Talked to a new rider who called bike lanes 'car limbo zones' and it made me see them different

I was waiting at the light on Broadway last Thursday and this guy fresh to commuting said bike lanes feel like spaces where cars just wait to squeeze you out, which hit me hard because I've been riding here since 2012 and I guess I got numb to that feeling.

2 comments

2 Comments

river_fox185d ago

Yeah the car limbo thing is real. Probably makes the bike lane feel like a trial run for getting doored or right-hooked instead of actual safe space.

logan2635d ago

what nobody talks about is how this exact setup makes drivers way more agressive too. like when i bike down a lane thats barely there, cars will literally gun it to pass me even if theres a red light 50 feet ahead. they see me in their blind spot and panic swerve around me into the next lane. its like the tight squeeze trains everyone to treat the bike as an obstacle to be dealt with fast rather than a person they should give space to. then you get the ones who think since you made it through the car limbo, you must be okay with them passing at 40mph with 6 inches of room.