On a road with two full-size lanes and a bike lane (on the right) in one direction, if the road narrows and the middle lane ends, there will be a sign that says "right lane ends," although the bike lane, the rightmost lane, continues. This practice treats bike lanes as if they don't exist.
When a full-size lane ends the lane ending sign is placed far enough in advance of the end to allow drivers to merge into the left lane. When a bike lane ends, if there is a sign saying so, it is rarely the standard yellow warning sign�it is usually a black and white sign placed right at the end of the bike lane, not giving any advance warning to facilitate merging into the next lane.
Dead end roads have "dead end" signs. If, somewhere down that road a bike path connects to the road, the road is not a dead end to bicyclists, but a dead end sign is erected, anyway. The sign does not mention the exception for bicycles. Traffic engineers would not erect a dead end sign if there were a way through for motorists. Motorists who discovered the deception would be outraged by the misinformation and by the apparent necessity of taking a roundabout route when a direct, through street was available. Whether through active policy or careless disregard, cyclists are subjected to this false information as a matter of normal practice.
Major roads sometimes have complex intersections with left-turn-only, straight-only, right-turn-only or combination lanes. There are arrows on the pavement, signs beside the road, or signs hanging over the road indicating legal movements. If a road has, say four full-size lanes and a bike lane, it will have only four direction signs, not five. If it has pavement markings there will be none in the bike lane.
When construction crews work on a road, there are road work warning signs at the side of the road in a position least in the way of traffic. If a crew closes a full size lane, they post a "lane closed ahead" sign. If the road has a bicycle lane, frequently a road work warning sign is put in the bike lane. These wide signs effectively close the bike lane even if no construction is being done in the lane itself. Yet, rarely if ever do crews post a "lane closed ahead" sign. Even worse, crews sometimes leave the signs in place, but turn them backward at the end of the day.There is no reflective material on the back, so the bike lane is not only blocked, it is blocked by a hard to see obstruction.
Despite recommendations that bike lanes never be placed right of right-turn-only lanes, they sometimes are. Sometimes they are right of a right turn-only lane, and then they cross to the left of the right turn lane. This is especially dangerous because cyclists and motorists can run into each other without even changing lanes and taking normal lane changing precautions.
Despite the increasing recognition that pedestrians are safer when separated from vehicles, and the addition of sidewalks to roads, bike paths never have sidewalks. In fact in a subtle second class treatment of bicycles, bike paths have been renamed "multi-use paths." Full size roads without sidewalks have always been multi-use paths, although no one ever called them that. They are used by all sorts of travellers-- motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, buggy drivers, farmers on tractors, etc.
Bike paths rarely have names, and even more rarely, have street signs. This makes it difficult to direct anyone to a destination via a bike path. Also they are usually above the grade of the full-size roads they intersect. At these intersections, the paths frequently have offset curb cuts, no curb cut, bollards, or, fences making it difficult and sometimes unsafe to ride to or from the path.
Bike path construction and maintenance are substantially inferior to those of full size roads. Bike paths sometimes have blind corners, insufficient width, and poor drainage. Tree roots quickly cause upheavals in bike paths. Leaves, pine cones, and glass remain for weeks. In the rainy season, wet leaves and mud are serious hazards
ORS 801.305 "Highway." "Highway" means every public way, road, street, thoroughfare and place, including bridges, viaducts and other structures within the boundaries of this state, open, used or intended for use of the general public for vehicles or vehicular traffic as a matter of right. [1983 c.338 s.51]
ORS 801.450 "Roadway." "Roadway" means the portion of a highway that is improved, designed or ordinarily used for vehicular travel, exclusive of the shoulder. In the event a highway includes two or more separate roadways the term "roadway" shall refer to any such roadway separately, but not to all such roadways collectively. [1983 c.338 s.83]
ORS 801.480 "Shoulder." "Shoulder" means the portion of a highway, whether paved or unpaved, contiguous to the roadway that is primarily for use by pedestrians, for the accommodation of stopped vehicles, for emergency use and for lateral support of base and surface courses. [1983 c.338 s.88]
So "roadway excludes the shoulders, but includes all lanes meant for vehicles. Since "vehicles" includes bicycles, bike lanes are included in the definition of "roadway."
However, compare that logical conclusion to the definition of a bicycle lane.
ORS 801.155 "Bicycle lane" means that part of the highway, adjacent to the roadway, designated by official signs or markings for use by persons riding bicycles except as otherwise specifically provided by law. [1983 c.338 s.23]
So, the definition of a bike lane implies that it is not a legitimate part of the roadway. Also, although the definition of a shoulder clearly states that it is not for vehicular travel (and a bicycle is a vehicle), ODOT has created the term "shoulder bikeway" to describe a road with shoulders ODOT considers suitable for use by cyclists.
If a full size lane ends at an intersection, it ends by becoming a right-turn-only lane on the near side or it continues through the intersection and tapers away a few hundred feet beyond the intersection. Traffic engineers don't use either of those treatmentst with bike lanes. They simply end bike lanes at the near side of the intersection and don't require cyclists to turn right. Cyclists who wish to go straight must change lanes in the intersection, which is not illegal, but full size lanes are designed to avoid that. They are designed as described above so that drivers can change lanes after going through the intersection.
Engineers don't want to give cyclists the impression that the road ahead has a bike lane in case cyclists won't ride on roads without bike lanes. They end bike lanes on the near side of the intersection to make sure that cyclists can see that the road ahead has no bike lane so that cyclists have the opportunity to turn onto the intersecting road instead of continuing forward on a road without bike lanes. However, they use this design even if the intersecting road has no bike lanes. Maybe they expect cyclists to use the crosswalk to walk across the road they are on, get back on their bikes, and go back in the direction from which they came.
Some cyclists' attitudes and training are not much better. Some cyclists feel so strongly compelled to stay in the bike lane that they turn left from the bike lane. Some ride dangerously close to parked cars because that is where the bike lane is.
The special laws and facilities that are meant to aid cyclists have actually turned cyclists into second class drivers. Although bicycles are defined as vehicles and are legal on all but a few roads, roads and signs are rarely designed and installed with cyclists in mind. In many ways, cyclists and bicycle facilities are treated as if they don't exist.
The segregated system of bike lanes and paths is well entrenched by government policy and will be difficult to reverse. Is even supported by some cyclists in the mistaken belief that it is possible to separate cyclists from motorists by giving cyclists "their own space." They overlook the fact that the "cyclists' space" frequently intersects the "motorists' space." As is typical in dual systems, the two kinds of facilities are separate and unequal. "Cyclists' space" is usually built and maintained in an inferior manner to that of "motorists' space."