It's been said hundreds of times -- signage and paint are not infrastructure. The issue is simple. Politicians want to stay in office, and they know there are more voters who don't ride a bike than voters who do.
German … no need to own a car to get around. Australia car is king. Public transport is crap. Just last night the train I wanted to catch was cancelled. The next one was 2 hour wait
Exactly right..i noticed these boulards in Barcelona in 2019 and am pleased to see out own council in Hamilton NZ is now using them to keep cyclists safer. The problem is dumb people who think the road is " for cars" forget roads were invented thousands of years ago ( before cars) for markets, walking horses....and bicycles as a general thoroughfare. Its only because the car is peoples " default "mode of transport that drivers think no one else should use it.
@@leosheppard8517 People that park on bike lanes realy don't need a car. You know only people capable of following traffic rules without endangering weaker partakers of traffic need a car.
@@marmanukem1975 Well in Germany( and I assume most outher places of the world it's the same ), driving a motor vehicle is treated a bit like walking around with a loaded and cocked revolver in the USA. You better don't hurt anyone while doing so, apply some foresight and care so you don't have to tell the police how that accident happend where you killed someone.
I love the way that recommendations for infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians works: "This is how we think cycle paths should be built - but if it is difficult or inexpensive, do something crap instead"! I asked my local council (Cambridge, UK) about the planned cycling infrastructure where I live and was sent the 170 page recommendation document, and was told it was 'in there' somewhere. I looked, and it wasn't. When I pointed this out, all communication ceased!
In Cambridge there are likely to be detailed comments made on every planning application. If you want to challenge, you have to know the detail. The LTN/120 guidelines are quite good - but are just guidlines, so easily ignored. See what happened in Waterbeach, for example, during the design phase th-cam.com/video/NVCgReNi3nM/w-d-xo.html The Welsh Guidelines document is 500 pages !
@@mattwardman I just wanted to know the rationale for having a single central red tarmac cycle lane through the centre of a small rural village. I still don't, and I'm not even sure that is what is planned due to the lack of response from the Council!
@@lafamillecarrington Fair enough. Engagement is difficult, as so much comes at you at once. In my town I have a huge number of things that need addressing, and I can't address even 10% of it myself. When a plan comes out normally you get 3-6 weeks to respond. And then there is no institutional memory. Genuinely the most effective way is probably the nerd people within local activist groups, but here I don't even really have one of those.
Plastic bollards are essentially vertical paint. They are meant to protect cars, not people. If you want to protect people, then people need to be prioritized.
I like the idea of at random replacing the plastic tubes with a steel one that looks similar. Cost effective, and will discourage motorists from hitting them
@@red_skies80 if you lit them in high collision locations you could probably have this go. Also I'm not planning on entrapment. I want all bike separation infrastructure to be well marked, brightly colored so people can clearly see them.
When I was a teenager I used to ride my bike to school. It's only about 1km, but it was most dangerous near the school. The number of times I almost had accidents because cars decided to park on the bike lane while I was in it was ridiculous. I eventually stopped riding altogether after my bike was destroyed by a mother who decided waiting for me to cycle past was too slow and instead wanted to park atop me and the bike. I got out of the way in time, but my frame was completely bent. The woman of course blamed me for being where she wanted to park. I didn't even get the cost of my bike back either, I'd have had to sue her for that, and as a poor teenager who's only source of income was a paper round I wasn't exactly in a position to file that.
you wouldn't need to sue her. you call the police, or go to the police station to make a report if they do not come. but before leaving the scene, take pictures of everything. get her name and issuing state, driver's license number from her driver license, and her insurance info. obtain a copy of the police report, and file a claim with her insurance for the cost of your bike repair or new bike. her insurance will also pay your medical bills if you are injured. The insurance will send out an adjuster to inspect damage. They send you a waiver to sign, and upon return of the waiver, they'll send you a check. there's no money out of your pocket aside from some mailing stamps and envelopes.
0:51 - "Why can't this small allocation of space be respected by people with cars?" Because most people with cars are to lazy to walk a bit further. I have seen cars being double parked in the street because a free parking space was three car lengths further down the street! That's too much to walk! Here in the Netherlands we have learned that only physical barriers/separation work.
In the USA they are tow away zone. A cyclist calls the tow company who tows the vehicle and pays a reward for the information. Clearly we could do more to discourage lawbreakers.
That does not help for all those AT&T contractors, delivery vans or parents with SUVs waiting to pick up their kids from school. As soon as the tow-truck comes, they are gone.
@@karlkoehler341 If they actually block you, block them back, and video it. Send the vid to the PR and Safety departments. Make them reverse. Many companies don’t like the drivers reversing.
As a Sydney rider who commuted to work for 15 years I have to say I got very well versed in riding in hostile traffic conditions where I even had a bus driver sent for retraining after he tried to crush me into the curb. The Mayor of the day did sympathise and designated 24 hour bus lanes as cycle lanes also and this worked quite well up streets like York and Clarence streets where the traffic is one way. She also implemented a number of bike use only lanes with hard curbs to stop cars but guess who likes to walk in them. Yep, pedestrians seem to think that cyclists have no right to these and trundle down the lanes with backs to oncoming traffic, with strollers no less, and happily argue with cyclists that they should be on the road.
People with strollers on dedicated cycle paths is something I encountered just about everywhere in the world; they have an amazing argument: ‘the stroller has wheels too’
Just subscribed, as an Aussie now overseas is interesting to see how do much of the crap aspects of American suburbia has been duplicated in Australia. It'll take ages before Aussies start taking the bike seriously as a form of transport. It probably won't be possible in some places due to the heat but climates that allow it I'm hopeful
As a cyclist who rides in Bendigo all I can say is that you are incredibly fortunate to have such good bike lanes and protected bike lanes in Geelong. As far as I know the only "protected" bike lanes in all of Bendigo is a 900m strip of Ellis St Flora Hill. Half of this strip is in 40kmh zone beside 2 schools, there's about 20 or so residential driveways that cross the lower half of the strip and it's "protected" by bollards at about 20m spacing. This section of cycling infrastructure is in place somewhere where probably less than 1% of Bendigo's cycling community would use it. In the CBD and on the major roads there is nothing resembling protected cycling lanes and there is lucky to be cycling lanes of any sort whatsoever.
