Do you think major North American cities have dedicated bike lanes? Will additional dedicated bike lanes encourage people to use their bikes more often and reduce air pollution (if climate permits)?
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ANSWERS: 3
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You asked "Do you think major North American cities have dedicated bike lanes?" What do you mean? Either you want to know "Do they have dedicated bike lanes?" (which is not an opinion question, and should not contain the word "think") or "Do you think they SHOULD have dedicated bike lanes?" North American cities do not have dedicated bike lanes, unless you count the sidewalks, which are technically dedicated pedestrian lanes, but are often used by cyclists to avoid traffic. Nor should they have such lanes. In order to put in dedicated bike lanes, lanes would have to be diverted away from motor vehicle traffic. This would increase traffic jams, resulting in increased idling times and thus more pollution. The fact is that many urban residents already do use either bicycles or mass transit to get around. The majority of motorists in North American cities are commuters from the suburbs, which are generally too far away for bicycling to be practical. To reduce motor vehicle traffic, one would need to build rail lines, not bicycle lanes.
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Most North American cities that I know of do not actually have dedicated bike lanes, also it seems most motorist seem to be kind of rude to bike riders. As far as would it encourage more people to ride their bikes? I would have to say perhaps to some degree but I don't believe it would be a major differance.
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My city of 700,000 does have dedicated bike lanes in many parts of the city and around the perimeter. I have noticed an increase in the last 10 years or so or people riding bikes in my neighborhood, and the mayor makes a big deal out of riding his bike to City Hall. Of the 25 people in my office, 4 regularly ride their bikes to work and park them in an unused office.
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