@@shaneoloughlin9203 Road tax doesn't exist. Everyone pays for the funding of the roads through the various taxes they pay - including pedestrians. Good try tho xx
Yes, the only time you actually need to paint such a stripe is when traffic regularly blocks the road, otherwise just ride on the middle of the outside lane.
another huge issue with painted "bike lanes" specifically is the painted line in the road tells drivers cyclists already have all the space they need, and drivers don't have to get over in the other lane to pass even though they legally still have to, meaning cyclists are clipped and sideswiped all the time
I agree. I think there should be a hatched area which would further separate cyclists and cars. If there isn’t enough space on the road for this, there should be no cycle lane. It would be safer imo.
@@PP-cm4re And if there's space for hatching, there's probably space to make it a protected bike lane even if it's just those thin yellow candlestick dividers, and then we're really talking. Now so long as it connects places in a short enough distance to be attractive to cyclists and the bike curious alike, that's the point you'll really see bikes coming out on the road in numbers and start seeing the myriad of benefits from it
I know taxpayers should pay for you power rangers to play tour de France on the PUBLIC highway because OTHER ROAD USERS clearly are not as smart or safe as cyclist....lol stop crying and go ride in the park if it bothers you guys that much
@@NutsKILLK No actually tax payers money (that includes cyclists, they pay taxes just like everyone else) should fund protected, separated bike lanes and a generally more diversified network of transit options. I had a neurological scare a while back where I couldn't safely trust myself to drive and just like that my right to freely travel was gone. I have a severely epileptic nephew that'll probably never be able to drive himself either. There's no freedom in having to either be ready to risk operating heavy high velocity machinery around others equally forced to do so to live a modern life or become totally reliant on others for every aspect of your life, just because society has elevated the dominance of cars over everything else that badly. Public transit can be a good option for some areas but it too has its flaws too. The more diverse our *options* for travel the more *free* we all are, and not everyone can even safely drive anyway so if you're mad about the bicycler on the highway you should support us getting protected and separated bike lanes all the more
@@zero_pc_6234 do you also say that skiing is dumb? or snowmobiling? snowboarding? skating? snowshoes? winter camping? ect. or is cycling the only time when winter is cold?
Lobby at your city council to make them pass a regulation that would require them to plow the bike lanes with priority. We did that in our city in Poland and it works. We don't get much snow, usually none, but when it does snow, the bike paths (they are usually separate, Dutch-style paths) are plowed first, only then they start doing roads.
Watching this as a Dutch person made me wince. Some of our bike lanes are part of the road as well, but they’re usually painted red and much wider, and cars tend to pay more attention (this of course, also depends on where you live).
Another Dutchman here thinking the same. I was in the UK beginning this June and cycled a lot. When on the road it wasn’t a joy. And outright dangerous sometimes on a couple of roads where the cars passed us wide enough but very fast at 70 miles an hour. Only one not paying attention and a cyclist is dead. Make more bike lines.
Unless it's a designated shared foot/cycle path, or the cyclist is under 12 years old; what you're describing is prohibited in most of Europe. It generally carries a similar level of enforcement and penalty to running red lights. So lots of people still do it and get away with it.
@@niallkinsella2687 Well yeah I definitely don't bother biking on Manhattan or other big city sidewalks with so many people and obstacles. I was referring to the more typical US suburban cities that I have always lived in.
