Submitted by Maxcactus t3_zzqvf5 in washingtondc
noquarter53 t1_j2e97bh wrote
I live near Dupont and the bike lanes are super comprehensive, but honestly they seem underused... I rarely see people biking through the very walkable areas.
genuine question: When a neighborhood is extremely walkable, are bike lanes everywhere necessary?
skiwhatwhat t1_j2efm71 wrote
Keep in mind that biking isn't about traveling within a neighborhood - biking is the option for being able to travel between neighborhoods without using a car. So even if one neighborhood is walkable, bike infrastructure is necessary for anyone who wants to e.g. commute to work or bike to a friend in another area or get to a grocery store if they live far from one.
Also, and I'm not saying this is what you said, but I do get frustrated at the implications people make that if they don't see a lot of bikers in a bike lane, that means the bike lanes aren't worth it. The reality is twofold: 1) unless they're watching the lane all the time and keeping a counter, what someone sees is just anecdotes; and 2) it takes building protected bike lanes to get more people to bike - there are surveys out there showing that in cities many more people would bike if they felt the infrastructure supported it. So sure, maybe fewer people use a given bike lane for now, but once it gets connected to other bike lanes across the city, it will attract more folks to bike. You can't just put in one lane on one street and go "no one it using this, therefore the bike lane is useless" because it ignores the larger context.
noquarter53 t1_j2figqg wrote
Yeah, I'm just skeptical that having complicated bike lanes weaving in and out of traffic and highly walkable areas makes a lot of sense. DC is a massive tourist destination and out of town people don't understand how these lanes work. Piling layer upon layer of transportation has diminishing returns.
I would rather see some dedicated bike streets (close a couple E/W N/S streets for cars and repurpose them for only bikes).
skiwhatwhat t1_j2fo6zi wrote
Oh I would LOVE to see dedicated bike streets! Unfortunately, that’s probably the least likely option to happen because it would be seen as inconveniencing drivers too much.
As for out of town drivers, the benefit of protected bike lanes over painted ones is that there’s nothing to figure out with the protected ones - they’re blocked from cars, so you know not to drive there.
SpeedysComing t1_j2eane4 wrote
Weird, I always see them in use.
They also are pretty disconnected around Dupont unfortunately, but getting better.
And yes, bike lanes are necessary. Lol why wouldn't they be? Are car lanes necessary if an area is walkable?
veloharris t1_j2eseu3 wrote
What bike lanes in DuPont do you find underused? They're all heavily utilized.
noquarter53 t1_j2fg0v7 wrote
By that weird beer castle on new Hampshire.
Yithar t1_j2ehr5i wrote
> I live near Dupont and the bike lanes are super comprehensive, but honestly they seem underused
As stated, there's a larger context. You need good infrastructure so cyclists that aren't the "extremists" will ride bikes. I'd consider myself an "extremist" considering I got an e-bike to commute to Rockville Metro Station when the bus doesn't run.
> genuine question: When a neighborhood is extremely walkable, are bike lanes everywhere necessary?
I'd like to emphasize what the other person stated, that bicycles are for neighborhood to neighborhood travel. In essence, they're replacing trips that would be done with a car.
the5nowman t1_j2eiv8s wrote
You rarely see bikes in them because they’re so efficient and don’t sit in traffic :)
abcpdo t1_j2eknsl wrote
are roads necessary? is metro necessary?
StrangeOldHermit77 t1_j2fb7gr wrote
Yes, unlike bike lanes.
abcpdo t1_j2fedxb wrote
why do you need to have a road or metro if everything is extremely walkable?
Illin-ithid t1_j2fj3bz wrote
Today I biked from NE to 18th and U. Without bike lanes I would have taken an Uber creating more traffic in the neighborhoods along the way. As others have said, bike lanes are good for intermediate distances.
NicholasAakre t1_j2f0c9v wrote
> When a neighborhood is extremely walkable, are bike lanes everywhere necessary?
In my opinion, probably not. However, an extremely walkable neighborhood would be devoid of cars. And if there aren't any cars, bike lanes are less necessary.
[deleted] t1_j2ecjit wrote
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