Physically Separated Bike Lanes

Physically Separated Bike Lanes

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A separated bike lane is any section of a street reserved solely for bicycle traffic. Though cars have come to dominate many streets over the past century, most streets were designed for pedestrians, drivers, and non-motor vehicles. Separated lanes attempt to provide a safe space for these non-motor vehicles. Bike lanes can be demarcated physically, e.g. with a concrete barrier, or non-physically, e.g. with paint. [1]
In English-speaking countries outside of the U.S., separated bicycle lanes are sometimes called "segregated bicycle lanes" or "segregated cycle facilities." [2]

On-road bike paths

Bicycles are allowed on most streets in the U.S., including streets without specially-marked bike lanes. However, cyclists often prefer the comfort and safety of separated lanes. [1]

Lanes may be "segregated" from car traffic in a variety of ways.

Physical separation

According to the New York City classifications, bike lanes fall into three categories. [3]

Class I bike lanes are "physically separated from motor vehicle and pedestrian traffic," providing a buffer against faster, heavier vehicles. This physical separation can come in the form of a tree-lined path, a sidewalk, a concrete buffer, or a line of traffic cones.

In some instances, the physical barrier can consist of parked cars themselves. This can be accomplished (and, indeed, has been accomplished) by switching the locations of a bike lane and a parking area, so that cyclists ride next to the sidewalk and drivers park next to moving traffic. This type of Class I lane is relatively easy to implement, meets the objective of physical protection without diminishing space for parking, and it has the added advantage of preventing "dooring." The cycle track on Manhattan's Ninth Avenue is an example of such a physically separated bike lane (see below).

Non-physical separation

Class II bike lanes are demarcated by paint on asphalt. In some cases, the entire lane is painted a distinct color so as to be distinguished easily from the rest of the street. In most cases, the lane is marked by a stripe, often thicker than a standard dotted white line. Some Class II lanes also receive a stencil in the middle of the lane.

Class III lanes are marked with posted road signs and frequently with "Shared Lane Markings" on the road as well.

Off-road bike paths

Off-road bike lanes are the purest example of physical separation between bicycles and automobiles. Some cyclists find that car-free cycle paths offer an unparalleled riding experience [4]; however, off-road facilities are not present everywhere, and are rarely the most direct means of transportation. In the U.S., they are often called "bike paths" or "rail trails," and they can run through city streets, beaches, forests, or along bodies of water. Some have been reclaimed from old structures (defunct train tracks, for instance), while others have been built anew; in most cases, though, they prohibit motor vehicles and cater to riders. Examples of off-road facilities include the Cape Cod Rail Trail, the Slickrock Trail, the Brooklyn-Queens Greenway, many trails in Oregon, and others.

Ninth Avenue

In October, 2007, the Department of Transportation (DOT) unveiled New York City's first physically separated bike lane (or "cycle track"). The lane runs south on Ninth Avenue, in Manhattan, from West 23rd to West 16th Street. [5] The lane is part of a pilot program that will inform future city planning in New York and perhaps elsewhere in the U.S.

The cycle track is as wide as a car lane, in order to make room for standard-size cleaning- and emergency vehicles. The livable streets movement has long advocated for cycle tracks to be located between the sidewalk and the row of parked cars; the Ninth Avenue cycle track follows this recommendation. Though the pilot lane is somewhat bare-bones now, the DOT also plans to add "traffic signals for bicyclists, greenery-filled refuge areas for pedestrians, a new curbside parking plan, and signalized left-turn lanes for motor vehicles." [6]

ALSO ON THE LIVABLE STREETS NETWORK

StreetFilms: Physically Separated Bike Lanes

REFERENCES

Each source is referred to by the same number every time it is cited. Please keep citation style consistent.

[1] Michael Bluejay. "Bike Lanes: Pros and Cons." Bicycle Universe.

[2] "Segregated cycle facilities." Wikipedia.

[3] Herman, Komanoff, Orcutt and Perry. "Bicycle Blueprint." Tranportation Alternatives. 1993; revised 1998.

[4] Bethany Lyttle. "Life on Two Wheels." The New York Times. September 7, 2007.

[5] William Neuman. "A Busy City Makes Room for Bikes." The New York Times. September 23, 2007.

[6] Aaron Naparstek. "NYC Gets Its First-Ever Physically-Separated Bike Path." StreetsBlog. September 20, 2007.