| On a street, a narrow lane (usually about 1 meter wide) reserved for the exclusive use of bicyclists. Often, these lanes can be added to streets without reducing the number of lanes available to motor vehicles. In the United States, bike lanes are usually simply painted on with solid white stripes on either side, and with diamond "reserved lane" markers and/or bicycle diagrams. In the Netherlands, bike lanes are usually marked with red pavement and are often raised so they are halfway between the level of the street and the kerb.
Bike lanes are designed to improve safety and accessibility for bicyclists, and to provide a safer alternative to lane splitting. They're usually located on streets with heavier traffic. Compare to bike route, bike path, mixed-use path. | 
