Here is a “cycle track” that was just installed in Alameda, along Shoreline Dr:
And here is a cross-section diagram of the “cycle track” (click to enlarge):
Can you spot what’s wrong? The answer, of course, is that there is nothing protecting the cyclists from the cars. A cycle track should have physical separation between car and bike traffic (preferably with a concrete curb). Alameda is only installing paint and stanchions. The other option for protecting cyclists is to put the cycle-track behind parked cars — but that was only been done in a few places during daytime hours. Alameda put most parking on the wrong side of the street.
For comparison, here is how a cycle track is supposed to look:
Amsterdam cycle track
Alameda is hardly an isolated case. Here is what they are calling a “cycle track” in Minneapolis:
There is no reason cyclists should have to put up with this substandard infrastructure.
Systemic Failure 
To be honest I don’t have any problem with these as long as they have plastic delineators and are wide enough. The one pictured in Minneapolis is way too narrow, has a buffer thats way too narrow, has the gutter paving problem, and has the delineators spaced out way too widely to provide a visual barrier.
I dont see the problem either, aside from it being 8′ rather than 10′, but to be fair, theres no easy way to get that extra 2 feet.
There are concrete curbs at the intersections
You can get 10 extra feet by removing the unnecessary 3rd lane. Or get 2 extra feet by converting to full-time parking lane.
The screen shot you posted at the top of this article is from a time-lapse video I made while the Alameda cycletrack was still under construction. Whether or not it can be considered enough separation, it is important to note that rubber wheel-stops have since been installed in the painted buffer area between the bike lanes and the travel lanes, and concrete curbs at the intersections and curves. For the rest of the project the bike lanes are parking-protected, as you noted.
I agree that a raised cycletrack is preferable, but it is also significantly more expensive. The Alameda project went through the entire budget with some elements like added sidewalks on Westline Drive still unfunded. If a project budget can only support paint and stanchions I feel like it is still a worthwhile improvement, in part for bicyclists but also for all other road users, as narrowing the travel lanes has a traffic calming effect which improves safety for everyone.
Personally, I don’t care what the facility is called (cycletrack, protected bikeway, buffered bikeway, etc) so long as it improves safety and gets more people out of their cars.
Rob,
The under-construction photo was posted because I don’t expect the stanchions to remain standing for very long.
While you are correct that a raised cycletracks is more expensive, a fully parking-protected cycle-track option has no extra cost, and in this situation would be simple to implement.
If you pan the camera to the left, I believe that’s the Bay shoreline. Are you asking for the parking to be on the shoreline side, across the street from the buildings?
Wait, I’m confused. What stanchions? The Alameda facility is largely parking protected.
The actual facility is quite different than the schematic you posted. Have you actually visited it yet?
[…] previous posting discussed a substandard cycle-track in Alameda. On the other side of the channel in Oakland, we […]
they could try a solution like the one here https://www.queuesolutions.com/stanchions these are basically heavy-duty versions of the plastic one I think your showing, it probably won’t stop a car but they make a fixed version which may be suitable. Maybe something like a fluorescent yellow color so it’s easier to see, I know they have a reflective option also which may be useful.