On Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 8:11 AM, Daniel J. Matyola <[email protected]> wrote: > If they aren't required to use the bike lanes in New York, they should > be. The traffic, especially in Manhattan, is buy and hazardous, and > the conflict between bikes, pedestrians, cars, taxis, buses and trucks > can be severe.
Having spent all of a weekend (including a Friday) in Manhattan some 5 or 6 years ago (stayed with Ann!), I must disagree with you. The traffic speed seems to top out at no more than 30 km/h (20 mph) when it's not gridlocked. I'd much rather be right in the middle of a car lane, going the speed of traffic where they cars can see me, than stuck in a bike lane, on the periphery, subject to sudden swoops by cars diving into and out of illegal parking spots, subject to car doors being suddenly flung open into my face by disembarking passengers, etc. I love bike lanes. If traffic isn't heavy, if there aren't too many slow moving bikes, I'm there. But if conditions make it safer for me to be in a car lane, I really want that option. It's much safer for everybody that way. cheers, frank -- "Sharpness is a bourgeois concept." -Henri Cartier-Bresson -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
