Testing the most dangerous roads | Why painted bike lanes suck

Painted bike lanes are intended to make life better for cyclists, right? Why, then, do two studies I came across recently contradict that?
First, a study by Dr. Jennifer Dill out of Portland State University found that cyclists perceive painted bike lanes to be among the least safe types of bike infrastructure out there: pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/ce...
Then, this Australian study found that motorists tend to pass cyclists more closely when a bike lane is present than when there is no bike infrastructure at all:
www.sciencedirect.com/science...
So I put these ideas to the test by recording my bike commute and seeing just how close passing cars come to me when I'm using different types of bike lanes -- painted lanes, separated lanes and roads with no bike lanes at all.
#bikecommuting #biketowork #cycling
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Tom Babin is the author of Frostbike: The Joy, Pain and Numbness of Winter Cycling: rmbooks.com/book/frostbike/

[@telocity]

I always enjoy all the man-hole covers, cracks, potholes and poorly refinished roads surfaces bicyclist get to go over on road edge. Not to mention all debris from trucks and cars.

[@ilyashussein5972]

super narrow, potholes, cracks and a curb to your right that you can hit if you get too close. painted bike lanes suck

[@charlesbain8262]

Lol funny agreed. It's so narrow but I usually try to ride just off the curb for the most consistent smoothness. Or more often for safety I stick to side walks but of course that sucks more

[@qolspony]

This is why I suggested the bike lanes need to be in the middle. There is also the issue of pedestrians and blindspots from street signs.

[@scottmcelhiney323]

@@charlesbain8262 Sidewalks are actually even more dangerous because motorists are NOT looking for you there and every intersection you cross from a sidewalk across the road is a major hazard for that reason.

[@charlesbain8262]

@@scottmcelhiney323 Oh yeah! You got point there evertime I get on my bike it's a life risk. I almost died this morning in fact. First car turned this lady didn pull up and had tints so I couldn't make eye contact but felt she was giving me the go ahead so as I got close she pulled up to the stop sign almost taking me out I made eye contact then she tried to apologize for not paying attention and almost incapacitating me... Too late!!! Just go now!

[@danieldaniels7571]

The best bike infrastructure is completely detached from roads with cars. Where I like there are wide bike paths along rivers, canals, and through greenbelts.

[@nwimpney]

Those things are nice, but they only help you if they're in the places that you want to go. Often, bike paths along rivers or around parks are mostly only useful for recreational cycling, and they tend to be multi-use, which are great for those purposes, but often not for riding faster for commuting and general transportation. I'm not saying I disagree with the idea in concept. fully detached bike paths are really great, but there is a tendency to build them in out-of-the-way places, and not to build anything in the more crowded parts of the city that are harder to navigate safely by bike.

[@panzerwolf494]

We have one down the main drag of five lanes of cars hauling ass and shitting on each other for their shot at being first to wherever they are going. It was great at first, but as businesses moved in and the path settled all the cuts going across lot entrances got so bad you need to come to a near stop or you'll jack your rims up

[@samsawesomeminecraft]

@@nwimpney actually, bike paths along rivers and canals closer to the Rust Belt tend to have destinations worth going to because the former towpaths were used for commercial cargo and the zoning remains that way, so there's plenty of shops accessible by the former-towpath bikeways.

[@fl260]

I always take those in priority, even though it would be faster to take the street like most cyclists do.

[@danieldaniels7571]

@@fl260 I live in Phoenix, and most of the time the bike paths are much shorter, more direct routes, and faster than using the streets. I should really make more videos about them.

[@onebackzach]

I think a big issue with the painted bike lanes is that people feel that as long as their wheels are on one side of the line and the bicyclists wheels are on the other, it's okay. The issue is that they fail to take their side mirrors and the width of the cyclist into consideration.

[@Dark__Thoughts]

Or the air pressure from the high speeds washing over the bike rider. People often lack the perspective.

[@jamesmedina2062]

yea there needs to be a margin area painted as well

[@Sharpened_Spoon]

Exactly. And that we’re often cycling in a gutter, with drains, debris, potholes, parked cars etc. All hazards we have to avoid or potentially fall off when encountering them. I’d say I’m an exceptionally proficient cyclist and many situations feel less safe due to infrastructure for sure. I’d rather assert myself in a traffic lane than be expected to cycle against the kerb.

[@jamesmedina2062]

@@Sharpened_Spoon I feel you. When I was younger and more reckless I loved speed and would ride around cars but now that I am older I seem to find myself going out of my way to ride away from cars as much as possible on secondary streets or at least on sidewalks to at least provide a small buffer against the toxic emissions of the majority of vehicles. The downside is that my ride takes a lot longer that way. On three lane roads, cyclists deserve one of those 3 lanes. In my city the city would have to have a strong reason to change the status quo. I think the trick would be to activate all the passive cyclists that would ride more if they got their own lane and felt that they had room on our roads.

[@richardtheweaver4891]

Easily solved by using a well-spaced double line instead of a single line for painted bike lanes

[@deejayshaun]

I often find bike lanes on busy roads sometimes suck because they're too narrow, hence the close passes.

[@KandiKlover]

Even with wide ones people are stupid and drift into them while driving like morons.

[@bobstranzenbach4700]

Insist on wider?

[@jellybeansi]

And if you're super considerate or too nervous to pass that closely, and you decide to drive behind the cycling person until you find a safer place to pass, you get angry honks from the ensuing train of vehicles behind you. :( Driving and urban sprawl just encourages people to drive faster, and get more anxious...

[@lininrabbit]

Exactly!!!! and in Canada the law says "Drivers must keep at least a one-metre (3 feet) distance when passing people cycling." which means they know the safe distance for passing is at least 1m. While some bike lanes are less than 1m wide. That doesn't make sense. They should at least make bike lanes 1.5m or wider. So the drivers don't assume stay in the lane is safe.

[@sirlancegeo]

It seemed like the close passing was on narrow lanes where there was a car in the other lane and a median island so that car also had nowhere to move. For a large truck, it would probably have to be on one side of the lane or the other and they probably see the bike as smaller and being able to go closer to the curb if necessary since they probably don’t ride bikes.

[@papercrowe8772]

I think the problem is that painted lanes are too small, they’re literally just a couple inches wider than my handlebars. Meanwhile the cars get like 4 feet of extra room. This leaves us feeling trapped because we’re often stuck right up against the curb.

[@theycallmethefro]

To me, it seems like the main difference in people passing when I'm just on the road vs in bike lane is the speed with which they feel comfortable passing. On normal surface streets, they pass slower, regardless of passing distance. If there's a bike lane, it seems like people think "OK they're in their lane. I'm in my lane. I can go as fast as I want", which feels way more dangerous.

[@codyherring3895]

I wonder if that is just due to the nature of wide stroads, too. They have higher speed limits than residential streets.

[@charlydatduclai7734]

We need concrete barriers in between all bike lanes and car lanes to shield bikers from cars and trucks.

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Yes we do!

[@user-gu9yq5sj7c]

I prefer trees as barriers.

