James Bruggers

@jbruggers

Louisville now has its own version of Tank Man, the Chinese protester who stood in front of a line of tanks 25 years ago this week as part of the Tiananmen Square demonstrations.

He's David Morse, and maybe we should call him Car Man. He's with the advocacy group Bicycling for Louisville, and yesterday he stood his ground when cars were trying to illegally use the city's first dedicated, fully buffered bike lane.

I am by no means equating the tragedy of the Tiananmen Square Massacre with Louisville's struggle to find the right balance between cars and bikes. But the photo, above and to the left, taken by Alice Thompson, shows Morse blocking the bike lane as motorists approached -- and to me was certainly a symbolic reminder of the power of protest.

As I wrote last week, these are potentially transformative times for bicycle transportation in Louisville.

Louisville has spent $300,000 during the last year, putting in nearly 40 miles of shared or dedicated bike lanes downtown, in Old Louisville, and spreading out to nearby neighborhoods, and the mayor would like to spend that amount again in the coming year for bike facilities. It's just hard to argue that it's not a good idea to encourage more people to get out and ride their bikes, and not just for taking spins around a local park after driving there in a car. Personal health, personal economics, and Louisville's ability to compete among other cities for top talent come to mind.

But when Public Works took a full lane on Breckinridge and Kentucky streets, painting a bike lane protected by buffer zones between parked cars and traffic, linking the Highlands with Old Louisville, it was a shock to some. During much of the day, there's only one lane for car and truck traffic, though during commute hours there are still two lanes for cars and trucks.

The change has triggered a robust conversation on Facebook, and yesterday, there were objections in Louisville Metro Council from Metro Council President Jim King, a Democrat, and council member Jerry Miller, a Republican. King said it appeared "half the road" had been turned over to bikes. "We've taken up an entire lane. That's not something I'm used to." He also suggested that too few bicyclists were using the new lane compared to 15,000 cars that also use the the two roads.

Dirk Gowin with Metro Public Works told King that roads had a lot of excess capacity, and one lane, plus the extra lanes during commute, should be more than enough to handle the motor vehicles. When there are too many lanes, motorists speed between stop lights and dart from lane to lane, making them unsafe for cars, bikes and pedestrians, he said. (Our streets are notoriously deadly to pedestrians.)

Cars are not allowed in the bike lane unless they are at an intersection making a turn, or moving across it to get to park, he said. Bikes are supposed to use the bike lane unless they are moving across the other lanes to make a turn, he added.

So, back to Tank Man, er, Car Man, and that photo.

"I was sitting at a red light and noticed numerous cars driving in the bike lane, which is very clearly marked as a bike lane," said Thompson. "I decided to be productive and shoot a couple photos of the cars. That's when I noticed Dave standing there. I'm a cyclist myself and I find it infuriating to encounter selfish drivers who endanger people's lives by driving in bike lanes just to save themselves a few precious seconds."

She said she was hopeful that this type of bike lane would make the road safer but is now worried that it may become more dangerous.

As for Morse, he said, "I just ... took photos and refused to yield to motorists who sought to travel in the bike lane."

Maybe the bike lane needs to be protected by some sort of vertical posts, he said.

And yes, there was some honking and finger gestures involved, he said.

These lanes are brand new and it will take time for people to adjust -- motorists and bicyclists alike.

"We need more bicyclists using the bike lane for it to work," said Mary Beth Brown, whose gets around town on her bike,

"I think people are intimidated too easily," she said. "If they see cars in the bike lane, they imagine themselves invisible in the space right in front of the car. If you use it and remain visible and predictable, it will get better and better."

This morning between 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. I spent about 15 minutes on Breckinridge and Kentucky, and everyone was behaving themselves, cars and bikes alike. I saw three bikes use the bike lane on Breckinridge.

Gowin told me this morning that Metro Police have been on patrol, starting yesterday. He said he's asked them to give warning to any bike lane violators.

He said the city also plans to install overhead signs to help make the lanes and their intention better known.

Within a month or two, he predicted, "it will all settle down."