Are there situations where improvements for pedestrians can be detrimental to bicyclists?
There are situations where narrowing travel lanes to improve walking conditions can result in less roadway width for bicyclists. This generally occurs in areas where the narrowing is designed to “calm” traffic and thus create safer, more comfortable walking conditions. A curb extension, for example, narrows the traffic lane so that pedestrians have less roadway width to cross and so that traffic will slow, allowing more reaction time for both motorists and pedestrians. If the lane is not wide enough for motor vehicles and bicycles to share it, bicyclists would “take the lane”—and, of course, yield to pedestrians as any law-abiding motorist would. The general slowing of traffic in these areas is also good for bicycle travel.
