Physically Separated Bike Lanes
Advocates from Transportation Alternatives, The Project for Public Spaces, and The Open Planning Project join "Gridlock Sam" Schwartz and Enrique Penalosa to call for New York City to consider experimenting with some form of physically separated bike lanes in the near future.
Featuring ample footage and photos from over a dozen cities worldwide, this video makes the case that America is woefully behind the curve in protecting its cyclists in big cities.
Though this video is NYC-centric in nature, all lessons and video easily apply to cities across the U.S.
Thanks for this website/blog. Are these physically separated bikeways (proposed or existing) multi-use (pedestrians, etc) or are they cycles-only?
I can't get enough of these films! I've spent the last hour watching and watching. Great work, I wish we had a StreetFilms-like group in Boston
Pb - We would be looking at bicycle-only separated style lanes. Except for a very few physically separated lanes (there's also one in northern Manhattan) there are none planned for NYC that I know of.
Bicycle Maven - thanks. There is a Livable Streets movement in Boston, check it out: http://www.livablestreets.info
[...] Countries like the Netherlands and Sweden have developed many innovations for pedestrian and bicycle friendly design, such as physically separated bike lanes. [...]
[...] The Case for Physically Separated Bike Lanes (8:30 running time) [...]
[...] of the clips he played was from our Separated Bike Lanes piece which has now been watched a combined 30,000+ times both here and on [...]
Hi all!
G'night Mr. Penalosa...
The video does not really say much about car-bike collision rates at intersections. This is one of the main issues with bike lanes as I understand it insofar as it increases such colissions and thus increases injury and death to cyclists. Seems to me that while the seperated lanes may make the bike rider feel more secure in mid-block the sight lines at intersections may become worse in many situations.
Also I'd wonder how left turns by cyclists are done safely if there is a barrier, or do you want to require bike riders to become pedestrians at intersections?
Finally, what about snow removal?
I don't want to seem like a naysayer, but these are all major issues in my opinion...
I believe that physically separate bike lanes do not work in high pedestrians areas such as midtown Manhattan. Pedestrians treat the bike lane as an extension of the sidewalk and step into them without looking. New York City experimentally built a physically separate bike lane on 6th Avenue about twenty years ago. Initially I was delighted to have a separate bike lane. However, I found it actually seemed more dangerous than riding with traffic. I witnessed many accidents when pedestrians stepped in front of bikers. Bikers were trapped in a narrow lane with low curbs on each side. They could not avoid the collisions. I believe painted bike lanes are much better as you have room to swerve around unexpected obstacles.
Its a great vid, if governments want us to be green then they need to provide safe cycling.I'm in Manchester U.K, we have painted lanes, they are useless, segregated lanes are the only way forward.
John & Joe,
There are many pros and cons to separated bike lanes. As we have stated in the video (and I have on many sites) separated bike lanes are not the solution for everywhere. Places like Portland, OR and Berkeley, CA have relatively safe streets to ride on and some great Bike Boulevards to use. Even in NYC, I'd say separated lanes should not be the rule, but certainly they should be tried out on a few of the major Avenues and some side streets that connect directly to the Hudson River Greenway.
On another note, someone today posted our video at the Oil Drum and already there are 57 comments! Wow! Dozens of sites have discussed this video this year, but that might be a record for comments in a day.
Check it out here:
http://nyc.theoildrum.com/node/2416
[...] da Streetfilms [...]
[...] From street film 1. Physically separate bike lanes [...]
Awesome video. I wish they would do something like that in L.A. We have the room to do it in L.A.
Cheers,
Lo
[...] http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/physically-separated-bike-lanes/ [...]
I commend you on your work and films. They are all well-produced! Very well-done and thank you for addressing such issues - it is becoming an increasingly important issues, especially in certain areas like NYC, Boston, San Francisco and even Miami Beach.
This is a great video. I'd never heard of buffered bike lanes before watching this. It makes sense, especially for commuters.
Excellent presentation of the issue. Has anyone at DOT seen it? Such a simple, effective reform. Why hasn't this been done yesterday?
[...] downhill, somehow I don’t think that 4-inch strip of paint is going to protect me very well. This video, explores the case for a physically separated bike lane in NYC but the concept could be brought to other major cities, like San Diego and improve the traffic and [...]
The video makes a strong case, but I really think it doesn't talk about the problems with physically separated bike lanes enough. I agree with them that painted lanes are inadequate and dangerous.
I tend to follow the "Effective Cycling" approach espoused in the book of that name by John Forester. I've followed it for years.
