New cyclist improvements on the highway

Last week the roads department installed some new features on the West Coast Highway for cyclist. At major intersections they installed a small bike lane and laid down a new grip material.

The grip material is designed to prevent sliding by increasing traction. It is red and goes for about 3 meters or so from the intersection into the lane.

It is an interesting concept. They claim that tests on the east coast proved successful.

Now this is what has me baffled. No one rides their bikes ON the highway. Running parallel to the highway along the beach is a bike path. I take the bike path. Why would I want bike on the highway with speeding cars and trucks?

So all that new fancy traction mat bike lane stuff will be unused except for the occasional crazy cyclist who gets out on the highway.