It occurs to me from my participation in a number of different forums that Americans love to express their rage for bicyclists on the road. I am a bicyclist. It's one of my many passions. So give me your best shot. In the end we may all learn something.
I work in Loudoun County and there is a bike trail which extends all the way to DC. One of the areas where the bike trail winds through Leesburg, I always see bicyclists riding on the paved road while the paved bicycle trail is less than 30 ft away. The trail runs parallel with this winding road with many blind turns. Many times the bicyclists are holding up traffic on this road which has 45 mile an hour speed limit. Why would a bicyclist choose to get on this road and not stay on the trail? I don't understand the mindset.
I don't understand that mindset either. There are some bicycle lanes that run parallel to a parking lane. Some of those lanes are entirely in the door zone of parked cars. I won't ride in those. Around here we have quite a few that are mostly in the door zone. I ride the outer edge of the bike lane. Sometimes motorists buzz me, obviously oblivious to the danger I face riding in a door zone. Dedicated infrastructure like you pointed out though. I'll use it.
