I was recently driving through the crushing traffic of Brooklyn, NY, a place that one might not necessarily associate with bike lanes.  But as I drove, I realized that bike lanes were everywhere, only they were being ignored by drivers.  On a recent drive up Bedford Avenue, cars swerved with abandon into the demarcated bike lane to gain any slight traffic advantage.  In downtown Brooklyn, near Long Island College Hospital where I sometimes work, some bike lanes are painted green.  This simple visual cue is sufficient to prevent most vehicles from encroaching.

As I drove (yes, I need to drive when in Brooklyn), I thought that the first step in transforming our roads into pedestrian and bicycle friendly venues should be maximizing the value of the lanes that we already have.  I propose that all bike lanes be physically separated from the auto lane with flexible orange plastic dividers such as seen dividing lanes at toll booths or in tunnels (you can see some suitable products at http://www.swareflex.cn/en/prod_1.htm ).  At a minimum, bike lanes should be painted with a clear visual signal, such as painting the entire lane green, to discourage use by vehicles.

In some areas, an issue with protecting the bike lane is access to the curb for parallel parking of cars.  If the bike lane is protected from the vehicle lane then cars will not be able to access curbside parking.  I propose that car parking be shifted to what is now the bicycle lane and that the bicycle lane be moved closest to the curb in the space previously occupied by parked cars.  This will fully protect the bike lane, as cars from the vehicular lane could not pass through a row of parked cars.  The danger of this plan is that drivers will disregard the bike lane and treat it as an invitation to double-park.  Therefore, even in this curbside location, the bike lane needs to be protected with a physical barrier.  Also, any encroachment into the bike lane for parking should be met with high fines and strict enforcement.  Think what would happen to your car if you “parked” it in a lane on a busy road.  The bike lane should be no less sacred.

Michael Ehrenreich

CEO

SOMA Cycle, Inc.

d/b/a Zigo

http://wwww.myzigo.com