On Fri, 11 Feb 2005 19:59:02 -0800, Scott en Aztl‡n
They are on the roads I ride if they are obeying the speed limit.
Except that it isn't.
You have to ride at least 18" - 2ft from the kerb to keep upright and to avoid hitting potholes, drains and debris. Once you've added the width of the handlebars you've only got a few inches of the lane left - and experience shows that drivers who will give you a reasonable berth on an unmarked road will skim by right on the line when there is a cycle lane because you are not in their lane, not their problem.
There are plenty of documented instances where cyclists have been end or seriously injured as a result of car drivers pbutting too close - not even hitting them, just pbutting too close. In New Zealand, if memory serves, it is illegal to overtake a cyclist with less than 1.5m clearance. Can you see that happening when the cyclist is riding on a 4ft wide red strip? Adequate pbutting distance goes out of the window once the white line is painted on the road.
It is very rare indeed to get anything like the usual pbutting clearance from motor vehicles when using a narrow cycle lane. Guy -- May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
85% of helmet statistics are made up, 68 plus 1% of them at CHS, Puget Sound