A cyclist is prompting concern after their experience using an underdeveloped bike lane.
In a TikTok, user BikeLaneAhead (@bikelaneahead) showed off a cyclist lane identified as Reames Road in Charlotte, North Carolina, which the narrator describes as "the worst bike lane I have ever seen."
@bikelaneahead Common suburban L #bikelane #bikes #bicycles #infrastructure #baddesign #suburbs #charlotte #nc ♬ nintendo wii (mii channel) song - julie on the internet
"Here we go — wish me luck," the narrator says as they approach a busy part of the street. "I sure hope nobody merges here and flattens me like a pancake."
"Where did it go?" they say when all markings of the bike lane suddenly disappear at an intersection. "They didn't even bother to add the 'good luck' merge lines here. I love being passed by fast cars with no protection whatsoever. And it just ends with no warning — no choice but to cut across to the sidewalk."
The cyclist envisions a safer bike lane that would work better for both bikers and drivers: "build wide, separated multi-use side paths instead of these terrible on-street painted bike lanes," they say at the end of the video.
Cycling in situations when you could also be driving a car has a positive impact on the environment. Since bikes don't create any pollution like dirty-energy guzzling cars and trucks, cycling can eliminate 0.75 pounds of carbon dioxide pollution for every mile you ride, according to The Cool Down's cycling guide. That means one person riding 1,200 miles a year can prevent up to 900 pounds of pollution from entering our atmosphere.
In many major cities outside of the United States, including Paris, London, and Amsterdam, cycling is getting more accessible thanks to policies that improve biking infrastructure and discourage driving.
Users shared their thoughts on the questionable North Carolina bike lane in the comments section of the video.
"Send the people creating the roads/bikepaths to the Netherlands..we'll teach them what to do," one user joked.
"U.S.Treasury really holding on to that green paint, huh?" another commenter quipped.
"USA has so much room for multi-use paths," a third user noted.
"The only way I navigate it is staying in the right-turn lane until I can merge left. Cars speed up past the bridge and will pass left. Incredibly dangerous," another TikToker wrote.
Join our free newsletter for cool news and cool tips that make it easy to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
