Proof that bikeways are natural and good things

This photo was taken near the bikeway I took a few days ago. It's on the left, behind the houses, parallel to this street.

In this intersection an L-shaped connector road (coming from left and going forward in the photo) meets a non-through residential street coming from the direction I came. And there's one bikeway coming from right a little behind me, and another is visible on the photo. Although the residential street is non-through for cars, the bikeways are connected to other residential streets further away.

You can see the bikeway continuing on the right, but there's another bikeway on the other side of the street. You can spot the MUP sign behind the pole of the yield sign. Both bikeways (MUPs) are bidirectional. That is to make it easier for users to get to their destination. The University is about 1km ahead, there's a kindergarden, primary, secondary and highschool, and library etc in the area. Not to mention a little shopping mall. A lot of young kids and adults on their bikes in the area.

In addition to giving direct routes to houses nearby without having to cross the street if you live on the same side, they give more space for rush hour bike traffic by splitting it to two sides of the road. Bikeways on both sides gives you the chance to cross the street when its convenient without having to stop. If you see a car approaching and know you'd have to yield, just continue straight on and try at the next crossing. (That's our traffic laws. A cyclist crossing a street on zebra crossing must yield to other traffic, if the zebra is not at an intersection. At intersections other rules apply. Get off the bike and walk, you're a pedestrian and the cars must yield. On this street some of the zebras are not in an intersection, though not all.)

On my recent berry picking ride I spotted this weird line on the moss. There's an anthill (upper edge, center of the photo, near two sticks making an "A") and the ants have built their own pedestrian path. An obstruction free, direct route between home and work, and no cars allowed. They wouldn't fit between the trees. :-)