Opposite Direction Bike Lanes

[Canadian Crone]

Before any plan can work for increased bike lane use, or increased and safe bike use period, it is time for common sense to dictate that the law be changed so bikes (roller blades, etc.) travel in the opposite direction to vehicle traffic!

[Svend]

I'd rather ride in the same direction as traffic, this makes it less complicated when bike lanes end. Also, any collision with a car wouldn't be head-on and so the impact wouldn't be as great.

This is the way it works in most countries around the world.

[Canadian Crone]

When drivers see you coming, they can avoid you ... and cyclists would be less likely to be swerving out into traffic. Few cyclists ever use rear mirrors anymore and are as guilty as vehicle drivers of refusing to follow the rules of the road. A number of cyclists have been killed by vehicles making righthand turns and this wouldn't happen if drivers and cyclists could see each other clearly. It would also eliminate the number of people who get whapped with car doors! Another consideration are those roller-bladers whose strides are sometimes the same width as a car and that left stride can pop out in front of a driver with no warning. Most people who live in rural areas already know it is safer to walk and to ride bikes facing oncoming traffic. I don't understand why you'd find it more complicated when any bike lane ends and you'd have to be alarmingly negligent or awfully stupid to have a head-on collision!!

[Svend]

Not such a good point if you realize that while "most" people in rural areas ride like this because they perceive it's safer, some people will ride in the same direction as traffic as the law dictates.
Sounds like a recipe for head-on collisions among cyclists.

[Canadian Crone]

Svend! "..head-on collisions among cyclists" ??? Since I know that no developmentally disabled individual who rides would collide head-on into another cyclist .... we'd better identify and ban the segment of cyclists you refer to from owning or riding bicyles! Indeed, I'd be inclined to suggest your examples be assessed to see if they are able to walk without walking into other pedestrians!!


Svend said:

Not such a good point if you realize that while "most" people in rural areas ride like this because they perceive it's safer, some people will ride in the same direction as traffic as the law dictates.
Sounds like a recipe for head-on collisions among cyclists.