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This post is about some of the main benefits of separate bike lanes for cyclists. Benefit #4 may surprise you! Benefits include safety, and the perception of safety. And other stuff too, such as simply having fun!<\/p>\n
It seems clear to us that as far as possible, motorists and cyclists should not<\/em> share space. We don’t ask people to walk on the street – and then pass a law that requires them to wear walking helmets, pretending these will magically save them from being killed by huge vehicles. Instead, we build sidewalks so that people can walk in relative safety. Now, we just have to build separated bike lanes as well, so that people can ride bikes safely.<\/p>\n Yet some people argue that building separated bike lanes is unnecessary. Simply force everyone to obey the law at all times, and cyclists will be safe, they say. However, forcing people to comply with the law 100% of the time is not actually possible. There has never been an instance of this approach succeeding in keeping cyclists and pedestrians safe. On the other hand, researchers have discovered some surprising benefits of separated bike lanes.<\/p>\n Of course, separated bike lanes are far safer. Mixing up vulnerable cyclists with larger vehicles results in many deaths and injuries.<\/p>\nBenefit #1: Separate Bikes Lanes are Safer<\/h2>\n