bike lane direction

Hi everybody,

I am a happy biker.  Nothing makes me happier than to be able to get around biking, well, almost nothing.  I am thrilled at how biker friendly this town has become and is becoming all the more.  BUT, I do have a problem, besides the obvious: traffic, rude and inconsiderate drivers, bad pavement, etc.  My problem is other bikers who ride in bike lanes against the moving traffic.  I have seen accidents where bikers try to negotiate around each other coming in opposite directions and end up colliding, or almost colliding and having to ride in the traffic lane, causing problems for everyone.  I have never seen a campaign directed toward bikers that addresses this issue.  Everyday I see clueless bikers coming at me, sometimes all of a sudden after turning onto the street I am travelling, but coming right at me.  We both panic, and this drives me crazy.

Many bikers have told me that bike lanes are two way lanes.  This cannot be true.  I can't imagine the logic that would promote this understanding.  Does anyone share this frustration? 

Hey Keith!

We are happy bikers too. Thanks for raising this important issue. In NYC, cyclists are obligated to follow all of the rules of the road and one of those rules is most definitely riding in the direction of traffic on both one way and two way streets. After all, bikes are traffic! Part of working towards a street culture where bicycles are treated as equals to motor vehicles is stepping up our game and holding oursleves to the same responsibilities as other road users.

One of the main tenets of the Biking Rules Street Code is "Ride Right," or with the flow of traffic. The whole idea of the Street Code is to break the rules of the road down into a rationale that makes sense to people on bicycles. We bet that most cyclists who ride against traffic, especially in bike lanes, have only the best of intentions. Maybe it is to take a short cut, or make a delivery faster or even that it simply feels safer to approach drivers head on. Our hunch is that many cyclists think that any bike lane, even one heading in the wrong direction, is way better than a street with none at all. That's why we are working hard to win all sorts of bike lanes.

With more and more people riding bicycles every day on NYC streets, our bike lanes simply cannot handle the steady stream of bike traffic moving against the legal flow. Don't get us wrong! We have been to Paris and seen photos of other cities where bikes really do rule and contra-flow bike lanes abound. But, for now, in NYC, safe traveling means pedaling with the direction of traffic, or as we like to say, "riding right."

Check out the latest Streetfilm on this topic, inspired by the one and only, Bike Snob, and the Biking Rules PSA Competition. While you are at it, submit a photo or video public service announcement and help us spread the word: Biking Rules!


Submitted by Keith Gemerek on May 21, 2009 - 6:43pm.