It is something everyone who rides on bike on city streets or even rural roads has encountered – the car that got a little too close for comfort. But fortunately riders in California will soon get some protection as a CalBike-sponsored law will accelerate the construction of protected bikeways throughout the state.
This also comes as new research from Canada shows that bikeways that provide even a little protection from adjacent vehicle traffic an cut bicyclist injuries a lot. In this way a little goes a long way. The research has shown that the chance of injury can drop by almost 50 percent relative to that of major city streets, when riding on a similar road with a bike lane and no parked cars. When a barrier is added the risk of injury drops for riders by 90 percent.
The new law in California, Assembly Bill 819, which was sponsored by CalBike requires Caltrans to establish a process to enable communities to conduct pilot projects with bikeway designs not covered outdated bikeway standards.
[Via California Bicycle Coalition: California’s new protected bikeways law could get a boost from new research]
[Via The Atlantic Cities: Dedicated Bike Lanes Can Cut Cycling Injuries in Half]