All those things would happen way less if there were dedicated bike lanes. And you should speak up when someone on a bike is creating a dangerous situation. I don't get why you would not.
... all these things would happen way less if there were dedicated bike lanes that were strictly enforced as DEDICATED bike lanes. Next time you're on a busy street with bike lanes, pay attention to the number of double-parked delivery trucks and other stationary non-bike business. These make the road more dangerous and slower (an important factor in route choice) than a non-bike lane street.
I agree that bike lanes have safety problems, but let's not take it out on delivery drivers. Have you ever driven a delivery truck? Quite often there is not physical possibility of legal parking. At some point lanes are going to be blocked, and not just the bike line. The best we can hope for is enough courtesy not to entirely block the street.
I'm not making a judgement call, I'm just saying, it's gonna fuckin happen because deliveries must be made. You can write all the tickets you want, it just is the cost of doing business.
Also I'm not sure if you're referring to me or not, but I commute 95% by bike, over 4000 miles a year.
"Quite often there is not physical possibility of legal parking."
By the same token, quite often there is not physical possibility of legal cycling OR driving. Courtesy is the solution indeed, yet the rhetoric on the issue seems to point the finger at cyclist more than other parties involved.
The problem with the delivery truck/bus blocking the lane is that its easy and much more safe for a car to take half of the extra lane without obstructing the flow. This is a much more challenging a maneuver on a bike. Finally, these vehicles block the bike lane and then half of the right lane. Imagine if a truck was wide enough to block the entire two-lane roadway and force motor vehicle traffic to precariously dodge traffic going in the opposite direction. Not a bulletproof analogy, but worth considering...
That almost never happens in my country. Streets with bike lanes are very common. Sometimes a truck might stop where it shouldn't for 1-2 min, but they'll be fined if noticed.
Streets with bike lanes are way faster in my experience. But I'm also used to dedicated bike lanes.
You are lucky. My cycle to work (downtown Toronto, Canada) is in all fairness rather relaxed (bike lane 80% of the way, largely non-arterial street), but it is a rare day when I don't have to leave the bike lane at least once for a stopped delivery vehicle or truck. Best part? Any tickets they may get are waived if they go to the transportation department and prove they were on delivery. Apparently it's the city's way of being business-friendly.
Bike lanes only work if they are physically separate from the road. Otherwise, they are covered with debris swept off the main road surface, populated by double-parked delivery trucks and cars,or a random hazard of opening car doors and cyclists who are too stupid to obey the rules of the road (e.g., riding the wrong direction).
That is not my experience at all (double parked trucks + cars + opening of car doors). If you have more cyclists, then traffic will get used to it. Until that happens it might seem worse, but in my experience bike lanes on the road are fine.
Of course, separate is better. Just not mandatory.
In theory, yes. If you want to see adults behave like they're immortal, spend an hour in Copenhagen bicycle rush hour. Copenhagen bicyclists are actively taught that they are superior to any other mode of transport, and it shows.
And yes, I have cycled in Copenhagen for years and not at all innocent in this matter.
Amsterdam cyclists are terribly annoying. But that doesn't mean it cannot work in other cities.
Like e.g. policy checking for cars speeding too much, police should also check the behaviour of cyclists. E.g. working lights when it is dark, running red lights, etc.
Though instead of checking for red lights, make sure the traffic signal changes quickly for cyclists. That's more effective.
Scold them down?!? I said speak up, not start an argument. E.g. something like "please cycle a bit slower, your speed is dangerous / pedestrian area".
Though don't be stupid about it. I was told not to cycle on a pedestrian path while I was going slower than a pedestrian.
And if you cannot speak up, then why complain about it? Think society only works if there is some level of checks in place if you're behaving nicely. And that should be done by people, not police.
That's why I used "scold" - no matter how politely you try to do it, most people don't take kindly to being criticized about their driving/cycling by strangers, particularly when it requires being stopped by said stranger. They will feel like they're being scolded. And they will probably respond in kind.
