Bike lane

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Cycle lane in the Alps Cycle lane in France in the Alps.jpg
Cycle lane in the Alps
Class IV separated bike way in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the physical division for this particular bike way is the line of parked cars. Older woman with flowers protected bike lane boston.jpg
Class IV separated bike way in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the physical division for this particular bike way is the line of parked cars.

Bike lanes (US) or cycle lanes (UK) are types of bikeways (cycleways) with lanes on the roadway for cyclists only. In the United Kingdom, an on-road cycle-lane can be firmly restricted to cycles (marked with a solid white line, entry by motor vehicles is prohibited) or advisory (marked with a broken white line, entry by motor vehicles is permitted). In the United States, a designated bicycle lane (1988 MUTCD) or class II bikeway (Caltrans) is always marked by a solid white stripe on the pavement and is for 'preferential use' by bicyclists. There is also a class III bicycle route, which has roadside signs suggesting a route for cyclists, and urging sharing the road. A class IV separated bike way (Caltrans) is a bike lane that is physically separate from motor traffic and restricted to bicyclists only.

Contents

Research shows that separated bike lanes improve the safety of bicyclists, [1] [2] and either have positive or non-significant economic effects on nearby businesses. [3] [4]

Effects

Bike lane separated by plastic delineators New Orleans Protected Bike Lane - Marconi Drive New Orleans Jan 2020.jpg
Bike lane separated by plastic delineators New Orleans
A van parked in an unprotected bike lane Van blocking a bike lane on Union Avenue in Campbell.jpg
A van parked in an unprotected bike lane

In a 2024 assessment of existing research, the U.S. Department of Transportation concluded that "separated bicycle lanes have an overall improved safety performance." [1]

According to a 2019 study, cities with separated bike lanes had 44% fewer road fatalities and 50% fewer serious injuries from crashes. The relationship was particularly strong in cities where bike lanes were separated from car lanes with physical barriers. [2] [5]

Research published in 2020 showed insights from communities where on-road cycling for transportation is less common, particularly in the Southeast U.S. and reported that potential bikers say separated bike lanes would make them more likely to participate in active transportation. [6] However, scientific research indicates that different groups of cyclists show varying preferences of which aspects of cycling infrastructure are most relevant when choosing a specific cycling route over another; thus, to maximize use, these different groups of cyclists have to be taken into account. [7]

A 2019 study which examined the replacement of 136 on-street parking spots with a bike lane on the Bloor Street retail corridor in Toronto, Canada, found that it increased monthly customer spending and the number of customers on the street. [8] [4] These findings run contrary to a popular sentiment that bike lanes have an adverse effect on local economic activity. [8]

A 2021 review of existing research found that closing car lanes and replacing them with bike lanes or pedestrian lanes had positive or non-significant economic effects on nearby businesses. [3]

United States

Contra flow bike lane in Cambridge, Massachusetts Contra flow bike lane Cambridge MA.agr.jpg
Contra flow bike lane in Cambridge, Massachusetts

According to the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) bike lanes are an exclusive space for cyclists by using pavement markings and signage. [9] Bike lanes flow in the same direction as motor vehicle traffic and is located adjacent to vehicle movement. Conventional bike lanes provide limited buffer space between vehicles cyclists, as those with protective space are referred to as buffered-bike lanes. Buffered bike lanes are similar to conventional lanes but provide a buffered space between vehicles and cyclists hence the name. [10] The extra space can be between moving vehicles and/or parked vehicles and is typically 3-foot wide (0.91 m), the width of a car door. Contra-Flow Bike Lanes allow cyclists to travel in the opposite direction of vehicle traffic flow. Contra-Flow lanes are found on one-way streets that then allow two-way directional traffic for cyclists. Left-Side Bike Lanes are lanes placed on the left side of one-way streets, or along a median on two-way divided streets.[ citation needed ]

Marking guide for bike lanes Fig9c 03.gif
Marking guide for bike lanes

The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (FHA) gives standards of how bike lanes should be implemented regarding pavement markings and signage. These can include the word, symbol, and arrow size to be used in a bike lane and the width of the lane itself, which ranges from 5–7 feet. [12] Cities across America are actively expanding their amount of bike lanes, such as in Boston, Massachusetts, where they have created city-wide goals, Go Boston 2030, to increase their bike network.