[@midtoad]

hi Tom, I agree with all of the points you make in your video. However, in my years of commuting every day, I have seen all kinds of driver Behaviour that lead to the conclusion that there is at least one benefit of painted bike Lanes: they create a legally defined space for cyclists. unfortunately, there are lots of people that identify as drivers, and consider cyclists as being members of a different tribe. This creates an us-versus-them mentality, and since the driver has the bigger weapon, he may feel he can bully the person on the bike. Cyclists know this, and that's why they ask for separated bike Lanes. Lastly, a line of paint is no protection from a distracted driver. And distracted driving is a pandemic in our society.

[@alfonsoalmendariz3325]

Very true. However, in my town, we have a street with a bike lane that is no lie two feet from the curb. You have to thread the needle foe a solid 2 miles if you take that route.

[@SuburbaniteUrbanite]

they are not bike lanes, they are the gutter.

[@c.d.9035]

I agree with your conclusion. Where I live, most painted bike lane are simply too narrow to do any good. And anyway they disappear suddenly, without any warning -- the bike lane gets narrower and narrower, until it disappears into the curb, minus any signage. In situations where it gets dicey, I either take a lane in traffic or else hop onto the sidewalk (not legal everywhere, but it is in my town). Or if there's no better option, tuck in behind a parked car and wait until the situation improves. I doubt they have this problem in Copenhagen or Amsterdam!

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Oh, the disappearing lane is one of the things I hate most of all. A functioning bike network includes real connections and destinations.

[@Snowshowslow]

Ah, well, as a Dutch person, I can tell you that there are also streets in the Netherlands with narrow painted bike lanes. In historic city centres not every street is wide enough for decent bike lanes or can be made single-use. But the advantage we do have is that 1) there are always better alternatives available (usually one street over) and 2) the good cycling infrastructure elsewhere has encouraged so much cycling that drivers really know to look out for cyclists and are used to driving with them there. I think in the end that last point is where the safety comes from most, although of course I love our 2 meter wide (for each direction) separated cycle lanes and cycle highways.

[@KandiKlover]

Sidewalk riding is rarely enforced in most areas.

[@kevinthomson6324]

And why is they always seem to disappear when you would need them most. Like intersections, coming around blind corners, or cresting a hill where it’s very dangerous for a car to leave you space.

[@shieldgenerator7]

this is one of the biggest reasons against painted bike lanes: they're an afterthought. They can disappear at any point in the journey because there simply wasn't room for them on that part of the road. this happens everywhere in my city too

[@iFkNxLegend]

I'm not a cyclist but I always tried to think what space would I want a car to pass me at if I was a cyclist and I try to give the cyclist that space

[@wsams]

Can't thank you enough ❤

[@maureen4056]

Thank you for that.

[@postarica1767]

In the US, we all should have been taught, pass only when it's safe to do so and yield to bicycles because they have just as much right to be on the road as motor vehicles. Yes this means slowing down (sometimes dramatically) to respect their space and safety until safe to pass. Same goes for slow moving vehicles like tractors and buggies. We all should have a a right to travel on public roads safely. It is a privilege to do so in a car.

[@MasonJarGaming]

In my state motorists aren’t taught anything at all. Driver’s ED courses are completely optional.

[@Pocket-Calculator]

Driving too slow is paradoxically dangerous too. Yes, bikes have as much of a right to be on the road, but then again if you're on a low powered motor vehicle you're supposed to be on the right side of the road and let others pass you.

[@RPMac]

Major highways are public roads....so you think there good for bikes ?.....sharing the road is nice....but some roads are not built to share...they are for cars....deal with it !!!!!

[@freezedriedicecream]

This is absolutely the wrong take. As many benefits bikes would have to making commute safer, there is no reason they should be on the road with motor vehicles. The simple fact is that they're drastically slower than traffic and often difficult to be seen by drivers. The solution is to reform roads with seperate infrastructure, to improve safety for everyone.

[@micosstar]

exempting rural roads and freeways, what's the point of a road when you need to pay a metal box to use it @@RPMac ?

[@GuyFast]

In Belgium the new favorit word of 2018 was "moordstrookje" = little murderlane. Well it's a 'nicer' way to say : narrow painted bikelane!

[@HimynameisJermHicks]

Great name for it. They are so dangerous the lane is sometimes so small your practically in the road or smashing into the sidewalk.

[@ellerybice3787]

Automobile drivers endanger their own lives just as often as yours, I know this because I witness numerous near misses each day that I drive. I am a commercial driver that travels upwards of 700 miles on any given work day. They not only do they endanger you and me, but themselves as well. They have no sense when it comes to operating their machine safely, it is all about the hurry up and get somewhere. P.S.I ride a bicycle as well, it is on board with me as I travel my routes, it offers great exercise and an escape from my mobile prison.

[@Kimmiesman24]

Same here. Good to meet ya fellow cycling trucker 😁

[@freezedriedicecream]

Unfortunately, it doesn't take more than one brain cell to pass a driving exam. They hand those things out like candy on halloween. Just because there's an expectation of everyone to drive, doesn't mean everyone should drive. If the requirements were more strict, not only would drivers develop a better sense of road safety, but it would also create a demand for alternative travel options.

[@ellerybice3787]

@@freezedriedicecream yes, you are correct. And I would add extremely harsh punishments for drivers who get careless, aggressive or disrespectable to other road users. Inattentive drivers is one of the biggest reasons for tragedies on our roadways.

[@ksnax]

The problem is that painted lanes have traditionally been an afterthought on streets that have existed for decades. So ultimately all they are really doing is imposing a narrower lane for vehicles - and large SUV or pickup drivers have to thread a tighter needle.

[@_DMAC]

All that riding right in the door zone tho... :(

[@Shifter_Cycling]

D Mac Yep. 👎

[@KandiKlover]

@Judson Briar promising if you wanna die.

[@keisreeman]

Yes, in motorcycle training they instruct you to ride clear of parked cars opening doors. As a bicyclist you are almost expected to ride right next the parked cars. Scary.

[@Dark__Thoughts]

@@KandiKlover I believe that is the second bot from those instagram account nukers or whatever they try to phish you with, implying that the thing actually works. They were spamming all the comment replies on YT videos a few weeks ago.

[@Dark__Thoughts]

In Germany you have to keep enough distance to parked cars, otherwise you'd be partially held responsible if you would get doored.

[@dreamervanroom]

As far as I understand the driver should leave 3 feet between himself and the bicyclist. I expect that means 3 feet between the drivers right hand mirror and the bicyclist left handlebar. What I notice is that the bike lane is not wide enough to give that much space to the bicyclist. Let me repeat: the bike lane isn’t wide enough to begin with.

[@papercrowe8772]

Since 3 feet is legally required space, they should make the bike lane 3 feet wider, just take it from the car lane since they often have tons of extra room.

