Unlike the myth that the Netherlands is 100% covered in separate bike lanes, such constructs are perfectly normal. Here's an example of a busy Amsterdam street that doesn't even have as much as a dotted line on the ground: http://media.schlijper.nl/high/07/03/30/070330-raadhuisstraa...
No, it's not "nuts" to expect drivers to behave with caution, certainly a lot less nuts than to expect gun owners to act responsibly and not use unarmed civilians for target practice. It's a matter of law, culture and common sense.
Driving a car should not give you the right to run over cyclists and civilians. It's not that complicated. And although well designed streets are incredibly important in increasing safety, they are also a red herring when it comes to addressing the #1 problem: drivers. (Second only to the complete BS about cycling being unsafe without helmets.)
Also, once you make drivers responsible, there will be broader support for better infrastructure, because drivers themselves feel way more comfortable when bikes lanes are separated.
Amsterdam has way more separate bike lanes than SF.
Also, Amsterdam roads tend to be a lot calmer compared to SF.
The street in the screenshot is one lane per direction with a lot of curves.
San Francisco roads are often straight and 2 per direction (so higher traffic + speed), which dramatically increases the friction on sharrows, with a culture that's unused to bike traffic, so they are unsure about how to behave.
You're right, driving a car does not give you the right to run over cyclists, but the city could put more thought into the bike handling. I've been to Amsterdam a few times, and it's NOTHING like here.
No, it's not "nuts" to expect drivers to behave with caution, certainly a lot less nuts than to expect gun owners to act responsibly and not use unarmed civilians for target practice. It's a matter of law, culture and common sense.
Driving a car should not give you the right to run over cyclists and civilians. It's not that complicated. And although well designed streets are incredibly important in increasing safety, they are also a red herring when it comes to addressing the #1 problem: drivers. (Second only to the complete BS about cycling being unsafe without helmets.)
Also, once you make drivers responsible, there will be broader support for better infrastructure, because drivers themselves feel way more comfortable when bikes lanes are separated.