[SDCBC] FW: Plastic Cones in Bike Lane

[Serge Issakov]

On 8/28/07, JonIsaacs at aol.com <JonIsaacs at aol.com> wrote:
>
> In a message dated 8/28/2007 9:23:06 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
> serge at issakov.org writes:
>
> When there are pylons closing off a vehicular traffic lane, there aren't
> dozens of email messages and letters being sent.  Why all the "Oh my God the
> Bike Lane is closed!" rants when it happens to bike lanes?  Why does anyone
> even notice this enough to be bothered by it, that's what I don't get.
> -----
>
>
>
> The issue here is pylons and parked cars illegally blocking the bicycle
> lane.  I do not  see cars parked in the other traffic lanes, I do not see
> illegally placed pylons in other traffic lanes.    I believe this is because
> the police act quickly on such situations... Do you see these things?
>
> >>>If a cyclist can't comfortably and effortlessly deal with a blocked
> bike lane on a given road, then he or she probably should not be riding on
> that road at all.  And if he or she CAN comfortably and effortlessly deal
> with a blocked bike lane on that road, then why all the hand wringing when
> it is blocked?
> -----
>
> I am sure all of us reading this list are capable of comfortably dealing
> with blocked bicycle lanes.   To suggest otherwise is silly.   Whether or
> not Bike Lanes are a good idea, (and I am on the Fence on that), they are
> there and IMHO, ought to be respected.
>
> Jon Isaacs


Not so much in San Diego, but in other places, notably San Francisco, it is
common practice to have a narrow outside lane in which parking is allowed.
When no one is parked in it, people drive in it.  When cars are parked in
it, it can't be used for through travel, but that doesn't cause anyone to
write a letter to the editor.

Not to mention than in many urban centers double-parking is unofficially
tolerated because that's the practical thing to do.  When that happens,
obviously the traffic lane is blocked and people have to drive around.  On
my ride home yesterday three police cars were blocking the bike lane at
Torrey Pines Road and La Jolla Village Drive.  I merged and went around
without getting their patrol car number, taking any pictures, or, until
now,  even mentioning it to anyone else.  It was a non-issue.

The attitude and attention given here to some short length of bike lane
being blocked for some reason amounts to acting like the bike lane is some
kind of religious shrine.  Indeed, to many cyclists, perhaps unconsciously,
a lack of respect for a bike lane seems to be interpreted as a lack of
respect for cyclists and cycling in general.  Perhaps that's what this all
ultimately about?  I think some of us might identify with bike lanes and the
space they demarcate as being "ours", and blocking like this might feel like
a personal trespass.

Serge
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.bikesandiego.org/pipermail/sdcbc/attachments/20070828/bee62e63/attachment.html