[@Brian-qv1ir]

This reminds me of another motoring situation that happened in my home town. There was a 4 way stop that was notorious for collisions because no one really followed the rules and assumed they had right of way. There was debate on how to fix it such as increased policing or putting in a light. The solution they came up with was to remove the 4 way stop and leave it as an unregulated intersection. The result was that accidents dropped dramatically and the theory is that it forced people to stop and think about if what they're doing is safe rather than relying on assumed safety and permission to proceed.

[@yeastov5470]

There's an interesting painted lane that I use that I have mixed feelings on. The local government realised that lots of cyclists cut through this industrial estate so they put a painted bike lane around the main road that cyclists used. But the reason cyclists used it was because it was a 30mph road with a dedicated overtaking lane so cars and bikes were never fighting for space. Now that they've put the cycle lane in there's now just one oddly wide traffic lane with a painted bike lane on the side. It's nice that the government noticed that cyclists were using the route and tried to improve it, but it feels like they didn't understand why people were using it and were just putting it there to meet a quota or something. I can't tell if it was a good inclusion or not.

[@j2simpso]

Canadian studying in Australia and thought I'd give you a real head scratcher: biking on certain freeways is permitted and in many cases you simply bike on the hard shoulder. In particular, in Sydney you can bike on the M2 motorway which is comparable to the 401 in Ontario in designated areas by riding on the hard shoulder. Whenever you hit an exit, (and want to continue on) you have to go up to a designated spot and walk your bike across the exit ramp to the hard shoulder that continues in the direction you're going. That being said, bike infrastructure in Sydney is way better than Canada. Lots of dedicated bike lanes and shared bike/pedestrian rights of way. As for painted bike lanes on roads, while I find them really cute, I just ignore them and ride on the road. I figure if I take up some of the road, rather than squeeze onto the sliver of the shoulder that will force motorists to proceed with caution rather than think they can slink by me and end up hitting me in their blind spot. Is it a bit of a dick move? Yeah, but they're behind several thousands pounds of steel protecting them, the best I've got is a $60 helmet and a prayer.

[@Christopher_Gibbons]

Here in my home town bike Lanes made everything worse. When I was growing up there were no bike lanes. Most of the roads didn't even have lines at all. The speed limit was low and people drove slowly. The whole town was very much a pedestrian space. People would walk and cross the street where they liked, and drivers knew to accommodate this. Bycicles could keep up with the cars, and were just treated like any other vehicle on the road. Drivers were never bothered by them, and they never felt unsafe. A few years ago they added lines and bike lanes to many of the roads in town. This ruined everything. Now that everything is parceled off into its own space, it creates a toxic dynamic. Cars have their space and drive as they wish in that space. Everyone else better stay out of their way. Bikes are now confined to a barely wide enough space with no buffer between them and the now speeding cars. Pedestrians just don't exist anymore. With the road parceled off to the cars and bikes, the lack of sidewalks is now a problem that we never used to have. Bike lanes make sense in high population density areas, but in the rest of the country they are a liability. When the road belongs to whoever is on it at that moment, people are forced to slow down and interact with each other thoughtfully. Divisions just make people feel entitled to the road and apathetic to the problems of others. This is how you end up with drivers who think speed limits are a suggestion and cyclists who think they don't need to stop for signs to let pedestrians pass.

[@stevek8829]

Written with intelligence. You won't get many likes on the tube, you don't fit.

[@NeoRichardBlake]

Watching this video, I also noticed the difference in areas where there are or aren't painted lanes. No painted lanes = neighborhood/slower speed limits; painted lanes = busy thoroughfare/higher speed limits. Wobbles and momentary lapses in judgement are more visible when moving at higher speeds, because it take more distance to recover. Neighborhoods generally move more slowly and there is an expected potential for pedestrians and other slower traffic or kids darting out in the street. I would actually expect similar behavior from vehicles in each of these areas regardless of the painted lines, myself, but that may just depend on where you live. I love the idea of separated bike lanes, but they don't exist in my city. I think on the busier road, the painted line can be a reminder that others share the road, so don't ride the curbside. No bike lane can equate to some seeing that whole area as theirs. I seriously distrust drivers when I'm on a bike. It's actually something that has kept me off of a bike for years, sadly. I used to ride all over the place all the time before I got a driver's license though. Granted, that's also the only mode of transport that a kid has. :P Still... My wife and I have actually been talking about getting back into biking around the neighborhood lately though, so I think I'm ready to get back out there and hope no one clobbers me. :)

[@banndito]

Interesting video, thanks for posting it. When I ride, if I feel that the lane is not wide enough (as shown in your video at the bend on 5th st.; I ride the same road often), I always take the full lane so a vehicle is not tempted to pass me too closely when it is clearly unsafe to do so. I believe that (and I googled this so I am unsure of the accuracy) "cyclists may enter the main flow of traffic at any time. If the road is narrow and there isn't enough room to comfortably ride to the right of a car, the cyclist is entitled to occupy the full lane." Sometimes I get the car horn when I do this but I simply don't care. I take the full lane if I think I have to.

[@Shifter_Cycling]

I do the same quite often. I’ll take an angry motorist if it keeps me alive!

[@nwimpney]

Me too. The funny thing I've noticed is that I usually get the car horn in the places where there's a painted lane I'm riding outside of, where taking the lane elsewhere doesn't seem to bother anyone (they'll wait until there's room to pass in the other lane, or until I feel safe moving over to make room for them. I think many motorists seeing a bike lane think we're supposed to be confined to it, where if they saw the same thing without the bike lane, it would be more obvious that we're just leaving a safe amount of room from parked cars or debris.

[@roberthogue5138]

I laugh when i see "sharrows", because i feel that most drivers do not think we belong on the road in the first place. I have also had problems with drivers thinking they can park in te bike lanes. just the other day i came across a car parked in my lane, and when i asked him to PLEASE don't park in the bike lane, he cussed at me, and started to chase me. This was not the only time this has happened!

[@madcyclist58]

There are painted 'bike lanes' near me that are - mere yards long, end abruptly in residential car parking, stop at every intersection with a sign saying "cyclists dismount", are narrower than my shoulders (even when aero), are full of rubbish, or flood in heavy rain. I'm no safer trying to use them so you find me mostly on the road where at least the surface may be in better condition.

[@jacobp9470]

Painted bike lanes are bad because, imo, it makes car drivers think it's okay to pass cyclists very closely.

[@adamt195]

The only painted lanes that dont suck are like 6 or 7ft wide. (2m or wider). Super narrow bike lanes in the US are normally 4ft, thats basically the minimum to qualify as a lane, but 5 or 6ft is highly recommended. At 7ft you get your 4ft minimum + 3ft (1m) of passing space that the law requires motorists to give. The gold standard would be a 8ft (2.5m) lane that is 5ft wide + 3ft of striped buffer. Coincidentally, 8ft is basically the standard width for on-street parallel parking spaces in the US (sometimes its 7.5ft in urban areas)

[@DarkDutch007]

car drivers stay in their lane, when passing other cars they themselves stay in their lane, I don't think most of the drivers understand how close they really are in passing a cyclist in a painted gutter. With those multi lane roads it is not the drivers fault that by staying within your lines it is still too close to a cyclist and that the piece of asphalt the cyclist get is tiny, it is more the problem of the road design itself. remove a car lane, increase width of the bicycle path a bit, put in some safety measures between the 2.