Europe

Bike lane in Netherlands Verkeersdrempel Rijnstraat Oudorp.JPG
Bike lane in Netherlands

In France, segregated cycling facilities on the carriageway are called bande cyclable, those beside the carriageway or totally independent ones piste cyclable, all together voie cyclable. [13] In Belgium, traffic laws do not distinguish cycle lanes from cyclepaths. Cycle lanes are marked by two parallel broken white lines, and they are defined as being "not wide enough to allow use by motor vehicles". There is some confusion possible here: both in French (piste cyclable) and in Dutch (fietspad) the term for these lanes can also denote a segregated cycle track, marked by a road sign; the cycle lane is therefore often referred to as a "piste cyclable marquée" (in French) or a "gemarkeerd fietspad" (in Dutch), i.e. a cycle lane/track which is "marked" (i.e. identified by road markings) rather than one which is identified by a road sign. In the Netherlands the cycle lane is normally called "fietsstrook" instead of "fietspad".[ citation needed ]

Asia

Bike lane separated by parked cars in Hakusan, Japan Door zone bike lane on Hakusan-dori Ave. in Hakusan.jpg
Bike lane separated by parked cars in Hakusan, Japan

Commuting via bicycle is quite common in some Asian countries like Japan, in which bicycle ridership has been increasing dramatically since the 1970's. [14] Despite this fact however, many parts of Japan have been slow to adopting effective and safe means of transport,[ citation needed ] so in recent times there have been steps taken to promote biking in the nation's largest city, Tokyo. Many bike lanes in Tokyo have been constructed to allow the two directional flow of traffic in only one lane but add a physical separation between pedestrians, bike lanes, and the roads. [15] In addition to these types of bike lanes, there are other forms of bike lanes within various parts of the Tokyo wards that do not protect bicycle users from pedestrians but do from the road. These lanes are designated typically with signs overhead and some form of painted line to denote a lane for pedestrians and a lane for bikers, yet these rules are often not adhered to. [15] In addition to these forms of bike lanes in Tokyo, there are several other types which mostly consist of some alteration of the aforementioned two, or are simply just painted lanes on the side of the road. [15] In other parts of Japan, such as the city of Fukuoka, there are clear types of bike lanes being implemented to promote biking in the city: "Bicycle roads, Bicycle lanes, Sidewalks shared between pedestrians and cyclists with markings, and Sidewalks shared with pedestrian with no markings." [16]

Other countries in Asia like China have larger networks of bike paths and lanes dedicated for cycling infrastructure. The city of Nanjing, China has several types of bike lanes: protected, unprotected, and shared lanes. [17] These lanes are similar to that of other nations, in which the separated bike lanes are done either through physical barriers of some form or are entirely separate street paths. Unprotected bike lanes are painted on the street with vehicles but denote their own lane, and shared bike lanes are not denoted but implied that bikes shall share the entirety of the road with cars on that stretch of land. [17] In addition, Chinese bike usage is relatively high compared to other nations, and as such, cycling is taken into account when designing interchanges on the road. [18] As such, many interchanges include various paths for bicycle users to take so that they do not have to come into direct contact with motorized vehicles. [18] Lastly, there has been increasing concern over the nature of biking accidents in China; a case study in Shanghai found that a desperate need for the shifting of bicycle lane type to protected from unprotected is the most needed change in particular. [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Forester (cyclist)</span> English industrial engineer and bicycle activist (1929–2020)

John Forester was an English-American industrial engineer, specializing in bicycle transportation engineering. A cycling activist, he was known as "the father of vehicular cycling", for creating the Effective Cycling program of bicycle training along with its associated book of the same title, and for coining the phrase "the vehicular cycling principle" – "Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles". His published works also included Bicycle Transportation: A Handbook for Cycling Transportation Engineers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vehicular cycling</span> Practice of riding bicycles on roads while obeying roadway rules

Vehicular cycling is the practice of riding bicycles on roads in a manner that is in accordance with the principles for driving in traffic. The phrase vehicular cycling was coined by John Forester in the 1970s. In his book Effective Cycling, Forester contends that "Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles".

