Image Source: The US Sun

Many cyclists and pedestrians go through the Brooklyn-Queens Greenway every day. These pathways are meant for bikers and pedestrians to travel without having to deal with New York traffic or worry about getting hit by an angry driver who happened to be in a hurry. Unfortunately, though, many drivers have also taken to parking on, or outright going through, the Greenway in order to beat traffic or any other reason. Naturally, people are very upset about this development. 

The long and short of it is that bike lanes exist to keep bicyclists safe from cars. Without these lanes,  cyclists will have to share the road with other vehicles, which greatly increases the chance of accidents and injuries for both cyclists and drivers. These lanes exist to benefit everyone, so when drivers try to use these dedicated bike and pedestrian roadways, it defeats their whole reason for existing. 

Why Do Bike Lanes Exist in Queens in the First Place?  

With all this fuss about cars parking in bike lanes, people may be wondering why there are bike lanes at all. There’s got to be a reason for this outrage, right? 

There is a lot of tension between motorists and bicyclists on the road. Some motorists absolutely despise bicyclists, even when they are doing what they are supposed to and using bike lanes. However, most drivers do not have such strong feelings and are more concerned that a bicyclist is in some sort of “grey area” between a pedestrian and a driver, does not follow either pedestrian or driver rules, and may get seriously injured if they bike on the road. Nobody wants to get in an accident where they hit a cyclist and need to retain the services of a Queens car accident lawyer if it can be avoided. Accordingly, most cities have created bike lanes so that cyclists have a safe place to travel without the fear of getting hit by a car.  In theory, this is also meant to benefit drivers, as they do not have to worry about accidentally hitting a cyclist as much. 

However, many drivers do not like bike lanes, as they feel that a portion of the road is being taken away from them, and these lanes make traffic congestion worse. Some may even go as far as to deliberately travel or park in bike lanes. This totally defeats the purpose of these lanes and makes things more unsafe for everyone. 

The Dangers of Cars Parking or Driving in Bike Lanes  

It’s extremely hazardous for motorists to ignore rules for dedicated bike lanes and use them anyway.  Whether someone parks their car or drives right through the lane, it puts everyone on the road at risk of getting hurt. 

For cyclists, they are already required by law to use bike lanes if they exist. The misconception by many drivers is that bikers are expecting some sort of special treatment, where they can act as pedestrians or motorists whenever they want and reap the benefits of both classifications. This is incorrect. If a biker is using a regular road and there is already a readily available bike lane, they are already breaking the law, and it is motorists who unfairly want to use bike lanes who are trying to get the best of both worlds. 

For drivers, the whole point of bike lanes is to get cyclists off the road. If drivers simply use bike lanes,  then cyclists are effectively not “off the road,” and drivers will have to deal with all the same frustrations they used to have when sharing the road with bicyclists.

If cars drive or park in bike lanes, there is literally nowhere for cyclists to go. This is going to force people on bikes to weave in and out of traffic and can potentially get hit by a car door or another hazard – the exact situations and behavior that drivers do not want. 

How to Stop Drivers from Parking in Bike Lanes  

Since there is a great deal of tension around motorists and bicyclists sharing the road, people have been scratching their heads, trying to figure out how to solve this problem. While there are many possible  solutions, there are two linked fixes that are likely to work best: 

Create and Monitor Dedicated Bike Lanes 

One fix for the problem of drivers and bicyclists sharing the road, increasing the risk of an accident. The most common solution to this problem is to create dedicated bike lanes for cyclists to use so that drivers do not have to worry about them and cyclists do not have to worry about getting hit by a car. This can be taken a step further and augmented by the use of “protected” bike lanes that are wholly separate from roadways. However, creating dedicated and protected lanes does nothing if drivers or cyclists make no effort to respect those boundaries. Therefore, steps need to be taken to monitor these lanes and ensure they are used by the people who are supposed to be using them. 

Have Ample Parking Space 

In many cases, drivers will use bicycle lanes as impromptu parking spaces. This could be either out of spite because the driver does not know they are parking in a bike lane or because there is simply nowhere else available to park nearby. To avoid this, city planners can make sure that there is enough parking for cars around shopping areas, business districts, and other areas where a lot of people are going to go for their day. 

Ultimately, it is going to take a team effort from bicyclists, motorists, and concerned citizens to ensure that bike lanes are kept safe and car accidents involving cyclists are avoided.

The Daily Buzz Team
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The Daily Buzz combines the pursuit of interesting and intriguing facts with the innate human desire to rank and list things. From stereotypical cat pictures to crazy facts about the universe, every thing is designed to help you kill time in the most efficient manner, all while giving you something to either laugh at or think about!