A Brighter Bike Future in Protected Lanes
Under Mayor Ken Livingstone, London has been undergoing a major bike lane transformation: the creation of "Cycle Superhighways." These new types of bike lanes are protected from the road and sidewalk by their own concrete curb, making a road for bikes all their own. This design greatly enhances the safety of cyclists, reducing the chance of injury or fatality by collisions with vehicles. The one problem with this design is that bus stops are along the roadway on islands, a
Life & Death in the Shared Lane
Shared bike/car lanes, marked by what MassDOT affectionately(?) calls "sharrows," are a relatively new feature of Boston's streets. These indicators help alert divers and riders to a bicyclists' right to use the complete lane. Of course, riders already have this right, but now, with "sharrows," everybody knows it. These are a mixed blessing, as I will describe below. Positives The cars will stop honking (maybe). Have you ever, like me, been riding in the right lane of a r