A wide outside lane (WOL) or wide curb lane (WCL) is an outermost lane of a roadway that is wide enough to be safely shared side by side by a bicycle and a wider motor vehicle at the same time. The terms are used by cyclists and bicycle transportation planners in the United States. Generally, the minimum-width standard for a WOL in the US is 14 feet. A wide outside through lane (WOTL) is a WOL that is intended for use by through traffic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bicycle transportation planning and engineering</span>

Bicycle transportation planning and engineering are the disciplines related to transportation engineering and transportation planning concerning bicycles as a mode of transport and the concomitant study, design and implementation of cycling infrastructure. It includes the study and design of dedicated transport facilities for cyclists as well as mixed-mode environments and how both of these examples can be made to work safely. In jurisdictions such as the United States it is often practiced in conjunction with planning for pedestrians as a part of active transportation planning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bicycle safety</span> Safety practices to reduce risk associated with cycling

Bicycle safety is the use of road traffic safety practices to reduce risk associated with cycling. Risk can be defined as the number of incidents occurring for a given amount of cycling. Some of this subject matter is hotly debated: for example, which types of cycling environment or cycling infrastructure is safest for cyclists. The merits of obeying the traffic laws and using bicycle lighting at night are less controversial. Wearing a bicycle helmet may reduce the chance of head injury in the event of a crash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bicycle boulevard</span> Street designed as a bicycle route

A bicycle boulevard, sometimes referred to as a neighborhood greenway, neighborway, neighborhood bikeway or neighborhood byway is a type of bikeway composed of a low-speed street which has been "optimized" for bicycle traffic. Bicycle boulevards discourage cut-through motor-vehicle traffic but may allow local motor-vehicle traffic at low speeds. They are designed to give priority to bicyclists as through-going traffic. They are intended as a low-cost, politically popular way to create a connected network of streets with good bicyclist comfort and/or safety.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cycle track</span> Cycleway between a road and sidewalk, protected by barriers

A cycle track or cycleway (British) or bikeway, sometimes historically referred to as a sidepath, is a separate route for cycles and not motor vehicles. In some cases cycle tracks are also used by other users such as pedestrians and horse riders. A cycle track can be next to a normal road, and can either be a shared route with pedestrians or be made distinct from both the pavement and general roadway by vertical barriers or elevation differences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shared lane marking</span>

A shared lane marking, shared-lane marking, or sharrow is a street marking installed by various jurisdictions worldwide in an attempt to make cycling safer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cycling in New York City</span>

Cycling in New York City is associated with mixed cycling conditions that include dense urban proximities, relatively flat terrain, congested roadways with stop-and-go traffic, and streets with heavy pedestrian activity. The city's large cycling population includes utility cyclists, such as delivery and messenger services; cycling clubs for recreational cyclists; and increasingly commuters. Cycling is increasingly popular in New York City: in 2018 there were approximately 510,000 daily bike trips, compared with 170,000 daily bike trips in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cycling in Toronto</span>

Toronto, Ontario, like many North American cities, has slowly been expanding its purpose-built cycling infrastructure. The number of cyclists in Toronto has been increasing progressively, particularly in the city's downtown core. As cycling conditions improve, a cycling culture has grown and alternatives such as automobiles are seen as less attractive. The politics of providing resources for cyclists, particularly dedicated bike lanes, has been contentious, particularly since the 2010s.