[@guaposneeze]

I think the thing to appreciate about a painted narrow bike line is that it isn't for the cyclist. In theory, the default state is that the cyclist is allowed to just ride in the center of the car lane and occupy it like a car. But obviously, that annoys people. (And in practice, people pass unsafely rather than just going slow behind the bike.) So cities make painted bike lanes to corral the bikes away from the main lane so cars don't get stuck behind a slow bike -- not to protect cyclists. Once you realize it basically isn't meant to protect to bikers, it makes sense that it's working exactly as intended.

[@bobstranzenbach4700]

Yes, because much like the lane to their left Is big enough to accommodate the car traveling the same way. I don’t think you can blame drivers for using the same logic of staying out of someone else’s lane and assuming it’s wide enough for a bikes needs. I like the idea of separated bike lanes. It would make me feel safer and I’d use my bike more.

[@hold_the_mike]

I love that you say most of those are a bit tight when they come close to you. I live in a small town with literally no infrastructure. I used to be a bike messenger before I moved here, so I am no stranger to close calls with cars. People here pass withing literal inches of me sometimes even while towing a baby trailer on my bike. The average distance is only about 1 foot of space that they give me We need to make cycling infrastructure a thing everywhere no matter the size of the area because it is dangerous without it for most cyclists.

[@danbolton3180]

I've had motorists tell me to get into the bike lane where none were, or get on the sidewalk where I'm not allowed. Looks like it's time to re-test motorist on road rules.

[@mikedebruyn]

I think your overlooking something in your test. It seems to me that the painted bike lanes are all on a different type of road (multiple lanes) where as the non painted all seemed to be much more suburban and having a lot less car traffic for the other driver to navigate past.

[@jayteegamble]

6:40 nails it. Motorists feel like they can drive right up to the line instead of using judgement on how much space to give. Also, painted lanes confine you to a strip that might go over manholes, glass, through the door zone, etc. Motorists lose their **** if you leave the lane.

[@LanceAvion]

@@maxmaxed2887 Or even more commonly the bike lane is the car parking area. Such that you may try to ride in a painted bike lane, but due to the parked cars you must zig zag from the bike line into the traffic lane and back. That's much more dangerous for a variety of reasons than just taking a traffic lane.

[@thejoshmoss]

I agree separated paths are the way to go, however I think bike lanes still have a place. I believe there is a correlation in the business of the roads and the bike Lanes being there. If a road is more busy (wider too) then it's more likely to receive a painted bike lane. From the footage you showed the roads without bike Lanes where you ride with car traffic are smaller and slower then the ones with bike Lanes. This is true where I live in California as well. I have gotten so used to cars passing at what you called close, it's now average for me. The main issue I constantly face with bike Lanes is cars blocking them. What I don't understand is that if I blocked a car lane I'd get a ticket, yet they can park in my lane legally!

[@BillOweninOttawa]

We need more data. This was a test, not a study, and certainly not dispositive of much.

[@ethanadams650]

I remember when I was a freshmen in hs I had to ride my bike down a busy road and I chose to ride on the sidewalk out for safety and was I passing a garbage can and fell into the bike lane on the road and some lady laid on her horn as she passed me acting like I was running into the road.

[@happyhermit8802]

When you pass parked cars, leave enough room for them to open the door without hitting you. You allowed someone to pass in your lane and that's too dangerous!

[@pandaguan]

Painted bike lanes are usually located where it consumes a portion of the motor lane, hence creating a narrower lane for vehicles close to the bike lane.

[@user-kp1js6cb2s]

as any bike lane should do

[@trainradioz1303]

Best to worse infrastructure in my opinion: Separated bike lane (hard protection): If there are concrete barriers, a tree, a median, or a very far distance from the rest of the traffic, even if an accident happens, you would most likely not get hurt. Separated bike lane (soft protection): If there are things such as plastic poles, then drivers will be aware of that, I mean who wants to crash into a pole, so they will be aware to keep distance from the pole or whatever is protecting the lane. However, if a real accident happens, such as an out of control car, the plastic poles won't do anything to protect you, unlike hard protection bike lanes. Single lane roads with enough passing distance: it's just better for the reasons the video mentioned Single lane roads with bike lanes: again, because it is a dedicated lane, some drivers forget about passing distances Painted bike lane on multiple lane roads (wide): If the lane is wide enough, I would be fine riding in it, if I can ride in the bike lane while keeping 1 metre away from cars without the need for them to move then I think it's fine. Multiple lane roads: For some reason, some drivers don't want to switch lanes when passing, making the pass unsafe Painted bike lane (narrow): This is what I am afraid of, being in a dedicated lane yet feeling unsafe, this is worse than multiple lane roads because it is mandatory to use them. Some drivers forget passing distances because it's a dedicated lane.

[@Sharpened_Spoon]

One thing I found clear was that when there’s no painted line, you take the room you need from the kerb to have space to move into. With the bike lane, you’re cycling in the gutter. And NOT at all surprised the closest call was a pickup. I live in Northern BC and it’s beyond a deterrent to even think about cycling anywhere for fear you really will get run down.

[@tarquinmidwinter2056]

I'm a Brit who moved to the Netherlands a few years ago. When I see videos like this from USA or Canada I really appreciate how lucky we are here. No doubt you're aware of the Bicycle Dutch and Not Just Bikes channels.

[@HallsofAsgard96]

He just a comparison video w/ NJB.

[@TheNightwalker247]

Maybe you could get some comparison shots from the channel (bicyle dutch) or (not just bikes) on how a good cycling path and intersection design looks. In the city of utrecht they have quite a lot of retrofitted protected bike lanes. Could be a good example that is closer to north american road design.

[@galenkehler]

In the Vancouver area those bike lanes are almost always unusable. 1. They are always full of debris, glass, etc. Even when it's clear for a few meters, you still can't trust that it won't make you swerve back into traffic. 2. Almost always right next to street parking, so you can't ride there for fear of getting doomed. 3. They randomly just end, forcing you out into traffic again. So I just ride to the left of the white line where it's clear.

[@Trancefreak12]

The problem with the conclusion that painted bike lanes are more dangerous is that it's not the only factor in passing distance. The streets without bike lanes that you rode on are mostly small streets with one lane per direction. It's a lot easier for drivers to move over than on larger, multi-lane streets such as the ones shown with painted bike lanes. Even if collisions happen more often in painted bike lanes, it doesn't mean that creating painted bike lanes increases danger. Several things could be true that result in more painted bike lane collisions even if they increase safety: - Bicyclists spend a large proportion of their biking time in painted bike lanes. - The streets with painted bike lanes are more dangerous for bikers regardless of the bike lane. Important not to confuse cause, effect, and correlation; it may very well be that bike lanes are a response to high levels of danger rather than bike lanes causing high levels of danger. What I'd like to see is a proper experiment: on a variety of streets, measure the collision rate per bicyclist or some other relevant metric like passing distance. Then, on those same streets, remove or add bike lanes, and measure the metric again. Note that I'm not saying that one way is safer than the other, only that correlation is not sufficient to draw cause-and-effect relationships. The Australian study that you linked is an observational study that only finds correlation.

