- Several vehicles have struck Atlanta’s protected bike lane barriers in recent weeks.
- The crashes appear linked to driver error rather than the barriers themselves.
- Ironically, the impacts may demonstrate the barriers are serving their intended purpose.
American roads are safer this year than in years past, at least for everyone except cyclists. Atlanta is trying to close that gap with protected bike lanes, and drivers seem to be struggling with them. One after another has crashed into the infrastructure over the past few weeks, including a recent incident where what looks like a Toyota Corolla sedan ended up beached on a barrier with two wheels in the air.
Rather than exposing a flaw in the design, the pileup of mishaps may show exactly why these barriers exist in the first place. That, at least, is what the engineers are hinting at.
A String Of Strange Crashes On Cherokee Avenue
Residents living along Cherokee Avenue beside Grant Park have witnessed several unusual collisions since the protected bike lane was installed just a few months ago. One driver reportedly rode along the top of a concrete separator like he was playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater with his car before continuing down the road.
Another vehicle allegedly flipped after striking the barrier. The incidents prompted complaints that the low-profile dividers weren’t sufficiently visible to approaching motorists. Following questions from local television station WSB-TV, the Atlanta Department of Transportation responded by installing reflectors on the barriers and flexible bollards alongside them. The city also said its engineering team is reviewing the crashes and evaluating whether additional changes could improve visibility.
Interestingly, ATLDOT stopped short of blaming the infrastructure itself. According to the department, the available evidence suggests the crashes were the result of driver error rather than any apparent traffic law issue or flaw in the installation. In other words, officials aren’t saying the barriers caused the crashes. They’re saying that drivers need to pay better attention and avoid an obvious piece of infrastructure.
Why The Barriers Are Doing Their Job
Protected bike lanes rank among the most effective tools governments have for keeping cyclists safe. Painted lanes rely almost entirely on drivers staying where they belong. Protected ones assume that, every so often, they won’t. As we’ve noted before, planning for the reality that even well-meaning people slip up is the smartest way to design a road.
Viewed through that lens, a car climbing onto a concrete divider isn’t necessarily evidence that the divider failed. If anything, it suggests the vehicle didn’t continue into the bike lane itself. One Grant Park resident who witnessed one of the crashes made precisely that point, telling WSB-TV that without the barrier “somebody could have been killed because he was right in the lane.”
