Advisory Bike Lanes

The biggest question regarding traffic engineering and transportation is how to handle the growing number of bikers on the road. One way to conquer this challenge is the introduction of Advisory Bike Lanes. These bike lanes are very popular and successful in Europe, and they are now being implemented in the United States.

The difference of an Advisory Bike Lane as opposed to a regular bike lane is that the outside lanes are dashed, meaning cars can enter the lanes if need be, but only after yielding to oncoming bicycles. The success of an Advisory Lane comes from its ability to instinctively cause cars to slow down due to the narrowness of the road. The slower speed of the cars makes the streets safer for drivers and bikers because there is no need to fear a speeding motor vehicle. Advisory Lanes are also safer for pedestrians because the bikes will no longer be residing on the sidewalks.

The message that an Advisory Bike Lane sends to all those on the road is that everyone should be treated equally and should have the same right to safe and efficient transportation. They also show that biking is an important method of transportation that should be acknowledged by traffic engineers. The inclusion of these lanes show that bikers are making incredible advancements in the battle for a right to the road.

This shift in methods of transportation and road construction is very interesting because it proves that biking is a legitimate means of transportation. It also shows that our nation is taking steps toward making our streets safer. The Advisory Bike Lanes are constructed so that the streets themselves are narrower. Through very thorough analysis of the width of traffic lanes has proven that narrower is better. This is true because smaller lanes will encourage drivers to slow down because there is a greater chance of an accident when there is less room for error. In conclusion, wide lanes invite speeding, so by adding Advisory Bike Lanes, everyone on the road will be safer during their daily commutes.

In one of her chapters, Sadik-Khan weighs in on the idea of narrower streets in order allow more space for walkers and bikers. She is an adamant supporter of this idea, and has seen the benefits it has in New York City. She describes how narrower streets have allowed for newer and alternative forms of transportation to take charge in New York. She consistently says that the residents of the city want to reclaim the road, and narrowing the streets has allowed for that to happen. Another important lesson to take away from Sadik-Khan's analysis of narrow roads is that if it could be done in New York, there is no reason why it cannot be done everywhere else.