I remember learning to drive in the UK and during my lessons and even the test if I drove or parked in the bike lane it would be an automatic fail. Yet everyone parks or drives in the bicycle lane or they drive into the box at the traffic lights that are for cyclists to be at the front. Its like city planners do barely the minimum just so drivers are not inconvienced while they're sat in their 2 ton metal box and drivers just ignore all the rules of the road.
And when you finally get rid of the cars, pedestrians will think that the bike lane is free real estate. Like towards the end of your video. This works like that in Europe as well. Maybe except in the Netherlands, but they are an exception even here.
I'd rather clash with pedestrians. They don't have an inflated sense of worth like motorists do because they don't have a big metal box to protect them.
@@girl-xk2db I don't agree about the lack of self worth, or importance; many pedestrians aren't really pedestrians, they're just car drivers that have parked their car somewhere only because they have to, and then walk to wherever they're going. They'd drive into the aisles at Woolies if they could. These people still have monumental egos connected to all the money they spend on car ownership, and simultaneously forget that folks with bikes also have cars and meet those running costs too.
what seems to work quite well here in sweden is simply extending the sidewalk and putting the bike path on there, it's a very cheap way to separate the bike infrastructure from the cars and i don't understand why america insists on making bike lanes *on* the road
I used to drive and am still a petrolhead, but I ride almost everywhere almost everyday. I enjoy operating anything with safety, skill and finesse. I don’t understand how anyone can suck at driving. lol
LOL at that guy that responded "You've got wheels, go around" My responce would be, "you've also got wheels, go park where your supposed to if you want to keep it that way." Still blows it off he'd be buying 4 new tires and probably would still be there when parking enforcement rolled around.
Great list and good information for anyone who exclusively drives and wonders "why are no kids riding to school in that bike lane" for example. In my city we have every different kind of barrier and I agree that concrete barriers, planters or full curbs with parallel parked cars are the only things that work. Bendy plastic sticks and "drivable curbs" will only stop a percentage of drivers. By the way "drivable curbs" are one of the dumbest ideas ever. Why are engineers lowering the height of curbs and designing little ramps to help cars and trucks get up and over a curb more easily as at the same time vehicle size, wheel diameter and ground clearance is growing across the board.
The angled parking feels a lot safer than parallel street parking as doors can’t open into the bike lane, however a parallel parking lane with a half metre buffer is probably safer. Not sure why cities in Canada don’t use angled parking often. Also I’ve never seen trees like that growing in the street! Maybe an indicator that the sidewalk should be widened up to that point haha
Business owners in my area banned together to take back useless bike lanes for extended patio seating for the restaurant district. Then in October it will revert to parallel parking as the city hired a contractor to manage street parking. It’s a win for everyone.
I ride thousands of miles per year within the city, and have ridden regularly in 4 major U.S. cities, plus sporadically in others. I thought no "bike infrastructure" could be so terrible as to surprise me, but I have to say: that contra-flow lane without even a white line is the most insane thing I've ever seen. I've seen plenty of non-functional infrastructure before, but that one is just laughably bad.
I just hold my phone out, push a random button and act like I am talking to dispatch while I read out their plate number... they either move immediately or start yelling at me, at which point I will actually dial dispatch. (Dispatch is the non-emergency police number)
It is much better in Melbourne, but recently tradies and bin collectors have started parking in the bike line. They don't like when I kick their tyres.
Why not convert more parking into 15 minute loading zones? From my experience in the US, the vast majority of people parked in the bike lane claim "they'll only be a minute!" Perhaps if there were more loading zones and less 1hr/2hr/day parking, there'd be less reason for delivery drivers to flout the law. In theory, the budget for loading zones would come from budget set aside for car infrastructure, which would make it easier to push through.
The green painting business with repeated bike picture indicators should be automatic everywhere they put up bike lanes. But it's not unfortunately here where I live. In fact they never seem to do that. When it's done, I'd imagine the city would be forced to have more of an eye towards maintaining them, and keeping debris from building up in them. Pretty much everyone involved would have to take the bike lanes and cycling generally more seriously. Obviously barriers are good too, perhaps even required in places, but having them look like something distinct from what automobiles use and need should be the first thing.
@@merendell Good point! I'm sure that's part of the planning though when there's competence in place. I think it makes it very easy to take it all in a very half-assed way, from the city government side that is, when they don't reach the threshold of the green painted lanes. For one thing if there isn't enough there for visual/practical effect, it can looked decayed and it doesn't matter. If it's made to actually be distinct and look like something, having it decay just makes the city look bad.
I cycle quite a lot but I also drive and when I drive I realise exactly how lazy other people’s driving is. If I can stay out of bike lanes when I’m driving, why can’t other people? And generally those same drivers do other questionable stuff. They’re just demonstrating how incapable they are of being thoughtful or considerate.
The way to keep people from parking and driving in them is if they get a big ticket. There's very little cost now, but if that changed, say if they got a $500 ticket with points on their license, then they would stop parking there.
If local bicycling groups are big enough you could collectively buy and install the plastic glue down flexible bollards. If you buy enough of them you get a discount. Once there the city will likely maintain them over time.
Here the problem is motorcycles taking the bike lanes. Cycling commuters, at least the beginners get discouraged. Our government promised that they will invest more on cycling infrastructure but we will see what happens.
i prefer two way protected bike path because those are generally wide enough to fit snowplow because it snows alot where i live so that's really important feature.
