Fun fact: I often travel to Vienna, Austria for work and bike lanes there are mandatory – meaning that you are not legally allowed to cycle outside of them in areas where they are present (and this is strictly enforced). Some of those bike lanes are in the door zone, just like in Boston, but are narrower – so that essentially there is nowhere you can go within the legally permitted space of the lane to get away from an open door. Horrified, I asked some friends about this. Their response was that it is the driver’s responsibility to check the bike lane before opening the door. I had nightmares after cycling in those lanes.

Despite what you say about legal niceties, most motorists and police officers believe that when there is a bike lane the bicyclist had better be in it.

When the only safe place to ride is on the lane line (as Liam suggests) or outside of the bike lane (as Jeremy says, referring to Columbus Ave), you’ve got yourself a recipe for harassment. Even when it’s easy to pass, and especially when it’s impossible (Columbus Ave on a Sunday, when median parking is tolerated).

Then there is the message sent to bicyclists: come ride in the safe new bike lane. See the press release for new bike lanes in previous post. It doesn’t say, “Come enjoy the new bike lanes, but only ride in the leftmost foot of them.”

There is a comment about keeping to the left of a bike lane to avoid doors on the ‘Safety’ page of the Boston website, http://www.cityofboston.gov/bikes/safety.asp#bike

I think it was stolen and condensed from the LAB’s page [http://www.bikeleague.org/resources/better/roadrules.php], but without the repeated admonition, “Never ride within three feet of parked cars”

In terms of alternatives, how about widening parking lanes to 10-11 feet, and putting a bike shared lane marking to the LEFT of the lane line. Repeated studies have shown that motorists give MORE room to bicyclists when passing them within the same lane.

And how about having the Mayor announce: “Under city and state law, all roads are for bicycles as much as they are for cars. I am working with city agencies to make sure that all our roads are designed, maintained, and policed with bicyclists in mind. This includes giving tickets to bicyclists who violate the rules of the roads. Nor will not tolerate threats and harassment of bicyclists. Starting today, bicycle police officers will be operating in plain clothes from time to time, and will be giving tickets to motorists who disobey the traffic law or who make threats.”

He has never said any of that — and probably never will.