City will have contractor widen bike lanes on Anklam

So the other day I finished a beer and put the empty bottle on the counter in the kitchen. My son walks in and says, "Oh Dad, uhm thanks for the Goldfish tank, but maybe you could have gotten me something a wee bit bigger." I say, "what are you talking about?" Pointing emphatically at the empty brown bottle, "The ... gold ... fish ... tank. Thanks, I can use it. Sort of, but its a bit small." "Why on earth would you call that a goldfish tank?" "In the pet fish community we call any glass container a gold fish tank. I've heard some people say bottles aren't appropriate for fish, but that distinction isn't really important to me. I can fit most of a goldfish in there so I will." "I'll be honest with you boy. When I was Walmart buying beer it never occurred to me that you might need a goldfish tank. Even if I had known I can't say that I would gotten you one. But I tell you what, I got the bottle already so how about I take that bottle out back and break the neck off so you can fit the whole fish inside." "Gee thanks Dad, you're the best"

The distinction is huge. A bike lane is something a road engineer had in mind when laying out the road. That white line is called the "fog line" and is there so drivers can find the edge of the road in the dark. When that line was painted zero thought was given to a bicycle using the scrap of pavement outside the line. Calling that scrap a bike lane, or worse trying to use it as one is imparting to it a quality the road designer never had in mind. If a cyclist tries to ride in the space he endangers himself by giving the nearby automobiles the false impression they can safely pass without needing to cross the yellow center line.

I do think that it is relevant, because it makes it appear that whomever says it, is advocating that bicycles and bicyclists are only allowed to be on the roadway to the right of the white line in the "bike lane". I am buzzed, yelled, cursed, and honked at, every day here in Tucson, if I stray to the left of the white line, by motorists who believe that bicycles are only allowed to be in the "bike lane". By using these terms you are furthering this view and reinforcing what people/motorists think/believe bicycles should do, when in fact this is nowhere near what we are legally entitled to be doing.

Could I ask why you call the area to the right of the white line a "bike lane", when it is not technically a "bike lane"? The bicyclist in the first photo is riding in the appropriate and legal position. It might not be the safest per se, but it is legal. It is so nice of the city and contractor to fix this problem and expand the shoulder area to give more room for bicyclists to ride on the shoulder out of the way.