Did You Know that the Bike Lane is No Longer for Bikes . . .

We live in a very bike-friendly city with a lot of people who love to exercise outdoors. Our city has even converted full auto lanes to total bike lanes. We have tons of bike paths throughout our beautiful city to explore. This is great for bicyclists! However, please help me understand why the "Bike Lane" has now become the Catch-All Lane.

Cyclists are already sharing their lane with people on roller blades, hover boards and electric scooters, so I just don't understand why people are walking and running in this lane when there is a perfectly good sidewalk two or 3 feet away! By the way, I don't bike, but I do have to drive around people who walk or run on the street, because they don't just run in the bike lane, they tend to run ON the bike lane line or they feel the need to run with 2 other people side by side.

This just seems foolish to me. It's dangerous, especially with all the distractions drivers already deal with or self-impose like texting. Why do people insist on putting themselves and others at risk when it's not necessary??

I've asked this question before and I heard things like "because it's softer than the concrete sidewalk."

Is it really that noticeable?

Or "to avoid all the people walking, strollers, dogs, etc."

Ok, so now you want to crowd the bike lane where you put yourself AND the cyclists at increased risk when they have to ride into traffic to get around you? At least on the sidewalk, you shouldn't be at risk of getting hit by a car when you have to step into the grass for 5 seconds.

And yes, I've also heard "because the surface is more even on the street, don't have to worry about tripping on uneven sidewalks."

To all of these I say, if you are this self centered and high maintenance that you need what you consider the best running surface/environment...

GET A TREADMILL.

Don't make the bicyclists worry about you plus the cars speeding around them! And, don't make the motorists worry about not hitting you or the cyclists that are swerving around you.

#BikeLaneIsForBikes #NOPedestriansInBikeLane #BeConsiderateUseTheSidewalk #SaveACyclistGetATreadmill #BikeLaneRant