They Told Us Cyclists Don’t Actually Use Bike Lanes

We hear this surprisingly often: “My city built bike lanes, but cyclists don’t actually use them. They just ride on the road or the sidewalk instead.” For this video we decided to get out our clipboards, put on our research hats, and go collect some data on how commonly cyclists ignore bike lanes and why they do it.

Help keep Urbanity rolling:

More Oh The Urbanity!:

#cycling #urbanplanning #bikelanes

[alsifjlasieflooo]

"If the road or sidewalk is more appealing than the bike lane, there's probably something wrong with the bike lane." Oh my god, a thousand times YES!!

[NeinNine]

A week or so ago I pulled out of the bike lane into the car lane at a red light (this is a street with low speed right outside the ferry terminal) to make a left turn in Halifax, NS. This prompted the guy IN FRONT of me to roll his window down and say "yOu knOw TheRE's a BikE lAne thERe, rIghT??", to which I responded, "Yes, I'm turning left". This got me the classic retort: "SO??". I said "I can't make a left turn from the bike lane", so he rolled his eyes and his window up before I could ask him if I was in his way on my big rolling fortress of a bicycle BEHIND HIS CAR.

The entitlement some drivers feel over public space (the streets of our cities) is mind-boggling.

[namenamename]

Seeing cyclists on the sidewalk reminds me of a post I read by a guy who commuted by unicycle. His reasoning was that riding a bike on the sidewalk was illegal where he lived, despite the fact that there were no alternatives except driving on busy stroads. Unicycles however are exempt from this ban, so he was legally allowed to use the safer sidewalk while still being faster than just walking.

[tomchristensen]

As a UK cyclist for my whole life, it's often safer to cycle in front of cars sometimes so they see you rather than relying on them checking their mirrors before they turn, but I tend to use the bike lane for long stretches.

[kenny]

Our societies have also normalized traffic violations by car. Some examples include:
- not using turn signals (especially here in Quebec).
- not fully stopping at Stop signs.
- parking in "no parking" zones, including on bike lanes.
- and the most normalized of all is driving above the speed limit.

[Aleksandarix]

I am a Toronto cyclist, and though I do use the bike lane myself, I would actually feel SAFER riding on the street instead of the lanes due to all the people that don't pay attention to what's coming on the lanes - opening car doors, stepping off the sidewalk, right turning cars not using their mirrors, etc.... Now that I see this video, I think I actually WILL use the road, as long as I can keep the pace.

[alex]

Usually when people say "cyclists don't use the bike lane", what they mean is "i saw a cyclist that didn't use the bike lane". Because if they see a shitty driver, they go "what a shitty driver", but if they see a shitty cyclist, they go "those shitty cyclists".

The answer "well then there is something wrong with the bike lane" usually works. It makes no sense whatsoever that bicyclists would opt to mingle with multi tonne metal boxes going at lethal speeds rather than infrastructure specifically designed for them, UNLESS said design is really shitty.

[OliverCrowhurst]

Here in Australia most of the roads don't even have bike lanes, and when they do, they're filled with gravel, glass, or are just way too bumpy to ride in. This is why (as a 'sports' cyclist as you call them) I always just use the road, because it's much safer and the road surface is much nicer.

[GoshDarnHippies]

As a delivery rider for many years, I’m glad you raised that many of these lanes are too narrow to pass safely, and make it difficult to cross to the other side of the street.

Cyclists are always allowed to take the lane in Ontario according to the HTA if they can 1. Go the speed of traffic, 2. Need to make a turn, or 3. The bike lane/shoulder is dangerous/blocked.

On Bloor Street in Toronto, my friend was actually harassed by Toronto police for riding on the road because according to the cop “he’s supposed to be in the bike lane”. After calling all kinds of backup they let him be because they don’t even know the laws they’re enforcing.

[gilesclone]

You should try some typical cities in the US. Often the bike lanes are really door zones, gutters or parking lanes. You see a much higher percentage on the sidewalk or street when that happens.

[halgerson]

I started watching (and became a patron) because I really appreciate your positivity and optimism. It probably doesn't drive viewership as much as the righteous indignation of other channels, but you make me hopeful that change is not only possible, but is occurring.

