Lots of people ride bicycles in Japan and there are a few bike lanes in streets. But most of the designated bike lanes are on sidewalks.
Today I walked on a street in Kyoto that was eight lanes wide. The sidewalks were split by a small fence with one side designated for pedestrians and the other for cyclists.
It struck that if anyone suggested dividing U.S. sidewalks into pedestrian and bicycle sides, many people would be outraged that pedestrians would have to give up space to bicycles. Yet these same people expect motorists to be willing to give up street space for bicycles.
I’m not saying the Japanese way is necessarily right. I still think the best way to protect bicycle riders is to designate local streets as bicycle boulevards. At the same time, I don’t think the real agenda of those who want to put bike lanes in busy streets is not pro-bicycle but anti-auto.
