A bike lane is a lane exclusively for bicycles.
A bike lane is a lane on a public road whose use is exclusive for bicycles . This means that cars, trucks and motorcycles, among other vehicles, are not allowed to travel on a bike lane.
The notion of bike path is not recognized by the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ), which does admit the term bike path . In addition to a bicycle path and a bicycle path, this special bicycle lane is also known as a bicycle lane , a bicycle lane , a bicycle path , a cycle path or a cycle route depending on the geographical region.
The etymology
Before entering fully into the definition of the term, we have to know what its etymological origin is. In this case, we can say that it is the result of the sum of two clearly defined components:
- Bici comes from bicycle . This word is the result of joining the Latin prefix bi- ( "two" ), the Greek noun kyklos ( "wheel" ) and the French ending indicating diminutive – ette .
- Senda , on the other hand, derives from the Latin Semitic , which is equivalent to "shortcut" and "detour" .
Bike lanes encourage cycling.
Characteristics of a bike path
Bike lanes are usually exclusive lanes that are delimited on streets or avenues . It can also be a separate public road for bicycles. In the first case, we speak of segregated roads : specific sectors that exist within the framework of another public road. In the second case, they are reserved lanes , created specifically for bicycle travel.
The objective of bike lanes is to encourage bicycle routes, increasing safety for users, who are more protected on a bike path than when traveling on a street or avenue. It is estimated that, if the use of bicycles is encouraged, the use of motor vehicles is minimized. This contributes to reducing polluting emissions and ordering traffic, which is usually very intense around the world due to the growth of the vehicle fleet.
More advantages
In the same way, in addition to the already mentioned advantages that bike paths bring with them, we cannot overlook others that are considered equally important:
- Cycling is encouraged as a sport suitable for improving health and releasing stress.
- It makes it easier for the little ones to start getting familiar with the bicycle from an early age. This will mean that when they are adults, whenever circumstances allow, they will not hesitate to move around the city with that means of transportation.
- It is a way to encourage parents and children to share time together in activities such as going out to explore the city by bike.
It should be noted that sometimes the bike paths are connected to train or subway stations, bus terminals and other infrastructure so that cyclists can reach them comfortably and then board public transportation , which makes transportation easier.
Disadvantages of a bike path
In the same way, there are those who are against bike paths, because they consider that they bring disadvantages.
Among them are that they take away space from the roads or sidewalks and that sometimes create conflicts with those who circulate on the road.