from TheWashCycle by Jim Titus
One of the pleasures of driving in the United States is that lanes are striped to tell people where to drive—and where to expect that other people will be driving. Most of the time, one can simply keep driving in a lane with little concern that the lane will suddenly become a hazard. To be sure, one must always keep a lookout. But changing lanes is usually optional, something one does before turning, to pass slower traffic, or allow faster traffic to pass. Where there is a potential conflict with other traffic, a traffic light, yield sign, or stop sign tells everyone who has the right of way; and other drivers generally follow the rules. A given sign or striping on the pavement always means the same thing, and the meaning is clear.
One of the most maddening aspects of riding a bicycle, by contrast, is that signs and pavement markings have unclear meanings or mean different things in different situations. Along many suburban roads, it is very difficult for a cyclist to figure out where the transportation department wants her to ride. The drivers let her know that they want her over on the shoulder. But to ride on the shoulder, she must continually cross solid white lines as the shoulder is overlaid with bypass lanes, right turn lanes, and even through-lanes that swerve right. The shoulder may be eliminated at narrow bridges and some intersections.
Someone riding a bicyle must often change lanes simply to continue straight. Read literally, the lane striping generally indicates that the cyclist is supposed to shift right into a ditch, or ride straight into the bridge structure. … but bikes are not recognized road users either whose path should be considered in road design or communicated to road users.
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Viewed in this context, it is apparent that the bike lane along curbside parking is very different than the bike lane along an open roadway. Rather than painting a bicycle symbol, these bike lanes would more accurately have diagonal striping to show that vehicles ought not drive there. Of course, that is not going to happen.
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Meanwhile, the education of cyclists often emphasizes the need to avoid riding in the door zones. Unfortunately, those efforts do not reach all cyclists. The existence of half the cyclists riding in door zone bike lanes while the other half ride just outside the bike lane reinforces the impression of drivers that cyclists are unpredictable, arbitrary scofflaws….
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Going forward, bike lanes should be designed to actually be what drivers and most cyclists think they are—the best place to ride a bicycle on a given street.
(Jim Titus is on the Board of Directors of WABA, Maryland’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (MBPAC), and the Prince George’s County Bicycle and Trail Advisory Committee (BTAG). The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent the official opinion of WABA, MBPAC, or BTAG.)
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https://www.thewashcycle.com/2011/06/one-of-the-pleasures-of-driving-in-the-united-states-is-that-lanes-are-striped-to-tell-people-where-to-driveand-where-to.htmloldId.20110606202541421
Biking in Baltimore