[@cvdp]

I take the 5th St separated bike lane as part of my commute and find it is frequently the most dangerous part. The problem I have found with the 2 way separated bike lanes are people turning across them without looking for bikes, which for me at least is scarier than people passing too close. I frequently ride on the street instead of in the bike line (also, partly because it ends abruptly forcing you to cross traffic), but this tends to provoke anger in motorists that I am not using the bike lane that I feel is unsafe.

[@emie9858]

My old city had some paint in the gutter type bike lanes a few years back. I used to go on super long bike rides for hours on end with my dad, often to other cities just on our bikes. On our way to a nice multiple use trail in town we tried the "bike lane" out. For 13 year old me, it was absolutely terrifying. It was so so narrow, and people were passing you at 40 miles per hour 2-3 feet to your left, and so I quickly went back to riding on the sidewalk. And herein lies the an obvious flaw with these bike lanes. If a middle schooler can't use them, then there's a problem with the bike lane. There was more than enough room for a separated bike two way bike lane due to how gargantuan even moderately-sized American streets are. Hell, they could've made it all paint, and just put the bike lane on one side of the road going two ways and just separated it from traffic with a decent paint buffer and that would've been better than what we had. There were so many ways to do this differently and they chose the worst option.

[@katsims2563]

I LOVE the separated bike lanes you have in Calgary. I wish we had those in Florida. I live in Pensacola, and I haven’t seen them in other parts of Florida. People are really into trucks here,. They think they own the road and nothing else is allowed on it, even pedestrians in crosswalks! When I first moved up here from Tampa (not great for bikes in 2010, but much better than Pensacola, when I moved up here!), there were no bike paths. Guys threw a plastic jar, filled with screws and nails in the middle of my back, next to a cemetery. I was 50 years old at the time and had been riding a bike as a car for over 10 years in Tampa. Another guy was cussing me out, calling me all kinds of derogatory female names, and telling me “get the hell out of the road” and “get on the sidewalk”. When they finally did put in bike paths in some places, either the road construction crews put the bike path all the way right even with the right turn lanes in some places, where people turning right can cut you off, and you have to yield to cars/trucks, or they put the bike paths to the left of the right turn lanes, where motorized vehicles are supposed to yield to cyclists, when turning right. On some roads, drivers would be so angry that their formerly huge lanes, were reduced in width, that they kept driving in the new bike paths, determined to keep their wide lanes. I believe anyone wanting a driver’s license should have to cycle for at least 6 months, before they can get a license. They will be more alert and safer drivers, and more respectful to cyclists and pedestrians! I’ve been a professional driver for over 30 years, but my vehicle of choice is the bicycle! Riding a bicycle has made me a much better driver, more alert to everything on the road!

[@johndorney7812]

They may, comparatively, suck, but they are far better than nothing at all, in my experience. For one thing, they usually mean that drivers leave some space to the side where cyclists can make progress when traffic is gridlocked. This is a huge advantage vs them all stopping right next to the kerb.

[@JacksonWestfall]

I feel like painted bike lanes are ok for longer distances when the infastructure already sucks (e.g. six lane stroad). But if there are better options available that get me away from cars such as separated bike paths or barrier bike lanes, I will take them even if it adds a few more minutes to my commute.

[@JacksonWestfall]

Another problem with painted bike lanes is that drivers will commonly think that because you already have your own lane that you're not allowed to command their lane. This becomes an issue when the bike lane is ending, you need to make a left turn, or someone is parked illegally. It has happened so many times that cars will ignore my signal to take up the lane temporarily, only to blare their horn as they pass, screeching by me closer than 3 feet.

[@ymi_yugy3133]

How many collisions actually happen while passing? I always assumed that intersections where responsible for the vast majority of collisions.

[@blubaughmr]

I've been hit from behind twice while being passed. One time I had video of them coming an going. Gave it to the police. Nothing happened.

[@allancumming3743]

Here in Dunedin (New Zealand) we have lanes separated from our one way streets by raised concrete, and inside any parking. Previously we had two fatalities on these streets when the bikes were on lanes with a painted line. A particular issue is when there is a curve, and people (especially trucks) cut the corner

[@aurora571000]

@@blubaughmr What? Are there no laws like there would be if you were rear-ended in a car?

[@blubaughmr]

@@aurora571000 Their attitude is bicycles don't belong on the road, so anything that happens to a bicyclist is the bicyclist's own fault. Cars do belong on the road, so if a car gets some scratched paint, that's important.

[@lafamillecarrington]

In the UK we have a class of painted bike lane that has a dashed line - cars can use the bike lane if there are no bikes. It seems to be used where the road is really too narrow to accommodate a bike lane, and it is just dreadful! We also have this thing where painted bike lanes disappear when you get to junctions, roundabouts and traffic calming - just where they are needed the most! And this is in "cycle-friendly" Cambridge. I should be fair, and say that things are definitely improving for cyclists, with many more dedicated cycle paths being built in the last few years.

[@simonkraemer3725]

In my city they had this time when they found the American type bike lane „so cool“ and put them everywhere. The problem was that they didn’t wanted to give up space for cars either so the bikelanes often just squeeze the cyclist into the dooring zone. I feel like there’s just one type of street that’s fitting for such bikelanes: streets with one lane each direction for drivers with medium motor traffic. There it’s nice not having to negotiate space with cars and I also don’t like having a car directly behind my back. What’s also good about bikelanes is that you don’t have to „justify“ why you’re on the road, because there’s some dedicated space. Also it‘s nice to pass waiting motor traffic. But every street with two or more lanes per direction needs in my view a proper protected bikelane or a European style bike path.

[@sailorjohnboy2325]

One of my 12 yo students was clipped by a truck mirror in a hit and run on 4/15/22 in Mexico Beach, FL. He was in the painted bike lane. Thankfully he escaped serious injury, just road rash.

[@reidkennedy2282]

Great Video Tom. Another spot you might want to film is the painted bike lane by Bow Cycle in Bowness. The new separated lanes down into Bowness are awesome. But once you are in the main drag, around Bow Cycle, there is angled car parking on one side of you and moving traffic on the other. It feels super sketchy as cars back up on one side and you have to swerve into traffic to avoid them on the other...Just another example in Calgary that feels like something could be improved.

[@mindgames470]

you left out my favorite kind: painted bike lanes along parked cars. which will get you first? the car crossing the painted line or the car door suddenly opening into your lane without warning?

[@fire2box]

in california it's 6 feet to pass people on bicycles which is nearly 2 meters.

