I think that we need to steer clear of one-size-fits-all solutions. Where there is the opportunity (space, allocated resources, etc) then separated bike lanes are superior- especially if they follow the same route as the streets. I think separated bike lanes would make sense on streets in the city that are actually more like urban highways, such as but not limited to E. Johnson St. E. & W. Washington Avenue University Avenue (for both directions) Sherman Avenue Monona Drive S. Fair Oaks Ave. Odana Road
On some other slightly slower auto traffic streets it seems fine (in my experience) to have bike lanes painted on the street- a good example of this is Dayton Street. It is important that when there are separated bike lanes that bicycle riders are still expected and welcome on the streets- there are many places that are only accessible by a mixed-vehicle road. I am a very defensive cyclist- I defer to any and all cars (really their drivers) if my safety depends on it. I am also an assertive cyclist- I will take a lane to become more visible to other drivers and will make predictable lane changes to get into the correct lane for turning, etc. These two behaviors can go hand-in-hand for the safest possible ride. The League of American Bicyclists offers on-the-bike skills classes for learning how to ride in and with traffic. My 2 cents. -India On 02/10/11, Richard Schwinn wrote: > Hi, > > This ought to stir up some discussion, since it questions the philosophy of > "mainstreaming" cyclists: > > http://www.thedaily.com/page/2011/02/09/021011-news-bike-lanes-2/ > > What do you think? > > Richard > > _______________________________________________ > Bikies mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org -- India Viola Stretton Lab 115 Zoology Research 1117 W. Johnson St. Madison, WI 53706 608.262.3336 "How can we learn from our mistakes if we don't first acknowledge them?" -Anonymous Corporations are not citizens. Money is not speech. _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
