California’s state lawmakers are typically more assertive about bicycle safety than those in many other jurisdictions. In some cases, California is among the first states in the country to implement new regulations that could help keep cyclists a bit safer.
One of the most recent proposals aimed at protecting cyclists is the idea of establishing bike highways. Lawmakers may soon vote on the idea of establishing a collection of routes in two major urban centers in California to test the idea of bike highways.
Lawmakers have referenced a variety of potential benefits that make bike highways particularly attractive. What positive features have been inspiring lawmakers to support the idea of trial bike highways?
1. Improved cyclist safety
Obviously, any measures that separate cyclists from those operating motor vehicles have the potential to reduce serious bicycle-car crashes. Creating direct thoroughfares could make it easier for people to commute to work on bicycles and rely on them for transportation when conducting daily business. Bike highways could reduce the number of cycling crashes, thus reducing traffic disruptions and costly injury claims.
2. Reduced environmental impact
Many people who could potentially commute to work on bicycles specifically reference crash rates as the reason they continue to drive. If the state can provide a safer alternative to sharing busy roads with negligent or aggressive drivers, more people might embrace the idea of cycling as their primary form of transportation. Supporting cycling infrastructure could help with the long-term reduction of the environmental impact of independent transportation.
3. Improved emergency infrastructure
Professionals also point to bike highways as an optimal solution in scenarios where evacuation of urban centers becomes necessary. Those attempting to evacuate in motor vehicles are often unable to leave urban centers in a timely fashion.
Traffic jams and gridlock can leave people trapped in their vehicles on busy streets when evacuation is necessary. Bike highways could create a safe path out of urban centers that are not at risk of traffic jams where vehicles stop moving entirely. Bike highways could save hundreds or thousands of lives in an emergency scenario where immediate evacuation is necessary.
If lawmakers fund plans for bike highways, the data gathered from these early attempts to separate bike traffic could revolutionize transportation infrastructure. In the meantime, cyclists have to be ready to protect themselves in traffic and to respond assertively in cases where drivers cause bicycle crashes through negligence or violations of traffic statutes.