I think the way Germany manages this is Yonks better than placing items that can damage another persons property. I think having nothing other than a mountable divider should be in place, just in case a driver needs to avoid something coming towards them. Placing something that can block that action or cause damage to the vehicle if they did need to avoid something will end up costing the government more than its worth. I know if my car was damaged by spikes blocking me from avoiding a distracted driver coming towards me I wouldn't pay a cent to fix it.
There was an activist group somewhere, Russia i think, that had big 1.5' diameter stickers, with appropriate messaging, made that they would apply on the windscreen of offending vehicles in front of the driver's seat blocking the driver's view. It's non-destructive as the sticker can be removed with some elbow grease (pressure washer or razor blade would be needed) but wouldn't peel off easily making for a serious inconvenience for the driver. This is probably a better option for places where the authorities won't enforce parking regs than smashing mirrors or keying cars as it won't be payed out by insurance and is less likely to lead to be seen as criminal by authorities.
I do that now; medical industry stickers have pretty tough adhesive, to prevent excuses and fuck ups. Conveniently, I can access these blank labels that are 200mm x 200mm and they are a bitch to remove from glass. A simple DO NOT PARK HERE is sufficient. I photograph the car to keep a record. Next time; tyre valve cores get removed and stuck to the windscreen, with the same label. Fun fact; a google search will reveal where to buy large labels with strong adhesive. A google search will also teach how to remove valve cores.
Two way are dangerous. Should never be implemented. Agree if they are completely separate great. Having a two way lane/path that constantly goes over intersections is just asking for trouble.
Any chance of a video on Geelong's Green Spine project. What is it about? what stage it is up to? safest route to take from Waurn Ponds and other outer suburbs.
Here is a short video on one section of the green spine. Geelong Malop Street Block 3 th-cam.com/video/wnLGBJrxRDA/w-d-xo.html. Thanks for the suggestions, I will get onto them.
I just do not get these kind of bike lanes. In Finland they are almost always elevated or even completely separated. Sure that does not prevent parking but discourages it at last. You have to make a conscious decision to park on the bike lane.
It seems to be a universal thing I am from the UK and this annoys me all the time and people who walk in the bike paths and moan when told to stay out.
Pure and simple the legal parking bay is probably you know those few meters to far away to walk. Also you have to come against the apathy of people or general disregard/ disrespect towards cyclists. It’s like the 1 metre rule drivers are supposed to give cyclists on the road not the bike lane. Well when it was introduced in WA , with the corresponding advertising campaign, most drivers actually gave you space, but within 6 months and without the advertising, the old habits of drivers were back , especially not wanting to to be caught behind a cyclist in a area with traffic slowing devices feeding into a roundabout. Very disconcerting as you negotiate into a shicane with a cement mixer truck forcing his way through,
It’s mostly a chicken and egg problem. Notice how many cyclists were shown in your video. If you want change, you need to get involved and organize. A lot of bike infrastructure gets put in because of feelies. The politicians do it to get votes. Don’t let them, it’s a trap. Look for projects that will get used. Find the areas where people already ride bikes, and ask your city to put in quality lanes to make it safer. Also, ask for walk and bike paths to be put in where there’s green space that people will enjoy. THEN AFTER you have a successful project that people are ACTUALLY using (IOW, when you see the project you almost always see it being used) you expand that project by connecting it with high quality infrastructure to more homes or popular destinations. And, don’t forget solid and secure bike storage at destinations. You get a lot farther by being an honest broker who doesn’t recommend wasting money and doesn’t recommend unpopular projects (ones that will get more complaints than compliments).
Have you considered getting a pink slip roadworthy, paying injury insurance and registration for all of vehicles including bikes? Then money for infrastructure!
@@rickyfox67if all vehicles are paying for use of the road, money is available for infrastructure and the bike lanes are separated from the road, not a chance to park in them.
I can't particularly imagine that happening in small streets, but the wider streets that can comfortably fit kerbside car parking AND two-lane car traffic, well I'd personally say "Hey, how about give some of that kerbside space to the bikes, huh?"
Having a motorised vehicle makes people lazy and stressed ,just leave the damn things at home if going within a couple of miles especially if it’s for a few small items get a backpack or a bike even an electric bike, stick some panniers on it or grab a Brompton style bike that can fold which can be taken into the shops in a trolley or get a bus ,it’s scientifically proven that walking ,cycling and other forms of exercise reduces stress ,as for drivers who moan and whine like children about cyclists being on the roads imagine what your driving experience would be like if all cyclist around the world returned or started driving motorised vehicles there would be another billion motorised vehicles on the roads .
Outside of you recording this video, there were no other riders on those bike lanes. They were completely empty. Are people not riding because they perceive them to be unsafe? Usage is also a factor. If drivers see that people (a lot of people) are using the lanes, they are less likely to go into them. If the lane is completely empty of traffic most of the time, they think it's fine to use it for temporary parking. I'm not defending drivers at all (I'm a bike rider myself), but if a bike lane is desolate and very underused, people are more likely to ignore the regulations if it will inconvenience the occasional rider. You need to get more people to use these lanes no matter what, then the city will also allocate more money for protection. I know it's a chicken-egg scenario, but what you and the local riders' group needs to do is convince people to use it more so it can be improved.
I'm not sure that this is an infrastructure issue. This is a behavioral one, sure you could put in a barrier or curb to divide the bike lane. Or people who drive could be responsible for their driving and people who ride could be responsible for their riding. The loss of this mutual recognition in civil society is the West writ large in this day and age.
If you value the paint on your car in the Netherlands, don't park park in the bike lane. your car might be scratched by paddles or your mirror damaged by a handlebar... totally accidental offcourse.
It's so weird. The majority of people utilizing the roads would rather use them for cars. I vote to put bikes back on the sidewalks and let pedestrians and bikes mingle instead of cars and bikes.
