Friday, February 14, 2014

OUR STREETS CAN BE LIKE AMSTERDAM AND COPENHAGEN


With bicycle crossing design so cyclist speed gets constrained by a sharp angle before entry, then the cyclist gets the same safety benefit walkers do at single laners, up to a 90% reduction in the injury rate versus signals/signs. Not allowing cyclist to move onto shared space with walkers (or even a separate pathway) and the crossings--giving the bicyclist no choice but to take the vehicle travelway--leads to higher crash rates and those with less skilled, the old, the young most at risk. 

On busier streets today protected bike lanes--cycle track--are being paired with "pathed" roundabouts to usher in a new era of bicycling which caters with safety regardless of age, ability, gender or skill. Yes, we can all become Amsterdam and Copenhagen.