[motherlove]

One notion that annoys me to no end and is seldom mentioned is that some of the biking infrastructure is completely unintuitive. Sometimes in big intersections that bike signage just stops and the only safe thing I'm comfortable doing is going the pedestrian way. Similarly we have bike lanes that merge onto bus lanes, which is fine when there's no bus but silly when there is one as there's no room to overtake, so you have to merge back onto the road, and merge in and out of the road is the most dangerous thing you can do.

We also have a lot of lanes painted on the sidewalk which is fine sometimes, but some other times I just use the road to avoid the 50 million bumps on and off the sidewalk at every single intersection that stop you from every getting speed and make me more worried about accidentally getting a flat. It only just recently occurred to me that having the bikes/pedestrian go down to car level was a design choice and not an inherent road property, and you could just as easily have a continuous cycle lane and have the cars go up the bike bump when turning.

Another thing we have in Luxembourg is specific crossing lights for bikes and pedestrian which I definitely never use and have seldom seen anyone using because idk how they're programmed but you have to wait an absolutely ridiculous amount of time (sometimes 4-5 minutes) to get a green light as a pedestrian or bicycle. So I do as almost everyone does, look around and go when it's clear.

One really positive thing I want to share is that with bicycle infrastructure being actively developed in Luxembourg, it becomes incredibly obvious that the more accessible biking is, the more people bike. I see many more cyclist now and many different types of cyclists. Lots of small folding bikes, lots of race bikes, lots of cargo ebikes, it's awesome and really reinforces the idea that infrastructure is the main problem.

[Poptartsicles]

It doesn't only suck to bike on a narrow unprotected bike lane, it's downright dangerous! If you aren't a seasoned rider or if weather isn't great, it can be borderline suicidal.

[LilBoyHexley]

It is actively upsetting that those suburban shopping centers have huge lawns of grass between the parking lots and the road, sometimes more than 2 lanes of traffic worth. But the only non-car infrastructure is a tiny sidewalk just a few feet wide.

[coreysimmerer]

Great video and response to the sentiment that “cyclists don’t use bike lanes”! Unfortunately, I feel like many anti-cyclist motorists just look for every excuse to continue to dominate urban streets. A common one I hear here in Baltimore is that “they built a bike lane and nobody uses it” which is usually a) mostly false and b) because the city still has a fragmented protected bike lane network, discouraging use except for less risk-averse cyclists.

I think more data collection like you two did would help the cause. I would love to see more of those automatic bike lane counters everywhere

[Nils_Ki]

Being a German who has also lived in Denmark for many years and who has always frequently used the bicykle commuting to work, I have seen lots of examples of both really bad and really great bicykle lines. German cities have a lot to learn from Scandinavian and Benelux cities on that front.

[neckenwiler]

If people criticized cars as much as they criticize bikes and scooters, we’d be in a much better place.

[colinchaddock]

What they mean by that is, we built a bike lane, which took away road space for my car, and then I saw _a_ person not riding in it one time, therefore it's a waste.

[MrsBifflechips]

When I talk to people about the lack of bike infrastructure, they often say "But [your street] has bike infrastructure!" However, it's the type that Ogilvie Rd has -- a besewered and potholed gutter with a painted white bike, threaded between cars that want to turn and buses that want to stop. It's terrifying and deadly and I really don't blame people for not using it. It feels like an afterthought or a symbolic gesture. It could be so much better! It could be a practical way for people in the area to pick up groceries or get take-out or go to work or school.

Thank you for the video (and all the data collection)! I do love the positivity and reasonableness of your videos.

[Ephem]

As a fellow two wheeler (motorcycle) and runner, I feel the pain of cyclists. In my area I have no safe running paths and have to run on the edge of in town roads or the shoulder of higher speed out of town roads and it can be downright horrifying at times. On my motorcycle, it's common for people to cut me off, merge into the spot I'm occupying, and just flat out not notice I exist. This stuff is nearly daily yet all you hear about is how a biker did this or that to them once...like 10 years ago so it's the rider that's unsafe.