[@stevek8829]

Not exactly. From California vehicle code: (c)CHAPTER 3. Driving, Overtaking, and Passing [21650 - 21761] ( Chapter 3 enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3. ) ARTICLE 3. Overtaking and Passing [21750 - 21761] ( Article 3 enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3. ) A driver of a motor vehicle shall not overtake or pass a bicycle proceeding in the same direction on a highway at a distance of less than three feet between any part of the motor vehicle and any part of the bicycle or its operator. Where did you get your information from? I'm on the east coast and knew that was BS.

[@alanhamer3467]

I live in the UK, near Bristol in England. Where bike lanes are only marked by a white painted line I feel less safe than without the lane. As your video suggests, motor vehicle drivers seem to think that it's OK to pass at their normal driving speed so long as they don't encroach on the cycle lane. This means that they don't give me as much room when I'm cycling in one of these lanes as they do when I'm not in a marked lane. This is really noticeable with many drivers and yes, it does make me feel less safe. I've never heard anyone make this comment before so it was nice to know that I'm not alone in holding this view. Thanks for the item.

[@QCBikeCommuter]

Apart from physically separated lanes there's always some risk. When I started commuting we learned to ride as far right as "practicable" but that can be very dangerous as this linked video shows. Later we learned, and I agree, it's safer to "take (I prefer control) the lane". I've had far fewer issues with motorists since I started controlling the lane. The greatest collision risk now, IMHO, is from distracted motorists rather than aggressive motorists. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5rae4dmorJrnNk

[@loonatic1011]

If you really look at statistics, close passes are objectively not a big deal for safety. The two main situations most dangerous for cyclists are junctions (turning motor vehicles hitting straight on riding cyclists or motor vehicles coming from turning into the street the cyclist is riding on, hitting them) and dooring. Physically seperated cycle lanes are more dangerous at junctions as right turning motorists are not used to yielding to quickly moving parallel traffic they cross and therefore often either forget to look out for cyclists or have impaired view on them on badly designed junctions. Depending on the design, seperated bike lanes are often also more risky regarding dooring. On the roadway you can keep a distance to parked cars as there is enough space to do so. Seperated bike lanes that are "parking protected" are usually too narrow to keep a distance so you can only hope the distance is built in with a safety space between parked cars and the cycle path. Also you are passing cars on the right side which on the one hand means less opening doors but also more careless opening of doors than on the left side. I agree on the taking/controling the lane. There are lots of drivers who will pass you with half a foot distance if they can. There are almost no drivers that will run you over if you ride two feet more to the left and they can't overtake. And you stay clear of the dooring zone. I usually ride in the middle of a lane and move to the right if there is no oncoming traffic and overtaking me is safe. This way I signal to motorists, that I don't want to have them stuck behind me but just to be patient until it is safe to overtake me. Most of the time people understand this and some even thank me for assisting in their safe overtaking. Some also get furious, but they are probably the ones that would have pushed me off the road had they had enough space for a super close pass. Taking the lane means more getting yelled at but less getting squeezed between vehicles or pushed off the road. So taking the lane is always the best way to go.

[@LilBoyHexley]

As is the constant refrain. Anyone designing bike infrastructure on an urban planning committee needs to be saying out loud "would I be comfortable with my 10 year old child using this?"

[@eurosonly]

Not to mention that painted bike lanes tend to have the habit of just ending when the road gets too narrow and blend into the side walk and because it is illegal to ride on the side walk, you have to ride in the road space and drivers get mad because you're taking their road space.

[@recyclespinning9839]

What I have found in riding on the road is that some streets you just want to stay off of .,,, some streets have no space for a bike and this is going to create a problem with car drivers..

[@0GodJudges0]

I think one factor that was overlooked was the fact that these were roads with multiple lanes in both directions. In the residential roads with little traffic, motorists could drive on the opposite side of the road, but in the busy streets, they would feel uncomfortable encroaching on the adjacent lane while cars are next to them.

[@BernhardErnst]

Here in Cape Town are certain roads where you will find cars on the painted cycling lanes just because someone from the me-first society wants to be home or at work a few seconds earlier during heavy traffic. Some sidewalk cycling lanes are an issue as well because of rough surfaces, thorns and pedestrians that are not aware of their surroundings.

[@webcelt]

Hard to argue with actual data, but my personal experience was different to start with. I was commuting to downtown through a large city when the city marked its first bike lanes. I hadn't seen them before, and then one day they appeared on the streets I used. They felt much safer. Maybe the driving lanes were narrowed or reduced. This was the 1990's so I don't recall clearly, but they felt like a huge improvement. I still feel safer in painted lanes, generally. That could be because there were other changes to those particular streets I was unaware of. One downside I did see was when lanes were new on a street, drivers would stop over the lanes instead of pulling all the way over to the curb when they need to pull over briefly, even when there was plenty of space at the curb. The riskiest option is probably painting the lanes on the left side of one-way streets, because drivers didn't expect traffic on the left and sometimes turned over the lanes. I once got hit that way. Another consideration though, how does snow get cleared from protected lanes? Painted lanes get plowed with the rest of the street.

[@claytonr.young-music912]

Or the rest of the street gets plowed onto painted lanes depending on the city.

[@bradleydawson9043]

The painted line is where road maintenance ends and trash pick up begins. Often on the pickup days the containers are in the bike lane instead of on the curb. I do see people coming pretty close with the paint lanes. A study showed that motorist tended to pass farther away if the cyclist wobbled a bit. But the back streets that aren't very wide, maybe 2 1/2 - 3 car widths cars have passed me on the left side of the road with oncoming traffic! Can't wait for two or three seconds for the oncoming traffic to pass. And of course, if they have to swerve back right to avoid head on collision and I'm in the way, too bad. And the motorist is never held accountable for those types of incidents. I feel safer on roads without the paint.

[@roystonsuev]

I prefer separated bike lane however if the decision is for painted bike lanes perhaps the painted bike lanes need to be wider because if cars are too close even though they are not touching the bike lane strip seems the division of roadway isn’t working for safety.

[@rajnadar6555]

Separated is the only answer...drivers will still drive/park on painted bike lanes...it is really not an answer...just the illusion of one.

[@electricboi9319]

I don't see an issue with wide bike lanes, or if not wide then at least have a buffer zone between it and car traffic, then I don't have anything against bike lanes actually

[@philmay8651]

Good Video although i noticed no Bus or Truck Traffic, These instances i do find scary especially due to the feeling of being sucked in to larger Vehicles.

[@stuartperry8141]

I lived in areas where they have no lines at all on busy roads. So many times I have been afraid to ride on those because drivers often do not allow you on the road.

[@alexh2065]

2:47 anytime a driver gives me that much distance when driving pass me I want to catch him up and give him a high five. So much respect for those people!

[@zivkovicable]

Yes it's rare here in London...So when a London cab driver pulled off a perfect overtake the other day actually giving me more space than required by law, I did catch him up, & thanked him...The old boy said "I treat all cyclists like they were my children"...It nearly brought a tear to my eye..