@@NutsKILLK so you’re saying it’s safer for people be cycling 20mins around children on the pavement? Rather than do the same and risk slowing you down for maybe 20-30seconds on a road? And we’re supposedly the entitled ones…
@@sebastiansiswick2903 where I live in South London a majority of the cycling lanes are well organised they are well separated so I don't see the argument you guys have. I'm not bothered if you wanna ride in the road or cycleist lane, but the fact you want every road to be a cycleist friendly road is simply unachievable especially in London. I think instead of moaning about everything you should learn to share the road with other road users, it's actually amusing for me to read the comments and troll you guys. The later you make me the more I get paid so crack on just look out for yourself while your doing it. I'm sure you have sense enough to not mow people down on your bike so your question is not worth an answer, but the pedestrians your so worried about don't get the respect your showing now at red lights or zebra crossings. It's funny to listen to the warped mind set of your biased arguments. Some of the cycleist I see should not be on the road, they are dangerous and absent minded, yes the roads are dangerous so all the more reason to be careful and aware, not to argue that everyone else is at fault, take some responsibility the last thing anyone wants to do is run anyone over. Ride safe and be aware things that can actually kill you instead of playing chicken with them.
Do bikes pay taxes to fund said infrastructure,i think not, that being said bike should stay off the road until they are registered and have a plate like every other vehicle on the road
@@Owen.gaiser where do you think you're being taxed that I'm not? i pay sales tax. i pay property tax. what, do you think your gas tax pays for roads? don't make me laugh, the federal gas tax in the US hasn't changed from 18.4c/gal since 1993, and it was low then.
@@Owen.gaiserThe vast majority of road infrastructure budget comes from general taxation. Not direct taxation on drivers contrary to what many believe. This represents a welfare subsidy from us to you.
@@adjsmith well first off it's NOT 18 cents every gallon the AVERAGE is 32¢/gallon (up to 78¢/gallon ) witch 32¢ may not sound like alot but that is what pays for approximately 80% of ALL road and highway infrastructure, do I need to repeat myself 80% of your bike lanes are paid for bye gas& diesel vehicles . OHH and not to mention that we pay registration , insurance, inspection& regular taxes on all that so why do you (most) cyclists think you own the road ? Some of you are respectful but majority aren't I can tell your one of them next time do your research buddy I did my homework
@@allergy5634 I don't know where you got your information from but that is infact wrong so next time you Google some check the information from multiple different SOURCES jack@ss
If you still think Dutch have the best bike lane in the world then you not a cyclists. Sad when they have the ideal geographical terrain for it. Funny when they use the same excuse on why they have rubbish public transport.
@@cobusb8373 Sadly not both of them.. If you want public transport go to Tokyo , Shanghai Singapore, Hong Kong, or Seoul .... Jess if you allergic to go to Asia at least go Swiss, Milan or Berlin they will teach a thing or two on how to design public transport. Sad considering Netherlands is flat tiny country that have all the big city bunch up together but still have rubbish public transport..
for example I used to have to commute past heathrow on the a4, using the cycle lanes woulda dd 40 mins to my commute compared to using the road, by the time you account for 1. Poor road surface (roots cracking the pavement, bad concrete slabs etc, 2. Obstacles (trees, bus stops etc that the bike lane didn't provide enough space to avoid. 3. Junctions, every 200 meters the bike lane was transected by a junction, requiring me to stop at every junction and give way to 4 separate directions of traffic. 4. Pedestrians including people with prams, wheelchairs etc.
...and road kill and metal shards and furniture and whatever else falls out of cars and trucks and the underfunded county road department doesn't have the budget to clean it up.
The problem is that if has interrupted line, it is called "suggested bike lane" or something similar nonsense. It is perfectly legal to park a car on it.
I swear cycle lanes are designed by non-cycling car drivers. And roads are designed by non-driving cyclists. So often there are stupid things plain as day, like those fences.
There are two cycle lanes near me that stand out - one turns and directs you immediately into the path of a tram and then a dual carriageway, another that is alongside a fast, busy road that simply stops and expects you to cycle across to the other side. It's actually much more dangerous to follow the "cycle" lanes!
They have a quota but neither the knowledge nor the motivation to make them safe and usable. And when they get to a slightly weird intersection they just give up.
No it's mostly a question of Money but also the fact that it's actually really hard to add a good cycle lane system that actually takes cyclists where they want to go to in a dense legacy city like London.
