Bike lanes keep cyclists safe on busy roadways, but only when cars respect that boundary. Community activists in Turkey took things into their own hands to remind vehicle drivers they aren't entitled to flout rules.
One Redditor took the liberty of translating a post from a Turkish anti-car community page on the site. The Google-translated post read, "Vehicles parked on the bicycle path in Konya were covered with blue tarpaulins."
Included with the post was a photo showing the community group using long blue tarps to completely cover parked cars. The tarps feature an icon that is widely recognized — a white stylized bicycle — to mark bike lanes around the world. The folks in the image are wearing safety vests that appear to read "Notice the cyclist!" in Turkish.
Bike lanes are an invaluable resource for people who choose to cycle, whether for recreation or transportation. Bike lanes improve safety for just about everyone on the road. People For Bikes collected tons of data, including that a protected lane in New York City "led to a 56 percent reduction in injuries to all street users, including a 57 percent reduction in injuries to people on bikes and a 29 percent reduction in injuries to people walking."
In addition to keeping people safe, investment in bike lanes is an indication that towns and cities are not built solely for car users. In the U.S., transportation accounts for about 28% of planet-warming pollution, according to the EPA. Efforts to support options like public transit, electric cars, and bicycles have the potential to dramatically reduce the amount of pollution in our air.
Not only are these options eco-friendly, but they can save you money. Riding a bike to work 10 days a month could save you $150 annually. Meanwhile, taking public transit has the potential to save you hundreds on gas and car maintenance.
This post and the efforts of the community activists in Turkey sparked conversation in the comments.
"Maybe they should have towed those cars to the impound lot," wrote one person.
Another suggested, "The bike lane should be blocked off physically so people can't reach it with cars."
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