Op-ed: True bike safety requires more than the 'Dutch reach'

In a guest op-ed in Streetsblog Chicago, Chris Ridgeway argues that, in the wake of the deaths of two transportation planners while biking, admonishing drivers to use the "Dutch reach" when they exit their car into a bike lane is a misplaced effort that doesn't address the root of road safety issues.

Ridgeway writes that making roads safer requires broader policy and cultural shifts. "On-street bike infrastructure is more than just cyclist protection: it also serves as a visible part of the cultural shift. Design researcher Don Norman would call these affordances—the physical environments that, if designed properly, human psychology understands how to use without instruction. From doorknobs to protected bike lanes, humans need to perceive possibility before action."

Summarizing his arguments, Ridgeway reminds the reader that the Netherlands is safe for cyclists for myriad reasons, the "Dutch reach" being just one small tool in a much larger toolbox.