about the 3rd Avenue Protected Bike Lane. Should be a straight shot through
town, but it isn't. Every trip I have taken has been interrupted by vehicles
parked across and blocking the path. The safe choice is to stop and walk a
bike on the sidewalk -a trip interruption that shouldn't be required of bikers
using a bike lane. The dangerous choice is to enter the busy downtown traffic
lane -an unexpected maneuver for vehicles in that car lane. One picture below
shows a nice-rider taking the entire car lane to go around the obstacle of
construction (sidewalk is also closed). Maybe a tourist. I am not that brave.
(It is also a week-end here with reduced downtown traffic.) During events at
the Convention Center, vehicles have been parked in the bike lane all along the
3rd Avenue side of the Center: most all of the bike lane is blocked as
vehicles round the corner to parking. Vehicles block the lane to load or
unload, driver checking directions on phone, who knows why... It is either a
(protected) lane for bikes or it is not. If vehicles are allowed to park on it
and block it for bicycle use, then it is not.