In Vancouver BC, we have an extensive network of "Bike Routes", which are a series of side streets that roughly follow the major arteries, but are traffic calmed with barriers and have push-button signals when crossing major streets. These are still regular streets for the most part and normal rules of the road apply for both cyclists and drivers.
I think these work quite well in giving cyclists a safer place to ride with less interaction with cars. I use them almost exclusively just to avoid the headache of fighting it out with cars on the major streets. On a day with good weather these bike routes are just loaded with bikes — it's great to see.
I think there is a place for physically separated bike paths, but I would like to see more discussed about the problems with them (primarily the intersection issue) and how to mitigate that.
With the need for alt transportation growing, due to climate change and energy prices, I think we'll be needing far more thinking about city cycling going on.
(disclaimer: this comes from a Boston perspective, where traffic generally is 2 lanes, 10mph slower than NYC, and stops a lot more (non-timed lights))
I've always thought bike lanes to be somewhat of a wash. They're nice in that they widen the road (and call attention to bikes), but I also feel they kind of marginalize bikers with regards to intersections. Drivers also don't seem to like it when you're out of the lane.
When I drive, I do double park (even in bike lanes). I expect that bikers will go around me to the left, as they should. I believe it's a matter of education so that bikers are more assertive. If you see a car double parked ahead, gradually shift leftwards out into the lane, just like you have a right to (this is the same thing cars generally do in Boston as well.)
Mass state law specifies that traffic must be as far to the right as is safe. I generally ride our far enough that a door wouldn't hit me (or at least I'd be able to make a casual avoidance) . If there's sand or scrappy roads, I have no problem taking a whole lane.
I think that separating off the lanes will only cause the same kind of problems you see with bikers riding on the sidewalk - they get into a lot more accidents at intersections because cars simply aren't looking for them (how about for driveways that have to cross the bike lane). The "solution" to this is going to be adding more lights, which is going to mess things up for everybody. Furthermore, think about a biker running a light because 'nobody is coming', while a driver takes a right and red and doesn't look. If I'm riding in the road, and somebody in front of me has their right blinker on, I get ready to go around to the left of them.
For the hardcore rider, integration and negotiation with cars is much better. However I will say that adding bike paths increases the amount of casual riders who are going to go relatively slow and probably wouldn't want to deal with traffic otherwise, which is also a good result.
[...] does bike friendly look like? Watch this video to see. Though it’s Big Apple-centric, it includes footage of physically separated bike lanes [...]
[...] [vid from StreetFilms] [...]
[...] understanding that trends in sustainable development are toward more pedestrian-friendly concepts, this video about advocating appropriate bike lanes in NY is a good one for the Land Planning Archives here. [...]
NOT a good idea. Here's a deconstruction of the video explaining why: http://sheldonbrown.com/physically-separated-bike-lanes.html
It's a bit too sarcastic, in my opinion, but the salient points:
1. The primary danger for cyclists in bike lanes is NOT parallel traffic, it is intersection traffic. There simply is no satisfactory way that has been found (or will be found) to clearly and safely manage intersections with bike lanes. If motorists parking in bike lanes is seen to be a significant danger, we might look to the root of the problem, i.e. the bike lanes themselves.
2. Infrastructure and economics make this proposal impossible to accomplish on any kind of effective scale.
3. Bike lanes in general (and physically separated lanes in particular) do absolutely nothing to change the root problem: bicycles are not seen as having equal rights to our roadways, cyclists are not held in the eyes of motorists or the municipality to have any right to fair treatment and use of public roads, there is no way imagined in which bicycles can be operated safely as part of traffic (when in fact, the only way to keep bicycle travel efficient and effective enough is to integrate it, not separate it).
4. Children as the model user. This is pure foolishness. Adults commute and make use of traffic structures. Adults can be readily educated on safe conduct. Children do not, and are not so easily educated.
What we need is engineering (build roads to the safest standards we know), education (teach proper operation and awareness of motor vehicles and bicycles in traffic) and enforcement (when the rules, which have been taught to everyone on the road, are broken, DO something about it - this is very important to keeping traffic safe).
Physically separated bike lanes are a terrible idea that would ultimately harm cycling as an effective transportation mode.
I just rode my bike down 2nd Avenue home. I have no idea what the poster above is saying but he obviously hasn't ridden down it before. Almost doored, nearly cutoff by a cab, cars whizzing by at 40 mph, that refutes arguement #1 above alone.