[@Dark__Thoughts]

In Germany, the law says 1,50 meters within cities, 2 meters outside of cities. That's from the handlebars for most bikes of course, maybe the cargo area of cargo bikes or trailers if they're wider. Obviously most car drivers do not abide by that… On top of that as a rider you should keep around 50 cm to a full meter distance to the sidewalk, and definitely a meter from parked cars. So, effectively a car would have to change into a second or the opposite lane to legally take you over in a safe way on almost every street out there, which wouldn't even make a difference for oncoming traffic since they already are halfway onto that lane even on close overtakes. Could be nice and easy in theory, but too many people don't care or are straight up hostile towards you, and a good portion does not even register that you're there. As far as bike lanes go… New ones have to be wide enough, I think also about 1,60 meters minimum, but better about 2 meters wide (one direction btw). That's almost a full lane for cars, so you either take one of those away, or the on street parking if it is there. It's also wide enough to add proper separations like a curb, or bollards. Usually however they're too small, have no proper separation and are usually blocked by some idiot parking on them, which means you would have to thread yourself back into traffic, which is very dangerous. I'm always glad when I see good car drivers, passing with enough distance, and do not bully you if there isn't enough space, but the fact that this isn't the norm is also kind of a sad fact. 5:08 those rain inlets there are super dangerous, because the slit goes parallel with the direction of the bike. Thin tires from people with road bikes can easily get stuck in those and fall down.

[@JustaGuy_Gaming]

I think a lot of it is space. If there is no adjacent traffic in a two lane road they give the bike lane more space. Same with a one lane road with no on coming traffic. But if a driver has to choose between crowding a bike lane and hitting another car they will run you off the road.

[@briangibb7363]

Painted bike lanes are often on only one side of the street. That means that half the time you’re riding the wrong way. Drivers entering from the left from cross streets or driveways often only look to their left for oncoming traffic.

[@whazzat8015]

Wow!! they sweep the bike lanes in Calgary! Here the combination of road hazards, potholes that would take a frozen turkey, edge traps parked cars, and garbage cans are considered archetectural accents for the bike lanes.

[@jellybeansi]

See, all those passes in the beginning half of the video might *seem* safe enough to me; decent distance and all that, but... Then I remember how many drivers on a daily basis that I see texting and driving, or just distracted in general. And it only takes one driver to drift into the lane and for disaster to ensue. Definitely not enough to have painted/unprotected lanes. At least for me.

[@BillOweninOttawa]

I live on a winter painted, warm weather flex-poled, bike lane on a one-way street. The street also has traffic calming 'humps' that end about a meter from the curb on either side. I see car after car swerve into the bike lanes so as to partly avoid the hump. They do that for blocks. It's ridiculous, dangerous, and worse, stupid.

[@Vid-FX]

1 metre = 3' 3" Painted bike lanes equal free parking.

[@jefftitterington7600]

I noticed the close encounters were on roads with multiple car lanes - the drivers could not move over without hitting another car / truck. It would also be a factor where painted lines are added to existing streets - everyone has less room to maneuver. The worst I saw was a stretch of school bus route with parking on both sides and two traffic lanes and no pretence of a bike lane. No wiggle room, especially when buses and parents were taking students to class. A couple of times I "took back the lane" but I usually timed my ride to avoid that stretch at that time.

[@GreaterJan]

I live in Germany and traditionally red bike lanes have been on sidewalks, but around ten years ago they started replacing them with painted bicycle gutters on the road because they are supposedly "safer". But I never felt this way, and cars basically have to cross into the other lane to get around a bicycle as well. To get into my street I have to perform a heinous left turn where I basically have to stop in the middle of the street to wait for passing cars (which wouldn't happen when riding on the sidewalk) and I got extremely close to getting hit there one time when I rode home from school.

[@odo324]

Near where I live, in Peoria IL, a section of ForrestHill had converted a car-lane into a bike-lane with a painted divider space which I've never seen anywhere else (not even in videos). I'm not a biker of any kind (fear of traffic) but it started me thinking about car-less infrastructure (and watching 'Not Just Bikes') and what it might take to make such areas safe. ... Already thinking up ways to fund divider blocks (with those plastic fins) in that stretch and also potential development of the busy intersection with University St. It seems overwhelming tho ~ lots of things to learn & money already being diverted to "renovation" projects elsewhere.

[@madcyclist58]

The reason I shave my legs is to give that extra little bit of space for passing cars.

[@SoupCannot]

Not sure I agree with your "stands to reason..." at the end -- one effect of painted bike lanes may be to make motorists more likely to *expect* to see bikes and actually look for them, thus reducing collisions. For me, the truly close calls I've had were because a motorist just did not see me at all

[@IanPeters1966]

Here in Portland Victoria Australia, with painted bike lanes cars definitely pass closer than non-painted. But Portland is about 50 years behind when it comes to bike infrastructure. Enjoying your channel, and the informative videos.

[@texabara]

I am from Puerto Rico. No street bikelanes (except on tourist areas). I commute on 🚲 to work. The legal distance is 3 feet here. I use a lot of the service lane and marginal streets (those that run parallel to the main avenue). Since 2005 (commuting) my only real problem are stray dogs and idiots at the intersections. Salutes! 🇵🇷

[@michaelvanleeuwen3802]

6:04 I will shame this guy, if he has bad judgement he shouldn't have such a large vehicle. We should hold drivers to a higher standard as their capacity for damage is much greater. I hate this trend of larger and larger cars and trucks, and I think we should have a weight tax on car sales.

[@snatchin5673]

you must be a government plant

[@enjoyslearningandtravel7957]

I agree‘s. There’s been a trend of larger and larger cars such as SUVs. People used to drive sedans more and now since more people have bought SUVs then other people feel like they should have them also to be safer. I am for weight tax on the larger cars and trucks. They also do more damage to the roads.

[@38dragoon38]

I've always said that, before people take their driving tests, they should be made to complete an hour long cycle route through rush hour traffic.

[@cdgonepotatoes4219]

Reason why they're unsafe imo is because often they're just painted over the old road WITHOUT an expansion of the road beforehand, as a result the car's lane is tighter and they're forced to pass so close. Bike lanes are prioritized over roads in which people find close passes problematic, problem is, drawing an additional line does NOT fix the close pass issue and in fact sometimes the road is too tight and the vehicle will have to invade the bike lane to make a turn. Separated bike lanes often are consequence of new roads, expansions or conversion of a lane so you have plenty of space both for the car and the bike so it's not an issue.

[@jared9962]

I'm in Fort Myers, FL. One bike lane is next to a right lane to the interstate. The cars drive through the lanes when no bikes are using it.

[@flyshacker]

Surprising info about painted bike lanes! I will be more careful on my bike and driving my car when I see painted bike lanes.

[@doriandouma]

notice it's not just the presence or absence of a bike lane that's changing people's passing distances, it's the presence or absence of other lanemarkers like a center line... I find that on roads with center lines, drivers are hesitant to cross them, so they'll err on the side of passing me too close, and their speeds are also higher... so there's a lot of roads that could be made safer for everyone not by adding special cycling facilities of any kind, but actually by removing the center lines

[@NevermindXY]

I always ride on the white line itself as the lanes usually don't meet requirements for minimum safe distances to the right. All the other cars can only go by when there is really space and I rarely have tight encounters with other vehicles.

