Radwege ...

Road damage

"Bicyclist have to endure the damages done to the road on the Römerstraße [a minor arterial road in Bonn] during winter. Frost let the asphalt break open, as explained by a speaker for the city administration. When temperature gets higher, it is intended to repair the damages."

Generalanzeiger für Bonn und Umgebung, 16. März 1996

When administration says: "it is intended", this is exactly what they mean. The stuff visible in the right foreground is the grit of a grit/salt mix spread during winter, mixed with fragments of the damaged road, shoved away by the tires of cars. In the background, we see a car parked on the sidewalk, legally. An opened drivers door will suddenly block about two third of the bicycle lane. A bicyclist using the lane, confident that this lane protects him- or herself against the dangers of motorized traffic, will risks to ride right into the sharp edge of the opened door. The littered ground will ensure that an emergency breaking won't help to avoid it.

This design is standard, here in Germany. :-( Now imagine the very same design, but

  • on a winding road,
  • half as wide and
  • descending.

Did I mention that I don't especially like bicycle lanes?

 

Radwege?? (Bicycle lanes) Nein Danke! (Thanks, but no thanks)

www.mystrobl.de / ws / fahrrad /