Great video about keeping bike lanes free from cars. However, intermittent curbs can also be dangerous to bicyclists too. A few months ago, a bicyclist (not wearing a helmet) was killed when they hit one of these curbs in Southern California. So the plastic sticks/bollards may actually be safer overall in more remote locations with poor lighting. th-cam.com/video/m4dh2pL5Qkc/w-d-xo.html Whenever there are gaps in protected bike lanes with low curbs, those curbs can be hazardous to bicyclists as well if they aren't paying close attention to where they are going. Definitely, a completely separated lane with highly visible plastic/concrete 3ft high jersey barriers is the safest for bicyclists, but they're expensive, unsightly and make it more difficult for city crews to keep bike lanes clear of debris since the normal street cleaning vehicles can't be used.
Maybe get the biggest bicycle association in your area to negotiate with police and create a web site for photo's of offenders to be submitted with details of time and date. Possible repeat offenders in particular could be ticketed this way. That is my thought on combatting perpetual selfish road users.
Make it legal to ride on a sidewalk problem solved i will never use bike "infrastructure" that is just paint on the road and with hardtail basically a race bike with very strong brakes stopping is hardly a problem be it for a child elderly or someone not paying attention, showing people just how noisy the brakes are sure is fun
The very young, the old and the timid, sure, but for anyone with somewhere to be on time, riding on the footpath sucks. It's clear you've not done this, otherwise you'd know.
You need to improve your diction a bit. Speak louder, slowly and clearly. Overall, a very important topic and some nice pictures you've taken. Appreciate that there is no music! Appreciate your commitment. This is important, this is the future!
So yuo've sent evidence of someone breaking the law and nothing is done. How surprising for cyclists. Yet camera proof is fine for speeding fines. Does my head in. Vigilantism is going to happen more and more if councils don't do anything about drivers that disrespect others
Its because they were designed by idiots. Bike lanes should be barrier protected & run down the centre of the road & act as the dividing strip with entry & exit points at periodic designated crossings. Then the cyclist dismounts to walk the footpath. Cross roads with traffic lights should also have a bike only phase.
my GRIPE is a perfectly great shared path (walking/riding) along the road, yet the idiots on bikes are still on the road….not doing your cause any favour.
@@bikeroutebuddy if you bikes paid something towards infrastructure (like cars do, rego, ctp, pink slip road worthy etc …. Then they would have budget available to separate the parking and cycling lanes. No chance to park in the cycling lane if it’s separated.
show me a bike lane and i will park in it, road rats. here in carlton they have hung a green bike light that goes off 30 seconds before the regular green light this is nuts !!!!
I know you are just trolling but in case anyone else reads this adding a leading pedestrian interval of 3-7 seconds can reduce pedestrian-car collisions up to 60%. And it's basically free. Adjust your traffic control software to turn the walk signal on 5 seconds early and suddenly less people are dead.
Because they are breaking the law and blocking the sight lines where there are tight curves in the bike lane. They should park in legal parking spots like most of the rest of society seem to be able to do.
These videos are great for information, and terrible for my blood pressure.
This is spot on!!!
It's been said hundreds of times -- signage and paint are not infrastructure. The issue is simple. Politicians want to stay in office, and they know there are more voters who don't ride a bike than voters who do.
In Germany, the driver gets a point for every reported bike lane offence and after two points, he loses his driver permission for one month.
German … no need to own a car to get around. Australia car is king. Public transport is crap. Just last night the train I wanted to catch was cancelled. The next one was 2 hour wait
Exactly right..i noticed these boulards in Barcelona in 2019 and am pleased to see out own council in Hamilton NZ is now using them to keep cyclists safer. The problem is dumb people who think the road is " for cars" forget roads were invented thousands of years ago ( before cars) for markets, walking horses....and bicycles as a general thoroughfare. Its only because the car is peoples " default "mode of transport that drivers think no one else should use it.
@@leosheppard8517 People that park on bike lanes realy don't need a car. You know only people capable of following traffic rules without endangering weaker partakers of traffic need a car.
In the US a driver can kill a cyclist and not even get charged...
@@marmanukem1975 Well in Germany( and I assume most outher places of the world it's the same ), driving a motor vehicle is treated a bit like walking around with a loaded and cocked revolver in the USA. You better don't hurt anyone while doing so, apply some foresight and care so you don't have to tell the police how that accident happend where you killed someone.
I love the way that recommendations for infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians works: "This is how we think cycle paths should be built - but if it is difficult or inexpensive, do something crap instead"!
I asked my local council (Cambridge, UK) about the planned cycling infrastructure where I live and was sent the 170 page recommendation document, and was told it was 'in there' somewhere. I looked, and it wasn't. When I pointed this out, all communication ceased!
Oops, they didn't expect that you would actually read the thing.
In Cambridge there are likely to be detailed comments made on every planning application. If you want to challenge, you have to know the detail.
The LTN/120 guidelines are quite good - but are just guidlines, so easily ignored.
See what happened in Waterbeach, for example, during the design phase
th-cam.com/video/NVCgReNi3nM/w-d-xo.html
The Welsh Guidelines document is 500 pages !
@@mattwardman I just wanted to know the rationale for having a single central red tarmac cycle lane through the centre of a small rural village. I still don't, and I'm not even sure that is what is planned due to the lack of response from the Council!
@@lafamillecarrington Fair enough.
Engagement is difficult, as so much comes at you at once.
In my town I have a huge number of things that need addressing, and I can't address even 10% of it myself.
When a plan comes out normally you get 3-6 weeks to respond.
And then there is no institutional memory.
Genuinely the most effective way is probably the nerd people within local activist groups, but here I don't even really have one of those.
Plastic bollards are essentially vertical paint. They are meant to protect cars, not people. If you want to protect people, then people need to be prioritized.
