J
Joshua Putnam
Guest
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
> However, what about the idea that well-designed bike lanes are a
> benefit to *cars* in that with the stripe, the car driver has a
> reference point to make sure he won't collide with the cyclist in the
> rare overtaking collision.
That's true only if cyclists absolutely never leave their segregated
lane, an assumption that is no safer with cyclists than it is with
motorists in adjacent lanes.
Also, the stripe does not void "safe passing" laws -- the overtaking
motorist is still required to maintain a safe passing distance, which
is considerably wider than a stripe of paint.
Overall, I'd expect the stripe to encourage more accidents precisely
because it gives motorists the *illusion* of a "reference point to
make sure he won't collide with the cyclist."
--
[email protected] is Joshua Putnam
<http://www.phred.org/~josh/>
Updated Bicycle Touring Books List:
<http://www.phred.org/~josh/bike/tourbooks.html>
[email protected] says...
> However, what about the idea that well-designed bike lanes are a
> benefit to *cars* in that with the stripe, the car driver has a
> reference point to make sure he won't collide with the cyclist in the
> rare overtaking collision.
That's true only if cyclists absolutely never leave their segregated
lane, an assumption that is no safer with cyclists than it is with
motorists in adjacent lanes.
Also, the stripe does not void "safe passing" laws -- the overtaking
motorist is still required to maintain a safe passing distance, which
is considerably wider than a stripe of paint.
Overall, I'd expect the stripe to encourage more accidents precisely
because it gives motorists the *illusion* of a "reference point to
make sure he won't collide with the cyclist."
--
[email protected] is Joshua Putnam
<http://www.phred.org/~josh/>
Updated Bicycle Touring Books List:
<http://www.phred.org/~josh/bike/tourbooks.html>