Now I need to go out and ride in some less dangerous Brooklyn parallel traffic.
In light of the some of the more voluminous comments we have had here, and the most recent (#25), I need to respond.
Physically separated lanes are not a terrible idea - in the right places, right city, right circumstances. I still don't know why the very vocal minority of critics of this piece start talking about how we are trying to replace every painted bike lane with a separated one. Or that we want to separate cyclists from vehicle traffic everywhere. Not true. We never suggested that wholesale. Watch the video.
(Note: We have shown this piece to extremely heavy applause all over including in Boston where most of the criticsm seems to emante. Go figure.)
Firstly, let's point out that what #25 posts about Engineering, Enforcement, and Education is something we can all agree on.
But everything else is debatable. Which is what the video was meant to do - encourage debate. We wanted to provide a "case for" that was short and sweet. Not a 30 minute complete breakdown that people would not want to watch. Sure there are some problems with separation, but there are dozens of countries with separated lanes and they work just fine. There are many different design standards that can be tried out and altered based upon installation points.
Thus, this video is meant to bring up Separated Lanes as an option where safe and warranted. I've ridden in most of the major bicycle cities. Some places like Portland, Ore. and Berkeley, I would never reccomend separated paths. Others like Chicago possibly might have a few street candidates. But in NYC we could def. use them in many areas, not all, not most, but some places we have the potential.
Finally, the notion that all cyclists can just jump out and ride in NYC-like-traffic is to borrow a term "pure foolishness." Yes lanes and infrastructure should be built with young, old, novice riders in mind. That's how we get more people out, that's how our kids grow up riding, our coworkers, that's how we end up getting more cycling amenities by building numbers.
Myself? Really I don't need separated lanes. I ride in traffic all the time. But I am not taking the selfish attitude and ignoring the fact that most people do not have the experience I have or ever will.
Physically Separated Bike Lanes
Advocates from Transporation Alternatives, The Project for Public Spaces, and The Open Planning Project join “Gridlock Sam” Schwartz and Enrique Penalosa to call for New York City to consider experimenting with some form of physically separated bik...
In response to post #25:
1. Physically separated bike lanes do not necessarily increase danger at intersections. Rather, they offer an opportunity to redesign intersections with bike lanes specifically in mind. Copenhagen has done this with signals, lighting & other infrastructure directed specifically at bike lanes, with the result that auto & bike traffic can be managed and cadenced in a safe way.
2. On the contrary, swapping the parking and bike lanes is a relatively simple alteration that can be easily done during major street repaving. Curb reconstruction would be the greatest expense.
3. "Integration" of bike and auto traffic on the major high-speed avenues of Manhattan is the status quo and simply doesn't work. Physically separating bicycles does not signal demotion in status; rather, it elevates the bicycle by clearly designating street infrastructure solely for its use.
4. Children as the model user: you've missed the point. This notion is intended to underscore the heightened safety standards that cyclists -- who after all are far more vulnerable than drivers -- are entitled to expect of their bike lanes. A truly great bike lane should be so safe that even a child could use it without the risk of being flattened by a passing truck.
Nobody is saying that ALL bike lanes should be physically separated. As Clarence said so well, such lanes should be considered only in CERTAIN high priority areas. I would propose them on a limited number of important routes: major cross-town streets (14th St, 34th St) for example, or portions of certain avenues (3rd Ave, 6th Ave, 8th Ave).
A side note: physically separated bike lanes also offer new opportunities for street greening. The same narrow curb that separates the parked cars from the bike lane could accommodate tall and narrow trees that could offer shade and cleaner air right in the heart of Manhattan's busiest streets.
Of course we need education, enforcement and engineering. Of the three, engineering offers the greatest return in Manhattan. This is precisely the category physically separated bike lanes fall into.
To all who look at the Web:
For years I have remained silent and waited while America fooled around. No more.....Here is what we can do:
Let all groups - political or otherwise-get together for the development of Border to Border and Coast to Coast Bikeways (BBB).
I. Much lower cost(s) than additional freeways
II. Environmentally the best path to take.
III. Will vastly improve the overall health of the nation now as well as promote better health for the seniors yet to come.(Consider the savings possible in health care alone - it would more than pay for the whole program).
If you agree that this might have merit, give me a buzz.
Thanks,
Emmett, e.wahlman@msn.com
206 523 2844
I'd like to hear some ideas on integrating separated bikeways with rural roads, in particular, throughout the Hawaiian island of Kauai where I live. There is such a need for safe, alternative transportation there, but getting people interested and willing to take action is difficult.