I ride a motorcycle and defend any cyclist whenever possible because I remember how daunting it is to be bullied by stupid drivers who spout the same nonsense about insurance etc...
The insurance and road tax argument is baseless. Firstly road tax alone brings in a tiny fraction of the maintenance cost of car infrastructure. Secondly, cyclists would love to pay tax and insurance to recieve the same level of infrastructure given to cars.
Bike lanes in UK are terrible, basically unfit for purpose. Good vid by the way explaining the bike lane problem. I actually can’t figure any positives. I remember working in Rotterdam and I couldn’t believe the cycle lanes it’s incredible there!
Cyclists don't need a reason to cycle in the road, they are literally entitled to ride anywhere, whereas drivers must have licenses. Cyclists were there first.
all the annoying things aside, it is often just unsafe - bike lanes are allways full of dirt - from winter maintenance, litter, washed up soil, and similar stuff. it's very easy to slip on such surface, almost as bad as ice. That's not counting cracked and undulated asphalt, parked cars (drivers often open the door without looking behind) and often no room to avoid danger like smartphone zombies or dogs.
@@OutspokenSeeker there is no logical rational way to equate a cyclist powered by human power and a motorist pressing "go" and "stop" buttons in a vehicle the size and weight of a military tank. stop projecting and get real
@@jasminerosewater3891 I’ve been hit by clumsy and reckless cyclists far more than cars. And anytime I’ve seen a cycle accident, it was the cyclist breaking some rule to end up in the situation.
@@OutspokenSeeker that's exaggeration and you know it. cars cause lethal accidents every single hour of any given day. cars and distracted drivers are killing each other, pedestrians, and cyclists. get real.
After visiting Berlin in March I discovered 2 things.... the roads have ZERO potholes and bike lanes are awesome, so much so that there seems to be more bikes than ars
as a cyclist in Berlin I must say, the general condition of bike lanes are very poor (so not sure what part of the city you were actually riding), but roads are quite good and I feel safe on road bike.
@@jabba1488 The guy posting is probably from the UK so bike lanes in most of the developed world, and some 3rd world countries e.g. Brazil, Colombia, Rwanda, are far better than what he's used to.
@@simonh6371 yeah you're right I am from the UK... our roads are in a shockingly bad condition at the moment ... if go as far to say Indian roads are better than ours.
I LOVE riding my bike, and love this video. Buuuuuut … how do we get RU-vid to start recommending this video to all the aggressive car lovers out there, that think infrastructure is only meant for their 2 ton death machines???
It's only a bike lane until a car decides to park in it. YOU missed a very important 7th reason. Bike lanes often end abruptly creating "pinch points" and cyclists die at pinch points, from being struck from behind. Bike lanes also greatly increase your chance of being "left-hooked" (right hooked in the funny places where they drive on the right).
In Ireland there is nothing spent on bike lane maintenance so, if your bike has carbon wheels for example you have to use the road and risk annoying drivers. I prefer to cycle on roads with no bike path then the drivers cant shout to use the f'king bike path. But, lately I dont care if they shout or not, they will get over it, plus I'm not the one spewing fumes stinking the place out.
The key thing to bear in mind, is that no cycle lane was ever created for the benefit of motorists. The presence of a cycle lane doesn't turn the rest of the road into a motorway.
I see the same thing in California. I find the constant bike lane transitions from road to road a constant challenge. We may have several blocks of separated bike paths that terminate into a sharrow where traffic is +45mph
another reason is riding in a group. If you're in a group of like 5+, even if you're not going fast, it's easier to just take a car lane rather than squeeze in along a bike lane
I have gotten yelled for not using a trail that is near me, the trail is always crowded. You get pets off leash, women who gather to talk about whatever and watch you come but don't move, etc. I refuse to ride on stroads so some of our bike lanes are not bad, but people will still try to drive as close to you has you can. Roads need to be safer for cyclist and pedestrians, period.