Cycling in Illinois encompasses recreation, bikeways, laws and rules, and advocacy. The director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Joel Brunsvold, explained Illinois cycling opportunities: “Bicycle riding is one of the most popular outdoor recreational activities in Illinois, enjoyed by young and old alike...Illinois has a variety of trails for the public to enjoy. The terrain includes flat prairie land to rolling hills, towering bluffs to the breathtaking river and lakefront views.” Many communities across the state are updating bicycle infrastructure in order to accommodate the increased number of cyclists on the roads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cycling in Canada</span> Overview of cycling in Canada

Cycling in Canada is experienced in various ways across a geographically huge, economically and socially diverse country. Among the reasons for cycling in Canada are for practical reasons such as commuting to work or school, for sports such as road racing, BMX, mountain bike racing, freestyle BMX, as well as for pure recreation. The amount and quality of bicycle infrastructure varies widely across the country as do the laws pertaining to cyclists such as bicycle helmet laws which can differ by province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cycling infrastructure</span> Facilities for use by cyclists

Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except where cyclists are barred such as many freeways/motorways. It includes amenities such as bike racks for parking, shelters, service centers and specialized traffic signs and signals. The more cycling infrastructure, the more people get about by bicycle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bicycles May Use Full Lane</span> Traffic sign used in the United States

The Bicycles May Use Full Lane sign, also referred to as BMUFL or R4-11, is a traffic sign used in the United States to:

The history of cycling infrastructure starts from shortly after the bike boom of the 1880s when the first short stretches of dedicated bicycle infrastructure were built, through to the rise of the automobile from the mid-20th century onwards and the concomitant decline of cycling as a means of transport, to cycling's comeback from the 1970s onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protected intersection</span> At-grade road junction in which cyclists and pedestrians are separated from cars

A protected intersection or protected junction, also known as a Dutch-style junction, is a type of at-grade road junction in which cyclists and pedestrians are separated from cars. The primary aim of junction protection is to help pedestrians and cyclists be and feel safer at road junctions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safety of cycling infrastructure</span> Overview of bicycle safety concerns

There is debate over the safety implications of cycling infrastructure. Recent studies generally affirm that segregated cycle tracks have a better safety record between intersections than cycling on major roads in traffic. Furthermore, cycling infrastructure tends to lead to more people cycling. A higher modal share of people cycling is correlated with lower incidences of cyclist fatalities, leading to a "safety in numbers" effect though some contributors caution against this hypothesis. On the contrary, older studies tended to come to negative conclusions about mid-block cycle track safety.

One of the potential pitfalls for observers trying to interpret the operation of bikeways is that the same legal assumptions do not apply in all environments. For instance, in contrast to most English speaking countries, some European countries, including Germany, France, Denmark, Belgium, and the Netherlands have defined liability legislation. Thus there is a legal assumption that motorists are automatically considered liable in law for any injuries that occur if they collide with a cyclist. This may hold regardless of any fault on the part of the cyclist and may significantly affect the behaviour of motorists when they encounter cyclists.

The city of Madrid has been increasing in the last years its network of bicycle paths. In 2016, there were 195 km of cycling routes. The former city council had been planning to build 400 km more for the year 2024 despite a very vocal opposition to the construction of segregated infrastructure by a significant part of the local cycling community. However now with the new right wing mayor elected in 2019 the city is set to be the only capital in the world where bicycle lanes are being removed again.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cycling in Halifax, Nova Scotia</span> Cycling infrastructure in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Cycling infrastructure in the Canadian city of Halifax, Nova Scotia includes most regular streets and roads, bike lanes, protected cycle tracks, local street bikeways, and multi-use pathways.