P.S. Any word on what is happening with the exciting concept of the Poipu Promenade?
Excellent video! The Sacramento, CA city/county bicycle advisory committee is studying this issue to report to the council members/supervisors to raise our LofAB award from Broze level.
There's definitely room for improvement in the way that bicyclists are accommodated in the US, but keep in mind that even though this type of bikeway "looks" safer, this design is one that has been historically associated in US experience and crash studies with greater risks for cyclists at intersections and driveways.
The design seems to operate similar to a wide sidewalk, with part of the space delineated for cyclists and part delineated for pedestrians. Some studies, including "Risk Factors for Bicycle-Motor Vehicle Collisions at Intersections" by Wachtel & Lewiston have shown increased risk of bike-motor vehicle collision associated with sidewalk bicycling in the US, even when the cyclists are traveling in the same direction as adjacent traffic. In addition, some of the facilities shown in the NYC video (such as the ones in Montreal and elsewhere) are bidirectional, which are associated with much higher crash rates at intersections. Note that 70% of motor vehicle-bicycle crashes in the US occur at intersections or driveways, so this isn't a trivial concern.
Another issue is that the driving culture and behavior in the US is significantly different than that in Europe. One can't simply take European data or observations and project them on US transportation facilities, without objectively verifying that you're getting similar behavior patterns and results. This is why experimentation is important, along with a willingness to undo designs that show operational problems or markedly higher crash rates. The video is calling for full-scale implementation, not experimentation, which may be premature or unwarranted.
Note that traffic control devices such as signs and markings have historically had very limited effect in changing basic scanning and operating behavior at intersections, such as inducing drivers to look for bicyclists approaching from unexpected locations (such as from behind parked cars or physical barriers). Assuming that signs, signals, and markings will change actual behavior or reduce crashes or conflicts without rigorous evaluation is somewhat of a "leap of faith" that could result in some bad situations (and some public agency liability exposure) if the design doesn't perform as assumed with US drivers and conditions, and the least experienced cyclists are likely to be ones perceiving greatest safety - and actually end up being at greatest risk.
rcm
[...] Paris is now on board, along with Brussels, Dublin, Vienna, Madison WI… The Big Apple gave it a try last month. Let’s hope New York catches on. Sure, the toll hike will help congestion but so will a more biker-friendly city. Here’s a neato video on making NYC a more biker-friendly city. [...]
I just watched this video again -- very well done. I totally agree that this is one of many ways to address bikes -- the video specifically mentions London work to do just that.
I think these types of bike lanes could be used in several places in Nwe York, a lot of areas in and around downtown D.C., the Loop in Chicago, and even in places like Minneapolis, where the city is developoing a great bike network but there still are the same types of issues discussed in the video in and around the downtown area.
I don't understand the criticism. Some folks think bike boulevards are the way to go, others want striped lanes, others want greenways, others want ride with traffic. We build all sorts of types of roads for cars -- we need to do the same for bikes.
Neb,
Thanks for being commenter of reason. This video advocates for separated bike lanes. Esp. trying them out in certain areas, of course it never says we should replace all bike lanes with separated ones as so many commenters have suggested and gotten so upset about.
I only post up every so often to refute some of these comments. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but separated bike lanes should be tried, and several designs should be experimented with to find the right one that best solves the intersection issue. I think there should be a few places in NYC they should be tried, most likely in Manhattan. And NYC is unlike anywhere else, we can innovate.
I don't think we should have these in some great bicycling cities and certainly not on all streets (please read my comments at #27), but they work so many other places, why do we the high and mighty U.S. think they won't work here?
Neb, please comment as much as possible. We need more good minds like you. We have so many different roads for cars, yes, we do need the same for bikes. Thank you.
I'm confused. I thought the justification for bike lanes was supposed to be to make cycling safer by providing more room for faster motorists to overtake slower cyclists. The complaint in NYC, however, seems to be that double parked cars, turning cars, and cars in traffic jams are blocking bike lanes. It's as though the bike lanes are supposed to be exclusive lanes to allow the faster cyclists to pass the slower motorists who are stuck in traffic jams.
The only cyclists on NYC painted bike lanes that appear to be in danger in the video are the ones who are passing turning cars on the wrong side (i.e., I was taught years ago never to pass a right turning car on the right). Passing a right turning car on the right side invites a "right hook," one of the main causes of bicycle/motor vehicle accidents (same for passing left turning cars on the left on one way streets). There are several examples in the video of cyclists who are delayed by stopped traffic or by double parked cars or trucks, but those cyclists are not in any particular danger.
