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From: Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net>
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: New Bike Path
Date: Thu, 18 Jul 2024 09:43:16 -0400
Organization: A noiseless patient Spider
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On 7/18/2024 7:50 AM, John B. wrote:
>
> I keep reading all this foolishness about bike paths and all the
> problems. Why not just do as we do here in Thailand?  see
> https://touringthailandblog.wordpress.com/road-info/
> Notice in many photos there is a center line and two white lines near
> the edge of the road. The area behind the white line is for bicycles,
> small motorcycles and other slow vehicles.

In my state and most U.S. states that area is defined as the road 
shoulder. According to an acquaintance of mine who is one of the most 
prominent bicycle-issue attorneys in the U.S., the shoulder is not 
legally part of the roadway. That is, it's not legally where vehicles 
are expected to travel, and while it's not illegal for bicyclists to use 
it, there's a real risk that a cyclist doing so would suffer serious 
legal harm in any case brought before a court. Examples might be a 
motorist hitting the cyclist by a sudden right hook, or suddenly pulling 
out of a driveway or side street. That disadvantage would depend on 
specific and detailed wording of laws, which vary state by state.

But from a practical viewpoint: Sometimes riding a shoulder makes sense. 
It can be handy if the shoulder is sufficiently wide, free of debris and 
the cyclist wants to make it easier for motorists to pass. But there are 
potential problems like: What do you do if traffic is passing, you're on 
the shoulder and its width suddenly reduces to near zero? What if when 
on the shoulder you come to a spot where it's filled with broken glass? 
Subservient cyclists will of course stop in those situations and perhaps 
bow down as their superiors in cars pass them; but some of us choose to 
use our legal rights to the actual road.

More serious problems come from the reduced conspicuity of a cyclist on 
a shoulder, or in a similar bike lane. In another forum two days ago, a 
cyclist posted his bad experience with that situation, although I forget 
now if it was an official bike lane or a shoulder. Something like "How 
could he not see me coming? How could he turn left directly into me??" 
Responses were almost unanimous: "If you'd been out in the traffic lane 
he would have seen you coming." Cyclists at the edge are much harder to 
spot among the background visual clutter. They're also harder to spot 
for motorists pulling out of side streets or driveways.

The laws of my state (and most states, I believe) allow me to use the 
normal travel lane when necessary for my safety. That's where I ride.

-- 
- Frank Krygowski