Bike lanes: types and uses
By
Tom Lucas
Posted: 2020-07-12T21:15:00Z
Bike lanes, what are they and how do I identify and use them? GOOD questions. Municipalities like Palatine, Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg have been adding bike-friendly infrastructure over recent years. With recommendations from the Bike Palatine Club, the Village of Palatine in 2016 added about 12 miles of bike lanes on its streets. While these lanes increase safety for cyclists, many riders and motorists are unaware of how to abide by the markings or even what they mean.
Two types of bike conveniences are common:
shared use lanes and
dedicated bike lanes. This picture identifies a road with sharrows, indicating its shared use for bicycles, automobiles and other vehicles. A bike logo with double arrows are painted to the LEFT of the solid white line, typically called the fog line. It is legal to cycle to the right of the fog line but that area can also be used by vehicles for parking.
The markings outside the lane make motorists aware that cyclists will ride in the traffic lane when parked vehicles are present. This type of lane is used on roads with on-street parking. Shared lanes add to the perceived safety of the rider and tend to have a traffic calming effect on vehicle speed.
A dedicated bike lane is solely for cyclists use on sections of streets where parking is prohibited; no cars may be parked in this lane, not even to drop someone or something off. The bike logo - without double arrows - is marked to the RIGHT of the fog line with a single arrow above or below the bike.
The pavement markings inside the lane make motorists aware that vehicles are not allowed in this lane. Cyclists know that this is dedicated space for riding. In some municipalities, like Chicago, additional barriers are used to separate vehicle and bike traffic - plastic stanchions, for example, and even raised concrete strips.
Bike lanes of both types lead to more bike riding in general and to more predictable riding by cyclists. They also reinforce the legal requirement that cyclists ride on the right side of the road. These lanes tend to reduce crash rates between bikes and motor vehicles, and as noted above, have a calming effect on traffic speed.
Be safe and share the road, whether on a bike or in a car.
