Here are seven 10-minute (+/-) videos of a 12 mile loop through in-town Dallas on a Friday afternoon at the start of rush hour. Some of the streets used are part of the Dallas Bike Route system (including the bridges across the Trinity), and some are not, illustrating how important education for confident cycling is over the reliance upon fear-based special facilities, when it comes to bicycles being a truly useful part of the transportation mix.
The average rolling speed for this ride was about 15 mph, and the average trip speed was just under 10 mph.
Please pay attention to the lane position of the cyclist(s). By legally controlling the lane, motor vehicles do not attempt to pass them without first pulling out. The vehicles complete the pass at a safe distance, and then pull in when it's clear, making the so-called "safe-passing" law unnecessary.
You may wonder where the cars are on a Friday afternoon at the start of rush hour. Well, for the most part, the cars are ahead of them. When an intersection signal turns green, the cyclist(s) are at the back of the queue, and the motorized traffic simply pulls away, leaving the cyclist(s) in relatively empty road space. Overtaking motorists pass the cyclist(s) without incidence. The cyclist(s) catches up to the raer of the motorized traffic at the next intersection, and the cycle starts again.
Thanks to Brian DeSousa of Dual Chase Productions in Long Beach, California, Richard Wharton of the Cycling Center of Dallas, and to local vehicular cyclist Herman May (the guy with the panniers).
It really is this easy.
Note: No horns were honked, tempers lost, or fingers waved, in the making of this video.
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