[SDCBC] 10news.com Teenager Killed In Carmel Valley Bike Crash

[Serge Issakov]

This is a terrible tragedy.  What can be learned from it?

I don't think whether parking is legal in that bike lane is very important.
Even if parking is illegal, if the truck was parked there because it broke
down there, it's understandable and should not be unexpected.  Parking at
the curb in a bike lane marked "no parking" is akin to parking in a red curb
zone, or double parking on a surface street - at worst it's a minor
infraction and not considered a serious safety hazard.  Nor should it be.
Bike lanes should not be thought of as guaranteed safe and clear space for
cyclists, and it's dangerous to assume as much.  As tempting as the
comparison may be, blocking a bike lane is nothing like parking in a freeway
traffic lane.

My bias against bike lanes is well-known on this list, and this tragedy
exemplifies one of my main objections to them: that they instill a false
sense of security in cyclists, that they induce a
cycling-nirvana-mindlessness that might be appropriate on an empty bike path
or maybe even a very quiet country road, but not on a surface street shared
with motor vehicles.  I think less experienced cyclists, perhaps like 15
year old Nigel Clarke, are particularly prone to this effect.  Can a cyclist
be blamed for going too fast around a blind curve only a few feet from the
curb where he could reasonably believe he was legally obligated to be: in
the bike lane?  My heart goes out to Nigel's family and friends.

If you're a supporter of bike lanes, I urge you to remember Nigel, and think
of his family, the next time you express favor for bike lanes on the basis
of safety for cyclists.  There is little if any evidence that supports that
view, and tragedies like this, which are all too common, suggest the
opposite may well be true: bike lanes make cycling less safe, arguably even
deadly.

Serge

-- 
NOTE: Any opinions expressed above are mine and not necessarily shared by
any organization in which I am involved.
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