Hi Graeme,
Yes, bikes are legally allowed to be ridden on most public roads, however on many public roads it is verging on suicide to ride on them. ':shock:'
For example, I ride every day to and from work, part of this ride goes along McCullough Street in Sunnybank... where do i ride?
On the footpath.
Why?
Certainly not because i like dodging pedestrians and watching for cars reversing recklessly out of their driveways!
but because to ride on the road would be an invitation to death... so the footpath is the next best option.
Do we need bike lanes on these types of roads?
Yes!!
For the most part of my ride to work i ride on the roads.
Not because the cars want me there, but because i know that i am allowed to be there, and because it's far preferable to the footpath!
Some of these roads are great: wide, quiet, gentle breeze blowing, scented flowers etc!
Some of them are not so good: i.e. not so wide, not so quiet, but they are still do-able.
Do we need bike lanes on these types of roads?
Maybe.
In my opinion, and from my experience riding in more bike friendly cities (than Brisbane) bike lanes certainly don't create an idea with drivers that "bikes should only be in bike lanes and nowhere else!"
Bike lanes actually create the opposite, a more friendly attitude towards bike riders.
i.e. "oh look! they exist! aren't they cute? let's move over for them George... oh, why don't we ever ride our bikes anymore?! You used to have such a hot bod before you bought this V8"
In response to your idea that all users should use the roads equally.
I think we are kidding ourselves.
Bikes and cars (/trucks/buses etc) are fundamentally different creatures, anyone who has been out on the freeway on a bike is aware of that.
(i haven't!)
1. One goes very fast (with minimum physical effort)
One goes less fast (with glorious physical effort)
2. One is very big (in relation to ratio per person)
One is very small (as above)
3.One is aware of it's surroundings in a very fleeting way
One is aware of it's surroundings in a less fleeting way
Why does this matter?
1. imagine driving on a freeway (in a car) with a *car* in your lane doing 15km/hour.
ANNOYING!!!
2. one will squash the other one easily if one doesn't see one
3. this relates closely to no. 2
In Vancouver, in case you're wondering...
there were (normal) roads prioritised for bikes.
these were (sensibly enough!) reasonably flat and crisscrossed all over the city.
Cars were still allowed on these roads but naturally preferred to go on others because on these 'bike roads' there were, well... a lot of bikes doing bikeish things i.e. being slow, stopping to smell the roses etc.
Once you (the bike rider) got to the end of a *special bike road* you would join up with a normal (car) road where you would ride as usual i.e. to the side of the main traffic.
For me this was a great model.
From what I've read one of the main reasons people don't use bikes more is because they are (rightfully) concerned about their safety on the roads.
Measures like "special bike roads" and bike lanes go a long way to changing this.
Because... while there are folks who WILL ride their way along McCullough St i am certainly not one of them.
So yes, I guess the point is that there are MANY different solutions to the currently not-very-amazing commuter biking situation in Brisbane.
ONE of these is more bike lanes.
ANOTHER is... [fill in the blank here]
Hell, the roads are so wide here that on many of them you could fit a double width bike lane in!! no need for single file!
As for CM:
(i know it's a PC answer) but...
I really do think people participate in it for many different reasons.
So I think it would be totally fine for there to be someone who thinks bike lanes are GREAT
riding next to
someone who thinks bike lanes SUCK!
hell, they might even debate the topic while they're riding!
And no, i wouldn't expect CM to take place only in a bike lane because
a) it's a special ride
b) there would (hopefully) be too many riders to FIT in a bike lane
Would i expect bikers to ride in bike lanes all the time the rest of the time?
No, not necessarily...
but generally it makes sense, as you yourself demonstrate within your own riding practice!
and... if bike lanes are designed properly they defintely fulfill all of the requirements of the biker and thus the biker would not need (or want, obviously!) to go outside of the bike lane to... ummm... mingle with the motorised!
thanks
e
p.s. now i get to ask you:
you said "I like bike lanes and use them wherever I can"
Why?
p.s.s. no, i didn't ask for your opinion about the CONCEPT of bike lanes,
i would much prefer to hear about your actual USE of bike lanes.