Back alley laneways are not a hidden bike network, but they can be something else

Proposals to turn back alley laneways into bike lanes rear up occasionally, which I've always dismissed as a backdoor way for motorists to dominate the streets completely. But a recent detour on my daily commute has me rethinking that position, so I went on a mission to test if there's a way that we can do better with those forgotten and neglected public spaces behind our buildings.

0:00 How I found myself riding a back alley
1:51 People already cycling in laneways
2:11 Mixed opinions
3:26 Laneways have a role, just maybe not as bike-lane alternatives
4:11 Potential laneway improvements
5:32 Laneways as public spaces
6:17 Visiting the city with the best laneways
7:39 Three other laneway projects that work

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[jonathanbenn]

A 40 year commuter in Albany, NY. I may not know every alley, but use many of them to avoid high risk intersections in my small city. One of my favorites goes behind a strip mall where there are several dumpsters. Turkey vultures hang out there. When I first started using that space they flew away. Now I must be one of the flock because they don't flinch when I ride by.

[furrane]

I watched your videos for years and I wanted to commend you for the excellent content you've been pumping out for so long.

Here in France it's been a terrible week for cycling : earlier this week, a cyclist was murdered *intentionally* by a SUV driver in Paris, which was a first for us (we obviously have had many cyclists killed in a car accident, but never intentionally).

I think cycling and walking and public transport are the future of transportation and that we will eventually get there, but in the meantime, while we still have to deal with cars around us, we ought to remember how fragile we are compared to multi tons machines, and I'm really glad for every single person, like yourself, that helps us get there quicker by promoting safer ways to move around.

[BoulderHikerBoy]

In my experience, the primary limiting factor in the value of many back alley laneways is that there are often no protected crossings between blocks (and little appetite to install such crossings). All things being equal, it seems to make sense to move parking to the alleys so that bike lanes can be built on the street front, where bikes can take advantage of the crossings that are already provisioned there. That said, I think it's a great idea to convert laneways into shared space when possible, particularly pedestrian-dominated spaces. Lower traffic volumes (and noise) make these viable locations to build place.

[OXI]

As a student in London in the late 1980s this was really the safest option, as cycle superhighways and bike lanes were unheard of. The bonus is that you see another side of city life and discover interesting spots. Have always preferred this approach to city cycling ever since.

[mattsheets]

I love the visual at 1:39 of the bike rack that was bent by a car running into it. Not even back alleys are safe.

[jeanschyso]

This is one of your best videos so far. You did a great job with every part of it. Sound recording, mixing, you actually took a lot of different locations, did a very good job showing and talking about pros and cons, and also you shouted out Montreal's back alleys, which I'm always here for.

For real, Good job!

[dh]

Great topic here, thanks for sharing. I've discovered several back roads or alleyways in a suburban setting here in Florida where I consider myself a suburban bike commuter (I work at home but I use my bike to run errands, go to coffee shops to work off site, ride to the local university ilbrary, etc.) I've looked for and found several slower side roads that parallel the busy boulevard streets, and even wide back alleyways behind various strip malls - anything to reduce my time spent on painted-on 3 foot wide "bike lanes" that are inches away from speeding trucks and suvs.

[ashf]

I rode my bike to the library today to pick up your book. No back alleyways on that route. But I did take the side roads instead of the main road. The side roads don't allow car traffic all the way through. But there is a path for bike and pedestrian traffic that connects the side streets making a through path. As a result, there is much less vehicle traffic on the side streets compared to our main route and it's much more pleasant to bike. Looking forward to my weekend read. 😊

[paulallan]

Howdy! Love the channel👍
I'm in Calgary, I bike as much as I can and I use back alleys quite a bit. They're a fun bit of gravel/offroading, and have very little traffic...usually just an occasional vehicle moving slowly. Easily safer than using a busy road. I do enjoy the back alley murals, I'd never see them otherwise🤙

[HermannKerr]

When you mentioned garbage in lane/alley ways it reminds me of a story a friend told me while working on a movie, Jacky Chan's "Rumble in the Bronx" in Vancouver where they had to put garbage (props) into the alleys because they were so clean.

[kitchencarvings]

It's a good idea to turn them into bikeways. Cars could still be allowed to enter, but bikes have priority. I bet if the city did that and the bike traffic picked up, then stores would start opening up along them to cater to the traffic. Another YouTuber I watch rides down the alleyways in Seoul, South Korea, and they are lined with little nook shops, coffee bars, and little gardens where people are growing vegetables and herbs in pots.

[jayziac]

Glad you did a video on this, before seeing this, I considered back alleys as an alternate segment for some trips, where instead of riding on a busier street, I'd ride along a parallel back allley to be safer.

[bertkreft]

thirty years ago - i started using the side streets here in berlin - because there was actually less traffic there - if you connect thous routes - ride through parks or along the river bank - and take other shortcuts - you can actually get through the city safely - today some of the routes are officially signposted as cycle routes

[yossarian]

Great video and completely agree with your conclusion. Here is Chicago we've got hundreds (if not thousands) of miles of alleys but they are in poor repair, full of broken glass, others bits of garbage, etc. But most importantly I think is, like you mentioned, a lack of sightlines and the problem that every intersecting street will have the priority over the alleyway. This means that cyclists would have to stop constantly and will not even be able to cross busier streets or arterials. Plus of course, cyclists needs to be able to get to destinations, like everywhere else, and so space must be created in the actual street network. I think we're best off following Montreal's lead - explore cool ideas for them, especially in residential areas, and in busier areas, either ensure that deliveries and that sort of thing occur only in the alleyways or within limited hours, which would prevent trucks from blocking bicycle/pedestrian infrastructure and would also give neighborhoods the flexibility to make streets pedestrian/cyclist only, like so many have successfully in Montreal in recent years.

[uhhhmm]

I agree completely. I live in Chicago and regularly take allys(although not always). They're much slower then the regular streets because of crossings but the respite from biking close to cars can sometimes be welcome. Love what Montreal is doing since that's a NA paradigm and Asian/European 20ft ROW's can also provide some examples. I think it's going to take creative urban planning in new developments and experimentation with low-hanging fruit to see how we can scale them as part of a safer higher-quality multi-modal transportation network.

[codylittlefield]

The back alleys here in Calgary are getting less safe. I've seen many people cut into them from the backed up traffic they're in (usually on 5th St SW) and speed down the alley in an attempt to get to wherever they're trying to go faster. Rather than wait at the red and turn when it's their turn.

I absolutely believe we should take back the laneways, especially in residential neighbourhoods. Currently, we can't even step out of the back door of our garage without peaking first, because cars fly down the alley (Crescent Heights near Centre Street). I would LOVE to take it back and make it a place for people.

[brianjoyce]

When I lived in Toronto in 1989-92, I had a 30 minute route from my place to my work downtown. Most of it was through back alleys, parks, parking lots, etc. All avoiding traffic lights. Much less stressful than squeezing between moving cars and parked cars. No bike infrastructure then.

[rangersmith]

The best reason to avoid using back alleys as bike lanes is that doing so will start to seem normal and proper, making the argument for actual bike paths muhc harder to win.

[clodoaldomarques]

Thank you, Tom.... again, a super video for sure.

[matthewjames]

Awesome video as always! Love seeing the untapped potential of some spaces that are basically neglected in our cities