{"id":924,"date":"2013-06-20T11:29:00","date_gmt":"2013-06-20T11:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.roadtrafficsigns.com\/blog\/?p=924"},"modified":"2023-11-23T00:35:36","modified_gmt":"2023-11-23T05:35:36","slug":"bike-lanes-drivers-wishlists-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.roadtrafficsigns.com/blog\/bike-lanes-drivers-wishlists-california\/","title":{"rendered":"In CA, bike lanes are on drivers\u2019 wishlists"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A separate bike lane. Image by Paul Krueger<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Surveys in San Francisco and Los Angeles suggest that both drivers and cyclists want separate space for bicycles. This separate space in the form of bike lanes not only protects cyclists from automobile traffic, but also makes drivers feel safe around bicycles. This insight could prove useful for city planners who are often blamed for waging an \u201calleged\u201d war on cars<\/a>. It could also do away with the notion that drivers would not favor a reduction in parking space to make way for bike lanes.<\/p>\n

The surveys were conducted by Rebecca Sanders, a University of California-Berkeley doctoral candidate in transportation planning and urban design. Streetsblog reports<\/a>\u00a0that\u00a0Sanders “began this research with Jill Cooper of Berkeley\u2019s\u00a0Safe Transportation Research and Education Center,\u00a0under the sponsorship of the state department of transportation (Caltrans). They interviewed drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists on major corridors in and around San Francisco and Los Angeles.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Bike

View this sign here<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Sanders says, \u201cWhat was interesting about that study was that in the San Francisco Bay Area, the most requested item, across the board, was a bicycle lane on the corridor. It was the most requested item by drivers, it was the most requested item by pedestrians, and it was the most requested item by bicyclists.\u00a0That was quite surprising to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why do drivers want bike lanes?<\/h2>\n

Although cyclists and pedestrians asking for bike lanes seems natural, why would drivers want bike lanes? Sanders found that bike lanes help drivers be aware of cyclists and predict their behavior. Overall, when drivers and cyclists both have dedicated street space, there are less chances of conflict between the two. Sanders says, \u201cEverybody wants predictability on the roadway. Nobody wants to feel like they\u2019re going to get hit or hit someone else and it\u2019s going to be beyond their control.\u201d<\/p>\n

What kind of bike lanes do drivers want?<\/h2>\n

The study<\/a> also found that drivers were most at ease when there were higher levels of separation between bicycles and cars on streets. Drivers preferred protected bike lanes<\/a> rather than painted bike lines. Sharrows<\/a> were the least preferred choice of cycling infrastructure.<\/p>\n

A key concern drivers had was that bike lanes in the door zone of parked vehicles are less effective. According to Sanders, drivers \u201cknow that if someone opens their car door, that could send the bicyclist into their lane.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Share

View this sign here<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

As Sanders points out, \u201cWhen we focus on tradeoffs only, and we talk about taking away parking to put in a bike lane for bicyclists, people perceive it as a war on cars.\u201d Considering drivers use\u00a0100 times<\/a> the road space that cyclists do, that perception doesn’t entirely make sense.<\/p>\n

Creation of dedicated bike infrastructure is based on the premise that a design feature that seems to directly benefit one road user\u2014in this case, cyclists-\u2013 may in fact benefit other road users too. In order to benefit all users, urban planner should premise their road design on a complete streets approach<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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