Man, it’s almost as if we need a third thing. A sort of, road for bicycles (or long, skinny concentration camp, if you prefer) which is suited to bicycling without getting in the way. Get those bloody cyclists off our roads and footpaths, those are for us!
Even when bikes have to ride on the roads, it would be crazy to make them behave exactly like cars, because they’re not.
Cars have to stop at stop signs because a driver’s visibility is quite poor, they have obstacles due to the A-pillar, etc,. and it is unsafe if they don’t stop and look out for other traffic.
Bicyclists have much better visibility, and a slower travel speed, so usually don’t need the extra time to be aware of other bike/car traffic. They are also incentivized to maintain momentum and move past a dangerous intersection in a visible, efficient way.
Which is why the Idaho stop is getting more and more accepted. Crashes at intersections go down 23% when implemented.
The Netherlands was as car-brained as most other countries. Then, they changed course after the Stop de Kindermoord (Stop Murdering Children) protests, and started to build for people outside of cars. The process of rebuilding is still underway, now, in 2026.
The difference is not that the Netherlands was originally built for bicycles. It was not. The difference is that Americans don’t give two shits about the lives of children.
Man, it’s almost as if we need a third thing. A sort of, road for bicycles (or long, skinny concentration camp, if you prefer) which is suited to bicycling without getting in the way. Get those bloody cyclists off our roads and footpaths, those are for us!
Even when bikes have to ride on the roads, it would be crazy to make them behave exactly like cars, because they’re not.
Cars have to stop at stop signs because a driver’s visibility is quite poor, they have obstacles due to the A-pillar, etc,. and it is unsafe if they don’t stop and look out for other traffic.
Bicyclists have much better visibility, and a slower travel speed, so usually don’t need the extra time to be aware of other bike/car traffic. They are also incentivized to maintain momentum and move past a dangerous intersection in a visible, efficient way.
Which is why the Idaho stop is getting more and more accepted. Crashes at intersections go down 23% when implemented.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCs5nDEZpoM
How would you implement this? Are they going to have bridges over every traffic light?
I live in a city in the US that has “bike lights” at the intersections. These give bicyclists the right of way without “letting” cars go as well.
Little longer of a traffic light, but makes biking waaaaay more approachable for newbie bicyclists (like me!)
Unfortunately, this is the only place I’ve ever seen them implemented.
Seen some in the UK, usually its timed so that it gives bikes a head start instead of only bikes go.
The Netherlands would like a word.
Granted. But they were originally built with cyclists in mind. I would love their infrastructure!
No it wasn’t
The Netherlands was as car-brained as most other countries. Then, they changed course after the Stop de Kindermoord (Stop Murdering Children) protests, and started to build for people outside of cars. The process of rebuilding is still underway, now, in 2026.
The difference is not that the Netherlands was originally built for bicycles. It was not. The difference is that Americans don’t give two shits about the lives of children.
Toronto has a pretty sweet setup with bike lanes that have their own bike street lamps. Seems to work very well for a city of millions.
Extensive unlit tunnels five feet tall and two and a half feet wide. Entry and exit is by vertical shaft only.
I’m so down for this!