Peter Rosenfeld
Tue, 23 Jul 2002 06:24:34 -0700
> > From: Jeff Abrahamson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > On Mon, Jul 22, 2002 at 02:47:51PM +0000, Luisa Lassova wrote: > > > > >Studies have shown that bike lanes increase > > >comfort perceptions of cyclists by significant amounts; > > > > The important words here are "comfort perceptions". > > Please note that I am not an enemy of bike lanes as such. But if a lane > > gives the cyclist the false impression that it is without danger to ride > > there, people will become inattentive and this may lead to more accidents. > > I'm not sure perception is such a bad thing. People often misjudge > risks (driving vs. flying, lottery tickets, bungee jumping, election > of politicians, etc.). > Nor am I totally against this. Bicycling, as currently practiced, is reasonably safe. That doesn't mean I don't wish it could be safer. Educating bicyclists to ride in a more vehicular manner would have a dramatic effect on safety, but there is little momentum to do this. Where I draw the lines are facilities that increase or reinforce excessively dangerous activities. Due to the high potential of dooring in city areas, I feel that door zone bike lanes fit into this category. In such a case, I would call the facility an "attractive nuisance" in the legal sense. I also feel there are ethical issues in knowingly designing a facility that gives a false sense of security. -Peter Rosenfeld ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the Bicycle Coalition of the Delaware Valley list named "bike." To subscribe or unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.