We need more dangerous roads!

I ride to work everyday (despite the heat), I ride for sport and I ride with kids. And the only thing that can truly ruin my day is... cars. Or drivers, actually. So, no - it's not the weather (A little summer rain can be welcomed in this heatwave). It's not even about facing road rage of some idiots on road. It's just about having to physically "share" the road space.
 
Some say that bicycles are vehicles so it's fair to expect cyclists to follow the same rules other vehicles follow. In other words - bike-specific road space (such as bike lanes) is pointless because if all vehicles on road are equal, then why designate some of this space to bikes, if they are not special? Right?

"Share the road" - they say. And then they give you this...

 

 which is why I would rather have this (at very least).

This approach is called vehicular cycling and it's a sound concept - on paper. Unfortunately, our reality is not black and white and decades of road transportation all over the world proved that vehicular cycling just doesn't work.

At all.

Well, in fact, it sort of does - in just one situation. On those narrow, neighborhood streets, where car traffic is severely slowed down by design (speed bumps, chicanes, etc.), there's really no need for a separated bicycle infrastructure. If cars are tamed and move not faster than 20mph (and usually even slower than that), bicycles can easily share the road with them.

But that's an exception. Meanwhile, vehicular cycling proponents would like to apply their ideas to all roads because bicycles are vehicles so why make an exception? Technically, they are right. Bicycles are vehicles, but they are not cars and as such, applying the same rules and privileges to both makes little sense. And it makes drivers crazy. Because if the same rules apply to everyone, then why cyclists can't use the full lane whenever they want, but are expected to ride "in the gutter"? At least, that's what most drivers want them to do. If you don't believe me, try riding your bike in the middle of the lane next time. We'll see how quickly you'll hear complains from passing drivers.

So there you go. Because virtually 100% of drivers break law (Show me one who always obeys speed limits), we - cyclists, need protection. We need safer streets and separated infrastructure. We really don't want to share road with cars (And don't even get me started on trucks). So how do we design safe streets?

"Share the road"? Not with you, maniacs!

The more I think about it, the more examples I see, the more collisions (often deadly) I read about, the more I come to conclusion that the only right answer is this - make them be afraid.

Make drivers afraid of the only thing they truly care about and are afraid to ruin - their cars!

That's right. Idiot drivers don't care if they hit you, don't care if they damage your bike, don't care if they break your leg, often don't even care much if you end up dead.

But they are afraid of damaging their cars (How many times have you seen an angry driver threatening a cyclist not to touch his car?). So this is the only way it will work. When we  design safe streets we need to think like drivers. The right question to ask is not how to make streets safer for pedestrians or cyclists, but how to make it "unsafe" for drivers. This could include narrower lanes, trees close to the road, chicanes, tight turns, speed bumps, etc. Only then drivers will have to put down their cell phones and look at the road, look for other people, bicycles, cars. We need more roads like these - "dangerous" roads.
 
It's the only thing that will make them pay attention.