Also, the video says that turning cars are not supposed to merge into the bike lane before turning. But they are, aren't they, in order to avoid hooking through cyclists? That's what the law says in every state of which I am aware. What does NY law say?
So, which is it in NYC? Are bike lanes supposed to make cycling faster by providing an exclusive lane for cyclists or are they supposed to make it safer by providing space for motorists to overtake cyclists?
Nearly all the voices in the video assume that separated paths will be safer. The evidence contradicts this emphatically, especially regarding intersections, and especially with two-way paths.
Unless they go along a river or something that makes intersections infrequent, separate bike lanes are more dangerous, and the statistics show it. Even worse, they give cyclists a false sense of safety.
Unique Custom Design Resources...
I couldn't understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting...
[...] most bike-friendly cities. Livable Streets advocates have long pushed DOT to experiment with this type of bike lane design in New York City. The Community Board 4 transportation committee voted to approve the DOT plan which is part of a [...]
[...] and quality of life improved by transforming on-street parking space into express bus lanes, bike paths, public plazas and even playgrounds, Easterbrook asserts, "However on-street parking is [...]
[...] and in case you were wondering how we got here, here’s proof video activism [...]
Separated bike lanes in NYC were tried on the major avenues in the 1980s - I remember since I rode them. The problem was that they were used by pedestrians, hot dog carts and all manner of other moving obstacles. Also, the curbs became treacherous with passing cyclists, opposing traffic, cross traffic with J walkers, etc. These impediments forced most bicyclists back onto the avenues and the lanes were dismantled.
Ultimately it comes down to culture. Until the default is not the automobile but the bicycle, we will continue to have antagonism. I fully support them on significant arterials, but in the end they are a compromise. We have major behavioral aberrations in this city. I visited Minneapolis recently and the respect shown by motorists towards pedestrians and cyclists was nothing short of amazing. The city could use a media bombardment like the anti-smoking ads on tv. Congestion pricing for auto access, prohibitive fees on city vehicular ownership, and other more draconian measures for getting people out of their cars also need to be applied.
[...] the Year: Despite the less-than-thrilling title, Clarence Eckerson's eight-and-a-half minute opus, Physically-Separated Bike Lanes was viewed more than 72,478 times. And the right people must have been watching. In 2007 New York [...]
Clarence, thanks for this well-made and sensible piece.
However, as a London cyclist, I have to point out that your representation of our bike lanes is pretty detached from the reality of cycling here. The majority of our bike lanes are awkward at best or flat out dangerous at worst. Take a look at the Warrington Cycle Campaign's "Facility of the Month" collection (http://www.warringtoncyclecampaign.co.uk/facility-of-the-month) to see what I mean - for example, the one from May 2006, which I took, demonstrates how /not/ to swap the position of parking spaces and bike lanes!
The bike lane design guidelines that you featured looked very interesting; I've never heard of them. Have you got a link for them (presumably on Transport for London's site somewhere)?
Best,
Earle.
I find this material extremely relavent to our need for human power. Like Trek simplistically stated "1 world 2 wheels".
thank you Streetfilms for these wonderful films and the publicity they generate. for what it's worth, Berlin (Germany), a city of 3.5 million that takes its cycling and cyclists seriously, has slowly started to phase out separate bike lanes for some of the reasons stated above (danger at intersections primarily: if you don't drive by the cyclist on the road, you may miss him at the intersection). new lanes are now on the road, with a large white marking making it clear to drivers. i've lived here 17 years, & prefer riding with the cars, not separated. one needs to educate drivers as well as cyclists of course (even though they are often the same people): getting a german drivers license is a daunting task taking months, in contrast, my florida drivers license was 'earned' in a few minutes by driving around a parking lot done up like a LEGO street scene. making such radical changes in large cities in the US will obviously take time. NYC is not a small city, not even Berlin comes close to the traffic levels of NYC. any bikes lanes, in the end, are better than none, and all have strengths and weaknesses.
film tv...
cool site...
I've recently moved from Cambridge in the UK, which has the highest rate of cycling in the English speaking world, to Assen in the Netherlands, which has close to an average rate of cycling for this country. There are far more bikes here.
The reason ? A really good network of mostly separate routes for bikes.
People who have replied to this video have a lot of concerns about issues which might arise with segregated facilities, but they're not issues here. Design is all that is required. The Dutch have spent decades perfecting this. The design of intersections here is excellent and rarely causes concerns for cyclists.
