Bike Lanes are Stupid and Other Stories

So somehow Austin got this rep of being really friendly to cyclists. One thing is there are a ton of cyclists here. Lance Armstrong has ties to Austin. Also they have bike lanes all over the city. Bike lanes are a good thing right? Well, you're wrong.

First of all bike lanes seem to facilitate a mindset in drivers that bikers aren't vehicles on the road, and they belong in bike lanes. It demotes cyclists to second class road citizens.

Second, bike lane placement is terrible. This is a three part point. First they seem to end at the worst places. The lane on Guadalupe only goes sporadically on sections of the road, so you have to merge with cars. This is especially a problem at the intersection of either 24th or 25th i'm not sure, where the bike lane ends. You are at a light and you have to merge with traffic. They are not happy about this usually as you merge at 10 miles an hour in between Daddy's Escalade and the Ford 350 towing the horses. Second, the lanes are either on the side of the road in the gutter or between the road and the parking lanes. I was just riding back from lunch up Guadalupe, and you pretty much fall into the curb because of how cracked up the side of the road is. Not to mention the fact that the sides of the roads seemed to be banked more, so physics tells your bike it wants to ride in the gutter. All the glass and debris gets pushed into the bike lane too. I have some tires with a layer of kevlar, but I still get flats when I hit chunks of glass. If they are between the road and the parking lanes then you just have problems with parked cars pulling into you, people stopping to park, and getting doored. Third, if you're riding on the right side of the road, how do you make a left turn. You have to merge into two lanes of traffic, and then make your turn. Usually merging into traffic when there's a perfectly suitable bike lane does not sit well with drivers. Why would you drive in their lane?

So, what's the solution?
Riding in traffic. Once you get over the fear that someone is going to jack you from behind, you have to get over the fear that someone's going to jack you from the side. But seriously, if you obey the laws, assert your position on the road, use signals and lights, and can overcome the fear of the corolla screaming by that won't hit you, riding on the road is the safest place for cyclists, drivers, and pedestrians. For now.

This does bring up a new point though. This system sucks for the roads to run efficiently.

Right now you have a pretty good system most of the time for motor vehicles. Theres a successful interface that includes lanes, signals, and signs. Then you also have a successful system for pedestrians. There are side walks along streets (well, if you live in the city) and crosswalks and signals marked at the intersection of the motor vehicle system and pedestrian system. These two systems are divided as such because of the capabilities and usages of motor vehicles vs. pedestrians. Theres a third system that is also starting to be implemented in some places for cyclists. Right now, though, it kind of just uses the same system for the motor vehicles, and then not even all the time. Like when the lane runs out.

This same idea also extends into the world of the law. There should be different laws for drivers and cyclists, just like there are different laws for drivers and pedestrians. I got pulled over in Newtown, Cincinnati, Ohio for running a stop sign. The problem with this is that I have to put a lot more energy from my body into coming to a complete stop than a motor vehicle does. So I ran the stop sign and the cop was a dick about it. I found out that that infraction could have gone on my driving record. A four year old can ride a bike. Are they going to fine them on their driving record? O yeah, and the cop had it in my mind that the reason people get thrown stuff at on bikes is their own fault. Yeah, when i see someone breaking a law I throw a bag of day old fast food at them. WTF? Since when is vigilante law accepted? Batman doesn't throw fast food at the Joker.

Anyway my point being is that cars, bikes, and pedestrians are three different forms of transportation with about two and half systems to accommodate them both in infrastructure and legally. We need to rethink how everyone can get places with their chosen mode. One thing I said before is until then we gotta respect each other.