Trust HSD Law with Bike Lane Injuries
It’s no secret that biking offers a wide range of benefits. Biking is a great way to stay healthy. Bikes are eco-friendly and much cheaper than the cost of a car. Fort Collins, CO, has taken a step forward to ensure biking is safer and more accessible. Recently Fort Collins has debuted a new bicycle infrastructure in the form of advisory bike lanes. These protected bike lanes are designed to be safer for bikers and motorists on narrow roads. We’re excited to see improved safety measures being taken, but if you have any questions regarding these new bike lanes or want to talk to a bike accident lawyer, be sure to reach out to HSD Law. You can schedule a free consultation when it works best for you. With this in mind, let’s look deeper into these new protected bike lanes.
What Are Advisory Bike Lanes?
Advisory bike lanes are lanes that gives priority to bicyclists rather than motorists. With this protected bike lane, there is a specific striping pattern to be used on narrow streets throughout the city. The new bike lane creates a single center lane marked for two-way motorist traffic and dashed bicycle lanes on either side. Drivers travel down the center lane until they need to pass an approaching car. They’ll yield to bicyclists and then merge into the advisory lane to safely pass the other vehicle. These protected bike lanes are ideal for narrow streets without hindering traffic flow. Thanks to their design, bicyclists and drivers are safer and able to travel without fighting for control of the road.
How Do Protected Bike Lanes Work?
If you find yourself driving on an advisory bike lane, you should drive like you normally would until you need to pass an approaching vehicle. Be sure to look for passing and upcoming cyclists, and if you don’t see any, you can pull into the advisory lane to pass and then go back to driving in the center lane. A cyclist can continue riding in the lane without moving or adjusting to oncoming vehicles. Understandably, most people would find these protected bike lanes confusing. These new green bike lanes offer multiple benefits to cyclists, motorists, and the surrounding community. Some of those additional benefits include:
- Providing safe and efficient travel options for cyclists on roads that are typically too narrow for bike lanes.
- Reducing road maintenance and the associated cost.
- Slowing down the speed of motorized traffic.
- Easy snow removal.
Why Is Fort Collins Using Protected Bike Lanes?
According to the city of Fort Collins, protected bike lanes are usually used on narrow roads with low motorist traffic. Cyclists use these lanes to avoid busy sections of the road. The recently implemented bike lane was chosen due to the narrow lane width of the existing road. The city believes that while these new bike lanes can help widen streets and protect cyclists, they will not likely appear throughout Fort Collins. The newly added protected bike lane is on a trial period, which at the end the city will evaluate its effectiveness and if these will be adopted moving forward.
Contact Your Trusted Bike Accident Lawyer
Accidents can happen even with all these newly designed protected bike lanes. Unfortunately, motorists may fail to notice cyclists until it’s too late. In this scenario, it’s possible to think you have an easy case. However, working with the experienced bicycle injury attorneys at HSD Law can increase your chance of getting the compensation you deserve. If you have any questions regarding these protected bike lanes or if you wish to speak to one of our attorneys, fill out our contact form or call us. We can help you with your bicycle injury claim today.