I doubt any bike lanes in the city will ever get physical barriers, but I'm glad it's an actual lane. I've seen in other cities where a trail or path includes little more than a sign asking drivers to share the road, no lane markings, no nothing.
I'd ride this with the lane in. I've seen a few folks ride along Saginaw, Larch and Cedar at night, and I just think it's crazy. The streets are way too fast for it and the culture not built up enough to where I'd trust drivers without bike lane markings. I generally ride the roads in residential neighborhoods and commercial streets with parking since the sidewalks are always so unpredictable in the city, but I've never been brave enough to try the major roads for more than a few blocks unless I have to avoid some obstruction on the sidewalks. The one-ways pairs (Cedar/Larch and Saginaw/Oakland) can definitely be intimidating.
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Where the trees are the right height
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