Old 06-21-11, 08:31 AM
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John Forester
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Originally Posted by Bekologist
I used to live in Iowa (Iowa City), and New York (Lake Placid at the OTC!) too. I'd rather cycle in New York state to be perfectly honest. it's much prettier.

New York cyclists have the explicit right to lanes too narrow to share, and numerous other exceptions Iowa cyclists do not. Iowa cyclists are suborned to operating FRAP on all roads to facilitate passing and have no legal right to take a substandard width lane for safety, they are always suborned to operate FRAP by law.

This means, unfortunately, that cyclists in Iowa and other states with SMV FRAP laws applicable are legally required to ride as far to the right side or curb as is safe and practicable, on all roads, laned or unlaned, lanes wide or narrow, single lane each direction or multiple lane roads, to facilitate safe overtaking. Even in an 9 foot narrow lane, an Iowa cyclist has no explicit legal protection to 'take the lane'. There is no legal allowance for cyclists to operate well in the lane of a 13 foot lane in Iowa that cyclists explicitly entertain in many of the states with BIKES FRAP laws.

Florida or Colorado and its treatment of bicyclists is far, far more equitable with BIKES FRAP laws. there is not a uniform standard of BIKES FRAP, except to say that they generally are more permissive towards bicyclists choice of a safe and defensive road position.

meh. comparing the DMV suggestions to drivers is not a ready comparison between the states. most states have fairly uniform DMV manuals that suggest safe operation around bike traffic and that bikes will be operating to the right.



New York is not a good state to regard for bike rights, it is quite restrictive towards bicyclists. New York States institutionalized animosity towards bicycle traffic has a long troubled past, part of a long historic fight for bicyclists rights to the road in new york state. Are you familiar with the history of your states' Liberty Law, benjdm? and did you know Teddy Roosevelt was the first bicycle squad commissioner in New York City, tasked with a force of 100 bicycle patrolmen to keep the order?

New York bicycling has a storied and contentious history.
With all his argumentation about traffic laws, Bek has not provided the number and wording of any law to support his argumentation. Therefore, his words are no more than hot air.
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