Road Rules: Finding Balance For All

As cities across the country add more bike lanes and introduce mentoring programs to easing congestion on the streets, and bike-sharing programs are popping up and becoming even more trendy in big cities like Austin, Miami, Philadelphia, Denver, Des Moines, and Washington, D.C., the debate over traffic laws and general etiquette heats up. The overall support of cycling programs in our country is strong, as many Americans understand the positive impacts to air quality, traffic congestion, etc. However, there is also somewhat of an unexpected ‘bikelash’ among some aggravated citizens when it comes to traditional ‘road rules’ vs. bicyclist  courtesy and a cohesive safety standard for all commuters. Should all states operate as Oregon does, with its dedicated biker's section in the driver's manual, or Washington, with its statewide bike-route network? Should there be stricter laws enforcing bikers to stop at traffic lights just as drivers are required to?

Last winter, New York magazine reported on a group of citizens, backed by a  former transportation commissioner, who filed a lawsuit to force the city to remove a lane along Brooklyn's Prospect Park, complaining that bike lanes increased congestion by taking away precious road space. The group launched a media media campaign, painting "bike activists" as spandex-clad "pedestrian terrorizers" with an "agenda" to impede drivers' "rights", and argued that the bike lanes simply weren't used enough to justify their cost. According to the report, even some local businesses claimed that the lanes were hurting their profits by keeping pedestrians away. The suit was ultimately dismissed by the court, but it has sparked much discussion among planners and residents of cities all over America regarding who is actually taking advantage of bike programs and why.

As Joe Dolce points out in his recent commentary, The Bicycle Diaries, what bike-bashers don’t realize or haven’t given much consideration to, is that it’s grandmothers, schoolkids, businessmen and women of all shapes, colors, and ages. A good number of people pedal to work because they can't afford other means of transport, making these bicycling programs even more vital to sustainability in big cities.

Would building more roads really alleviate gridlock?
Dolce notes that studies show the fact that “more roads breed more cars, which breed more congestion. Bike lanes, often portrayed as a waste of municipal funds, reduce the cost of maintaining roads, which are damaged mostly by heavy vehicles. Rather than creating traffic snarls, bike lanes actually calm traffic, which leads to fewer accidents. And, finally, the idea that less than half of New York City households (car owners) should stake claim to 99 percent of the city's roads -- especially when we all pay to maintain them -- is vexing, if not wholly undemocratic.”

Read Dolce’s full commentary >>

[This post was inspired by OnEarth.org]