That crossing near Blackfriars you show a couple times is killer. I've seen cyclists crash into eachother a few times, and as a pedestrian, it can be quite difficult to cross.
@@51bikerboy With many years of cycling experience behind me, I'm well informed, thank you, on the advantages and disadvantages that bike lanes offer. For me, riding in the street is far safer. By the way, who's going to subsidize your defense needs when that backwards country I come from won't bail you out any longer?
@@charlesfowler4308 That's true that the U.S. could have saved lots of money and lives by not fighting in 'forever' wars. But that's changing, fear not. The U.S. is pulling back. Essentially, the free world - free since the end of WW2, thanks to American intervention in keeping sea lanes open to trade by everyone, everywhere - is on its own from now on. I wish you luck. As to bike lanes; where they make sense and they're affordable, use them. If not ride in the street.
I live in Key West Florida. Drivers will pull in to the bike lane to stop you going past them. The speed limit is 20mph. I always ride in the middle of the lane. Car drivers and scooter riders will force themselves past, often in to incoming traffic. Fun.
Yes I was one of those people who step out into cycle lanes to avoid the cyclist speeding down the pavement shouting abuse at me for getting in their way.
Do you mean vehicle tax? I see online is about 180 pounds a year. How much miles of road do you think that would help fund :)? You're delusional if you think it's only car owners who pay for roads lol, in most nations we all pay for roads via general taxation. US for example, income tax goes to the government who then decides how much to fund department of transportation, so we ALL pay for this like it or not. If you wanna stick to your argument tho, then you support tolling all highways right, drivers ought to pay for what they use yeah?
Hate the ones that punt you up onto shared access with pedestrians then send you across pedestrian crossings that take ages to activate rather than staying on the road where you can clear the junction in seconds on a green light.
A bit off topic, but here goes. I used to ride to work for the evening shift in the snowy winter (Kanuckstan) on a very busy 4 lane street . Because it was very busy, the snow wasn't deep where motorists would drive. The alternative was the residential street a block over which had deep snow and was unmanageable. Although some motorists were upset, I considered it the best option since public transit was not available for the return home at 3h00.
they are full of gravel (a very easy way to fall if you need to turn at all), trash from cars that I have to avoid, & often actual glass from car accidents that just never gets cleaned up. And that’s IF you get a bike lane at all.
Number 2 is just as true, if not even more true for footpaths (on-road or off-road). Number 4 can be dealt with by utilising kerb drainage. I think it’s the best type of drainage and should become mainstream, however the cost to repair may be more expensive.
And let's not forget the cars parked in or on the edge of the lane who's very mindful driver opens the door without looking blocking the whole lane for you to die ctashing into.
At least you have a bike lane. All my country came up with "shared path(thought off from behind the desk)" that are use by pedestrians with phone glued face. "Bright idea"
From the way this is put, having bike lanes can actually be worse for cyclists, even though that's counter-intuitive. What really gets me where I live, is when we have them, rarely, there's always a degree of ambiguity about these being bike lanes or just the edge of the street. Just having them marked with a bike image would be very helpful. It seems there is always this foot dragging from our local government, with making the lanes, to the extent that they are really bike lanes, to the extent that they're at a certain degree of function, fully baked.
I would add one more imputation one for me when the cycle lane is actually separate. That is junctions, stopping on the cycle lane, but you can simply ride on if you're on the road.
I hate when theres a footpath right there but these idiots still walk in the bike lane and also everyone thinks someone clipped in can do crazy manouvers to get around... We cant
You heard of VAT, income tax, National Insurance, corporation tax etc etc? They do a pretty good job of paying for the road infrastructure - nothing to do with your "car tax"
bicycle lanes are generally not for cyclists but for people commuting by bike, where i live they have a speed limit of 25km/h and even an average cyclist goes way above that
“For no reason” the reason is the city wasn’t designed for them so adding them isn’t as easy as painting lines. Nobody seems to realize this. There was an obvious need for the lane to be on the other side of the road at that point and that is because of space.
