<p>Out for a bike ride around Lake Merritt on a beautiful day in Oakland today, I *very* slowly approached a group of three elderly women walking toward me on the shared mixed-use path section, so they could safely pass while I waited for space.</p><p>(Yes, there are separated bike lanes, but they just abruptly end and route you back onto the shared path: <a href="https://www.oaklandca.gov/Government/Oakland-Improvement-Projects/Lakeshore-Avenue-Separated-Bike-Lanes-Project" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.oaklandca.gov/Government/Oakland-Improvement-Projects/Lakeshore-Avenue-Separated-Bike-Lanes-Project"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.oaklandca.gov/Government/O</span><span class="invisible">akland-Improvement-Projects/Lakeshore-Avenue-Separated-Bike-Lanes-Project</span></a>)</p><p>One of the women complained to me "why do we have all these bike lanes if you ride here anyway?"</p><p>So... I circled back and politely explained to her that the bike lane ended back behind us, and that I encourage her to vote for more bike lanes so I can stay out of her way.</p><p>Her friend was visibly amused, and another passerby stopped to affirm I was in the right, and literally fist-bumped me, so I'm delighted to have done my small part for cycling advocacy today <img src="https://neodb.social/media/emoji/social.lol/prami_contented.png" class="emoji" alt=":prami_contented:" title=":prami_contented:"></p><p>---</p><p>Without a *connected* network of *protected* bike lanes, most people simply won't ride bikes! You wouldn't drive a car without a connected network of streets either!</p><p>Always remember <a href="/tags/cardependency/" rel="tag">#CarDependency</a> has us fighting each other over table scraps. It's a simple (and *solved*) geometry problem.</p><p><a href="/tags/carfree/" rel="tag">#CarFree</a> <a href="/tags/urbanism/" rel="tag">#Urbanism</a> <a href="/tags/publictransit/" rel="tag">#PublicTransit</a> <a href="/tags/walkablecities/" rel="tag">#WalkableCities</a> <a href="/tags/cycling/" rel="tag">#Cycling</a> <a href="/tags/biketooter/" rel="tag">#BikeTooter</a></p>
