Filmmaker Casey Neistat got a ticket for not riding in a bike lane in New York recently, a trick that isn’t necessarily illegal, unbeknownst to the officer who claimed that cyclists should always stay in a bike lane. Upset over paying his illegitimate $50 fine, Neistat sets out to prove, well, that bike lanes can sometimes be dangerous.
In Kentucky, the law on the books (from Bike Louisville) says, “If a bicycle lane is provided, it MUST be used whenever feasible.” That “whenever feasible” is an important distinction that provides for turns and safety, etc.
Founder and Editor at Broken Sidewalk
Branden founded Broken Sidewalk in 2008 while practicing architecture in Louisville. He continued the site for seven years while living in New York City, returning to Louisville in 2016. Branden is a graduate of the College of Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis, and has covered architecture, design, and urbanism for The Architect's Newspaper, Designers & Books, Inhabitat, and the American Institute of Architects.
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If a bike lane is available, I use it. It’s great. Unfortunately, the amount of bike lanes in Louisville barely scratches the surface… a stretch here and a stretch there. Once the bike lanes on major thoroughfares start to connect, I will use them more. I hate to complain though, Louisville has done quite a bit for bikers. I’ll just be glad once all the puzzle pieces start to interlock.
My dream is to have a bike lane running the length of Phillips Lane so I have a safer way to cross the biggest obstacle in town… the never ending land of the fairgrounds and the airport.
I scratch my head at the popularity of this video. The big problem with bike lanes, both nationally and locally, is not the visible obstacles in them, but the invisible obstacles.
A parked car door opening unexpectedly is a mortal threat. Most bike lanes along on-street parking here fall prey to being too narrow for both an opening car door and a bicycle. I can’t in good conscience say that people should ride their bicycles in most Louisville bike lanes, and I don’t myself.
Dave Morse
League Cycling Instructor #1599
League of American Bicyclists
I’ll take the bike lane when/if there is one, but if not, I’m still more comfortable breaking the law but maintaining my safety by riding on the sidewalk.