Solution: every 4 lane road should reduce to 2 lanes, with the extra space given to bikes and pedestrians. Cars are over deployed in every western city.
#7: bikers are way less predictable than cars. They turn suddenly, stop out of nowhere, rush past you and them pull out their phone to check their messages. Cars are big scary metal machines, but they pretty much follow certain trends.
"they pretty much follow certain trends" - until they don't. And this is why we have collisions, because people think they are great at predicting stuff, when actually, they are pretty bad. But yes, bikers are less predictable than cars, cars do absolutely nothing - until an someone gets behind the steering wheel (unless it's self driving)
This strikes me as utterly delusional. The number of drivers I see who u-turn where they shouldn't, fail to indicate before turning, run red lights, or simply are paying more attention to their phone than the road is staggering... I'd suggest you're being pretty biased here and would witness lots of unpredictable driving if you actually looked for it. Sounds like you've got a case of the confirmation bias.
The 1. Bad design really piss me of because in UK it's beyond bad design they intentionally put obstacles on bike lanes especially one shered with pedestrian. This not only makes cycling a lot harder but also is hard for wheelchair users.
In Taiwan and even in US bike lanes are useless. They are simply extensions of sidewalks and are taken over by pedestrians. You know, families with strollers, joggers, etc who for some reason have the right of way on a clearly marked "Bikes Only" lane.
I absolutely love well-built bike paths, i.e. in Hamburg where I used to live there are some old Bridges and also the old Elbe Tunnel in St. Pauli that have turned into Bicycle Paths after being banned for motortraffic, and that kind of stuff I love to ride through. But the bike lanes on the roads are horrible, basically in every single country. In germany its also impossible to legally pass cyclists in bike lane often times because you need to keep at least 1,5m of distance, which cant always be done without crossing uninterupted lines (which is illegal here). So those are a pain for absolutely everyone
In Denmark you can’t park in bike lanes. If some work has to be done in bike lake we close one car lane to maintain a bike lane. That safe and give priority to the bikes.
The UK government is still too attached to cars. Bicycle infrastructure is just an afterthought "to make everyone shut up". When in fact it solves alot of things. Better quality of life for everyone, less and perhaps no traffic jams and cleaner air for us to breathe. What you've just read is the POV of a car driver.
I will add having to frequently cross parking entrance/exit where drivers only watch out for cars before leaving and never for bikers, and worst one, the stop sign just for bikes.
Most bike laines are just horrible. Especially if they are on the pavement, where cyclist just should never be. I prefer the road in most cases, but in many countries you are obliged to use bike lanes.
Separated bike paths/ wide pedestrian bike share path are the best Wish America had them. All the younger having to downsize and all the old aren't understanding that it's because boss is today have a higher percentage of the profits so there are no "Get a better job" options. (Me thinking about moving to Europe)
A few roads around me have a painted line in the middle of 2 car lanes (one is eventually a turning lane) which is kind of terrifying to have cars overtake on both sides at the same time at fast speed
Also if you live anywhere with loads of hills, climbing them can be a pain if your bike isn't anything but a full carbon road bike, so cars regularly speed past you at 4x the speed you're going on narrow streets that sometimes don't even have bike lanes.
If you park a car in a bike lane were I'm from, it's first going to have a bunch of dents from angry bicyclists smashing it with their bike locks. It is then going to get towed within 20 minutes and you'll get a hefty fine for obstructing traffic. Also, the fine is measured in relation to your income (for example, a fine could be "all you earn in a average 10 day period") , so if you're really rich, it could be a juice fine indeed. Needless to say, we don't have a problem of cars in the bike lanes!
If u decide to ride a racing bike through the cities, u better no complain about ground quality. That is like owning a sports car and taking it to gravel road to complain that the road is "poorly maintained". Get urself a bike with wider wheels and some suspension if u want a comfortable ride everywhere
