What were they thinking?

[Geonz]

Indeed - but surely the people who did the actual work to construct and paint the signs had to have said something? Who can say, but it is a funny picture hailing from Romania

They were thinking: "Oh. Bike path. It doesn't have to work -- and we're paid to do it."

[PamNY]

What, you people don't like trees? Nice spot for a little shady rest stop?

It would be tempting to paint a crashed bike on that sidewalk...

[marni]

please ladies, the tree was there first and I respect them for respecting the tree. What it hurt everyone so much to just dismount and sidle past just like the pedestrians have to? There were, still are for all I know, frequently majestical old (150-300 years old) trees in the middle of sidewalks and or bike paths through royal hunting preserves and parks throughout the Netherlands, and no one ever thought anything other than they were pleased to be protecting their national heritage.

Just another perspective from a lover of flora and fauna.

[Catrin]

please ladies, the tree was there first and I respect them for respecting the tree. What it hurt everyone so much to just dismount and sidle past just like the pedestrians have to? There were, still are for all I know, frequently majestical old (150-300 years old) trees in the middle of sidewalks and or bike paths through royal hunting preserves and parks throughout the Netherlands, and no one ever thought anything other than they were pleased to be protecting their national heritage.

Just another perspective from a lover of flora and fauna.

I am not saying they had to cut the tree down - but couldn't they have made the sidewalk wider? Anyway, I just thought it was a funny picture...

[ladyicon]

DUH, they were not thinking of safety.
Funny pic though.

[Catrin]

I think its fake . . . !!!
A tree , and that big is impossible to grow if the path is used constantly .

It is real - though I think the sign on the pavement is fake. I have seen the aerial photo on Google of this spot, it is in Romania.

[Kitsune06]

It's proof positive that pedestrians and bikers are smarter than your average cager. Put a tree like that in the middle of a road and I guarantee you it'd have bumper parts stuck in it and a healthy corpse count by the end of the first day.

[Trek420]

They were thinking: "Oh. Bike path. It doesn't have to work -- and we're paid to do it."

Or they were thinking "it's like flipping the bird at cyclists and we get paid to do it" like the city planners in my town. 4 blocks with the bike path dotted with trees.