Instant Protected Bike Lane? Just Add Armadillos
Ambulances, fire and police vehicles can drive over the armadillo if they need to.
How do you make an instant protected bike lane?
Just add “armadillos”.
“Armadillos” – named after the little road kill critter – are recycled plastic dividers that create a protected space for cycling.
It’s just a small, gentle bump that reminds motorists to stay out of a protected bike lane. “They’re not very high, so if a driver strays in the road they’ll just feel a bump and move away from the edge,” notes Anthony Lau, managing director at Cyclehoop, the company that makes the product. “It’s not like driving over concrete, which would just destroy your wheel.”
If necessary in an emergency, ambulances, fire and police vehicles can drive over the armadillo.
Compared to a concrete curb or other more ambitious dividers for protected bike lanes, the armadillo is easy and cheap to install. And, if transportation agencies have second thoughts, they can be easily uninstalled as well. That means they’re a good solution for agencies interested in experimenting with protected bike lanes.
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• These Recycled Plastic Dividers Can Create A Bike Lane In A Second
• In One London Neighborhood, ‘Armadillos’ Boost Cycling Uptake by 40 to 50%
2 Responses
[…] in St. Louis that creates a protected pedestrian space on a busy road, as well as a bike lane. And Bike Delaware explains “armadillos,” easily-installed plastic humps that can be used to separate bike […]
These plastic bumps really have a skew on how a protected bike lane preforms. These little bumps, which should really be made of concrete not plastic and embedded into the road surface, are good for bike lanes where a protected bike lane is impossible. If you want to experiment, try using 12 cm high, 30 cm wide and 1 metre long blocks of concrete with an angled side with the angle facing the area for cycling. And make sure to get the intersections right, with protected intersections or simultaneous green. And build a large experimental network, like an entire downtown area, an entire neighbourhood (I don’t mean every minor side street, just the busier or faster ones. Over 3000 vehicles per day or more than 32 km/h speed limit), and add a network of traffic calmed residential streets. You want to give cycling the best chance it can. It can really skew how many people would use the track if the traffic lights aren’t timed well for them, if you can’t even get to the protected bike lane because the minor side streets are intimidating and or the protected bike lane doesn’t go all the way to your destination, and even if the bike lane ends or has a bad way of making a left turn. I don’t like these bumps on protected bike lanes because they don’t feel like they offer enough protection, which can make people not want to ride.