You do realize that there is no scientific evidence that bike lanes are any safer than normal shared lanes? It turns out that the real element that is important for safe sharing of roadways is space. If there is enough space for safe passing, then cyclists and other traffic can safely share the space. If there isn't enough space, no amount of paint will make it safer.

It's even possible that bike lanes cause a false sense of security for cyclists, which leads them to do more dangerous driving than they would if they knew that they needed to be responsible and aware members of traffic.

I would love to see more sustainable transportation activists looking into the real problems that bicyclists and other human powered vehicle drivers face - discriminatory laws, confused motorists, confused cyclists, and an attitude that bicycles are special, weird, and not real vehciles - and spend their energies fixing those root problems once and for all.

When I hear about people who say thay cyclists need bike lanes, I remind them that most of us grew up biking with no bike lanes and rarely had problems with other vehicles. Everyone shared the roads reasonably well, and respected other traffic, for the most part. Now I have lots of problems when I drive my bike, especially in the areas where there are lots of bike lanes. So, clearly the bike lanes aren't the issue here. Something else is. I would suggest we look into the real problems, and try solving them.

My beef with bike lanes is that they keep ending, forcing you to mix with traffic anyway.

Cities should spend the money on educational campaigns to instruct drivers and cyclists on how to interact.

Have police on 'ghost' bicycles that ticket bicycle-unfriendly drivers.

And when you did your driving test, do you ever remember any questions about how to interact safely with cyclists?

most of us grew up biking with no bike lanes and rarely had problems with other vehicles. Everyone shared the roads reasonably well, and respected other traffic

The main problem with your nostalgia is that it you most likely are remembering it better then it was. You say the real element is "space". Have he roadways gotten smaller since you were a boy? Were prices also reasonable? Politicians honorable? Did young people respect their elders?

Ah yes... the good-old-days.

GabrielM, I can't say what it was like when I was a boy, since I was never a boy. As a young girl, on the other hand, I definitely did have more space, in one sense, in that there were fewer cars on the roads :-)

And I suppose I wasn't all that clear when I said space has been shown in studies to be the crucial element for safe road sharing. I meant that it was the only engineering element that was demonstrably important for safe road sharing. There are obviously other, non-engineering, problems that contribute to unsafe road sharing, such as stress/road rage, too many cars, too much confusion about how to safely share the roads, and a cyclist inferiority complex that makes people think that bikes aren't legitimate vehicles that belong on the roads.

My point about my past experiences in traffic (even as a college student 20 years ago, I didn't have this many problems) was not to be nostalgic, but to point out that clearly bike lanes aren't at all important for having respectful road sharing. So it seems like a counterproductive activity to promote bike lanes, instead of getting to the real cause/s of the problem. See what I mean?

My mistake on the boy thing - I was just caught up in the "when I was a boy" cliché...

However, I still argue that the problem is not space, but as you put it "too much confusion about how to safely share the roads". For better or worse, bike lanes define a way to safely share the road: Your side / My side.

It may not be the best solution, but as someone who commutes by bicycle, I know that it is one that works.

I recently received my car-tax bill in the mail from the City of New Haven, CT. In the envelope, was a pamphlet provided by Elm City Cycling, a bicycle group I belong to, on how to "share the road with bicyclists" including rules for bicyclists to follow, as well as what motorists should expect from the bicycling masses on the road. Diagrams and common situations are explained, as are the rules for when a bicyclist must 'take the lane' such as when there is no shoulder or where it's unsafe for a car to pass.

On the reverse of the pamphlet is the same information in Spanish.

I wonder if this woman is done painting the lines? She probably has already been approached by law enforcement for defacing city property; if not already, she certainly has provided her picture now. Does she tell people what this line is for, or leave behind pamphlets? Otherwise, city children might start painting their own "lines of demarcation" without knowing the original intent.

It's a good idea, but I think more publicity would be beneficial.

Great. So now when motorists see these "bike lanes", they can safely assume they are fake, and ignore them. They will continue to assume these lanes are fake, and ignore them, even when they are painted by the city.

Good work, Guerrilla Bike Activists!

Oh, and thanks for costing taxpayers even more money, for cleaning up your spoiled brat antics.

The point is that bike lanes don't work. Several studies have shown that bike lanes don't increase safety. None have shown that they prevent crashes. They do seem like they make a difference, but physically, they don't. It's the difference between opinion and fact. Lots of people are of the opinion that segregated lanes are safer than regular shared lanes, but the facts simply don't support that opinion.

Plus, bike lanes encourage motorists using the regular shared lanes to go faster, and be more annoyed at cyclists legally using the shared lanes.

I know it's hard to let go of the dream of having your own lane, but if you really care about safety and equality for sustainable transportation, you should look for more effective and sustainable solutions, and let go of the illusion that bike lanes represent.

Turil, I ride my bike every day and go for the roads with bike lanes. I used to object to them, saying that as a cyclist I legally was entitled to share the road with cars, but came around to thinking that the truck and car drivers are crazy as the city gets more crowded and people drive farther to get downtown.

In principle you are absolutely correct, bike lanes should not exist. In practice I feel much safer going for the bike lanes, where I only have to worry about the door prize, not the trucks and cars running me down.

I so wish this wasn't so.

I had written a post about my mixed feelings about this guerilla bikelane painting as being not particularly productive, but was away for the weekend and Matthew beat me to it. I live in Toronto and want real, safe, enforced and in winter plowed bike lanes. I have given up on sharing the roads, car drivers are idiots.