I like the idea of at random replacing the plastic tubes with a steel one that looks similar. Cost effective, and will discourage motorists from hitting them
Mate, that’s several lawsuits waiting to happen. I agree that motorists have no business being in the bike lanes, but those things flex for a reason.
@@red_skies80 Odds are if people damage the steel poles they will be billed for repairs related to the damage.
@@red_skies80 if you lit them in high collision locations you could probably have this go. Also I'm not planning on entrapment. I want all bike separation infrastructure to be well marked, brightly colored so people can clearly see them.
@@red_skies80 we can't keep pedestrians and cyclists safe a driver might get hurt
@Abrothers12 except where there are immovable bollards near the road, no lawsuits there, if they hit the steel one, fuck em
When I was a teenager I used to ride my bike to school. It's only about 1km, but it was most dangerous near the school.
The number of times I almost had accidents because cars decided to park on the bike lane while I was in it was ridiculous.
I eventually stopped riding altogether after my bike was destroyed by a mother who decided waiting for me to cycle past was too slow and instead wanted to park atop me and the bike. I got out of the way in time, but my frame was completely bent.
The woman of course blamed me for being where she wanted to park.
I didn't even get the cost of my bike back either, I'd have had to sue her for that, and as a poor teenager who's only source of income was a paper round I wasn't exactly in a position to file that.
you wouldn't need to sue her. you call the police, or go to the police station to make a report if they do not come. but before leaving the scene, take pictures of everything. get her name and issuing state, driver's license number from her driver license, and her insurance info. obtain a copy of the police report, and file a claim with her insurance for the cost of your bike repair or new bike. her insurance will also pay your medical bills if you are injured. The insurance will send out an adjuster to inspect damage. They send you a waiver to sign, and upon return of the waiver, they'll send you a check. there's no money out of your pocket aside from some mailing stamps and envelopes.
@@ft9kop No one is ever going to give you their driver's licence number! That's how the door to fraud happens.
How can people be so nasty to other people's kids !
0:51 - "Why can't this small allocation of space be respected by people with cars?"
Because most people with cars are to lazy to walk a bit further.
I have seen cars being double parked in the street because a free parking space was three car lengths further down the street! That's too much to walk!
Here in the Netherlands we have learned that only physical barriers/separation work.
It's extraordinary to think that a qualified traffic engineer actually signed off on some of the new ones on the new East/West link
Metal spikes are very appealing!
Hi from the UK - where parking in a bike lane can be very dangerous for your wing mirrors. They may smash! Your car may even be magically keyed!
In the USA they are tow away zone. A cyclist calls the tow company who tows the vehicle and pays a reward for the information. Clearly we could do more to discourage lawbreakers.
Where in the US is this?? I want this to be done in my city (Boston). I might be able to make a career out of ticketing cars in the bike lanes.
@@COBARHORSE1 i live in boston too, and i could make a living off of this. Way too many bike lane blockers
That does not help for all those AT&T contractors, delivery vans or parents with SUVs waiting to pick up their kids from school. As soon as the tow-truck comes, they are gone.
Yeah, this isn’t a Federal policy.
@@karlkoehler341 If they actually block you, block them back, and video it. Send the vid to the PR and Safety departments. Make them reverse. Many companies don’t like the drivers reversing.
As a Sydney rider who commuted to work for 15 years I have to say I got very well versed in riding in hostile traffic conditions where I even had a bus driver sent for retraining after he tried to crush me into the curb. The Mayor of the day did sympathise and designated 24 hour bus lanes as cycle lanes also and this worked quite well up streets like York and Clarence streets where the traffic is one way. She also implemented a number of bike use only lanes with hard curbs to stop cars but guess who likes to walk in them. Yep, pedestrians seem to think that cyclists have no right to these and trundle down the lanes with backs to oncoming traffic, with strollers no less, and happily argue with cyclists that they should be on the road.
People with strollers on dedicated cycle paths is something I encountered just about everywhere in the world; they have an amazing argument: ‘the stroller has wheels too’
This is a problem in Montreal too. The only bike lanes that are immune are the ones with a continuous concrete divider.
Just subscribed, as an Aussie now overseas is interesting to see how do much of the crap aspects of American suburbia has been duplicated in Australia. It'll take ages before Aussies start taking the bike seriously as a form of transport. It probably won't be possible in some places due to the heat but climates that allow it I'm hopeful
As a cyclist who rides in Bendigo all I can say is that you are incredibly fortunate to have such good bike lanes and protected bike lanes in Geelong. As far as I know the only "protected" bike lanes in all of Bendigo is a 900m strip of Ellis St Flora Hill. Half of this strip is in 40kmh zone beside 2 schools, there's about 20 or so residential driveways that cross the lower half of the strip and it's "protected" by bollards at about 20m spacing. This section of cycling infrastructure is in place somewhere where probably less than 1% of Bendigo's cycling community would use it. In the CBD and on the major roads there is nothing resembling protected cycling lanes and there is lucky to be cycling lanes of any sort whatsoever.
I remember learning to drive in the UK and during my lessons and even the test if I drove or parked in the bike lane it would be an automatic fail. Yet everyone parks or drives in the bicycle lane or they drive into the box at the traffic lights that are for cyclists to be at the front. Its like city planners do barely the minimum just so drivers are not inconvienced while they're sat in their 2 ton metal box and drivers just ignore all the rules of the road.
Great work! 👍
We need the same focus on inadequate infrastructure in Adelaide.
I wish we had some plastic or metal bollards.
And when you finally get rid of the cars, pedestrians will think that the bike lane is free real estate. Like towards the end of your video. This works like that in Europe as well. Maybe except in the Netherlands, but they are an exception even here.
I'd rather clash with pedestrians. They don't have an inflated sense of worth like motorists do because they don't have a big metal box to protect them.
Pedestrians ALWAYS cross the traffic lights on the side, that is meant for bycicles.
