This one spans almost the entire length of Yokohama, from Bay Quarter to Kannai - and it`s just like this the whole way. Thusfar, pedestrians (and cyclists) don`t seem to respect the boundaries very much - walkers still walk in the lane and cyclists weave to avoid them. In front of landmark tower, cyclists were using the lane as a big bike coral - seeing it more as a good place to park (an indicator of what is perhaps the best use of the space). In fact riding along here is just about as it always was, only now with a white line divider and some infrequent bike symbols every 200 meters or so to make it look legit.
All in all, we, of course, appreciate the effort and the need but how about setting the bar higher? How about Yokohama as world class cycling city (or walkable city, or livable city, sustainable, green, etc.) This path (this line) is a half-assed, attempt at solving a problem. A far better solution would be to tackle the root cause of the problem and take one (or two!) of the 6 adjoining car lanes away from traffic in order to create a true dedicated cycling lane.
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| 6 lanes of ugly, high-speed traffic - untouchable |
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| Using the lane for parking |
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