Cyclists very frequently have priority at crossings with roads, and they get to make journeys which are more direct.
Ice, snow, litter, leaves etc. are dealt with by the local government owning and using machines to drive down the paths and deal with these issues. We've had temperatures this winter down to -6 C ( 21 F ) but I've yet to slip on any ice at all when cycling.
One interviewee in the film got it wrong about shared use paths in the Netherlands. Cyclists and pedestrians never share paths within cities. In the countryside it's not unusual to find just a cycle path, so pedestrians will also use it. However, there are not many pedestrians in the countryside.
As for designing for children ? Well, they also use the cycle paths. Some cycle 20 km (12 miles) to school. They do this alone on the bike paths. However, the bike paths aren't only designed for low speed children. You'll also find racing cyclists and even streamlined recumbents and velomobiles travelling at considerable speeds on these paths.
As I said before, it comes down to design. Bike paths here are not mere tokenism, but are designed for actual use. They have to be. More journeys are made here by bike than by car.
We moved here because we knew it was good, but not until living here for several months did we begin to understand quite how good it actually is. The true experts on cycle infrastructure design are Dutch.
NYC will no doubt benefit from introducing a new style of lane, but come and visit the Netherlands to see how they have already dealt with all these issues.
Bike lanes in general (and physically separated lanes in particular) do absolutely nothing to change the root problem: bicycles are not seen as having equal rights to our roadways, cyclists are not held in the eyes of motorists or the municipality to have any right to fair treatment and use of public roads, there is no way imagined in which bicycles can be operated safely as part of traffic (when in fact, the only way to keep bicycle travel efficient and effective enough is to integrate it, not separate it).
[...] Panico laments the lack of seperated bike lanes in the Ottawa Cycling Plan, and suggets Laurier Avenue as one street that could be benefit from [...]
[...] the city desperately needs is dramatically improved bus service (Bus Rapid Transit!), a real bicycle infrastructure (one you would feel comfortable sending your children or grandparents out on), expanded commuter [...]
Brilliant ! Looking at all the differing videos restores hope when cars have given one a really bad day !
[...] classic StreetFilm by Clarence Eckerson, Jr., "The Case for Separated Bike Lanes" (original release date: February 17, 2007), is enjoying a renaissance this week. First, a [...]
[...] The StreetFilms video series, from New York’s NYC Streets Renaissance, documents the livable streets movement in NYC and elsewhere. Topics run the gamut from air quality to urban planning to over 40 videos on cycling. As one might expect, the videos tend to be NYC-centric, but the information is widely applicable. One of my favorites is their in-depth look at physically separated bike lanes. [...]
[...] Dutch street design that eliminates all traffic signals but gives pedestrians priority, and the separated bike lane, already in place in some parts of Manhattan, which frees cyclists from having to compete with cars [...]
Love it, we must, as riders put more effort into promoting these types of ideas.
[...] kids in some cases pay 10 for a license to do so.http://www.kcci.com/politics/15064268/detail.htmlStreetFilms ? Physically Separated Bike LanesThis video, explores the case for a physically separated bike lane in NYC but the concept could be [...]
[...] Bike lanes, pedestrian destinations, rail lines and walkable promenades are also discussed. [...]
[...] Lehrer interviews the Forum's Lisa Chamberlain and Loreal Monroe while taking a look at a couple of Streetfilms. The registration deadline is June 2; submission deadline July 31. Filed by Brad Aaron under [...]
I find this film funny. I drove an 18 Wheeler thrugh Brooklyn. It seems even in this big City, where my family from New jersey won't even drive to NYC, they'll Take New Jersey Transit. I drove a 10 speed with a 53 ft trailer. Well it was fun to tell people, to get out of my way. I remember this Delivery Truck that was double park. Well I couldn't go around him Unless the cars going the other direction stoped. It was fun to see my trainer, to tell me go, go, around him. I also have to make these wide turns and all I did was simply blocked traffic. I knew If I got a ticket, oh well, but fuck the fact that I was going to let those 4 wheelers get in my way. lol
As a cyclist too, i understand this all to well in San Antonio and other Cities I Rode in.
Great concept/idea.
The concept of a seperated commuter bike lane is intriguing. I think there are possible applications in urban centers that would have synergistic benefits of reduced vehicular travel speeds, safer pedestrian crossings, as well as a safer bicycling experience. The one area I would suggest needs further exploration is how to accomodate bus transit-rich areas and the segregated bike lane. Bus Stops are place at sidewalk curbs in most cities. Would we have to design new bus stops with pedestrian refuge islands on the travel way? Might there be a way to do this without give up too much on-street parking?