@@girl-xk2db I don't agree about the lack of self worth, or importance; many pedestrians aren't really pedestrians, they're just car drivers that have parked their car somewhere only because they have to, and then walk to wherever they're going. They'd drive into the aisles at Woolies if they could.
These people still have monumental egos connected to all the money they spend on car ownership, and simultaneously forget that folks with bikes also have cars and meet those running costs too.
Sometimes its really hard to pass a car parked in a bike lane without damaging the wing mirror.
The armadillos we use here in TX would bend your rim if you hit them at speed. Cheap to install.
what seems to work quite well here in sweden is simply extending the sidewalk and putting the bike path on there, it's a very cheap way to separate the bike infrastructure from the cars and i don't understand why america insists on making bike lanes *on* the road
I think that comes from attempting to replicate the setup Denmark and the Netherlands is for them bike lanes
I used to drive and am still a petrolhead, but I ride almost everywhere almost everyday.
I enjoy operating anything with safety, skill and finesse.
I don’t understand how anyone can suck at driving. lol
LOL at that guy that responded "You've got wheels, go around" My responce would be, "you've also got wheels, go park where your supposed to if you want to keep it that way." Still blows it off he'd be buying 4 new tires and probably would still be there when parking enforcement rolled around.
great video mate, from adelaide SA
Thanks for watching!
those one way tyre spikes they use at toll gates spring to mind...
Snapped wing mirrors might be a cheaper solution still 😉
Great list and good information for anyone who exclusively drives and wonders "why are no kids riding to school in that bike lane" for example. In my city we have every different kind of barrier and I agree that concrete barriers, planters or full curbs with parallel parked cars are the only things that work. Bendy plastic sticks and "drivable curbs" will only stop a percentage of drivers. By the way "drivable curbs" are one of the dumbest ideas ever. Why are engineers lowering the height of curbs and designing little ramps to help cars and trucks get up and over a curb more easily as at the same time vehicle size, wheel diameter and ground clearance is growing across the board.
Glad we have these boulards in our city of Hamilton in New Zealand now , as people are incrediably bad drivers at times.
The angled parking feels a lot safer than parallel street parking as doors can’t open into the bike lane, however a parallel parking lane with a half metre buffer is probably safer. Not sure why cities in Canada don’t use angled parking often.
Also I’ve never seen trees like that growing in the street! Maybe an indicator that the sidewalk should be widened up to that point haha
Business owners in my area banned together to take back useless bike lanes for extended patio seating for the restaurant district. Then in October it will revert to parallel parking as the city hired a contractor to manage street parking. It’s a win for everyone.
I ride thousands of miles per year within the city, and have ridden regularly in 4 major U.S. cities, plus sporadically in others. I thought no "bike infrastructure" could be so terrible as to surprise me, but I have to say: that contra-flow lane without even a white line is the most insane thing I've ever seen. I've seen plenty of non-functional infrastructure before, but that one is just laughably bad.
I just hold my phone out, push a random button and act like I am talking to dispatch while I read out their plate number... they either move immediately or start yelling at me, at which point I will actually dial dispatch. (Dispatch is the non-emergency police number)
It is much better in Melbourne, but recently tradies and bin collectors have started parking in the bike line. They don't like when I kick their tyres.
Those 2 way counter flow bike lanes are unbelievable, very damgerous i would say for the lane going against the flow, have never seen that here
Why not convert more parking into 15 minute loading zones? From my experience in the US, the vast majority of people parked in the bike lane claim "they'll only be a minute!" Perhaps if there were more loading zones and less 1hr/2hr/day parking, there'd be less reason for delivery drivers to flout the law. In theory, the budget for loading zones would come from budget set aside for car infrastructure, which would make it easier to push through.
Why are there so few bike lanes in greater Sydney and in NSW ?
In my city citizens can call the city towing contractor directly to come out and tow illegally parked cars.
What is this magical place?
The green painting business with repeated bike picture indicators should be automatic everywhere they put up bike lanes. But it's not unfortunately here where I live. In fact they never seem to do that. When it's done, I'd imagine the city would be forced to have more of an eye towards maintaining them, and keeping debris from building up in them. Pretty much everyone involved would have to take the bike lanes and cycling generally more seriously. Obviously barriers are good too, perhaps even required in places, but having them look like something distinct from what automobiles use and need should be the first thing.
only problem I have with the green paint everywhere is sometimes they forget to mix in traction media. Normal road paint gets prety slick when wet.
@@merendell Good point! I'm sure that's part of the planning though when there's competence in place. I think it makes it very easy to take it all in a very half-assed way, from the city government side that is, when they don't reach the threshold of the green painted lanes. For one thing if there isn't enough there for visual/practical effect, it can looked decayed and it doesn't matter. If it's made to actually be distinct and look like something, having it decay just makes the city look bad.
Hi Bike Route Buddy. Do edge lanes really work? How does it stack up against sharrowed roads?
I cycle quite a lot but I also drive and when I drive I realise exactly how lazy other people’s driving is. If I can stay out of bike lanes when I’m driving, why can’t other people? And generally those same drivers do other questionable stuff. They’re just demonstrating how incapable they are of being thoughtful or considerate.
You can do it probably because you give a fuck.
The average bogan doesn't.
The way to keep people from parking and driving in them is if they get a big ticket. There's very little cost now, but if that changed, say if they got a $500 ticket with points on their license, then they would stop parking there.
If local bicycling groups are big enough you could collectively buy and install the plastic glue down flexible bollards. If you buy enough of them you get a discount. Once there the city will likely maintain them over time.
Here the problem is motorcycles taking the bike lanes. Cycling commuters, at least the beginners get discouraged. Our government promised that they will invest more on cycling infrastructure but we will see what happens.
i prefer two way protected bike path because those are generally wide enough to fit snowplow because it snows alot where i live so that's really important feature.
