Bike lane

This article is about bikeways separated from other traffic only by painted markings. For bikeways completely separate from any highway, see bike path. For bikeways next to highways but physically separated, see cycle track.

Cycle lane in the Alps
Class IV separated bike way in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the physical division for this particular bike way is the line of parked cars.

Bike lanes (US) or cycle lanes (UK) are types of bikeways (cycleways) with lanes on the roadway for cyclists only. In the United Kingdom, an on-road cycle-lane can be firmly restricted to cycles (marked with a solid white line, entry by motor vehicles is prohibited) or advisory (marked with a broken white line, entry by motor vehicles is permitted). In the United States, a designated bicycle lane (1988 MUTCD) or class II bikeway (Caltrans) is always marked by a solid white stripe on the pavement and is for 'preferential use' by bicyclists. There is also a class III bicycle route, which has roadside signs suggesting a route for cyclists, and urging sharing the road. A class IV separated bike way (Caltrans) is a bike lane that is physically separate from motor traffic and restricted to bicyclists only.

Research shows that separated bike lanes improve the safety of bicyclists,[1][2] and either have positive or non-significant economic effects on nearby businesses.[3][4]

  1. ^ "Separated Bike Lanes - Publications - Bicycle and Pedestrian Program - Environment - FHWA". www.fhwa.dot.gov. 2024.
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