Car drivers are idiots? You can say the same about many cyclists. Some of the suicidal and obnoxious behaviour I've seen has been absolutely breathtaking.

For example, last year, my friend's car sustained $1800 in damage, when a bicycle courier darted off the sidewalk (at a crosswalk, no less). The cyclist almost went through the windshield (although it was cracked to the point of requiring replacement). The cyclist was knocked unconcious for several minutes, and my friend had to administer first aid until the police and ambulance arrived. The cyclist absolutely reeked of pot. The paramedics and one of the police officers also noticed this immediately.

As it turned out, thanks to witnesses, my friend was not charged -- yet, astoundingly, the cyclist wasn't charged. Presumably the cyclist will have points taken off his licence -- too bad cyclists don't have licences. At least his liability insurance will cover the damage to my friend's car. Oh, wait. Cylists don't require that either.

If cyclists demand the privelege of using our roads, then they need to take their share of responsibility -- with or without dedicated bicycle lanes. That means enforcable mandatory licencing and insurance.

And if they insist on dedicated bicycle lanes, then their licence fees should reflect that to pay for the cost. It would also be fair, that if motor vehicles aren't allowed to drive in bicycle lanes, then neither should bicycles be allowed outside of their special lane, into motor vehicle traffic.

It seems many cyclists think they have a God-given right to simultaneously have their cake and eat it.

I'm not sure space is the problem either. I grew up biking in Montreal, Dartmouth - Halifax, and Copenhagen, and I can tell you- nowhere are the roads bigger wider and more paved than in North America. In Copenhagen we have streets that are one lane, cobblestoned and one way- that still give the cyclist the right of way. On the highways we have lanes running along side - a few to five or meters away from the road - usually 2 bike widths wide- and sometimes shared with pedestians (they get their own marked lane as well. Downtown is a mix of lanes and no lanes- even there motorists are aware of cyclists, as are cyclists aware of motorists. Pay attention. Slow down.
There is a hierarchy on the road here - Motorists are on the bottom, then come cyclists, then buses.

Another rule- when you are driving - no matter how - just drive. don't drink coffee, listen to an ipod, or talk on the phone. And drive defensively. Not offensively.

Love the idea of guerilla bike lanes! Really don't get the government's logic removing them. Infuriating.

Lloyd, you are right, bike lanes make you feel safer. The key word here being "feel" which is significantly different from the physical reality of the situation. That's my whole point, here, emotions aren't facts. Segregated bike lanes seduce people with the illusion of safety. However, scientific studies of crash data and vehicle interaction data show that bike lanes are, at best, providing the same level of safety as normal shared lanes. And that's if they are well designed (not in the door zone, not in the gutter, not next to driveways and other intersections, etc.) The vast majority of bike lanes are poorly designed, according to the minimum AASHTO standards (I'm not sure what the Canadian equivalent of AASHTO is...).

So, yeah, you can feel safe all you want, but the reality is that no millimeter thickness of paint is going to save you from a truck that is making that right turn across your path...

When it comes down to it, bike lanes are a lot like the locks on teenager's diaries, they are really just polite suggestions, not real protection for your most cherished things.

They are not "your roads" they are everyone's roads. In fact I have heard that only pedestrians have an absolute right to use the roads, though that obviously might not be the case in USA..

As a Dutch guy I was quiet suprised by the fact you (Turil) don't believe in safer separated bike lanes, but when I started reading more and more about it I see there's a lot to be done. You just can't expect to safely drive your bike over night.

The following things are very important:

Insurance (for everyone)
Separated lanes, not just by paint but actually separated
Awareness and politeness from both sides, but this is on the other hand something fictional as you hear the sound of honking vehicles 24/7.

Why don't the city officials just tell them which streets need lanes? The "bike activists" wil paint them, with their own labor and supplies it seems, the city will save time and money, and all the bikers will have space on the road. It's a simple and easily implemented solution.

Personally, bike lanes are a good idea. The only problem with them is people behaving irresponsibly, whether they are drivers or cyclists. People will do stupid things with or without bike lanes.

Awareness, courtesy, common sense, respect.
These things keep us alive, out of trouble, and help the whole morning commute be possible.

On the way home, I take the 2nd Avenue bike lane in New York City from 14th Street to Christie Street. The lane helps a bit with congestion. Taxi drivers and delivery guys like it to do their activities though... even when there's a 'real' place to pull all the way over right there.
I love the West Side bike path by the Hudson River but it (as well as the Brooklyn Bridge path) is full of oblivious people. I lose my voice at the end of the ride. It is dangerous from tourists' lack of awareness and other bikers' lack of common sense. All we have to do is stay to the right.

The marked bike lane seems to heighten motorist awareness of the bikes within the lane. Prior to the lane beginning, I have to take up the whole car lane due to my speed and the traffic speed being about the same 18 - 20 mph. The standard traffic lane is too small otherwise.
In any event, I use the bike's manuverability to stay clear of everything else on the road, not to cut people off. A little courtesy goes a long way.
I get routinely frustrated by some guy/gal trying to go through the red light 'if it's the last thing he does'.

When I have to drive or take a motorcycle, I am super conscious of the bike lanes. That awareness has to become commonplace.
There is a great bumper sticker for motorcyclists that says "Look twice, save a life- motorcycles are everywhere".
So much is so true for bicycles. We are surrounded by assassins.

Good Luck,
vsk