References

  1. 1 2 "Separated Bike Lanes - Publications - Bicycle and Pedestrian Program - Environment - FHWA". www.fhwa.dot.gov. 2024.
  2. 1 2 Marshall, Wesley E.; Ferenchak, Nicholas N. (29 May 2019). "Why cities with high bicycling rates are safer for all road users". Journal of Transport & Health. 13: 100539. doi:10.1016/j.jth.2019.03.004. ISSN   2214-1405. S2CID   191824684.
  3. 1 2 Volker, Jamey M. B.; Handy, Susan (12 April 2021). "Economic impacts on local businesses of investments in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure: a review of the evidence". Transport Reviews. 41 (4): 401–431. doi: 10.1080/01441647.2021.1912849 . ISSN   0144-1647.
  4. 1 2 Arancibia, Daniel; Farber, Steven; Savan, Beth; Verlinden, Yvonne; Smith Lea, Nancy; Allen, Jeff; Vernich, Lee (2019). "Measuring the Local Economic Impacts of Replacing On-Street Parking With Bike Lanes". Journal of the American Planning Association. 85 (4): 463–481. doi:10.1080/01944363.2019.1638816. ISSN   0194-4363.
  5. ↑ "Separated Bike Lanes Means Safer Streets, Study Says". Streetsblog USA. 29 May 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  6. ↑ Watkins, Kari Edison; Clark, Calvin; Mokhtarian, Patricia; Circella, Giovanni; Handy, Susan; Kendall, Alison (7 May 2020). Bicyclist Facility Preferences and Effects on Increasing Bicycle Trips. Transportation Research Board, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. doi:10.17226/25792. ISBN   978-0-309-48127-4. S2CID   219018960.
  7. ↑ Susanne Grüner; Mark Vollrath (2021). "Reaching Your Destination on Time - Route Choice Decisions of Different Commuter Cyclist Types". Advances in Human Aspects of Transportation. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems. Vol. 270. pp. 162–169. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-80012-3_20. ISBN   978-3-030-80011-6. S2CID   237284652.{{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
  8. 1 2 Zipper, David (11 June 2024). "Business owners are buying into a bogus myth about driving". Vox. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  9. ↑ "Urban Bikeway Design Guide". National Association of City Transportation Officials. 27 June 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  10. ↑ Davis, Wes (9 December 2023). "How to build a bike lane in America". The Verge. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  11. ↑ "Chapter 9C - MUTCD 2009 Edition - FHWA". Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) . Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  12. ↑ "Chapter 9C - MUTCD 2009 Edition - FHWA". Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) . Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  13. ↑ French bicycle association FUBi, Pistes et bandes cyclables
  14. ↑ Koike, Hirotaka (1991). "Current Issues and Problems of Bicycle Transport in Japan" (PDF). Transportation Research Record No. 1294, Nonmotorized Transportation 1991: 40–46 – via National Academies.
  15. 1 2 3 Kidd, Byron (6 September 2014). "The Varied Designs of Tokyo's Bicycle Lanes". Tokyo by Bike. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  16. ↑ Rahman, Syakir Amir Ab; Mahamod, Lukman; Ismail, Muhammad; Wan Mansor, Wan Muhammad; Sharit, Safwan; Zukrey, Muhammad; Hanafi, Muhammad; Aidid, Muhammad; Asmawi, M. Zainora; Ponrahono, Zakiah; Najib, Nor Nadiah (27 August 2021). "Bicycle lane planning: A site appraisal in Fukuoka, Japan". Malaysian Journal of Society and Space. 17 (3): 76–90. doi: 10.17576/geo-2021-1703-06 . S2CID   239652731 – via GEOGRAFIA Online.
  17. 1 2 Liang, Ying (Spring 2011). "Research on Bicycle Network Planning of Nanjing in China". Uppsala University Publications: 1–57.
  18. 1 2 Liu, Xiaoming; Shen, L. David; Ren, Futian (1993). "Operational Analysis of Bicycle Interchanges in Beijing, China" (PDF). Transportation Research Record. 1396: 18–21 – via National Academies.
  19. ↑ Zhu, Wei; Zhai, Baoxin; Jian, Dan (23 January 2017). "Evaluating the Bicycle Travel Environment in a Changing Bicycle Culture; Case Study of Shanghai, China". Journal of Urban Planning and Development. 143 (3). doi:10.1061/(ASCE)UP.1943-5444.0000377 – via ASCE Library.
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