I tell people that I am opposed to forcing bicyclists to use sidewalks, which is what protected bike lanes are. In case you need confirmation, from the Green Lane Project: Protected bike lanes are a simple concept, really: theyre like sidewalks for bikes. peopleforbikes.org/green-lane-project/pages/protected-bike-lanes-101 And Ive also thought that we have already tried this concept over the past 30 years. As curb ramps have become standard, population has suburbanized, and high-speed arterials have become the suburban norm, bicyclists pretty much have the suburban sidewalks to themselves. The Green Lane Project says: A person biking on a sidewalk is just trying to use the protected bike lane that isnt there. peopleforbikes.org/blog/entry/communities-of-color-bear-the-brunt-of-sidewalk-biking-enforcement Hows that working out? The 2010/2011 NHTSA General Estimates System sample of police-reported crashes estimates about 50,000 bicycle-motor vehicle crashes per year. About 1/3 of these involve a bicyclist on the sidewalk or crosswalk. But maybe thats because 1/3 of bicycling is on the sidewalk? But the sidewalk share is very different for different types of crashes. For Bicyclist Failed to Yield crashes, 19% were on the sidewalk, whereas for Motorist Failed to Yield crashes, 69% were on the sidewalk (typically bicyclist is riding opposite the direction of traffic and approaching a driver turning right from a stop sign or red light, or from a driveway). Thats a relative risk of 3.6. For motorist right turns, the sidewalk share is 34%, and for left turns, 30%. Thats a relative risk of 1.7 and 1.5.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 19:30:04 +0000
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