While there are many reasons riding a bike is beneficial (great exercise, good for the environment) bike lanes on the side of city streets can prove hazardous for motorists and bicyclists alike. A new laser guided bike lane system may ease up the on road tension by giving drivers a heads up when there are bicyclists in the lane next to them. Now if we could only get bicyclists to stop running through red lights.
BLAZE is a small, battery operated device that can be attached to the handlebars of bicycles, motorcycles or scooters. It projects a bright green laser image onto the road ahead to alert other motorists that there is someone in the bike lane. The image can be made to flash to increase visibility and can even be used in sunny daylight conditions.
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but we're talking specifically about bike lanes here, which are usually between the parking lane and moving traffic. while cyclists need to try to be aware of people in parked cars (since they may open their door), in most jurisdictions it's the legal obligation of the occupants of the parked car to check and make sure they're not about to open the door on a cyclist. the cyclist is riding in a lane that they are allowed to be riding in and thus have the "right of way" in this situation, so to speak. people need to understand that a cyclist riding at even "slow" speeds of 10 or 20mph have been killed after being doored (yes, even when wearing a helmet. a helmet is a safety measure, but it's definitely not a guarantee and doesn't protect the rider from neck, back or other potentially life-threatening injuries. just like having airbags in a car is no guarantee that you'll survive a crash).
and as much as jerkus cyclists anger a lot of people (including other cyclists), it still doesn't give anyone in a car the right to cause them seriously bodily injury. unlike a metal-enclosed car, the only "protective buffer" cyclists have is our skin and everyone knows skin makes pretty crappy padding.
I see cyclists riding down the edge of very busy roads, no bright clothing, no mirror...they are crazy.