You might think that all cycling advocates would support bicycle lanes. You’d be wrong. Some cydists oppose bike lanes on the grounds that they protect only from rear-end collisions (which are rare), and increase the Iikelihood of collisions at intersections (which are more common). The research data is a bit conflicting Here at Bicycle Universe we Generally support bicycle lanes because 1. They make cycling feel safer. The surveys always show that 81 reason why people say they don’t bike is because they feel it’s too dangerous, and the e 1 thing that would make them feel safer is more bike lanes. 2. Even if bike lancs don’t help, it’s unlikely that they hurt. Some research shows that streets with and without bike lanes are about the same risk for cyclists. In that case, there’s no harm in installing the lanes, especially if they encourage more people to bike. 3. Bike lanes mean more cyclists. Cities that install bike lanes see an increase in the number of cyclists. tounce) 4. Bike lanes keep cyclists off sideswalks. Riding on the sidewalk drops when bike lanes are available. Riding on the sidewalk is dangerous to pedestrians, and actually dangerous even to cyclists because they’re vulnerable to getting hit by turning cars when coming off the sidewalk to cross the street 5. other countries have them. Other countries with higher rates of cycling (and lawer rates of cyclist injuries) employ bike lanes Some of the research into the safety of bike lanes is listed below.