[@victorvannatter312]

From what I saw, mostly the roads with a bike lane were 2 lane roads. So the people in the right lane often could not move over any without going into the other lane. Yes they could slow down and change lanes, but I think that’s mostly why in this case. I live in a rural area with a lot of curves and hills. There really is no safe areas to ride unfortunately

[@tomrodgers6629]

I use sidewalks when its safe to do so. A pedestrian can hear me call out "on your left" even when their face is in their phone. Drivers with their face in their phones can not hear or see me. Most cities and towns will continue to use the painted bike lanes because it is cost effective. The painted line is better then nothing because if you are hit and live you can prove you were not at fault. I live in a state that has a four feet rule when passing a cyclist. No one pays attention to it. I have had people race to get in front of me to make a right across the bike lane feet in front of me where I had to jump on my brakes. Yeah, its sidewalks when ever possible. unless of course there is a proper bicycle track.

[@Kevin15047]

Had the same thing happened to me about a month ago. After I squeeze my brakes for all I'm worth, the driver just looks at me with this shock on his face. Like, was he expecting I was just going to vanish into thin air? Because physics doesn't really allow that.

[@amelia-rose2992]

We need more seperated bike lanes. Everyone should feel safe riding their bike.

[@Soundbrigade]

In most places in our (Swedish) towns, bike lanes are separated from the cars by a curb, so there’s extremely small risk of getting hit by a car. The problems appears in crossings, where motorists sometime fail to check if there are cyclists in the lane they just will cross. Also in the cases where there’s a G/C-lane (bike/pedestrian) pedestrians do often not respect the bikers, and are all over the bike lane. And finally, motorists use the bike lanes to park their cars (for short periods) and, if biking, you end up with a roadblock and have to choose to divert into the traffic or hit for the sidewalk. One interesting fact (over here) is that the pedestrian crossings are the most dangerous places, because pedestrians expect motorists to stop and let them pass (mandatory), but the pedestrians doesn’t realise that a driver cannot stop his car instantly if someone steps out 3 meters in front of it. The same may apply to the painted bike lanes - you expect to be safe and secure JUST BECAUSE of a white line.

[@transgirl420]

One thing that really upsets me is when the city puts up those big portable signs with messages to car drives like 'slow down' or 'wear a seatbelt', but they just put it in the middle of the bicycle 'lane' and completely blocking it. Like, if your trying to send a message to cars, why not just block the car lane instead? If they're going to fast or whatever, they should have to deal with their lane being blocked, not us.

[@colingregory7464]

Our painted lanes (sometimes the surface is painted affecting grip) tend to be smaller than these and often full of grit cast off the main carriageway, tends to mean you need to edge the lane, also they tend to be on the outside which means they cross our left turns (your right) often in a blind spot, they also have a tendency to fade out randomly because they were being used as a method of traffic control rather than as a benefit to the cyclist, I know of a few 10 to 20 yard bike lanes

[@romanmentor9238]

Where I live they made a painted bike lane and a a painted parking space nearby,so when the line gets erased,by rain,snow,etc.,cars start to park on the bike lane making it unusable

[@howdy832]

Having grown up without any bike infrastructure (partially due to small towns) and moving to painted bike gutters, those separated lanes feel like a fantasy.

[@anticyclingclub]

It's hard to find any channels that do bike commuting in North America. You are helping me a lot with information and situations specific to North America's bad infrastructure in ways that people like NotJustBikes basically only tells you "North America Bad, Netherlands good" and doesn't really give any sort of good info to those who don't really have an option to just move to a different country because the bike infrastructure sucks.

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Thank you so much for the support. I appreciate it, and it really helps keep this channel going.

[@dennisverweij4817]

There are a few things I want to comment on in here. What struck me as someone who lives in the Netherlands is what you said around the 2:55 mark, in which you say "this is a wonderful motorist or a cyclist who happens to be driving a car". This is really a North American point of view, while here in the Netherlands, a cyclist and a motorists are one and the same, I know Canada lags a lot behind, but I hope this dutch point of view will slowly become the Canadian one as well, it would help kill this war between the two that seems to be happening. The second being, have you heard of the red cup project protesting that "Paint is not enough" that has been happening in America since so many cyclists die from drivers crossing that painted line? Oh, and I still find the separated bike lanes in Canada look a bit weird compared to the dutch, almost a bit like a last minute afterthought. But nice they are there, but I rather have a hedge than poles everywhere.

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Thanks for the comments. We have a long way to go before we match the Dutch, but you guys certainly give us something to aspire to. And I’m sometime reluctant to classify people as “motorist” or “cyclist” because it’s an oversimplification, but unfortunately that seems to be the perspectives many of us have still.

[@dennisverweij4817]

@@Shifter_Cycling oh I know, I grew up in southwestern Ontario, and I visit it every year. I certainly remember getting a McDonald's soda thrown at me by a passing car when I was cycling on a concession road. I'm always confused when I come back to canada that the new bike paths they do put in, they don't seem to take away some important lessons the dutch have already learn, like swan necking at intersections.

[@drakewalters2618]

Decided to test my local stroad outside my neighborhood… man, was that scary. Went 5.5 miles south. Needless to say, I decided to take a different route coming back.

[@Partaz]

As someone who lives near Calgary, the city does a pretty good job at avoiding the use of painted bike lanes, and prioritizing completely separated bike paths. There's a newer city very close to Calgary called Airdrie, and they don't have any painted bike lanes, and only use separated paths. Not that Airdries's bike infrastructure is good.

[@maureen4056]

Normally, I try and use bike trails as much as possible, but when it's available, I prefer bike lanes and sharing residential roads. The problem is, the bike lanes we have available where I live are the painted ones, but I still feel safe in them. Sometimes, the cars don't have a choice, because they're either passing someone on the right or being passed and can't move over more. I'm just glad no one's tried to run me over. Hopefully, it never happens. On really busy main roads, if there's a wide sidewalk, I prefer to use that than be on the road with the higher speed limits. That's been my experience and I've enjoyed it more than driving.

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

In my town we handle bike lanes quire unusually, we don’t have any painted bicycle gutters but unfortunately we have very few separate bike lanes either, although we do have tons of cycle paths outside of the town. Instead, we have double width pavements with one half being for bikes and the other for people, using each other’s lane as a passing point if you need to, which works well as we don’t have huge amounts of pedestrian traffic on pavements outside of the denser areas since we have a good bus network. Unfortunately, 12 years of funding cuts and Tory-induced austerity has left them without maintenance, and 40 years of council neglect has made them even worse, they’re fine for pedestrians but in a bike the unstable surface made of 3 different materials that’s been shoddily repaired numerous times can be quite uncomfortable, and my dad even prefers to just cycle in the road since traffic isn’t too serious here and he usually rides on country roads without bike lanes or significant traffic. I feel like these could be a good compromise if they were maintained properly, and are already significantly better than painted bicycle gutters even if they’re bumpy and uncomfortable.