I think the way Germany manages this is Yonks better than placing items that can damage another persons property. I think having nothing other than a mountable divider should be in place, just in case a driver needs to avoid something coming towards them. Placing something that can block that action or cause damage to the vehicle if they did need to avoid something will end up costing the government more than its worth. I know if my car was damaged by spikes blocking me from avoiding a distracted driver coming towards me I wouldn't pay a cent to fix it.
Caltrops?
There was an activist group somewhere, Russia i think, that had big 1.5' diameter stickers, with appropriate messaging, made that they would apply on the windscreen of offending vehicles in front of the driver's seat blocking the driver's view.
It's non-destructive as the sticker can be removed with some elbow grease (pressure washer or razor blade would be needed) but wouldn't peel off easily making for a serious inconvenience for the driver.
This is probably a better option for places where the authorities won't enforce parking regs than smashing mirrors or keying cars as it won't be payed out by insurance and is less likely to lead to be seen as criminal by authorities.
I do that now; medical industry stickers have pretty tough adhesive, to prevent excuses and fuck ups.
Conveniently, I can access these blank labels that are 200mm x 200mm and they are a bitch to remove from glass.
A simple DO NOT PARK HERE is sufficient.
I photograph the car to keep a record.
Next time; tyre valve cores get removed and stuck to the windscreen, with the same label.
Fun fact; a google search will reveal where to buy large labels with strong adhesive.
A google search will also teach how to remove valve cores.
Ah yes, the Stop a Douchebag movement. Classic.
Two way are dangerous. Should never be implemented. Agree if they are completely separate great. Having a two way lane/path that constantly goes over intersections is just asking for trouble.
We did a video on that a few months ago! th-cam.com/video/Kr8E92jqahw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=_9l5qeqpgpK9akH5
Any chance of a video on Geelong's Green Spine project. What is it about? what stage it is up to? safest route to take from Waurn Ponds and other outer suburbs.
Here is a short video on one section of the green spine. Geelong Malop Street Block 3
th-cam.com/video/wnLGBJrxRDA/w-d-xo.html. Thanks for the suggestions, I will get onto them.
And then people cry when their side mirror is gone....
Harsh.
No mercy, no quarter!
I just do not get these kind of bike lanes. In Finland they are almost always elevated or even completely separated. Sure that does not prevent parking but discourages it at last. You have to make a conscious decision to park on the bike lane.
Jesus that's an obscenely large truck at 9:51
seems to me simple boulders would work just as well for less money although good luck getting that through any city council
2:11 I take photos of every offender I see and report them to the authorities.
Put NO STOPPING signs and let the Police enforce them.
The lycra clad cyclists around my area don't ride in the bike lane even when no cars are parked there
It seems to be a universal thing I am from the UK and this annoys me all the time and people who walk in the bike paths and moan when told to stay out.
What we need are more groups capable of suing the city or state. A lawsuit would get these projects done faster
Pure and simple the legal parking bay is probably you know those few meters to far away to walk. Also you have to come against the apathy of people or general disregard/ disrespect towards cyclists. It’s like the 1 metre rule drivers are supposed to give cyclists on the road not the bike lane. Well when it was introduced in WA , with the corresponding advertising campaign, most drivers actually gave you space, but within 6 months and without the advertising, the old habits of drivers were back , especially not wanting to to be caught behind a cyclist in a area with traffic slowing devices feeding into a roundabout. Very disconcerting as you negotiate into a shicane with a cement mixer truck forcing his way through,
It’s mostly a chicken and egg problem.
Notice how many cyclists were shown in your video. If you want change, you need to get involved and organize. A lot of bike infrastructure gets put in because of feelies. The politicians do it to get votes. Don’t let them, it’s a trap.
Look for projects that will get used. Find the areas where people already ride bikes, and ask your city to put in quality lanes to make it safer. Also, ask for walk and bike paths to be put in where there’s green space that people will enjoy.
THEN AFTER you have a successful project that people are ACTUALLY using (IOW, when you see the project you almost always see it being used) you expand that project by connecting it with high quality infrastructure to more homes or popular destinations. And, don’t forget solid and secure bike storage at destinations.
You get a lot farther by being an honest broker who doesn’t recommend wasting money and doesn’t recommend unpopular projects (ones that will get more complaints than compliments).
can i get a tldr for this we pay taxes for parking spots drivers don't use
@@rickyfox67 You can win arguments or win bike infrastructure. You won’t win both. Too many drivers.
Short enough?
@@nunyabidness3075 still to long and whiney
@@rickyfox67 Okay, here’s a version just for you, snowflake: “Shut up, you are wrong”.
My inner psycho kept thinking about landmines.
When a merchant knows their customer is parked wrongly, they shouldn't service them before resolving that dangerous situation.
Have you considered getting a pink slip roadworthy, paying injury insurance and registration for all of vehicles including bikes? Then money for infrastructure!
this doesn't stop car from parking in the bike lane
No. Why, and how?
None of that is required for bicycles, injury insurance is already included and non of these things fund infrastructure.
@@petergibson7287 why not required for ALL vehicles using the road.
@@rickyfox67with money for infrastructure, the bike lane is completely seperate to the road. Not a chance to park in it.
@@rickyfox67if all vehicles are paying for use of the road, money is available for infrastructure and the bike lanes are separated from the road, not a chance to park in them.
Bikes should have dedicated pathways that are not shared with cars. Keep bikes and cars separate.
I can't particularly imagine that happening in small streets, but the wider streets that can comfortably fit kerbside car parking AND two-lane car traffic, well I'd personally say "Hey, how about give some of that kerbside space to the bikes, huh?"
And bikes from pedestrians !
@@dmitripogosian5084 Absolutely. Bikes are to pedestrians what cars are to bikes. None of them mix well.
