As a California bicyclist, you deserve to experience safety on the roadways. Already, bicyclists understand the importance of taking extra care on the roadways. They have safety gear and tend to exhibit more awareness while amongst other vehicles. The question of safety is on every bicyclist’s mind. Are your protected bike lanes as safe as you think? Forbes reports that there may be a high injury risk when it comes to street level protected lanes.
Designers do not create all bike lanes equally. If you are using a protected bike lane on street level, then you are more likely to cross paths with intersections, driveways and other areas where vehicle interaction is inevitable. In addition, bicyclists may also encounter pedestrians. Pedestrians can step into bike lanes and result in falls and accidents.
On bike lanes raised from the roadway or separate from the road, the risk of injury is much lower. Of course, protected bike lanes can still prevent serious accidents from occurring. This does not mean that a bicyclist should focus less on safety when utilizing these lanes.
The theory as to why these lanes may be unsafe has more to do with how many junctions the lane has and how easy it is for pedestrians to enter the lane. The solution may be in the design of the bike lane or the infrastructure around the lane. The truth is that most bicyclists feel safer on roadways that have protected bike lanes.
The above article is supposed to inform on the issue of protected cycleways. It is in no way intended as legal advice.