I rode the 'worst bike lane in the world'

How bad does a bike lane have to be in order to be twice named the worst bike lane in the world? Well, it's complicated. The good news is that I survived it.

Thanks to Alex Robb of Spokes for sharing his perspective.

0:00 Introduction
0:26 The city
1:40 How did this happen?
3:10 My experience on the bike lane
3:44 The risks of trying to please everybody
4:58 What the city learned
6:06 Hope for the future

#cycling #bikecommuting #urbanplanning

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[SilhouetteLifter]

The fact that this bike lane is separated from car traffic makes it better than 95% of bike lanes in the US. The worst "bike lane" I've personally seen is in Bend, OR where they painted a picture of a bicycle on the shoulder of Highway 97, which is a 4-lane interstate-style highway with speed limits of 55mph with on and off ramps.

[statelyelms]

Petition to retitle that article: worst SEPARATED bike lane in the world. I've been on worse bike lanes and even they certainly aren't as bad as they can get! This one is at least still separated from deadly traffic. Honestly, even though it winds, simply smoothing the turns out would do wonders. But it's absolutely the worst for the amount of effort put in..

[TomSanders-mfox]

I like how you continually get new voices on your channel. It was good to hear Robb's perspective.

[FHRider-om]

Total admiration for Robb and the campaign, and impressed that the council listened. Thanks for covering this story

[unsearchable]

Got jumpscared by seeing my regular cycling route haha

[mattcolour]

Holy hell didn’t realise you came to my city. And yes that bike lane does kinda suck….
Worst thing is Edinburgh actually has some really lovely segregated cycle ways that cross the city from north to south and east to west, however they’re planning to convert a chunk of them to tram routes. 🤯

[julianpowers]

The important thing is that the city wants to improve. I’d rather live a city that’s progressing than one that’s stuck in the past.

[pigeonhouse]

It’s great that you travelled to our cold, windy city to make this video! It’s always very valuable to hear an outsider’s perspective. I live on the other side of Edinburgh, so luckily I don’t have the horror of cycling along Leith Walk very often!

[ginjninj]

This bike lane is great because it enables me to feel comfortable to cycle into the town centre from my flat in Leith. I am uncomfortable cycling on the road uphill, as I just don't feel fast enough. Having this route makes a big difference for me.

The chicanes are absolutely insane, and they cause pedestrians to randomly walk in front of you constantly. I have had so many near misses with people just completely paying no attention. I also love that it's an undulating nightmare that plays havoc on my wrists.

Better than a car flying past at 30mph giving 20cm of space though, like I'd get going along Easter Road instead

[GregB-fx]

In Colorado Springs, Colorado our few bike lanes could almost all be voted worse than the one in this video. Many of our bike lanes are random 1 mile (1.6 km) sections that are are scattered around the city and do not connect to each other. Just to get to the bike lane you may have to ride multiple miles on the roads with the cars.

[chemist]

Our city of just shy of a million people doesn't even have a bike lane. It's taken years just to get a mostly* daily bus route in a few sections of the city. I'm all for improving existing infrastructure, but I wouldn't complain too much. That place genuinely looks like a lovely place to live.

[TalkFilm]

A really useful watch. I went to Edinburgh for four or five days and took my bike. From memory it was a pro bike city and there's been plenty of news about Scotlands commitment to active travel. The Scottish grass always looks greener from England!! Anyway, I was surprised by my 'very mixed' experience of riding there. My best experience was riding the ex railway lines through Leith, these are brilliant and at least one runs parallel with the one in the video. My worst was riding on the roads, lots of cobbled roads and really bad potholes in the tarmaced ones. I also rode the bike lane in the video, a slower journey certainly but not unpleasant and definitely preferred to the killer potholes and cobbles!!

[glottis]

I nominate Highland Ave in Salem MA for worst bike lane in the world. It's a pained line alongside a highway with absolutely insane drivers and no lighting, I've only ever seen someone riding a bike on it once.

[mheermance]

The bike lanes in Cambridge Massachusetts are worse. They're not separated from traffic and drivers will go into them.

[syiridium]

City council holding a contractor accountable for a bad job? What is that? I've never head about it. Typical course of action is for the council to claim that it was not their fault, they can do nothing and then actually do nothing.
I think the city of Edinburgh should be applauded just for that alone.

[altt]

It actually seems pretty good? A protected bike lane that has some bends in it is way better than a sharrow or a painted line next to car traffic

[Scarlet-Coral]

I was in Edinburgh last year. I didn't bike on that lane but walked beside it.
The lane disappears on some parts and on other parts it merged with the sidewalk. It was super weird!

[RalphHancock]

The worst cycle lane I have ever experienced is the descent of Kingston Hill and Kingston Vale (which are names for the same road, the A308) in the London borough of Kingston on Thames, from the top of the long hill to the junction with the A3. There is a detached lane on both sides of the hill. Going up is bumpy with constant steep ramps, bus stop signs and shelters obstructing the lane, obscure kerbs up and down on the edge of the path, and legbreaker posts broken off and lying in the middle of the lane, but it's not utterly bad because climbing slows you down and you can usually see things in time. Going down on the other side through the same terrain is lethal. The last time I went down it in the dark, with a 1700 lumen headlight to help me, I rode off an invisible kerb and fell into the road. Now if I have to go there I stay in the main roadway and ignore the motorists hooting at me. It's safer.

[Hinto]

Cycled up and down there recently! Not the best route at all, but it is so nice being separated from cars that I still like it 😅 Really hoping Edinburgh can keep up the work and finally join up all its separate bits of cycle routes - theres so much potential here

[christinedixon]

Georgia Ave in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland. Paint slapped on a 4 lane highway.