Before & after bike ghettos
 

On 10/18/2010 11:00 PM, Phil W Lee wrote:
Frank considered Mon, 18 Oct 2010

Even then, the usual lane widths permit me to pass stopped cars very
slowly if I choose to do so. (And doing so at speed would be risky in
any case.) When cars are stopped, it takes less than 3 feet of space
for me to ride through slowly. I don't see motorists randomly queuing
so crookedly as to prevent that much passage space.

It isn't random - it's deliberate.
They can't make progress, so they try to block anyone else from making
progress either.

I agree that one of the big benefits to bike lanes in the city is the
enhanced ability to get by long lines of car traffic.

Sometimes the blocking is deliberate, sometimes it's a result of
motorists splitting a lane at the head of the line, squeezing in to
block the road from curb to median. This is even very common in the
semi-urban streets of my home town.

Before & after bike ghettos
 

"Peter Cole" wrote in message ...
On 10/18/2010 11:00 PM, Phil W Lee wrote:
Frank considered Mon, 18 Oct 2010

Even then, the usual lane widths permit me to pass stopped cars very
slowly if I choose to do so. (And doing so at speed would be risky in
any case.) When cars are stopped, it takes less than 3 feet of space
for me to ride through slowly. I don't see motorists randomly queuing
so crookedly as to prevent that much passage space.

It isn't random - it's deliberate.
They can't make progress, so they try to block anyone else from making
progress either.

I agree that one of the big benefits to bike lanes in the city is the
enhanced ability to get by long lines of car traffic.

Sometimes the blocking is deliberate, sometimes it's a result of
motorists splitting a lane at the head of the line, squeezing in to
block the road from curb to median. This is even very common in the
semi-urban streets of my home town.

Same here. In fact if the congestion is close to a turn, it seems that
cars will tend toward the curb if they plan to turn right. This is not
an occasional thing but something that I deal with every day on
certain portions of roads I have to use for my commute. I usually
have no choice but to queue with the cars and busses and breath
their carbon monoxide.

Since cars can't drive in bike lanes here, the bike lane prevents this.