> Folks in the US need to start demanding bike lanes from their elected officials.

North American bike lanes, as they're currently implemented, in general, are easily criticized because they don't actually buy a safer ride for cyclists. They buy the illusion of a safer ride[1].

Some of the problems:

  * Bicycles going straight through an intersection are encouraged to overtake cars 
    that are turning right on their right side. The motor vehicle can turn into the 
    path of the overtaking cyclist.
  * Bicycles going straight through an intersection are encouraged to stay close to 
    the curb, where they can be hidden from the view of drivers turning left into 
    their path by cars that are traveling in the same direction and slightly 
    ahead of them. The left-turning car then turns behind the car travelling in 
    the same direction as the cyclist and into the cyclist.
  * Bicycle lanes widen the travel lane, encouraging drivers to travel 
    at higher speeds.

There are bike lanes that actually encourage safer riding habits, but they're far less common, so the overall statistics don't show decreased accident rates when bike lanes are added.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bike_lane#Crash_types.2C_junct...