Seattle is looking at ways to make bike lanes safer, specifically how to avoid right hooks.
"Right-hook" collisions, as riders call them, are among the most common
risks of urban cycling. A bike enters an intersection going straight
and gets hit by a right-turning car
In response to right-hook crashes, cities are trying to move bicyclists away from the curb at busy crossings
And they're trying a few different strategies. Dotted lines like we have here:
The federal government's street-design manual encourages cities to
replace a solid bike-lane stripe with a dotted line where bikes and
cars are likely to cross paths. A dotted line warns cyclists that cars
will be turning right, and it invites cyclists to move left into
general traffic, said Rich Meredith, city traffic engineer in Shoreline.
Seattle is gingerly trying out new designs to see if they reduce
conflicts between bicyclists and motorists turning at intersections.
Last year, parts of Stone Way North were repainted with new bike lanes that include dotted lines at several crossings.
Warning signs for drivers
At each end of the Fremont Bridge, road signs tell car drivers to yield
to bikes -- southbound motorists turning right toward Seattle Pacific
University will wait for the bicyclists pedaling straight, toward the
Dexter Avenue North bike route. On a recent morning, many drivers were
looking over their shoulders toward the bike lane, before making the
turn.
and painted lanes like in New York (and Peoria too)
This spring, Seattle will paint green bicycle lanes at four busy intersections
Portland has used blue-colored bike lanes since the 1990s and is adding
13 similar lanes this year, to be painted green. City officials
videotaped traffic and found that motorists yielded far more often to
bikes in marked blue lanes -- and that cyclists glanced at cars less
often, a problem.
The article gives some standard advice
Be visible. State law requires a headlight and rear
reflector after dark, but riders should add a solid or blinking rear
light. Wear bright or reflective clothes and reflective leg bands. A
flag is good for short or recumbent cycles.
Use a rearview mirror. It can be mounted on a helmet
or handlebar. It will be easier to gauge whether you can move out into
the roadway, and whether approaching drivers are likely to pass you at
a safe distance.
Avoid blind spots. Bicyclists on sidewalks, or who pass cars on the right, become virtually invisible to drivers.
Be predictable. Stake out a clear position. Don't weave frequently between the main roadway and the curb.
Use residential streets that run parallel to traffic-heavy corridors.
"Take the lane" when it's safer than being squeezed to the right, especially riding downhill.
Educate yourself. Two good online articles are "How to Not Get Hit by Cars" at bicyclesafe.com, and "Avoid the Suicide Slot" on Kent's Bike Blog.
Boston meanwhile is adding bike lanes
One aim of the city’s 6-month-old Boston Bikes program has been to
incorporate bicycle lanes, similar to those along Massachusetts Avenue
in Cambridge, into the Boston infrastructure.
All of this would help if drivers respected the bike lane more.
There was recently a discussion about plowing and clearing bike trails. There were concerns about cost and the environment (from salting). There's another issue of clearing bike lanes (instead of piling snow in them). It's not as big an issue here (this year there's only been one time that snow pushed me out of the bike lane) as it is in Toronto. 
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