What to do about bus-stops ? It's already been thought about. Here's a photo of a Dutch bus stop with conflict removed between cyclists, bus passengers, and the bus itself:
http://hembrow.blogspot.com/2008/08/leaving-nothing-to-chance.html
The road shown in this picture used to be a through road for cars, but now it's for access only. Residents can drive their cars along here to get to housing, but that's all.
Much the same is done on streets which are busy with traffic.
I wish they had this where I live. I almost got hit by a car yesterday!
When I saw the film I feel sort of envy about how the city responsibly provided bike lanes for the cyclists. How I wished I were one of those people eagerly biking along the busy streets of NY. In the city I live, biking on the streets is a risky business because we do not have bike lanes. It's a matter of one's wit to arrive safely to each destination. I can only hope the city can provide us one someday. Nevertheless, I bike 90% of the times wherever I wish to go, for the sheer love of it.
Great ideas!
fantastic ideas! i love it.
this is a very good and in depth video. i am in my junior year in highschool and i am working on a quality of life reasearch project. i chose this topic because one, i am nyc bicyclist, and two, i face problems such as these and would like to make change
I'm living in Curitiba - south Brazil - and we have what we call "Ciclovias" inside the sidewalks, without contact by side with the streets, where there is a small space of grass between the street and the cycle-via. It's very safe and nice.
Curitiba is one of the most modern capitals in Brazil. Here we got pioneers in articulated buses and other concepts.
Great, now if in Madrid we could just get those "lame" painted lanes instead of nothing, it would be awesome.
[...] Video (en inglés) [...]
That was a well-done video with ample examples and visuals that help the viewer understand the concept of the types of bike lanes and the problems.
[...] the absence of greater driver awareness, even physically separated bike lanes might not be a perfect solution. “A separated bikeway, either as a channel that’s parallel to [...]
[...] be done to avoid these accidents. He wrote: “In the absence of greater driver awareness, even physically separated bike lanes might not be a perfect solution. “A separated bikeway, either as a channel that’s parallel to [...]
[...] Bank Street for most of its route; it’s simply too heavily built-up. In cases like this, I think physically separated bike lanes are the best option. These would help protect cyclists from traffic, and give them a defined space [...]
I am against discriminatory bike lanes that prevent pedestrians, bicyclists and cars from intermingling. How can methods of transportation evolve if it can't communicate with other forms of transportation? In San Francisco, we have decided not to ask the government for separated bike lanes because ANY bike lane is better than no bike lane - contrary to the opening comments in the video. We feel that we should be natural people weaving in and out of lanes, mashing up against cars and kicking them away in a natural manner when they cross into our bike lane. Either that or we should get rid of all cars on all roads in the city. No compromise.
[...] As a cyclist, when I must travel on Jefferson Road I stick mostly to the parking lots, hopping onto the road for short stretches when there is no other option. I don’t know how they’ll handle such a heavy traffic load in a way that’s safe for non-motorists, but maybe they’ll use some ideas that have been proposed for places like New York City. [...]
[...] Physically Separated Bike Lanes - 103,170Ciclovia: Bogotá, Colombia - 82,064PARK(ing) Day San Francisco 2006 - 60,301Summer Streets 2008 (NYC) - 50,848Bus Rapid Transit: Bogotá - 37,003Hal (and Kerri) Grade Your Bike Locking - 36,247Bike vs. Car vs. Transit - 28,371Portland: Celebrating America’s Most Livable City - 26,763Transforming NYC Streets: A Conversation with Janette Sadik-Khan - 26,610Hal Grades Your Bike Locking - 24,749Berkeley Bike Boulevards - 23,367How to use a Bike Box - 22,247Vélib’ - 21,920PARK(ing) Day NYC 2007 - 21,022S.F. Giants: Valet Bike Parking 81 Games Per Year - 19,547Portland’s Sunday Parkways - 19,225Chicane – Animated Traffic Calming - 18,655Lessons from Bogotá - 17,871T.A. Century 2007 - 16,370Interview with Enrique Peñalosa - 15,984Hal Grades Your Bike Locking 3: The Final Warning! - 15,906Melbourne: A Pedestrian Paradise - 15,010Boulder Goes Bike Platinum - 14,434Raised Crosswalk - 14,202Intersection Repair - 14,123 Order a Streetfilms DVD [...]
