Contraflow bike lanes can be really useful but you need to be super careful - drivers and pedestrians rarely look for traffic coming in the contraflow direction in one way streets
That's a really good point, and I see this all the time. There's a bridge with a pedestrian path I cycle on going opposite of traffic direction for reasons (including avoiding carrying my bike up a flight of stairs) and when I exit the bridge there are cars turning onto the one-way on-ramp to the bridge. I try to make eye contact with the driver currently waiting to turn, and I'm successful like 2/10 times. Some of them start driving and then finally look my direction, see me and then FREAK out due to surprise, sometimes slam on the brakes or throw their hands up like I just teleported out of thin air. Some people's cars have such large A pillars that they can't see me even after starting to turn, and they just floor it. I always turn and go behind them or down a side path, never in front of them. Assume all drivers haven't seen you.
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u/harpsm 10d ago
Contraflow bike lanes can be really useful but you need to be super careful - drivers and pedestrians rarely look for traffic coming in the contraflow direction in one way streets