Through the use of very…

Through the use of very little space and tax dollars, protected bike lanes provide a safe and extremely efficient alternative to driving. A robust and well connected bike lane network encourages people to travel by bike instead of motor vehicle which reduces the number of vehicles on the road and this in turn reduces traffic congestion. The bike lane barrier also significantly reduces the risk of injury or death to the cyclist if a motor vehicle hits them. The removal of bike lanes will force cyclists into the motor vehicle lanes; this is bad for everyone. To protect themselves cyclists are taught to take the entire motor vehicle lane. This will increase congestion due to the speed limitation of bikes. This also dramatically increases the risk that the cyclist will be injured or killed by a motor vehicle since the risk of contact/collision is much higher. The protection a bike lane provides benefits the driver of a motor vehicle as much as the cyclist, without the protection if a driver hits and kills a cyclist they are most likely getting criminally charged and serving a prison sentence. Drivers of motor vehicles should petition for more bike lanes as the lanes ensure that they are protected and the cyclist is protected. An additional benefit of robust cycling infrastructure comes in the form of a reduction in strain on our healthcare system since cycling provides a significant amount of exercise. More cyclists = a healthier population = less strain on healthcare.
Decisions about the design of a city should be left to the elected officials of that city as they have been selected based on shared beliefs about how their city should operate.