[...] Physically Separated Bike Lanes - 103,413Ciclovia: Bogotá, Colombia - 82,520PARK(ing) Day San Francisco 2006 - 60,436Summer Streets 2008 (NYC) - 50,952Bus Rapid Transit: Bogotá - 37,220Hal (and Kerri) Grade Your Bike Locking - 36,538Bike vs. Car vs. Transit - 28,421Portland: Celebrating America’s Most Livable City - 26,925Transforming NYC Streets: A Conversation with Janette Sadik-Khan - 26,660Hal Grades Your Bike Locking - 25,189Berkeley Bike Boulevards - 23,425How to use a Bike Box - 22,351Vélib’ - 22,007PARK(ing) Day NYC 2007 - 21,065S.F. Giants: Valet Bike Parking 81 Games Per Year - 19,569Portland’s Sunday Parkways - 19,298Chicane – Animated Traffic Calming - 18,848Lessons from Bogotá - 17,962Hal Grades Your Bike Locking 3: The Final Warning! - 16,495T.A. Century 2007 - 16,374Interview with Enrique Peñalosa - 16,016Melbourne: A Pedestrian Paradise - 15,242Boulder Goes Bike Platinum - 14,472Raised Crosswalk - 14,240Intersection Repair - 14,155 Order a Streetfilms DVD [...]
[...] Physically Separated Bike Lanes - 103,430Ciclovia: Bogotá, Colombia - 82,549PARK(ing) Day San Francisco 2006 - 60,447Summer Streets 2008 (NYC) - 50,954Bus Rapid Transit: Bogotá - 37,249Hal (and Kerri) Grade Your Bike Locking - 36,560Bike vs. Car vs. Transit - 28,429Portland: Celebrating America’s Most Livable City - 26,928Transforming NYC Streets: A Conversation with Janette Sadik-Khan - 26,664Hal Grades Your Bike Locking - 25,214Berkeley Bike Boulevards - 23,428How to use a Bike Box - 22,356Vélib’ - 22,021PARK(ing) Day NYC 2007 - 21,069S.F. Giants: Valet Bike Parking 81 Games Per Year - 19,569Portland’s Sunday Parkways - 19,303Chicane – Animated Traffic Calming - 18,870Lessons from Bogotá - 17,974Hal Grades Your Bike Locking 3: The Final Warning! - 16,556T.A. Century 2007 - 16,374Interview with Enrique Peñalosa - 16,021Melbourne: A Pedestrian Paradise - 15,258Boulder Goes Bike Platinum - 14,473Raised Crosswalk - 14,242Intersection Repair - 14,160 Order a Streetfilms DVD [...]
Years ago, I worked at Rusk Rehabilitation Hospital (a part of NYU) with a wonderful young man who had been injured by a bike in a bike lane on 6th Avenue. The injuries were severe - - he had been a promising pianist and the accident left him with brain injury. He was unable to walk and had lost most of his speech and could no longer play the piano. Bike lanes in NYC that are not separated from pedestrians don't work. They make pedestrians terribly vulnerable.
Anybody that doesn't believe that these bike lanes can work need to come to the Netherlands and become a believer. Do your research, you might even like riding your bike down city streets or the countryside. Trust me I live in the Netherlands and I certainly would not want to ride a bike in NY with all the dooring and pushing by cars. But in the Netherlands I often ride my bike. You can also check youtube what cycling in the Netherlands is like.
I do think it is important to make a distinqtion, on slow traffic lanes we do not have separated traffic lanes(20 mph), but on faster lanes (30 mph and above) we do have separated lanes. We also have bike lanes without any car lanes in the coutryside, just for commuting between towns. Kind of like a bike highway.
Some people are right intersections are problems, but on busy intersections we have either bike traffic lights, a roundabout with clear signs on which has priority(mostly cyclists) or an underpass/overpass for cyclists.
It is clear to everybody that the intersections are the most dangerous place, thus everybody is checking if everybody is following the rules. This makes it more safe. Accidents do happen, but very rarely and almost always with cars or bikes running red lights. It is always wise to check that everybody is following the rules before crossing and to follow the rules yourself. But in the Netherlands cycling is as safe as walking down the street. I my opinion cycling in NY, DC or LA would be great if only their were good facilities. If it is fast people will use it, because cycling has a lot of benefits, like it is cheap and can be faster than a car in a city.
I love how at 2:35 to 2:38 you can see the cyclist ignoring the red light and cruising across the intersection.