I was surprised last week when my opinion piece arguing that it was time for L.A. to begin investing in separated bike lanes was met with some resistance based on Caltrans code. While my research hasn't found the code stating why these lanes are illegal and dangerous, it's clear there's still some debate on this issue.
This morning, a Streetfilm appeared that illustrates why separated lanes are more safe and something that most cyclists seek out. Frank Lopez reports from Vancouver:
It's been 15 years since Vancouver residents started petitioning fora bike lane on one of the bridges that connects to downtown. In thesummer of 2009, the city implemented a test lane on the historic Burrard Bridge and almost immediately cycling was up 30%.
Cycling advocates and wheeled commuters explain the advantages to having a protected bicycle path. Recent reports seem to show most are happy with the implementation and residents favor continuing the trial by a margin of 2 to 1.
