A bicyclist goes against the arrow in a bike lane on State Street.
The News-Press picture heading Wednesday’s front-page article “Master Plan for State Street” (reprinted above) shows exactly why bike lanes make no sense.
It shows a woman riding in the left bike lane right next to an arrow indicating that she should be going the other direction. This is typical of many bicycle riders who ignore stop signs, pedestrians, rights of way and speed limits, and fail to announce themselves when they, on their silent bikes, are overtaking someone.
Now we have to share a pedestrian space with fast-moving metal objects piloted by oblivious riders listening to loud music on their earbuds. Why can’t they walk their bikes along State Street and ride them elsewhere? It’s not like State Street is the only arterial to get from A to B.
Are these lanes just a kowtow to the minority bike lobby? Or are they a green initiative to encourage more people to use bikes? If the former, it smacks of “Rule by the Few,” which is not the way our system is supposed to work. And if the latter, I ask how many city council members and staff ride bicycles to work or to shop or to go play golf?
Or is it just more “Do As I Say, Not As I Do” from our “leaders”?
Donald Vogt
Santa Barbara
