On 21 Mar 2005 18:37:02 -0800, wrote:


PMDavis wrote:
On Mon, 21 Mar 2005 15:57:41 -0600, Pat Lamb
wrote:

I haven't ridden in a decent bike lane, where by "decent" I mean
well-maintained, well-planned, of adequate width, or safe. But I
haven't ridden on all bike lanes. Where do you find these wonderful
lanes?


All new state roads in florida are required to have a four foot wide
bike travel lane built and striped each direction. It's the outside
lane on all roadways and drivers know to watch for bikes there.

"Know to watch for bikes there?"

Personally, I don't see how a stipe of paint makes me more noticeable.
The only times I've had motorists fail to notice me, a bike lane would
have hurt, not helped. By that I mean: I'm most visible when I'm in
the middle of the trafel lane, not skulking at the road edge. So I
move to the middle of the travel lane if there's doubt about my
visibility.

But if you really want some paint to tell motorists to watch for bikes,
please keep the paint on "Share the Road" signs. At least they won't
cause trash and glass to be collected where I'm supposed to ride. They
won't complicate my maneuvers at intersections, where most accidents
happen. And they won't confuse motorists into thinking I'm not allowed
left of some arbitrary stripe.


I doubt that you are riding in Florida, where intentionally targeting
bike riders is considered good sport.