12 November 2007

Bike Lane Infrastructure


Bike Lane, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

The section of blue bike lane on which these three riders are waiting has a specific purpose. It's for riders who have come from the street running left to right in the photo and we are turning left.

They wait here for the light and have a little headstart on the riders heading straight on, like me, positioned behind the zebra crossing.

As mentioned before, the bike lanes of Copenhagen are only painted blue when they cross intersections, in order to increase cyclists visibility in the street landscape.

They are painted with durable paint that is designed to withstand even the sharpest high heels.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is smart bike lane planning. I hope one day it would also be done here in San Francisco. There's also one thing I noticed in most of the pictures (aside from the prefered cycling shoes) is that the women pause or pose in riding with their right foot down. Just wondering.

Uncle Bob said...

I became hopelessly confused trying to work out how the blue cycle-lanes were supposed to work, but it's a nice pic anyway.

Presumably the Copenhagen ladies put the right foot down because that's the kerb side in Denmark? I live in a "drive on the left" country, and so put the left foot down when stopping at intersections (it's possibly also a habit left over from my motorcycling days).

Colville-Andersen said...

Thanks for commmenting.
I think it is second-nature to put your right foot down when stopped. That way you lean away from the traffic.

As for many photos showing them pausing mid-ride with the right foot down, that may be coincedence.

the blue bike lanes aren't THAT difficult, uncle bob! -:)

Do cyclists put their left foot down in the UK and Japan where they ride on the other side of the road?

Or do they lean right, too, because most of us are right-handed?

I wonder...

Anonymous said...

I am right handed and ever since I learned riding bicycles, I always put my left foot down knowing that my right leg puts more pushing power than my left leg. Probably it's a learned position from the start. Plus, I mount bicycles from the left side lifting my right leg backward or forward and landing my right foot straight on the pedal and go. Otherwise, when I mount from the right side, I loose balance and it feels awkward to me. So when I stop, I go back to the 2nd position from mounting - right foot on pedal, left foot on the ground. Leaning away from traffic makes sense though. Eitherway, whatever makes it physically convenient but leaning away from traffic makes really good sense.

Paul Tay said...

Slippery when wet?

Colville-Andersen said...

not at all slippery, no. well designed, by all accounts.

Anonymous said...

...another thought for the mix...

...w/out a chainguard, & your left foot on the ground, your right is naturally posed at the top of the pedal stroke...ready to go & also away from brushing against the chain w/ your leg...

...avoid those chainring tatoos...

Colville-Andersen said...

Good point about the chain guard, although most bikes have them here.