expecting the bike lanes to be buzzing with a long queue of cyclists all day long? I bet they only ever notice cyclists when they're on the pavement, because it sticks in their minds now that they've got something to whinge about. I know for a fact I'm not the only one using the bike lanes, and if I'm not in the bike lane it's probably because there's a pedestrian waddling along it, or cars parked in it.
#16 The bike lane goes absolutely nowhere! This is super common in cities that have piecemeal infrastructure that will go on for a block or two and then abruptly end. Even if your route takes you through a street with a bike lane, how likely is a cyclist going to make the effort to cut across the middle of the road to the gutter just to ride those few hundred feet only to go back to road riding? I appreciate signs of micromobility accomodations and maybe the idea is to one day have these pieces connected, but sometimes I wish planners would take the time to build larger stretches of lanes that actually go places instead of from one end of the block to the other.
Many cars see the car side of the line as a car lane and think it is fine to use all of it. The U.K. rule of allowing 1.5 metres gets forgotten, resulting in dangerous close passes. I avoid roads with painted bike lanes.
NSW changed the footpath age to 16 not too long ago, on the logic that since you can't get your driver's licence until then, you shouldn't be expected to use the roads like a licensed driver. The adult supervision age also became 16. Edit: oh, you mentioned that 😂
Great video. The cyclists feel the need to justify this is unfortunate. Both car drivers and cyclists should be advocates for separated cycling infrastructure - not only does it mean cars aren’t stuck behind bikes and cyclists are safer, but it also reduces the number of cars on the road as people are incentivised to ride. Not allowing people to ride on footpaths when roads are so dangerous is terrible.
