Wed, 23 Jul 2008
This is Not a Cycle Lane.
Throughout the center of Sydney there are cycle lanes marked like the ones here on Crown St, Woolloomooloo. The cycle lane itself is about a meter wide and the distance between the parked cars and the inside marker of the cycle lane is about 30cm. Also notice that there is traffic in the on coming lane.
The problem with these cycle lanes is that they are potentially lethal for cyclists. The problem of course are the parked cars. If a single car contains a person who opens a driver's side door at the wrong time, that door will almost certainly block most of the cycle lane leaving any unlucky cyclist with a split second to either try to brake or swerve out into the car lane to avoid the car door. Obviously swerving into the car lane might put the cyclist in the path of cars or trucks which are probably even more dangerous than the open car door that the cyclist was trying to avoid.
The only safe option for cyclists in conditions like these is to ride in the middle of the car lane, far from the parked cars. Here they will be clearly visible to vehicles behind them and also to traffic heading the other way.
Cyclists need to lobby their local councils for the removal of these unsafe cycle lanes or replacement with lanes that are safe.
![[operator<< is not my friend]](http://yosefk.com/c++fqa/images/operator.png)