Having a motorised vehicle makes people lazy and stressed ,just leave the damn things at home if going within a couple of miles especially if it’s for a few small items get a backpack or a bike even an electric bike, stick some panniers on it or grab a Brompton style bike that can fold which can be taken into the shops in a trolley or get a bus ,it’s scientifically proven that walking ,cycling and other forms of exercise reduces stress ,as for drivers who moan and whine like children about cyclists being on the roads imagine what your driving experience would be like if all cyclist around the world returned or started driving motorised vehicles there would be another billion motorised vehicles on the roads .
Outside of you recording this video, there were no other riders on those bike lanes. They were completely empty. Are people not riding because they perceive them to be unsafe? Usage is also a factor. If drivers see that people (a lot of people) are using the lanes, they are less likely to go into them. If the lane is completely empty of traffic most of the time, they think it's fine to use it for temporary parking. I'm not defending drivers at all (I'm a bike rider myself), but if a bike lane is desolate and very underused, people are more likely to ignore the regulations if it will inconvenience the occasional rider. You need to get more people to use these lanes no matter what, then the city will also allocate more money for protection. I know it's a chicken-egg scenario, but what you and the local riders' group needs to do is convince people to use it more so it can be improved.
I'm not sure that this is an infrastructure issue. This is a behavioral one, sure you could put in a barrier or curb to divide the bike lane. Or people who drive could be responsible for their driving and people who ride could be responsible for their riding. The loss of this mutual recognition in civil society is the West writ large in this day and age.
If you value the paint on your car in the Netherlands, don't park park in the bike lane.
your car might be scratched by paddles or your mirror damaged by a handlebar... totally accidental offcourse.
Oeps!
It's so weird. The majority of people utilizing the roads would rather use them for cars. I vote to put bikes back on the sidewalks and let pedestrians and bikes mingle instead of cars and bikes.
You're wrong.
Great video about keeping bike lanes free from cars.
However, intermittent curbs can also be dangerous to bicyclists too. A few months ago, a bicyclist (not wearing a helmet) was killed when they hit one of these curbs in Southern California. So the plastic sticks/bollards may actually be safer overall in more remote locations with poor lighting.
th-cam.com/video/m4dh2pL5Qkc/w-d-xo.html
Whenever there are gaps in protected bike lanes with low curbs, those curbs can be hazardous to bicyclists as well if they aren't paying close attention to where they are going.
Definitely, a completely separated lane with highly visible plastic/concrete 3ft high jersey barriers is the safest for bicyclists, but they're expensive, unsightly and make it more difficult for city crews to keep bike lanes clear of debris since the normal street cleaning vehicles can't be used.
Don't helmet-shame the deceased. In the Netherlands, only the lycra crowd wears helmets.
That will get you a $1500.00 fine in most US City.
They are not blocked by cars, they are blocked by drivers, cars are not autonomous
People care more about potentially damaging their car, than they do the life of another person. Peak car-brain.
Not only cyclists want to have a « bicycle infrastructure », but they also want to be able to use it… how arrogant ! 😁
Unbelievable number of cyclists in the video struggling with bike paths. I wonder how much this infrastructure costs per km per rider ?
Maybe get the biggest bicycle association in your area to negotiate with police and create a web site for photo's of offenders to be submitted with details of time and date. Possible repeat offenders in particular could be ticketed this way. That is my thought on combatting perpetual selfish road users.
Make it legal to ride on a sidewalk problem solved i will never use bike "infrastructure" that is just paint on the road and with hardtail basically a race bike with very strong brakes stopping is hardly a problem be it for a child elderly or someone not paying attention, showing people just how noisy the brakes are sure is fun
ah yes the "cyclist" who rides on the sidewalk
The very young, the old and the timid, sure, but for anyone with somewhere to be on time, riding on the footpath sucks.
It's clear you've not done this, otherwise you'd know.
As a Dutch person the stupidity on display makes my head hurt
You need to improve your diction a bit. Speak louder, slowly and clearly. Overall, a very important topic and some nice pictures you've taken. Appreciate that there is no music! Appreciate your commitment. This is important, this is the future!
So yuo've sent evidence of someone breaking the law and nothing is done. How surprising for cyclists. Yet camera proof is fine for speeding fines. Does my head in. Vigilantism is going to happen more and more if councils don't do anything about drivers that disrespect others
Its because they were designed by idiots.
Bike lanes should be barrier protected & run down the centre of the road & act as the dividing strip with entry & exit points at periodic designated crossings. Then the cyclist dismounts to walk the footpath. Cross roads with traffic lights should also have a bike only phase.
my GRIPE is a perfectly great shared path (walking/riding) along the road, yet the idiots on bikes are still on the road….not doing your cause any favour.
My gripe is a perfectly good car park, yet the idiots in cars still park in the bike lane…..
@@bikeroutebuddy if you bikes paid something towards infrastructure (like cars do, rego, ctp, pink slip road worthy etc …. Then they would have budget available to separate the parking and cycling lanes. No chance to park in the cycling lane if it’s separated.
I think you should do some more research on how roads and public infrastructure are funded.
Ignorance on display 😆
show me a bike lane and i will park in it, road rats.
here in carlton they have hung a green bike light that goes off 30 seconds before the regular green light this is nuts !!!!
I know you are just trolling but in case anyone else reads this adding a leading pedestrian interval of 3-7 seconds can reduce pedestrian-car collisions up to 60%. And it's basically free. Adjust your traffic control software to turn the walk signal on 5 seconds early and suddenly less people are dead.
why you care for the ones that are not even parking on but behind the bike lane? hey karen!
Because they are breaking the law and blocking the sight lines where there are tight curves in the bike lane. They should park in legal parking spots like most of the rest of society seem to be able to do.
@@bikeroutebuddy no they clearly dont!
you are a KAREN! i hjate people blocking bike lanes too, but there are a lot of pictures from the same spot, that dosnt block you at all!
@@auwei I don't understand why cyclists keep getting hurt
@@rickyfox67 what?